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Psalms 22:12-13
Many bulls surround me; powerful bulls of Bashan hem me in.They open their mouths to devour me like a roaring lion that rips its prey.
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Psalms 2:12
Give sincere homage! Otherwise he will be angry, and you will die because of your behavior, when his anger quickly ignites. How blessed are all who take shelter in him!
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Ezekiel 29:3
Tell them,‘ This is what the sovereign LORD says:“‘ Look, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster lying in the midst of its waterways, who has said,“ My Nile is my own, I made it for myself.”
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Isaiah 37:1-38
When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the LORD’s temple.Eliakim the palace supervisor, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, clothed in sackcloth, sent this message to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz:“ This is what Hezekiah says:‘ This is a day of distress, insults, and humiliation, as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through.Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all these things the chief adviser has spoken on behalf of his master, the king of Assyria, who sent him to taunt the living God. When the LORD your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the things he has said. So pray for this remnant that remains.’”When King Hezekiah’s servants came to Isaiah,Isaiah said to them,“ Tell your master this:‘ This is what the LORD says:“ Don’t be afraid because of the things you have heard– these insults the king of Assyria’s servants have hurled against me.Look, I will take control of his mind; he will receive a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down with a sword in his own land.”’”When the chief adviser heard the king of Assyria had departed from Lachish, he left and went to Libnah, where the king was campaigning.The king heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was marching out to fight him. He again sent messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them:“ Tell King Hezekiah of Judah this:‘ Don’t let your God in whom you trust mislead you when he says,“ Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.”Certainly you have heard how the kings of Assyria have annihilated all lands. Do you really think you will be rescued?Were the nations whom my predecessors destroyed– the nations of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar– rescued by their gods?Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’”Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers and read it. Then Hezekiah went up to the LORD’s temple and spread it out before the LORD.Hezekiah prayed before the LORD:“ O LORD who commands armies, O God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubim! You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky and the earth.Pay attention, LORD, and hear! Open your eyes, LORD, and observe! Listen to this entire message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God!It is true, LORD, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the nations and their lands.They have burned the gods of the nations, for they are not really gods, but only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why the Assyrians could destroy them.Now, O LORD our God, rescue us from his power, so all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the LORD.”Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah:“ This is what the LORD God of Israel says:‘ Because you prayed to me concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria,this is what the LORD says about him:“ The virgin daughter Zion despises you– she makes fun of you; daughter Jerusalem shakes her head after you.Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at? At whom have you shouted and looked so arrogantly? At the Holy One of Israel!Through your messengers you taunted the sovereign master,‘ With my many chariots I climbed up the high mountains, the slopes of Lebanon. I cut down its tall cedars and its best evergreens. I invaded its most remote regions, its thickest woods.I dug wells and drank water. With the soles of my feet I dried up all the rivers of Egypt.’Certainly you must have heard! Long ago I worked it out, in ancient times I planned it, and now I am bringing it to pass. The plan is this: Fortified cities will crash into heaps of ruins.Their residents are powerless; they are terrified and ashamed. They are as short-lived as plants in the field or green vegetation. They are as short-lived as grass on the rooftops when it is scorched by the east wind.I know where you live and everything you do and how you rage against me.Because you rage against me and the uproar you create has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose, and my bridle between your lips, and I will lead you back the way you came.”“ This will be your reminder that I have spoken the truth: This year you will eat what grows wild, and next year what grows on its own. But the year after that you will plant seed and harvest crops; you will plant vines and consume their produce.Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit.“ For a remnant will leave Jerusalem; survivors will come out of Mount Zion. The intense devotion of the LORD who commands armies will accomplish this.So this is what the LORD says about the king of Assyria:‘ He will not enter this city, nor will he shoot an arrow here. He will not attack it with his shielded warriors, nor will he build siege works against it.He will go back the way he came– he will not enter this city,’ says the LORD.I will shield this city and rescue it for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant.”’”The LORD’s messenger went out and killed 185,000 troops in the Assyrian camp. When they got up early the next morning, there were all the corpses!So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and went on his way. He went home and stayed in Nineveh.One day, as he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. They ran away to the land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king.
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Psalms 120:7
I am committed to peace, but when I speak, they want to make war.
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James 4:1
Where do the conflicts and where do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, from your passions that battle inside you?
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2 Samuel 10 1-2 Samuel 10 19
Later the king of the Ammonites died and his son Hanun succeeded him.David said,“ I will express my loyalty to Hanun son of Nahash just as his father was loyal to me.” So David sent his servants with a message expressing sympathy over his father’s death. When David’s servants entered the land of the Ammonites,the Ammonite officials said to their lord Hanun,“ Do you really think David is trying to honor your father by sending these messengers to express his sympathy? No, David has sent his servants to you to get information about the city and spy on it so they can overthrow it!”So Hanun seized David’s servants and shaved off half of each one’s beard. He cut the lower part of their robes off so that their buttocks were exposed, and then sent them away.Messengers told David what had happened, so he summoned them, for the men were thoroughly humiliated. The king said,“ Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown again; then you may come back.”When the Ammonites realized that David was disgusted with them, they sent and hired 20,000 foot soldiers from Aram Beth Rehob and Aram Zobah, in addition to 1,000 men from the king of Maacah and 12,000 men from Ish-tob.When David heard the news, he sent Joab and the entire army to meet them.The Ammonites marched out and were deployed for battle at the entrance of the city gate, while the men from Aram Zobah, Rehob, Ish-tob, and Maacah were by themselves in the field.When Joab saw that the battle would be fought on two fronts, he chose some of Israel’s best men and deployed them against the Arameans.He put his brother Abishai in charge of the rest of the army and they were deployed against the Ammonites.Joab said,“ If the Arameans start to overpower me, you come to my rescue. If the Ammonites start to overpower you, I will come to your rescue.Be strong! Let’s fight bravely for the sake of our people and the cities of our God! The LORD will do what he decides is best!”So Joab and his men marched out to do battle with the Arameans, and they fled before him.When the Ammonites saw the Arameans flee, they fled before his brother Abishai and went into the city. Joab withdrew from fighting the Ammonites and returned to Jerusalem.When the Arameans realized that they had been defeated by Israel, they consolidated their forces.Then Hadadezer sent for Arameans from beyond the Euphrates River, and they came to Helam. Shobach, the general in command of Hadadezer’s army, led them.When David was informed, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan River, and came to Helam. The Arameans deployed their forces against David and fought with him.The Arameans fled before Israel. David killed 700 Aramean charioteers and 40,000 foot soldiers. He also struck down Shobach, the general in command of the army, who died there.When all the kings who were subject to Hadadezer saw they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subjects of Israel. The Arameans were no longer willing to help the Ammonites.
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2 Chronicles 20 1-2 Chronicles 20 37
Later the Moabites and Ammonites, along with some of the Meunites, attacked Jehoshaphat.Messengers arrived and reported to Jehoshaphat,“ A huge army is attacking you from the other side of the Dead Sea, from the direction of Edom. Look, they are in Hazezon Tamar( that is, En Gedi).”Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he decided to seek the LORD’s advice. He decreed that all Judah should observe a fast.The people of Judah assembled to ask for the LORD’s help; they came from all the cities of Judah to ask for the LORD’s help.Jehoshaphat stood before the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the LORD’s temple, in front of the new courtyard.He prayed:“ O LORD God of our ancestors, you are the God who lives in heaven and rules over all the kingdoms of the nations. You possess strength and power; no one can stand against you.Our God, you drove out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and gave it as a permanent possession to the descendants of your friend Abraham.They settled down in it and built in it a temple to honor you, saying,‘ If disaster comes on us in the form of military attack, judgment, plague, or famine, we will stand in front of this temple before you, for you are present in this temple. We will cry out to you for help in our distress, so that you will hear and deliver us.’Now the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir are coming! When Israel came from the land of Egypt, you did not allow them to invade these lands. They bypassed them and did not destroy them.Look how they are repaying us! They come to drive us out of our allotted land which you assigned to us!Our God, will you not judge them? For we are powerless against this huge army that attacks us! We don’t know what we should do; we look to you for help.”All the men of Judah were standing before the LORD, along with their infants, wives, and children.Then in the midst of the assembly, the LORD’s Spirit came upon Jachaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph.He said:“ Pay attention, all you people of Judah, residents of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says to you:‘ Don’t be afraid and don’t panic because of this huge army! For the battle is not yours, but God’s.Tomorrow march down against them as they come up the Ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the ravine in front of the Desert of Jeruel.You will not fight in this battle. Take your positions, stand, and watch the LORD deliver you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Don’t be afraid and don’t panic! Tomorrow march out toward them; the LORD is with you!’”Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face toward the ground, and all the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD and worshiped him.Then some Levites, from the Kohathites and Korahites, got up and loudly praised the LORD God of Israel.Early the next morning they marched out to the Desert of Tekoa. When they were ready to march, Jehoshaphat stood up and said:“ Listen to me, you people of Judah and residents of Jerusalem! Trust in the LORD your God and you will be safe! Trust in the message of his prophets and you will win.”He met with the people and appointed musicians to play before the LORD and praise his majestic splendor. As they marched ahead of the warriors they said:“ Give thanks to the LORD, for his loyal love endures.”When they began to shout and praise, the LORD suddenly attacked the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.The Ammonites and Moabites attacked the men from Mount Seir and annihilated them. When they had finished off the men of Seir, they attacked and destroyed one another.When the men of Judah arrived at the observation post overlooking the desert and looked at the huge army, they saw dead bodies on the ground; there were no survivors!Jehoshaphat and his men went to gather the plunder; they found a huge amount of supplies, clothing and valuable items. They carried away everything they could. There was so much plunder, it took them three days to haul it off.On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, where they praised the LORD. So that place is called the Valley of Berachah to this very day.Then all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem with Jehoshaphat leading them; the LORD had given them reason to rejoice over their enemies.They entered Jerusalem to the sound of stringed instruments and trumpets and proceeded to the temple of the LORD.All the kingdoms of the surrounding lands were afraid of God when they heard how the LORD had fought against Israel’s enemies.Jehoshaphat’s kingdom enjoyed peace; his God made him secure on every side.Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.He followed in his father Asa’s footsteps and was careful to do what the LORD approved.However, the high places were not eliminated; the people were still not devoted to the God of their ancestors.The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Annals of Jehu son of Hanani which are included in Scroll of the Kings of Israel.Later King Jehoshaphat of Judah made an alliance with King Ahaziah of Israel, who did evil.They agreed to make large seagoing merchant ships; they built the ships in Ezion Geber.Eliezer son of Dodavahu from Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat,“ Because you made an alliance with Ahaziah, the LORD will shatter what you have made.” The ships were wrecked and unable to go to sea.
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Psalms 18:44
When they hear of my exploits, they submit to me. Foreigners are powerless before me;
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2 Chronicles 14 1-2 Chronicles 14 15
( 13: 23) Abijah passed away and was buried in the City of David. His son Asa replaced him as king. During his reign the land had rest for ten years.( 14: 1) Asa did what the LORD his God desired and approved.He removed the pagan altars and the high places, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles.He ordered Judah to seek the LORD God of their ancestors and to observe his law and commands.He removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah. The kingdom had rest under his rule.He built fortified cities throughout Judah, for the land was at rest and there was no war during those years; the LORD gave him peace.He said to the people of Judah:“ Let’s build these cities and fortify them with walls, towers, and barred gates. The land remains ours because we have followed the LORD our God and he has made us secure on all sides.” So they built the cities and prospered.Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah, equipped with large shields and spears. He also had 280,000 men from Benjamin who carried small shields and were adept archers; they were all skilled warriors.Zerah the Cushite marched against them with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots. He arrived at Mareshah,and Asa went out to oppose him. They deployed for battle in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.Asa prayed to the LORD his God:“ O LORD, there is no one but you who can help the weak when they are vastly outnumbered. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you and have marched on your behalf against this huge army. O LORD our God, don’t let men prevail against you!”The LORD struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled,and Asa and his army chased them as far as Gerar. The Cushites were wiped out; they were shattered before the LORD and his army. The men of Judah carried off a huge amount of plunder.They defeated all the cities surrounding Gerar, for the LORD caused them to panic. The men of Judah looted all the cities, for they contained a huge amount of goods.They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen in charge of the livestock. They carried off many sheep and camels and then returned to Jerusalem.
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Jeremiah 50:11
“ People of Babylonia, you plundered my people. That made you happy and glad. You frolic about like calves in a pasture. Your joyous sounds are like the neighs of a stallion.
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Job 40:21
Under the lotus trees it lies, in the secrecy of the reeds and the marsh.
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2 Samuel 8 1-2 Samuel 8 18
Later David defeated the Philistines and subdued them. David took Metheg Ammah from the Philistines.He defeated the Moabites. He made them lie on the ground and then used a rope to measure them off. He put two-thirds of them to death and spared the other third. The Moabites became David’s subjects and brought tribute.David defeated King Hadadezer son of Rehob of Zobah when he came to reestablish his authority over the Euphrates River.David seized from him 1,700 charioteers and 20,000 infantrymen. David cut the hamstrings of all but a hundred of the chariot horses.The Arameans of Damascus came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, but David killed 22,000 of the Arameans.David placed garrisons in the territory of the Arameans of Damascus; the Arameans became David’s subjects and brought tribute. The LORD protected David wherever he campaigned.David took the golden shields that belonged to Hadadezer’s servants and brought them to Jerusalem.From Tebah and Berothai, Hadadezer’s cities, King David took a great deal of bronze.When King Toi of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer,he sent his son Joram to King David to extend his best wishes and to pronounce a blessing on him for his victory over Hadadezer, for Toi had been at war with Hadadezer. He brought with him various items made of silver, gold, and bronze.King David dedicated these things to the LORD, along with the dedicated silver and gold that he had taken from all the nations that he had subdued,including Aram, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amelek. This also included some of the plunder taken from King Hadadezer son of Rehob of Zobah.David became famous when he returned from defeating the Arameans in the Valley of Salt, he defeated 18,000 in all.He placed garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites became David’s subjects. The LORD protected David wherever he campaigned.David reigned over all Israel; he guaranteed justice for all his people.Joab son of Zeruiah was general in command of the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was secretary;Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was scribe;Benaiah son of Jehoida supervised the Kerithites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were priests.
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Romans 7:22
For I delight in the law of God in my inner being.
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Isaiah 34:7
Wild oxen will be slaughtered along with them, as well as strong bulls. Their land is drenched with blood, their soil is covered with fat.
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Psalms 89:10
You crushed the Proud One and killed it; with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
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Jeremiah 51:32-33
They will report that the fords have been captured, the reed marshes have been burned, the soldiers are terrified.For the LORD God of Israel who rules over all says,‘ Fair Babylon will be like a threshing floor which has been trampled flat for harvest. The time for her to be cut down and harvested will come very soon.’
