Lesson 8

Summary:

Zechariah’s visions culminate with the crowning of Joshua as a prophetic sign of the Coming Branch, the Messiah who will unite the offices of priest and king to bring peace and rebuild God’s temple. God calls His people to true worship marked by justice, mercy, and compassion rather than empty ritual. The Lord promises to return to Zion, transform fasting into joyful feasts, and draw nations to seek His presence, highlighting the future reign of His righteous Messiah.

Scripture References:

Zechariah 6:9-15 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. And the word of the LORD came to me:
2. “Take from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon, and go the same day to the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah.
3. Take from them silver and gold, and make a crown, and set it on the head of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest.
4. And say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD.
5. It is he who shall build the temple of the LORD and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”’
6. And the crown shall be in the temple of the LORD as a reminder to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah.
7. “And those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the LORD. And you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.”

Zechariah 7:1-14 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev.
2. Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men to entreat the favor of the LORD,
3. saying to the priests of the house of the LORD of hosts and the prophets, “Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”
4. Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me:
5. “Say to all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted?
6. And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves?
7. Were not these the words that the LORD proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, with her cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?’”
8. And the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying,
9. “Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another,
10. do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”
11. But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear.
12. They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of hosts.
13. “As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,” says the LORD of hosts,
14. “and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate.”

Zechariah 8:1-23 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. And the word of the LORD of hosts came, saying,
2. “Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath.
3. Thus says the LORD: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts, the holy mountain.
4. Thus says the LORD of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age.
5. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.
6. Thus says the LORD of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the LORD of hosts?
7. Thus says the LORD of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country,
8. and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.”
9. Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Let your hands be strong, you who in these days have been hearing these words from the mouth of the prophets who were present on the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.
10. For before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for beast, neither was there any safety from the foe for him who went out or came in, for I set every man against his neighbor.
11. But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the LORD of hosts.
12. For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.
13. And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong.”
14. For thus says the LORD of hosts: “As I purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the LORD of hosts,
15. so again have I purposed in these days to bring good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; fear not.
16. These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace;
17. do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the LORD.”
18. And the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying,
19. “Thus says the LORD of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.
20. “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities.
21. The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD and to seek the LORD of hosts; I myself am going.’
22. Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD.
23. Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”

Lesson 7

Summary:

In Zechariah 4–6, God reveals that His redemptive work will not be accomplished through human strength or ingenuity but through His Spirit’s power. The visions of the golden lampstand and olive trees highlight God’s anointed leaders—Zerubbabel and Joshua—through whom He would rebuild His temple and shepherd His people. The flying scroll and basket visions expose sin and wickedness that God will remove from His land, while the four chariots demonstrate His sovereign control over the nations. Altogether, these visions affirm that God Himself empowers and purifies His people to accomplish His kingdom purposes.

Scripture References:

Zechariah 4:1-14 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep.
2. And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it.
3. And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”
4. And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”
5. Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.”
6. Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.
7. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”
8. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
9. “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.
10. For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. “These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth.”
11. Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?”
12. And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil is poured out?”
13. He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.”
14. Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

Zechariah 5:1-11 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a flying scroll!
2. And he said to me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits.”
3. Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land. For everyone who steals shall be cleaned out according to what is on one side, and everyone who swears falsely shall be cleaned out according to what is on the other side.
4. I will send it out, declares the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of him who swears falsely by my name. And it shall remain in his house and consume it, both timber and stones.”
5. Then the angel who talked with me came forward and said to me, “Lift your eyes and see what this is that is going out.”
6. And I said, “What is it?” He said, “This is the basket that is going out.” And he said, “This is their iniquity in all the land.”
7. And behold, the leaden cover was lifted, and there was a woman sitting in the basket!
8. And he said, “This is Wickedness.” And he thrust her back into the basket, and thrust down the leaden weight on its opening.
9. Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, two women coming forward! The wind was in their wings. They had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven.
10. Then I said to the angel who talked with me, “Where are they taking the basket?”
11. He said to me, “To the land of Shinar, to build a house for it. And when this is prepared, they will set the basket down there on its base.”

Zechariah 6:1-8 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains. And the mountains were mountains of bronze.
2. The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses,
3. The third white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled horses — all of them strong.
4. Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”
5. And the angel answered and said to me, “These are going out to the four winds of heaven, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth.
6. The chariot with the black horses goes toward the north country, the white ones go after them, and the dappled ones go toward the south country.”
7. When the strong horses came out, they were impatient to go and patrol the earth. And he said, “Go, patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth.
8. Then he cried to me, “Behold, those who go toward the north country have set my Spirit at rest in the north country.”

Lesson 6

Summary:

Zechariah 1–3 shows God’s call for His people to repent and turn back to Him, assuring them of His return and favor. Through prophetic visions, God promises to rebuild and protect Jerusalem, silence Satan’s accusations, and cleanse His people from sin. These visions highlight God’s mercy and the coming restoration through His chosen servant, bringing renewal and hope for His people.

Scripture References:

Zechariah 1:1-21 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying,
2. “The LORD was very angry with your fathers.
3. Therefore say to them, Thus declares the LORD of hosts: Return to me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts.
4. Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the LORD.
5. Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever?
6. But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? So they repented and said, ‘As the LORD of hosts purposed to deal with us for our ways and deeds, so has he dealt with us.’”
7. On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying,
8. “I saw in the night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen, and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses.
9. Then I said, ‘What are these, my lord?’ The angel who talked with me said to me, ‘I will show you what they are.’
10. So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, ‘These are they whom the LORD has sent to patrol the earth.’
11. And they answered the angel of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees, and said, ‘We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth remains at rest.’
12. Then the angel of the LORD said, ‘O LORD of hosts, how long will you have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have been angry these seventy years?’
13. And the LORD answered gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.
14. So the angel who talked with me said to me, ‘Cry out, Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion.
15. And I am exceedingly angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was angry but a little, they furthered the disaster.
16. Therefore, thus says the LORD, I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, declares the LORD of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.
17. Cry out again, Thus says the LORD of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.’”
18. And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four horns!
19. And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”
20. Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen.
21. And I said, “What are these coming to do?” He said, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one raised his head. And these have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter it.”

Zechariah 2:1-13 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand!
2. Then I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.”
3. And behold, the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him
4. and said to him, “Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it.
5. And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory in her midst.’”
6. Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north, declares the LORD. For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, declares the LORD.
7. Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.
8. For thus said the LORD of hosts, after his glory sent me to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye:
9. “Behold, I will shake my hand over them, and they shall become plunder for those who served them. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me.
10. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the LORD.
11. And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.
12. And the LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.”
13. Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.

Zechariah 3:1-10 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.
2. And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, O Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?”
3. Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments.
4. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”
5. And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD was standing by.
6. And the angel of the LORD solemnly assured Joshua,
7. “Thus says the LORD of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here.
8. Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch.
9. For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day.
10. In that day, declares the LORD of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.”

Lesson 5

Summary:

In Ezra 5:1 and Haggai 1–2, the prophets Haggai and Zechariah confront the returned exiles for neglecting the rebuilding of God’s temple while focusing on their own homes. Haggai calls the people to realign their priorities with God’s will, promising that obedience will bring His blessing and that the future glory of the temple will surpass the former. God assures His people of His presence, stirs them to renewed work, and points to a coming kingdom where His chosen servant will reign in glory.

Scripture References:

Ezra 5:1 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them.

Haggai 1:1-15 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest:
2. “Thus says the LORD of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD.”
3. Then the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet,
4. “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?
5. Now, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways.
6. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.
7. “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways.
8. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the LORD.
9. You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the LORD of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house.
10. Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce.
11. And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.”
12. Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD.
13. Then Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, spoke to the people with the LORD’s message, “I am with you, declares the LORD.”
14. And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,
15. on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

Haggai 2:1-23 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet:
2. “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say,
3. ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes?
4. Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts,
5. according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not.
6. For thus says the LORD of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land.
7. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts.
8. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts.
9. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.’”
10. On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet,
11. “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Ask the priests about the law:
12. ‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?’” The priests answered and said, “No.”
13. Then Haggai said, “If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?” The priests answered and said, “It does become unclean.”
14. Then Haggai answered and said, “So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the LORD, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean.
15. Now then, consider from this day onward. Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the LORD,
16. how did you fare? When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty.
17. I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares the LORD.
18. Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid, consider:
19. Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you.”
20. The word of the LORD came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month,
21. “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth,
22. and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders. And the horses and their riders shall go down, every one by the sword of his brother.
23. On that day, declares the LORD of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the LORD, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the LORD of hosts.”

Lesson 4

Summary:

As the exiles gather in unity, they rebuild the altar and lay the foundation of the temple, restoring sacrificial worship to God. Despite their obedience and celebration of God’s faithfulness, opposition from surrounding peoples arises, discouraging and ultimately halting the temple’s construction. This passage highlights both the resolve to honor God and the real challenges faced when restoring true worship amidst hostility.

Scripture References:

Ezra 3:1-13 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. When the seventh month came, and the children of Israel were in the towns, the people gathered as one man to Jerusalem.
2. Then arose Jeshua the son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel with his kinsmen, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.
3. They set the altar in its place, for fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, burnt offerings morning and evening.
4. And they kept the Feast of Booths, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the rule, as each day required,
5. and after that the regular burnt offerings, the offerings at the new moon and at all the appointed feasts of the LORD, and the offerings of everyone who made a freewill offering to the LORD.
6. From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid.
7. So they gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus king of Persia.
8. Now in the second year after their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak made a beginning, together with the rest of their kinsmen, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity. They appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to supervise the work of the house of the LORD.
9. And Jeshua with his sons and his brothers, and Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together supervised the workmen in the house of God, along with the sons of Henadad and the Levites, their sons and brothers.
10. And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the directions of David king of Israel.
11. And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.
12. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy,
13. so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.

Ezra 4:1-24 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the LORD, the God of Israel,
2. they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.”
3. But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ houses in Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”
4. Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build
5. and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
6. And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
7. In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and Mithredath and Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated.
8. Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:
9. Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the governors, the officials, the Persians, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the Elamites,
10. and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River.
11. (This is a copy of the letter that they sent.) “To Artaxerxes the king: Your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River, send greeting. And now
12. be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations.
13. Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired.
14. Now because we eat the salt of the palace and it is not fitting for us to witness the king’s dishonor, therefore we send and inform the king,
15. in order that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it from of old. That was why this city was laid waste.
16. We make known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River.”
17. The king sent an answer: “To Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River, greeting. And now
18. the letter that you sent to us has been plainly read before me.
19. And I made a decree, and search has been made, and it has been found that this city from of old has risen against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it.
20. And mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, who ruled over the whole province Beyond the River, to whom tribute, custom, and toll were paid.
21. Therefore make a decree that these men be made to cease, and that this city be not rebuilt, until a decree is made by me.
22. And take care not to be slack in this matter. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the king?”
23. Then, when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their associates, they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease.
24. Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Lesson 3

Summary:

God sovereignly moves the heart of Cyrus, king of Persia, to decree the return of the Jewish exiles to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Stirred by God’s Spirit, the first wave of exiles responds in faith, gathering resources and reclaiming their identity as His covenant people. This return fulfills prophetic promises, demonstrating God’s faithfulness to restore His people and reestablish worship in His dwelling place.

Scripture References:

Ezra 1:1-11 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:
2. “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
3. Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel — he is the God who is in Jerusalem.
4. And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”
5. Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem.
6. And all who were about them aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered.
7. Cyrus the king also brought out the vessels of the house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods.
8. Cyrus king of Persia brought these out in the charge of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.
9. And this was the number of them: 30 basins of gold, 1,000 basins of silver, 29 censers,
10. 30 bowls of gold, 410 bowls of silver, and 1,000 other vessels;
11. all the vessels of gold and of silver were 5,400. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up, when the exiles were brought up from Babylonia to Jerusalem.

Ezra 2:1-70 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. Now these were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried captive to Babylonia. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town.
2. They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:
3. the sons of Parosh, 2,172.
4. The sons of Shephatiah, 372.
5. The sons of Arah, 775.
6. The sons of Pahath-moab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,812.
7. The sons of Elam, 1,254.
8. The sons of Zattu, 945.
9. The sons of Zaccai, 760.
10. The sons of Bani, 642.
11. The sons of Bebai, 623.
12. The sons of Azgad, 1,222.
13. The sons of Adonikam, 666.
14. The sons of Bigvai, 2,056.
15. The sons of Adin, 454.
16. The sons of Ater, namely of Hezekiah, 98.
17. The sons of Bezai, 323.
18. The sons of Jorah, 112.
19. The sons of Hashum, 223.
20. The sons of Gibbar, 95.
21. The sons of Bethlehem, 123.
22. The men of Netophah, 56.
23. The men of Anathoth, 128.
24. The sons of Azmaveth, 42.
25. The sons of Kiriath-arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743.
26. The sons of Ramah and Geba, 621.
27. The men of Michmas, 122.
28. The men of Bethel and Ai, 223.
29. The sons of Nebo, 52.
30. The sons of Magbish, 156.
31. The sons of the other Elam, 1,254.
32. The sons of Harim, 320.
33. The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 725.
34. The sons of Jericho, 345.
35. The sons of Senaah, 3,630.
36. The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, 973.
37. The sons of Immer, 1,052.
38. The sons of Pashhur, 1,247.
39. The sons of Harim, 1,017.
40. The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodaviah, 74.
41. The singers: the sons of Asaph, 128.
42. The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, and the sons of Shobai, in all 139.
43. The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,
44. the sons of Keros, the sons of Siaha, the sons of Padon,
45. the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub,
46. the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shamlai, the sons of Hanan,
47. the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah,
48. the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam,
49. the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai,
50. the sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephisim,
51. the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur,
52. the sons of Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha,
53. the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah,
54. the sons of Neziah, and the sons of Hatipha.
55. The sons of Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Hassophereth, the sons of Peruda,
56. the sons of Jaalah, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel,
57. the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, and the sons of Ami.
58. All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392.
59. The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, though they could not prove their fathers’ houses or their descent, whether they belonged to Israel:
60. the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, and the sons of Nekoda, 652.
61. Also, of the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, and the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name).
62. These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but they were not found there, and so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.
63. The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food, until there should be a priest to consult Urim and Thummim.
64. The whole assembly together was 42,360,
65. besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337, and they had 200 male and female singers.
66. Their horses were 736, their mules were 245,
67. their camels were 435, and their donkeys were 6,720.
68. Some of the heads of families, when they came to the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem, made freewill offerings for the house of God, to erect it on its site.
69. According to their ability they gave to the treasury of the work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priests’ garments.
70. Now the priests, the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their towns, and all the rest of Israel in their towns.

Title: Lesson 2

Summary:

Israel’s history reveals repeated covenant unfaithfulness as they fail to drive out sin and follow God’s commands. In response to their rebellion, they demand a human king, rejecting God as their true ruler. Saul’s disobedience highlights the insufficiency of earthly kingship, while God’s covenant warnings in Deuteronomy show the consequences of turning from Him. Yet, God promises restoration for those who return to Him. Through these passages, the longing for a faithful, righteous king emerges—one ultimately fulfilled only in God’s chosen King who perfectly obeys and leads His people.

Scripture References:

Judges 1:1-36 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel inquired of the LORD, “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?”
2. The LORD said, “Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.”
3. And Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Come up with me into the territory allotted to me, that we may fight against the Canaanites. And I likewise will go with you into the territory allotted to you.” So Simeon went with him.
4. Then Judah went up and the LORD gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand, and they defeated 10,000 of them at Bezek.
5. They found Adoni-bezek at Bezek and fought against him and defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
6. Adoni-bezek fled, but they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and his big toes.
7. And Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to pick up scraps under my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
8. And the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire.
9. And afterward the men of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, in the Negeb, and in the lowland.
10. And Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (now the name of Hebron was formerly Kiriath-arba), and they defeated Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai.
11. From there they went against the inhabitants of Debir. The name of Debir was formerly Kiriath-sepher.
12. And Caleb said, “He who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give him Achsah my daughter for a wife.”
13. And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured it. And he gave him Achsah his daughter for a wife.
14. When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. And she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?”
15. She said to him, “Give me a blessing. Since you have set me in the land of the Negeb, give me also springs of water.” And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
16. And the descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the city of palms into the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the Negeb near Arad, and they went and settled with the people.
17. And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they defeated the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath and devoted it to destruction. So the name of the city was called Hormah.
18. Judah also captured Gaza with its territory, and Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory.
19. And the LORD was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill country, but he could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of iron.
20. And Hebron was given to Caleb, as Moses had said. And he drove out from it the three sons of Anak.
21. But the people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites have lived with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.
22. The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the LORD was with them.
23. And the house of Joseph scouted out Bethel. (Now the name of the city was formerly Luz.)
24. And the spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the way into the city, and we will deal kindly with you.”
25. And he showed them the way into the city. And they struck the city with the edge of the sword, but they let the man and all his family go.
26. And the man went to the land of the Hittites and built a city and called its name Luz. That is its name to this day.
27. Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages, for the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land.
28. When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not drive them out completely.
29. And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.
30. Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, or the inhabitants of Nahalol, so the Canaanites lived among them, but became subject to forced labor.
31. Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, or the inhabitants of Sidon or of Ahlab or of Achzib or of Helbah or of Aphik or of Rehob,
32. so the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for they did not drive them out.
33. Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, or the inhabitants of Beth-anath, so they lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless, the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became subject to forced labor for them.
34. The Amorites pressed the people of Dan back into the hill country, for they did not allow them to come down to the plain.
35. The Amorites persisted in dwelling in Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim, but the hand of the house of Joseph rested heavily on them, and they became subject to forced labor.
36. And the border of the Amorites ran from the ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela and upward.

1 Samuel 8:1-22 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel.
2. The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba.
3. Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.
4. Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah
5. and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
6. But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the LORD.
7. And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.
8. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you.
9. Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”
10. So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking for a king from him.
11. He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots.
12. And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.
13. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.
14. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants.
15. He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants.
16. He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
17. He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves.
18. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.”
19. But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us,
20. that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
21. And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the LORD.
22. And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”

1 Samuel 13:1-23 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel,
2. Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent.
3. Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.”
4. And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a stench to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.
5. And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven.
6. When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns,
7. and some Hebrews crossed the fords of the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
8. He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him.
9. So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering.
10. As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him.
11. Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash,
12. I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the LORD.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.”
13. And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the LORD your God, with which he commanded you. For then the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
14. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”
15. And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal. The rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the army; they went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men.
16. And Saul and Jonathan his son and the people who were present with them stayed in Geba of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.
17. And raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual;
18. another company turned toward Beth-horon; and another company turned toward the border that looks down on the Valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
19. Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears.”
20. But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle,
21. and the charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads.
22. So on the day of the battle there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and Jonathan his son had them.
23. And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.

1 Samuel 15:1-35 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. And Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the LORD.
2. Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt.
3. Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”
4. So Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand men on foot, and ten thousand men of Judah.
5. And Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley.
6. Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart; go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
7. And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt.
8. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword.
9. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.
10. The word of the LORD came to Samuel:
11. “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the LORD all night.
12. And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.”
13. And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the LORD. I have performed the commandment of the LORD.”
14. And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?”
15. Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the LORD your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.”
16. Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the LORD said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.”
17. And Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel.
18. And the LORD sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’
19. Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the LORD?”
20. And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the LORD. I have gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction.
21. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.”
22. And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
23. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.”
24. Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.
25. Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me that I may bow before the LORD.”
26. And Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you. For you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel.”
27. As Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of his robe, and it tore.
28. And Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.
29. And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.”
30. Then he said, “I have sinned; yet honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may bow before the LORD your God.”
31. So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul bowed before the LORD.
32. Then Samuel said, “Bring here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him cheerfully. Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”
33. And Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.
34. Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul.
35. And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.

1 Samuel 16:1-23 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”
2. And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’
3. And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.”
4. Samuel did what the LORD commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?”
5. And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6. When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him.”
7. But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”
8. Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.”
9. Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.”
10. And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.”
11. Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.”
12. And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.”
13. Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
14. Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the LORD tormented him.
15. And Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you.
16. Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.”
17. So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me.”
18. One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the LORD is with him.”
19. Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.”
20. And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul.
21. And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer.
22. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.”
23. And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.

Deuteronomy 28:1-68 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.
2. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God.
3. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field.
4. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock.
5. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
6. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
7. “The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.
8. The LORD will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
9. The LORD will establish you as a people holy to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in his ways.
10. And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you.
11. And the LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.
12. The LORD will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
13. And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them,
14. and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
15. “But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.
16. Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field.
17. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
18. Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock.
19. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.
20. “The LORD will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me.
21. The LORD will make the pestilence stick to you until he has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it.
22. The LORD will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish.
23. And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron.
24. The LORD will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed.
25. “The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
26. And your dead body shall be food for all birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth, and there shall be no one to frighten them away.
27. The LORD will strike you with the boils of Egypt, and with tumors and scabs and itch, of which you cannot be healed.
28. The LORD will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of mind,
29. and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind grope in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways. And you shall be only oppressed and robbed continually, and there shall be no one to help you.
30. You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall ravish her. You shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it. You shall plant a vineyard, but you shall not enjoy its fruit.
31. Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you shall not eat any of it. Your donkey shall be seized before your face, but shall not be restored to you. Your sheep shall be given to your enemies, but there shall be no one to help you.
32. Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, while your eyes look on and fail with longing for them all day long, but you shall be helpless.
33. A nation that you have not known shall eat up the fruit of your ground and of all your labors, and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually,
34. so that you are driven mad by the sights that your eyes see.
35. The LORD will strike you on the knees and on the legs with grievous boils of which you cannot be healed, from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head.
36. “The LORD will bring you and your king whom you set over you to a nation that neither you nor your fathers have known. And there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone.
37. And you shall become a horror, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples where the LORD will lead you away.
38. You shall carry much seed into the field and shall gather in little, for the locust shall consume it.
39. You shall plant vineyards and dress them, but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes, for the worm shall eat them.
40. You shall have olive trees throughout all your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil, for your olives shall drop off.
41. You shall father sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours, for they shall go into captivity.
42. The cricket shall possess all your trees and the fruit of your ground.
43. The sojourner who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower.
44. He shall lend to you, and you shall not lend to him. He shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.
45. “All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you.
46. They shall be a sign and a wonder against you and your offspring forever.
47. Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things,
48. therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you.
49. The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand,
50. a hard-faced nation who shall not respect the old or show mercy to the young.
51. It shall eat the offspring of your cattle and the fruit of your ground, until you are destroyed; it also shall not leave you grain, wine, or oil, the increase of your herds or the young of your flock, until they have caused you to perish.
52. “They shall besiege you in all your towns, until your high and fortified walls, in which you trusted, come down throughout all your land. And they shall besiege you in all your towns throughout all your land, which the LORD your God has given you.
53. And you shall eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of your sons and daughters, whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemies shall distress you.
54. The man who is the most tender and refined among you will begrudge food to his brother, to the wife he embraces, and to the last of the children whom he has left,
55. so that he will not give to any of them any of the flesh of his children whom he is eating, because he has nothing else left, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy shall distress you in all your towns.
56. The most tender and refined woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because she is so delicate and tender, will begrudge to the husband she embraces, to her son and to her daughter,
57. her afterbirth that comes out from between her feet and her children whom she bears, because lacking everything she will eat them secretly, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy shall distress you in your towns.
58. “If you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the LORD your God,
59. then the LORD will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions, afflictions severe and lasting, and sicknesses grievous and lasting.
60. And he will bring upon you again all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you.
61. Every sickness also and every affliction that is not recorded in the book of this law, the LORD will bring upon you, until you are destroyed.
62. Whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven, you shall be left few in number, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God.
63. And as the LORD took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the LORD will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you. And you shall be plucked off the land that you are entering to take possession of it.
64. “And the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.
65. And among these nations you shall find no respite, and there shall be no resting place for the sole of your foot, but the LORD will give you there a trembling heart and failing eyes and a languishing soul.
66. Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life.
67. In the morning you shall say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and at evening you shall say, ‘If only it were morning!’ because of the dread that your heart shall feel, and the sights that your eyes shall see.
68. And the LORD will bring you back in ships to Egypt, a journey that I promised that you should never make again; and there you shall offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer.”

Deuteronomy 29:10-15 – ESV (audio 🔊)
10. “You are standing today, all of you, before the LORD your God: the heads of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel,
11. your little ones, your wives, and the sojourner who is in your camp, from the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water,
12. so that you may enter into the sworn covenant of the LORD your God, which the LORD your God is making with you today,
13. that he may establish you today as his people, and that he may be your God, as he promised you, and as he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
14. It is not with you alone that I am making this sworn covenant,
15. but with whoever is standing here with us today before the LORD our God, and with whoever is not here with us today.

Deuteronomy 29:22-28 – ESV (audio 🔊)
22. And the next generation, your children who rise up after you, and the foreigner who comes from a far land, will say, when they see the afflictions of that land and the sicknesses with which the LORD has made it sick —
23. the whole land burned out with brimstone and salt, nothing sown and nothing growing, where no plant can sprout, an overthrow like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger and wrath —
24. all the nations will say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land? What caused the heat of this great anger?’
25. Then people will say, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt,
26. and went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods whom they had not known and whom he had not allotted to them.
27. Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, bringing upon it all the curses written in this book,
28. and the LORD uprooted them from their land in anger and fury and great wrath, and cast them into another land, as they are this day.’

Deuteronomy 30:1-10 – ESV (audio 🔊)

1. “And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God has driven you,
2. and return to the LORD your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul,
3. then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you.
4. If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there he will take you.
5. And the LORD your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess it. And he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers.
6. And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.
7. And the LORD your God will put all these curses on your foes and enemies who persecuted you.
8. And you shall again obey the voice of the LORD and keep all his commandments that I command you today.
9. The LORD your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the LORD will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers,
10. when you obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.