“The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents.
the Spirit of Israel, Virgin Daughter of Zion.
(read Gospel of Thomas)
Lamentations 3:48, Lamentations 2:1, Exodus 32:13, Genesis 15:5, Zechariah 2:13, Zechariah 2:10-11, Zechariah 8:3, Genesis 49:24, Romans 10:21 Zechariah 11:7 , Genesis 49:7, Zechariah 1:16, Genesis 49:2, Genesis 49:1-4,Job 22:6-8 Genesis 49:5, Genesis 49:6-7, Exodus 2:1, Micah 1:13, Proverbs 31:15, Proverbs 31:16, Zechariah 11:4-6, James :7-8, Deuteronomy 25:9-10, Numbers 5:21, Revelation 17:5,Micah 1:7, Zechariah 2:6-7, Jeremiah 51:49-51, Jeremiah 51:48,Jeremiah 50:2,Genesis 49:8-10, Genesis 28:17, Genesis 49:10, Zechariah 2:12, Zechariah 10:3, Zechariah 8:13,2 Chronicles 35:21, Exodus 13:3, Exodus 16:31, Lamentations 2:5, 2 Samuel 7:6, Genesis 49:16-17, Genesis 49:13, Deuteronomy 33:18-19, Psalm 107:28-31, Genesis 49: 14-15, Genesis 49:18-19, Psalm 25:2, Micah 5:1, Nahum 2:1-3, 1 Chronicles 16:34-36, Genesis 49:20, Psalm 104:14-15, Genesis 30:8, 2 Samuel 22:34, Genesis 49:21 Jeremiah 14:5, Jeremiah 14:4 Jeremiah 14:6, Isaiah 52:7, Genesis 49:22, Zechariah 3:7-9, Genesis 49:25, Zechariah 3:7-9, Genesis 49:26, Genesis 49:27, Ezekiel 13:3, Jeremiah 32:44, Jeremiah 33:13, Ezekiel 13:4-5, Lamentations 5:16-18, 1 Timothy 6:5,Lamentations 5:19, 2 Samuel 7:5-6, Jeremiah 7:11, Song of Solomon 2:15, Luke 13:32, Deuteronomy 32:11-12, Genesis 41:51,Genesis 48:3-6, Genesis 49:28, Micah 2:12, Isaiah 5:7, Micah 2:12, Zechariah 8:12, Genesis 28:15-17, Genesis 28:18, Romans 10:21, Song of Solomon 3:6, Romans 10:18, Romans 11:1,Romans 11:2-3, Psalms 80:1,Jeremiah 7:12-13, Matthew 19:28, Exodus 19:3, Psalm 52:14,Zechariah 2:4-5, Zechariah 2:10, Amos 7:7, Job 3:14, Ruth 4:11. Revelations 7:7, Isaiah 5:5-7. (Deuteronomy 33:24, 33:20)
My eyes overflow with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
How the Lord has covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in His anger! He cast down from heaven to the earth The beauty of Israel, and did not remember His Footstool in the day of His anger.
Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’”
Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So is shall your descendants be.”
Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!”
“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord. “Thus says the Lord: ‘I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the Lord of hosts, The Holy Mountain.
(From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),
But to Israel he says: “All day long I have stretched out My Hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
So I fed the flock for slaughter, in particular the poor of the flock. I took for myself two staffs:
The one I called BEAUTY, and the other I called BONDS; and I fed the flock.
‘Therefore thus says the Lord: “I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it,” says the Lord of hosts, “And a surveyor’s line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.”’ I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.
“Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel your father.
And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:
Lamentations 3:48, Lamentations 2:1, Exodus 32:13, Genesis 15:5, Zechariah 2:13, Zechariah 2:10-11, Zechariah 8:3, Genesis 49:24, Romans 10:21 Zechariah 11:7 , Genesis 49:7, Zechariah 1:16, Genesis 49:2, Genesis 49:1-4,Job 22:6-8 Genesis 49:5, Genesis 49:6-7, Exodus 2:1, Micah 1:13, Proverbs 31:15, Proverbs 31:16, Zechariah 11:4-6, James :7-8, Deuteronomy 25:9-10, Numbers 5:21, Revelation 17:5,Micah 1:7, Zechariah 2:6-7, Jeremiah 51:49-51, Jeremiah 51:48,Jeremiah 50:2,Genesis 49:8-10, Genesis 28:17, Genesis 49:10, Zechariah 2:12, Zechariah 10:3, Zechariah 8:13,2 Chronicles 35:21, Exodus 13:3, Exodus 16:31, Lamentations 2:5, 2 Samuel 7:6, Genesis 49:16-17, Genesis 49:13, Deuteronomy 33:18-19, Psalm 107:28-31, Genesis 49: 14-15, Genesis 49:18-19, Psalm 25:2, Micah 5:1, Nahum 2:1-3, 1 Chronicles 16:34-36, Genesis 49:20, Psalm 104:14-15, Genesis 30:8, 2 Samuel 22:34, Genesis 49:21 Jeremiah 14:5, Jeremiah 14:4 Jeremiah 14:6, Isaiah 52:7, Genesis 49:22, Zechariah 3:7-9, Genesis 49:25, Zechariah 3:7-9, Genesis 49:26, Genesis 49:27, Ezekiel 13:3, Jeremiah 32:44, Jeremiah 33:13, Ezekiel 13:4-5, Lamentations 5:16-18, 1 Timothy 6:5,Lamentations 5:19, 2 Samuel 7:5-6, Jeremiah 7:11, Song of Solomon 2:15, Luke 13:32, Deuteronomy 32:11-12, Genesis 41:51,Genesis 48:3-6, Genesis 49:28, Micah 2:12, Isaiah 5:7, Micah 2:12, Zechariah 8:12, Genesis 28:15-17, Genesis 28:18, Romans 10:21, Song of Solomon 3:6, Romans 10:18, Romans 11:1,Romans 11:2-3, Psalms 80:1,Jeremiah 7:12-13, Matthew 19:28, Exodus 19:3, Psalm 52:14,Zechariah 2:4-5, Zechariah 2:10, Amos 7:7, Job 3:14, Ruth 4:11. Revelations 7:7, Isaiah 5:5-7. (Deuteronomy 33:24, 33:20)
My eyes overflow with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
How the Lord has covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in His anger! He cast down from heaven to the earth The beauty of Israel, and did not remember His Footstool in the day of His anger.
Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’”
Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So is shall your descendants be.”
Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!”
“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord. “Thus says the Lord: ‘I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the Lord of hosts, The Holy Mountain.
(From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),
But to Israel he says: “All day long I have stretched out My Hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
So I fed the flock for slaughter, in particular the poor of the flock. I took for myself two staffs:
The one I called BEAUTY, and the other I called BONDS; and I fed the flock.
‘Therefore thus says the Lord: “I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it,” says the Lord of hosts, “And a surveyor’s line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.”’ I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.
“Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel your father.
And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:
I. Reuben, Tribe of House of Saul
Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. Unstable as water, you shall not excel, because you went up to your father’s bed; Then you defiled it— (He went up to my couch). For you have taken pledges from your brother for no reason, And stripped the naked of their clothing. You have not given the weary water to drink,And you have withheld bread from the hungry. But the mighty man possessed the land, And the honorable man dwelt in it. Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah.
II. & III. "Simeon and Levi are brothers, The Tribe of; House of Micah
(read parable)
Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi.
(She was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion), For the transgressions of Israel were found in you. She also rises while it is yet night, and provides food for her household, and a portion for her maidservants. She considers a field and buys it;From her profits she plants a vineyard.
Thus says the Lord my God, “Feed the flock for slaughter, whose owners slaughter them and feel no guilt; those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich’; and their shepherds do not pity them. For I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land,” says the Lord. “But indeed I will give everyone into his neighbor’s hand and into the hand of his king. They shall attack the land, and I will not deliver them from their hand. “For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, remove his sandal from his foot, spit in his face, and answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who will not build up his brother’s house.’ And his name shall be called in Israel,
‘The house of him who had his sandal removed.’
Then the priest shall put the woman under the oath of the curse, and he shall say to the woman— “the Lord make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the Lord makes your thigh rot and your belly swell; And on her forehead a name was written:
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS
OF THE EARTH.
All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces, and all her pay as a harlot shall be burned with the fire; All her idols I will lay desolate, for she gathered it from the pay of a harlot, and they shall return to the pay of a harlot. “Up, up! Flee from the land of the north,” says the Lord; “for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven,” says the Lord. “Up, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.”
As Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon the slain of all the earth shall fall. You who have escaped the sword, Get away! Do not stand still! Remember the Lord afar off, and let Jerusalem come to your mind. We are ashamed because we have heard reproach. Shame has covered our faces, for strangers have come into the sanctuaries of the Lord’s house.
Then the heavens and the earth and All that is in them shall sing joyously over Babylon; The “Plunders” shall come to her from the north,” says the Lord.
“Declare among the nations, Proclaim, and set up a standard; Proclaim—do not conceal it— Say, ‘Babylon is taken, Bel is shamed. Merodach is broken in pieces; Her idols are humiliated, Her images are broken in pieces.’
Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi.
(She was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion), For the transgressions of Israel were found in you. She also rises while it is yet night, and provides food for her household, and a portion for her maidservants. She considers a field and buys it;From her profits she plants a vineyard.
Thus says the Lord my God, “Feed the flock for slaughter, whose owners slaughter them and feel no guilt; those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich’; and their shepherds do not pity them. For I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land,” says the Lord. “But indeed I will give everyone into his neighbor’s hand and into the hand of his king. They shall attack the land, and I will not deliver them from their hand. “For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, remove his sandal from his foot, spit in his face, and answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who will not build up his brother’s house.’ And his name shall be called in Israel,
‘The house of him who had his sandal removed.’
Then the priest shall put the woman under the oath of the curse, and he shall say to the woman— “the Lord make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the Lord makes your thigh rot and your belly swell; And on her forehead a name was written:
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS
OF THE EARTH.
All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces, and all her pay as a harlot shall be burned with the fire; All her idols I will lay desolate, for she gathered it from the pay of a harlot, and they shall return to the pay of a harlot. “Up, up! Flee from the land of the north,” says the Lord; “for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven,” says the Lord. “Up, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.”
As Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon the slain of all the earth shall fall. You who have escaped the sword, Get away! Do not stand still! Remember the Lord afar off, and let Jerusalem come to your mind. We are ashamed because we have heard reproach. Shame has covered our faces, for strangers have come into the sanctuaries of the Lord’s house.
Then the heavens and the earth and All that is in them shall sing joyously over Babylon; The “Plunders” shall come to her from the north,” says the Lord.
“Declare among the nations, Proclaim, and set up a standard; Proclaim—do not conceal it— Say, ‘Babylon is taken, Bel is shamed. Merodach is broken in pieces; Her idols are humiliated, Her images are broken in pieces.’
IV. Judah,Tribe of; House of Aaron, follows the House of David
House of Judah
“Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s children shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!
“And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. And the Lord will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem.
“My anger is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the goatherds.
For the Lord of hosts will visit His flock, the house of Judah, and will make them as His royal horse in the battle. And it shall come to pass That just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, So I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Do not fear, let your hands be strong.
(But he sent messengers to him, saying, “What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I have not come against you this day, but against the house with which I have war; for God commanded me to make haste. Refrain from meddling with God, who is with me, lest He destroy you.”)
… “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the House of Bondage; And the House of Israel called its name Manna. And it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. For our fathers have trespassed and done evil in the eyes of the Lord our God; they have forsaken Him, have turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the Lord, and turned their backs on Him.
The Lord was like an enemy. He has swallowed up Israel, He has swallowed up all her palaces; He has destroyed her strongholds, and has increased mourning and lamentation in the daughter of Judah.
“Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s children shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!
“And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. And the Lord will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem.
“My anger is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the goatherds.
For the Lord of hosts will visit His flock, the house of Judah, and will make them as His royal horse in the battle. And it shall come to pass That just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, So I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Do not fear, let your hands be strong.
(But he sent messengers to him, saying, “What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I have not come against you this day, but against the house with which I have war; for God commanded me to make haste. Refrain from meddling with God, who is with me, lest He destroy you.”)
… “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the House of Bondage; And the House of Israel called its name Manna. And it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. For our fathers have trespassed and done evil in the eyes of the Lord our God; they have forsaken Him, have turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the Lord, and turned their backs on Him.
The Lord was like an enemy. He has swallowed up Israel, He has swallowed up all her palaces; He has destroyed her strongholds, and has increased mourning and lamentation in the daughter of Judah.
V. Dan, Tribe of; in the House of Saul
“For behold, I will send serpents among you,Vipers which cannot be charmed,And they shall bite you,” says the Lord.
Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels So that its rider shall fall backward.
Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image So they set up for themselves Micah’s carved image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels So that its rider shall fall backward.
Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image So they set up for themselves Micah’s carved image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
VI. Zebulun,Tribe of
“Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; He shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall adjoin Sidon. And of Zebulun he said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, And Issachar in your tents! They shall call the peoples to the mountain; There they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness; For they shall partake of the abundance of the seas and of treasures hidden in the sand.” Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, so that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
VII. Issachar, Tribe of
“Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between two burdens; He saw that rest was good, and that the land was pleasant; He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, and became a band of slaves. , “You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a heavy and a light. You shall not have in your house differing measures, a large and a small. You shall have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure, that your days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. For all who do such things, all who behave unrighteously, are an abomination to the Lord your God.
I have waited for your salvation, O Lord!
“Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.”
I have waited for your salvation, O Lord!
“Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.”
VIII. Gad, Tribe of
“Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him, but he shall triumph at last, O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me. Now gather yourself in troops daughter of troops; He has laid siege against us; They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.
He who scatters has come up before your face. Man the fort! Watch the road! Strengthen your flanks! Fortify your power mightily.
For the Lord will restore the excellence of Jacob Like the excellence of Israel, for the 'Emptiers' have emptied them out and ruined their vine branches. The shields of his mighty men are made red, the valiant men are in scarlet. The chariots come with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, And the spears are brandished.
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. And say, “Save us, O God of our salvation; Gather us together, and deliver us from the Gentiles, to give thanks to Your holy name, to triumph in Your praise.” Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting! And all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord.
And of Gad he said:“Blessed is he who enlarges Gad;
He who scatters has come up before your face. Man the fort! Watch the road! Strengthen your flanks! Fortify your power mightily.
For the Lord will restore the excellence of Jacob Like the excellence of Israel, for the 'Emptiers' have emptied them out and ruined their vine branches. The shields of his mighty men are made red, the valiant men are in scarlet. The chariots come with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, And the spears are brandished.
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. And say, “Save us, O God of our salvation; Gather us together, and deliver us from the Gentiles, to give thanks to Your holy name, to triumph in Your praise.” Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting! And all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord.
And of Gad he said:“Blessed is he who enlarges Gad;
IX. Asher, Tribe of
“Bread from Asher shall be rich, and he shall yield royal dainties. He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the service of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth, And wine that makes glad the heart of man, Oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengthens man’s heart. And of Asher he said:“Asher is most blessed of sons; Let him be favored by his brothers, And let him dip his foot in oil.
X. Naphtali, Tribe of
Then Rachel said, “With great wrestling’s I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed.” So she called his name Naphtali He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me on my high places. “Naphtali is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words. Yes, the deer also gave birth in the field, but left because there was no grass. Because the ground is parched, for there was no rain in the land, the plowmen were ashamed; They covered their heads. And the wild donkeys stood in the desolate heights; They sniffed at the wind like jackals; Their eyes failed because there was no grass.
How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
XI. Joseph, Tribe of; in the House of David
“Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall. The archers have bitterly grieved him, shot at him and hated him. But his bow remained in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘If you will walk in My ways, and if you will keep My command, then you shall also judge My house, and likewise have charge of My courts; I will give you places to walk Among these who stand here.
‘Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, You and your companions who sit before you, for they are a wondrous sign; For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH.
By the God of your father who will help you, and by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
The blessings of your father Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills.
They shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.
‘Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, You and your companions who sit before you, for they are a wondrous sign; For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH.
By the God of your father who will help you, and by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
The blessings of your father Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills.
They shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.
XII. Tribe of Benjamin, House of Benjamin
House of Benjamin
(read parable)
“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.” Thus says the Lord God: “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! Men will buy fields for money, sign deeds and seal them, and take witnesses, in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the South; for I will cause their captives to return,’ says the Lord.” the flocks shall again pass under the hands of him who counts them,’ says the Lord."
O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts. You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the Lord. Because of this our heart is faint; Because of these things our eyes grow dim; Because of Mount Zion which is desolate, with foxes walking about on it. useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.
You, O Lord, remain forever; Your throne from generation to generation.
Then God said, "For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle.
Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes?
Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” says the Lord.
("Catch us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vines, For our vines have tender grapes….")
And He said to them, “Go, tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.’
As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings, So the Lord alone led him, and there was no foreign god with him.
(read parable)
“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.” Thus says the Lord God: “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! Men will buy fields for money, sign deeds and seal them, and take witnesses, in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the South; for I will cause their captives to return,’ says the Lord.” the flocks shall again pass under the hands of him who counts them,’ says the Lord."
O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts. You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the Lord. Because of this our heart is faint; Because of these things our eyes grow dim; Because of Mount Zion which is desolate, with foxes walking about on it. useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.
You, O Lord, remain forever; Your throne from generation to generation.
Then God said, "For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle.
Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes?
Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” says the Lord.
("Catch us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vines, For our vines have tender grapes….")
And He said to them, “Go, tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.’
As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings, So the Lord alone led him, and there was no foreign god with him.
XIII. Manasseh, Tribe of; In the House of Joseph
Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.”
Then the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given us only one lot and one share to inherit, since we are a great people, inasmuch as the Lord has blessed us until now?”
So Joshua answered them, “If you are a great people, then go up to the forest country and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and the giants, since the mountains of Ephraim are too confined for you.”
But the children of Joseph said, “The mountain country is not enough for us; and all the Canaanites who dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both those who are of Beth Shean and its towns and those who are of the Valley of Jezreel.”
And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—saying, “You are a great people and have great power; you shall not have only one lot, but the mountain country shall be yours. Although it is wooded, you shall cut it down, and its farthest extent shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have Iron chariots and are strong.”
Then Jacob said to Joseph: “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.' And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.
Then the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given us only one lot and one share to inherit, since we are a great people, inasmuch as the Lord has blessed us until now?”
So Joshua answered them, “If you are a great people, then go up to the forest country and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and the giants, since the mountains of Ephraim are too confined for you.”
But the children of Joseph said, “The mountain country is not enough for us; and all the Canaanites who dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both those who are of Beth Shean and its towns and those who are of the Valley of Jezreel.”
And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—saying, “You are a great people and have great power; you shall not have only one lot, but the mountain country shall be yours. Although it is wooded, you shall cut it down, and its farthest extent shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have Iron chariots and are strong.”
Then Jacob said to Joseph: “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.' And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.
All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”
Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it.
Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel;
But to Israel he says: “All day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and contrary people.I will put them together like sheep of the fold, Like a flock in the midst of their pasture;For the Vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the House of Israel, And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant.
(Who is this coming out of the wilderness Like pillars of smoke, Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, With all the merchant’s fragrant powders?)
The Lord also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the Lord will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel.
But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.”
They shall make a loud noise because of so many people.’ ‘For the seed shall be prosperous, The Vine shall give its fruit, the Ground shall give her increase, And the heavens shall give their dew--I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these.
God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, “Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”?
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth! Restore us, O God; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!
So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Israel, The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace; Her clothing is woven with gold. She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors;
“But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I set My name at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel.
And now, because you have done all these works,” says the Lord, “and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you, but you did not answer…
Selah!
I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
**********
And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself and walked to the house of God in the throng.
Who said to him, “Run, speak to this young man, saying: ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it. For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’ “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord.
Thus He showed me: Behold, the Lord stood on a wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in His hand. And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?”And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said: “Behold, I am setting a plumb line In the midst of My people Israel; I will not pass by them anymore.
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses.
The Lord make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.
For it is written:“Rejoice, O barren,You who do not bear! Break forth and shout, You who are not in labor! For the desolate has many more children Than she who has a husband.
After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever.
Amen.”
...........And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard:
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”
Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it.
Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel;
But to Israel he says: “All day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and contrary people.I will put them together like sheep of the fold, Like a flock in the midst of their pasture;For the Vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the House of Israel, And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant.
(Who is this coming out of the wilderness Like pillars of smoke, Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, With all the merchant’s fragrant powders?)
The Lord also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the Lord will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel.
But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.”
They shall make a loud noise because of so many people.’ ‘For the seed shall be prosperous, The Vine shall give its fruit, the Ground shall give her increase, And the heavens shall give their dew--I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these.
God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, “Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”?
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth! Restore us, O God; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!
So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Israel, The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace; Her clothing is woven with gold. She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors;
“But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I set My name at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel.
And now, because you have done all these works,” says the Lord, “and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you, but you did not answer…
Selah!
I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
**********
And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself and walked to the house of God in the throng.
Who said to him, “Run, speak to this young man, saying: ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it. For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’ “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord.
Thus He showed me: Behold, the Lord stood on a wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in His hand. And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?”And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said: “Behold, I am setting a plumb line In the midst of My people Israel; I will not pass by them anymore.
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses.
The Lord make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.
For it is written:“Rejoice, O barren,You who do not bear! Break forth and shout, You who are not in labor! For the desolate has many more children Than she who has a husband.
After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever.
Amen.”
...........And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard:
References and external links
- "BibleGateway." Thomas Nelson, 1982. Web. 18 July 2016. <https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=goliath&qs_version=NKJV>.
- Patterson, Steven, and Marvin Meyer. "The Gospel of Thomas Collection - Translations and Resources." The Gospel of Thomas Collection - Translations and Resources. Gnostic Society Library Nag Hamadi, n.d. Web. 18 July 2016. <http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/gosthom.html>. Selection from Robert J. Miller, ed., The Complete Gospels: Annotated Scholars Version. (Polebridge Press, 1992, 1994).
Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. 10/24/2015