Study Desk

Because I made this tree so beautiful, and gave it such magnificent foliage, it was the envy of all the other trees of Eden, the garden of God.

And I, the Lord , will be their God, and my servant David will be a prince among my people. I, the Lord , have spoken!

In this way, they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them. And they will know that they, the people of Israel, are my people, says the Sovereign Lord .

You are my flock, the sheep of my pasture. You are my people, and I am your God. I, the Sovereign Lord , have spoken!"

"And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God.

They will never again pollute themselves with their idols and vile images and rebellion, for I will save them from their sinful apostasy. I will cleanse them. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.

I will make my home among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

And from that time on the people of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God.

The nations will then know why Israel was sent away to exile—it was punishment for sin, for they were unfaithful to their God. Therefore, I turned away from them and let their enemies destroy them.

Then my people will know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them away to exile and brought them home again. I will leave none of my people behind.

In a vision from God he took me to the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain. From there I could see toward the south what appeared to be a city.

Suddenly, the glory of the God of Israel appeared from the east. The sound of his coming was like the roar of rushing waters, and the whole landscape shone with his glory.

And the Lord said to me, "This gate must remain closed; it will never again be opened. No one will ever open it and pass through, for the Lord , the God of Israel, has entered here. Therefore, it must always remain shut.

You have brought uncircumcised foreigners into my sanctuary—people who have no heart for God. In this way, you defiled my Temple even as you offered me my food, the fat and blood of sacrifices. In addition to all your other detestable sins, you have broken my covenant.

The Lord gave him victory over King Jehoiakim of Judah and permitted him to take some of the sacred objects from the Temple of God. So Nebuchadnezzar took them back to the land of Babylonia and placed them in the treasure-house of his god.

Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel.

God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.

He urged them to ask the God of heaven to show them his mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not be executed along with the other wise men of Babylon.

That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven.

He said, "Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power.