Crossing the Read Sea

2 Corinthians 3:12-17

A New Freedom

12 Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. 14 But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. 15 Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.

16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 6

9 The following are the descendants of Noah. Noah was a righteous man; he remained faultless despite the corruptive influence of his generations. Noah walked with God.

10 Noah was the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 The world had become corrupt before God, and the land was filled with robbery.

12 God saw the world, and it was corrupt, for almost all flesh had perverted its way on the earth.

13 God said to Noah, “I have decided to put an end to all flesh; it is because the world is filled with robbery because of them that I will obliterate them from the earth.

14 Make yourself an ark out of cypress wood. You must make the ark with compartments for each type of animal, and you must caulk it both inside and outside with pitch.

15 This is how you must make it: The length of the ark will be 300 cubits, its width 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits.

16 You must make a skylight and use a luminous stone for additional light in the ark. Taper the roof so that its tip is one cubit wide. Place the entrance to the ark in its side. You must make it with a lower deck, a second deck, and a third deck.

17 As for Me, I am about to bring the Flood of water upon the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh that has in it a breath of life. Everything on earth will expire.

18 But I will establish My covenant with you. You and your family must enter the ark, you together with your sons, and your wife with your sons’ wives.

19 Of all incorporeal living beings and of all flesh, you must bring a minimum of two of each species into the ark, for that is the minimum you need to preserve its species with you; they must be male and female.

20 From the birds that kept to their species, from the walking animals that kept to their species, and from the creatures that crawl on the ground that kept to their species, two of each kind will come to you on their own to be kept alive.

21 As for you, take for yourself some of every kind of edible food and gather it in for yourself, so that you and they have food to eat.”

22 Noah did everything that God commanded him to do exactly.

Jeremiah 31:27-34

A New Relationship with God

27 “The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will greatly increase the human population and the number of animals here in Israel and Judah. 28 In the past I deliberately uprooted and tore down this nation. I overthrew it, destroyed it, and brought disaster upon it. But in the future I will just as deliberately plant it and build it up. I, the Lord, have spoken!

29 “The people will no longer quote this proverb:

‘The parents have eaten sour grapes,
    but their children’s mouths pucker at the taste.’

30 All people will die for their own sins—those who eat the sour grapes will be the ones whose mouths will pucker.

31 “The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. 32 This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the Lord.

33 “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 7

1 God said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and your entire household, for it is you that I have seen to be righteous before Me in this generation.

2 You must take for yourself seven pairs of every kind of animal that does not impart spiritual defilement if eaten, each pair consisting of a male and its mate, but take only two of the animals that impart spiritual defilement, a male and its mate.

3 You must also take seven pairs of the birds of the heavens that do not impart spiritual defilement, each pair consisting of a male and its mate, in order to keep its seed alive over the entire surface of the earth.

4 For in another seven days, I will bring rain on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights. I will obliterate every being that I have made from the surface of the earth.”

5 Noah did all that God had commanded him.

6 Noah was in his 600th year when the Flood occurred and water covered the earth.

7 Noah, together with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, came into the ark, fleeing from the water of the Flood.

8 Of the animals that do not impart spiritual defilement, of the animals that impart spiritual defilement, of the birds, and of all the creatures that crawl on the ground,

9 a minimum of two each had come, male and female, to Noah, so he could take them into the ark as God had commanded Noah.

10 After the seven days passed, the water of the Flood came upon the earth.

11 The Flood began in the 600th year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the 17th of the month. On that day, all the wellsprings of the great abyss burst open and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.

12 Rain fell upon the earth for 40 days and 40 nights.

13 Noah entered the ark in the very midst of that day, with Noah’s sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them.

14 With them, every kind of walking wildlife, every kind of domestic animal, every kind of creature that crawls on the ground, and every kind of flying creature—every bird and every winged creature.

15 Pairs of all species of flesh that breathed, i.e., that were alive, came to Noah into the ark.

16 Those who came were male and female; of all flesh they came, as God had commanded him, and God sealed the entrance behind him.

Matthew 10:16-27

Speak as the Spirit Leads

16 “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves. 17 But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues. 18 You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me. 19 When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. 20 For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

21 “A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. 22 And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next. I tell you the truth, the Son of Man will return before you have reached all the towns of Israel.

24 “Students are not greater than their teacher, and slaves are not greater than their master. 25 Students are to be like their teacher, and slaves are to be like their master. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons, the members of my household will be called by even worse names!

26 “But don’t be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything that is covered will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. 27 What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear!

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 7

17 The Flood was upon the earth for 40 full days. The water increased and lifted the ark, and it rose above the ground.

18 After the rain ceased, the water surged on its own, and thus increased greatly over the earth. The ark drifted on the surface of the water.

19 The water surged exceedingly high over the earth, and all the high mountains under the whole sky were covered.

20 The mountains were covered, for the water surged 15 cubits above them.

21 All flesh that moved upon the earth expired, including the birds, the domestic animals, the walking wildlife, and every low-lying creature that swarms on the earth, as well as all humanity.

22 Of every being that was on dry land, every being that breathed the breath of life died.

23 God obliterated every being that had been on the face of the earth—including humans, walking animals, crawling creatures, and the birds that fly in the sky. They were obliterated from the earth; only Noah and those who were with him in the ark survived.

24 The water surged over the earth for an additional 150 days after the rainfall stopped.

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 8

1 God remembered Noah and all the wildlife and domestic animals who were with him in the ark. God caused His spirit of consolation and rest to apply to what was happening on earth, and the water began to subside.

2 The wellsprings of the abyss and the floodgates of heaven were sealed. Thus the rain from the heavens was held back.

3 At the end of 150 days, the water started steadily receding from upon the earth. The water diminished, so that

4 in the seventh month, on the 17th day of the month, the ark came to rest on the Mountains of Ararat.

5 The water continued to diminish until the 10th month. In the 10th month, on the first of the month, the highest mountain peaks became visible.

6 Forty days after this, Noah opened the window he had made in the ark.

7 He sent out the raven. It went out, but only circled to and fro around the ark until the water dried up from the surface of the earth.

8 Noah sent out the dove to see if the water had subsided from the surface of the earth.

9 But the dove could not find any place to rest its feet, and it returned to him, to the ark, for there was still water over the entire surface of the earth. He stretched out his hand and took it, and brought it back to himself into the ark.

10 He waited another seven days, and once again sent out the dove from the ark.

11 The dove came back to him toward nightfall, and behold, it had plucked an olive leaf with its beak. Noah then knew that the water had subsided from the earth.

12 He waited yet another seven days and once again sent out the dove, and this time it never again returned to him.

13 In the 601st year of Noah’s life, on the first day of the first month, the water had drained off the earth. Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and saw that the earth’s surface was drying.

14 By the 27th day of the second month, the earth was completely dry.

Matthew 10:28-42

Do Not Fear Mortal Powers

28 “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. 30 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

32 “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.

34 “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.

35 
‘I have come to set a man against his father,
    a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

36 
   Your enemies will be right in your own household!’

37 “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. 38 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. 39 If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.

40 “Anyone who receives you receives me, and anyone who receives me receives the Father who sent me. 41 If you receive a prophet as one who speaks for God, you will be given the same reward as a prophet. And if you receive righteous people because of their righteousness, you will be given a reward like theirs. 42 And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 8

15 God spoke to Noah, saying,

16 “Leave the ark, you with your wife, and your sons with your sons’ wives.

17 All living creatures with you in the ark, from all flesh—birds, walking animals, and all the creatures that crawl upon the ground—have them leave with you, that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”

18 Noah went out with his sons, and his wife with his sons’ wives.

19 All the walking animals, all the crawling creatures, and all the birds—all the creatures that crawl upon the ground—came out of the ark by families.

20 Noah built an altar to God. He took some of every species of domestic animal that does not impart spiritual defilement and of every species of bird that does not impart spiritual defilement, and offered them up as ascent-offerings on the altar.

21 God figuratively smelled the appeasing fragrance (i.e., He acknowledged Noah’s appreciation), and in response, God said to Himself, “I hereby swear that I will never again curse the soil because of humanity, for the inclination of a person’s heart is challenged by his evil inclination from his earliest youth. Never again will I strike down all life as I have done.

22 As long as the earth lasts, none of the seasons—seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter—nor day and night, will ever cease.”

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 9

1 God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.

2 There will be a fear and dread of you upon all the beasts of the earth and upon all the birds of the sky, in all that will crawl on the land and in all the fish of the sea. They have been placed in your hand:

3 Every moving creature that lives will be yours to eat; like plant vegetation, I have now given you everything.

4 But nevertheless, you may not eat the flesh of a still-living creature, nor its blood.

5 Also nevertheless, I will settle the account of the blood you shed if you take your own lives by committing suicide. Furthermore, I will settle the account from the hand of every wild beast that kills one of you. I will settle the account for human life Myself whenever the courts cannot, both from someone who commits an intentional but unwitnessed murder and from someone who commits unintentional manslaughter—i.e., who is on as good terms with his victim as he is with his own brother but kills him accidentally.

6 In contrast, the blood of whoever intentionally sheds human blood, having been warned not to do so and witnessed doing so, must be shed by the human court, for God made man in the image of God.

7 As for you, be fruitful and multiply, proliferate upon the earth, and make it populous.”

Psalm 37:1-13

Wait Patiently for the Lord

A psalm of David.

1 
Don’t worry about the wicked

    or envy those who do wrong.

2 
For like grass, they soon fade away.

    Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

3 
Trust in the Lord and do good.

    Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

4 
Take delight in the Lord,

    and he will give you your heart’s desires.

5 
Commit everything you do to the Lord.

    Trust him, and he will help you.

6 
He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,

    and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

7 
Be still in the presence of the Lord,

    and wait patiently for him to act.

Don’t worry about evil people who prosper

    or fret about their wicked schemes.

8 
Stop being angry!

    Turn from your rage!

Do not lose your temper—

    it only leads to harm.

9 
For the wicked will be destroyed,

    but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

10 
Soon the wicked will disappear.

    Though you look for them, they will be gone.

11 
The lowly will possess the land

    and will live in peace and prosperity.

12 
The wicked plot against the godly;

    they snarl at them in defiance.

13 
But the Lord just laughs,

    for he sees their day of judgment coming.

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 9

8 God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,

9 “As for Me, I hereby am establishing My covenant with you and with your offspring after you,

10 and with every living creature that is with you—the birds, the domestic walking animals, all the harmless wild walking animals of the earth (who live peacefully with you), all the crawling creatures who left the ark, and all the harmful wild walking animals on earth.

11 I will confirm My covenant with you by giving you a sign that I am bound by it, and thus you can rest assured that never again will any flesh be cut off by the water of a flood. Never again will there be a flood that will destroy the earth.”

12 God said, “This is the sign that I am providing for the covenant between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all generations:

13 I have placed My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the world.

14 When I bring clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear among the clouds,

15 and I will recall My covenant that exists between Me and you and every living creature among all flesh, so that never again will water become a flood to destroy any flesh.

16 The rainbow will be in the clouds, and I will see it to recall the eternal covenant I am now making between God and every living creature among all flesh that is upon the earth.”

17 God said to Noah, “Behold the sign of the covenant that I have established between Me and all flesh that is upon the earth.”

Psalm 37:25-28

25
Once I was young, and now I am old.

    Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned

    or their children begging for bread.

26 
The godly always give generous loans to others,

    and their children are a blessing.

27 
Turn from evil and do good,

    and you will live in the land forever.

28 
For the Lord loves justice,

    and he will never abandon the godly.

He will keep them safe forever,

    but the children of the wicked will die.

Psalm 37:35-40

35 
I have seen wicked and ruthless people

    flourishing like a tree in its native soil.

36 
But when I looked again, they were gone!

    Though I searched for them, I could not find them!

37 
Look at those who are honest and good,

    for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.

38 
But the rebellious will be destroyed;

    they have no future.

39 
The Lord rescues the godly;

    he is their fortress in times of trouble.

40 
The Lord helps them,

    rescuing them from the wicked.
He saves them,

    and they find shelter in him.

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 9

18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan.

19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole world branched out.

20 Noah was the master of the soil. He degraded himself by planting a vineyard.

21 He drank some of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent.

22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness. He told his two brothers outside that his father was naked.

23 Shem, enlisting Japheth’s help, took a garment and placed it on the shoulders of them both. They then walked backwards and covered their father’s nakedness. When they approached him and had to turn their bodies around, they did so while facing away from him, so that they did not ever see their father’s nakedness.

24 Noah awoke from his wine and realized what his youngest son had done to him.

25 He said, “Cursed be Canaan! He will be a servant to servants—a servant to his father’s brothers, Shem and Japheth!”

26 He then said, “Blessed be God, the God who will favor Shem! Canaan’s descendants will be their slaves!

27 May God expand Japheth, but may He dwell in the tents of the descendants of Shem. Canaan’s descendants will be slaves to the descendants of Shem!”

28 Noah lived 350 years after the Flood.

29 All the days of Noah came to 950 years, and he died.

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 10

1 The following are the descendants of Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, who fathered children after the Flood.

2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Yavan, Tuval, Meshech, and Tiras.

3 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Rifat, and Togarmah.

4 The sons of Yavan were Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Dodanites.

5 From these, the island-nations, their clans, and their nations branched out—each with its own language—into their lands.

6 The sons of Ham were Kush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan.

7 The sons of Kush were Seva, Chavilah, Savtah, Ra’mah, and Savtecha. The sons of Ra’mah were Sheva and Dedan.

8 Kush was the father of Nimrod, the first man in the world powerful enough to rally the masses to rebel against God.

9 He was a mighty hunter, “trapping” people into joining his rebellion against God, and he flaunted his rebellious intentions before God Himself. Hence, the saying, “He is like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before God” is applied to anyone who intentionally seeks to provoke God’s anger.

10 His kingdom began with Babylon, and with Erech, Akad, and Kalneh, in the land of Shin’ar.

11 Assyria and his family left that land and built Nineveh, Rechovot-Ir, and Kalach,

12 as well as Resen, between Nineveh and Kalach; Nineveh is the great city, the capital of Assyria.

13 Egypt fathered the Ludites, the Anamites, the Lehavites, the Naftuchites,

14 the Patrusites and the Kasluchites—who engaged in wife-swapping, producing the Philistines, who thus descended from them both—and the Kaftorites.

15 Canaan was the father of Sidon, his firstborn, and Het,

16 as well as the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,

17 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites,

18 the Arvadites, the Tzemarites, and the Chamatites. From these, the additional families of the Canaanites later spread out further.

19 The Canaanites extended the border of their territory into the Land of Israel, from Sidon toward Gerar until Gaza, and toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Tzevoyim, until Lasha.

20 These are the descendants of Ham, according to their clans and languages, by their lands and nations.

21 Children were also born to Shem. He was the ancestor of all those who lived on the other, eastern side of the Euphrates, and the brother of Japheth, the eldest son of Noah.

22 The sons of Shem were Eilam, Assyria, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram.

23 The sons of Aram were Utz, Chul, Geter, and Mash.

24 Arpachshad was the father of Shelach, and Shelach was the father of Ever.

25 Two sons were born to Ever. The name of the first was Peleg, because his father prophesied that in the final days of his life, the world would be divided [niflegah]. The name of his brother was Yoktan.

26 Yoktan was the father of Almodad, Shelef, Chatzarmavet, Yerach,

27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,

28 Oval, Avima’el, Sheva,

29 Ophir, Chavilah, and Yovav; all these were the sons of Yoktan.

30 Their dwelling place extended from Mesha towards Sephar, the eastern mountain.

31 These are the descendants of Shem, according to their clans and languages, by their lands and their nations.

32 These were the families of Noah’s sons, in their order of birth, by their nations, and from them the nations dispersed over the earth after the Flood.

Romans 12:12-21

Overcome Evil with Good

12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge;
    I will pay them back,”
    says the Lord.

20 Instead,

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
    If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
    burning coals of shame on their heads.”

21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 11

1 The whole population of the world was united, speaking one language, but they were also united in a common, ill-advised cause.

2 When they migrated from the mountains in the east, they found a valley in the land of Shin’ar large enough for their purposes and they settled there.

3 There were no stones in this valley with which to build, so they said to one another, “Come, let us mold bricks and fire them.” The bricks they made were as hard as stone, and the clay served them for mortar with which to plaster the walls.

4 They said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into the sky. Let us make ourselves a name, so that we will not be scattered by God all over the face of the earth.”

5 God descended, so to speak, to see the city and the tower that the descendants of Adam, the first man, had built.

6 God said to the heavenly court, “They possess all the advantages and conveniences of being a single people, all having one language—and this is what they have begun to do?! So now, should they not be prevented from doing all that they planned to do?

7 Come, let us descend and confuse their speech there, so that one person will not understand another’s speech.”

8 God scattered them from that place all over the face of the earth, and they stopped building the city.

9 It was therefore named Babel, because this was the place where God confused (balal) the whole world’s language. From there God dispersed them over all the face of the earth.

10 The following are the descendants of Shem: Shem was 100 years old when he fathered Arpachshad, two years after the Flood began.

11 Shem lived 500 years after he fathered Arpachshad, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

12 Arpachshad was 35 years old when he fathered a son, Shelach.

13 Arpachshad lived 403 years after Shelach was born, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

14 Shelach was 30 years old when he fathered a son, Ever.

15 Shelach lived 403 years after he fathered Ever, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

16 Ever was 34 years old when he fathered a son, Peleg.

17 Ever lived 430 years after he fathered Peleg, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

18 Peleg was 30 years old when he fathered a son, Re’u.

19 Peleg lived 209 years after he fathered Re’u, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

20 Re’u was 32 years old when he had a son, Serug.

21 Re’u lived 207 years after he fathered Serug, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

22 Serug was 30 years old when he fathered a son, Nachor.

23 Serug lived 200 years after he fathered Nachor, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

24 Nachor was 29 years old when he fathered a son, Terach.

25 Nachor lived 119 years after he fathered Terach, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

26 Terach was 70 years old when he fathered a son, Abram. Terach’s next son was Nachor, and his third son was Haran.

27 The following are the descendants of Terach: Terach was the father of Abram, Nachor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot.

28 Haran died during the lifetime of his father, Terach, in the land of his birth, Ur of the Chaldeans.

29 Abram and Nachor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nachor’s wife was Milkah, the daughter of Haran, who was the father of Milkah and Yiskah.

30 Sarai was barren; she had no child.

31 Terach took his son Abram; his grandson Lot son of Haran; and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram; and they left Ur of the Chaldeans with them, heading toward Canaan. They came as far as the city of Charan in Aram, and settled there.

32 All of Terach’s days came to 205 years, and Terach died in Charan.

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) Chapter 54

1 "Sing you barren woman who has not borne; burst out into song and jubilate, you who have not experienced birth pangs, for the children of the desolate one are more than the children of the married woman," says the Lord.

2 Widen the place of your tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of your habitations, do not spare; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.

3 For right and left shall you prevail, and your seed shall inherit nations and repeople desolate cities.

4 Fear not, for you shall not be ashamed, and be not embarrassed for you shall not be put to shame, for the shame of your youth you shall forget, and the disgrace of your widowhood you shall no longer remember.

5 For your Master is your Maker, the Lord of Hosts is His name, and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, shall be called the God of all the earth.

6 For, like a wife who is deserted and distressed in spirit has the Lord called you, and a wife of one's youth who was rejected, said your God.

7 "For a small moment have I forsaken you, and with great mercy will I gather you.

8 With a little wrath did I hide My countenance for a moment from you, and with everlasting kindness will I have compassion on you," said your Redeemer, the Lord.

9 "For this is to Me [as] the waters of Noah, as I swore that the waters of Noah shall never again pass over the earth, so have I sworn neither to be wroth with you nor to rebuke you.

10 For the mountains shall depart and the hills totter, but My kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall the covenant of My peace totter," says the Lord, Who has compassion on you.