The Pentateuch
The first five books: creation, the patriarchs, the Exodus and the Law.
Genesis
The Bible opens with the creation of the world and of human beings in God's image, the fall into sin, the flood and the tower of Babel. It then tells the story of the patriarchs —Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph— with whom God begins his covenant and the promise of a people and a blessing for all nations.
5 key verses
- Genesis 1:1In the beginning God created heaven, and earth.
- Genesis 1:27And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them.
- Genesis 3:15I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.
- Genesis 12:1-3And the Lord said to Abram: Go forth out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and out of thy father's house, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and magnify thy name, and thou shalt be blessed. I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee, and IN THEE shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
- Genesis 50:20You thought evil against me: but God turned it into good, that he might exalt me, as at present you see, and might save many people.
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Exodus
It tells how God frees Israel from slavery in Egypt through Moses: the burning bush, the plagues, the Passover and the crossing of the sea. On Mount Sinai God seals his covenant with the people and gives them the Ten Commandments and the rules for worship.
5 key verses
- Exodus 3:14God said to Moses: I AM WHO AM. He said: Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel: HE WHO IS, hath sent me to you.
- Exodus 12:13And the blood shall be unto you for a sign in the houses where you shall be; and I shall see the blood, and shall pass over you; and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I shall strike the land of Egypt.
- Exodus 14:14The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.
- Exodus 20:2-3I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt not have strange gods before me.
- Exodus 34:6And when he passed before him, he said: O the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, patient and of much compassion, and true,
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Leviticus
It gathers the laws of worship and holiness: sacrifices, priesthood, purity and the feasts, such as the Day of Atonement. Its central message is that the people must be holy because God is holy, and it includes the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself.
5 key verses
- Leviticus 11:45For I am the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that I might be your God.
- Leviticus 16:30Upon this day shall be the expiation for you, and the cleansing from all your sins. You shall be cleansed before the Lord.
- Leviticus 19:2Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel. And thou shalt say to them: Be ye holy, because I the Lord your God am holy.
- Leviticus 19:18Seek not revenge, nor be mindful of the injury of thy citizens. Thou shalt love thy friend as thyself. I am the Lord.
- Leviticus 26:12I will walk among you, and will be your God: and you shall be my people.
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Numbers
It narrates Israel's forty years in the desert, from Sinai to the gates of the promised land. It includes the censuses of the people, their complaints and rebellions, God's punishment and faithfulness, the bronze serpent and the priestly blessing.
5 key verses
- Numbers 6:24-26The Lord bless thee, and keep thee. The Lord shew his face to thee, and have mercy on thee. The Lord turn his countenance to thee, and give thee peace.
- Numbers 14:18The Lord is patient and full of mercy, by taking away iniquity and wickedness, and leaving no man clear, who visitest the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
- Numbers 21:8And the Lord said to him: Make a brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: whosoever being struck shall look on it, shall live.
- Numbers 23:19God is not a man, that he should lie, nor is the son of man, that he should be changed. Hath he said then, and will he not do? hath he spoken, and will he not fulfil?
- Numbers 24:17I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not near. A STAR SHALL RISE out of Jacob and a sceptre shall spring up from Israel: and shall strike the chiefs of Moab, and shall waste all the children of Seth
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Deuteronomy
It gathers Moses' great farewell speeches before the people enter the promised land. It repeats the law, calls Israel to love God with all their heart and to choose life by being faithful to the covenant. It ends with the death of Moses.
5 key verses
- Deuteronomy 6:4-5Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole strength.
- Deuteronomy 7:9And thou shalt know that the Lord thy God, he is a strong and faithful God, keeping his covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments, unto a thousand generations:
- Deuteronomy 8:3He afflicted thee with want, and gave thee manna for thy food, which neither thou nor thy fathers knew: to shew that not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God.
- Deuteronomy 30:19I call heaven and earth to witness this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose therefore life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
- Deuteronomy 31:6Do manfully and be of good heart: fear not, nor be ye dismayed at their sight: for the Lord thy God he himself is thy leader, and will not leave thee nor forsake thee.
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Historical books
The history of God's people from the entry into the promised land to the Maccabees.
Joshua
It tells how Joshua, Moses' successor, leads the people across the Jordan into the promised land. It narrates the fall of Jericho, the division of the land among the tribes and the renewal of the covenant at Shechem.
5 key verses
- Joshua 1:8Let not the book of this law depart from thy mouth: but thou shalt meditate on it day and night, that thou mayst observe and do all things that are written in it: then shalt thou direct thy way, and understand it.
- Joshua 1:9Behold I command thee, take courage, and be strong. Fear not, and be not dismayed: because the Lord thy God is with thee in all things whatsoever thou shalt go to.
- Joshua 6:20So all the people making a shout, and the trumpets sounding, when the voice and the sound thundered in the ears of the multitude, the walls forthwith fell down: and every man went up by the place that was over against him: and they took the city,
- Joshua 21:43Not so much as one word, which he had promised to perform unto them, was made void, but all came to pass.
- Joshua 24:15But if it seem evil to you to serve the Lord, you have your choice: choose this day that which pleaseth you, whom you would rather serve, whether the gods which your fathers served in Mesopotamia, or the gods of the Amorrhites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house we will serve thee Lord,
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Judges
It narrates the time before the kings, when Israel falls into unfaithfulness again and again and God raises up judges to save it: Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah and Samson, among others. It shows how the people go astray when they forget God.
5 key verses
- Judges 2:16And the Lord raised up judges, to deliver them from the hands of those that oppressed them: but they would not hearken to them,
- Judges 6:12The angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said: The Lord is with thee, O most valiant of men.
- Judges 6:14And the Lord looked upon him, and said: Go, in this thy strength, and thou shalt deliver Israel out of the hand of Madian: know that I have sent thee.
- Judges 16:28But he called upon the Lord, saying: O Lord God remember me, and restore to me now my former strength, O my God, that I may revenge myself on my enemies, and for the loss of my two eyes I may take one revenge.
- Judges 21:24The children of Israel also returned by their tribes, and families, to their dwellings. In those days there was no king in Israel: but every one did that which seemed right to himself.
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Ruth
A short story of Ruth, a Moabite woman who stays faithful to her mother-in-law Naomi and embraces the people and the God of Israel. Through her kindness and that of Boaz, she becomes the great-grandmother of King David and an ancestor of Jesus.
5 key verses
- Ruth 1:16She answered: Be not against me, to desire that I should leave thee and depart: for whithersoever thou shalt go, I will go: and where thou shalt dwell, I also will dwell. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.
- Ruth 1:17The land that shall receive thee dying, in the same will I die: and there will I be buried. The Lord do so and so to me, and add more also, if aught but death part me and thee.
- Ruth 2:12The Lord render unto thee for thy work, and mayst thou receive a full reward of the Lord the God of Israel, to whom thou art come, and under whose wings thou art fled.
- Ruth 4:14And the women said to Noemi: Blessed be the Lord, who hath not suffered thy family to want a successor: that his name should be preserved in Israel.
- Ruth 4:17And the women, her neighbours, congratulating with her, and saying, There is a son born to Noemi, called his name Obed: he is the father of Isai, the father of David.
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1 Samuel
It narrates the passage from the judges to the monarchy: the birth and calling of Samuel, the choice and failure of King Saul, and the anointing of young David, who defeats Goliath by trusting in God.
5 key verses
- 1 Samuel 2:2There is none holy as the Lord is: for there is no other beside thee, and there is none strong like our God.
- 1 Samuel 3:10And the Lord came, and stood, and he called, as he had called the other times, Samuel, Samuel. And Samuel said: Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.
- 1 Samuel 15:22And Samuel said: Doth the Lord desire holocausts and victims, and not rather that the voice of the Lord should be obeyed? For obedience is better than sacrifices: and to hearken rather than to offer the fat or rams.
- 1 Samuel 16:7And the Lord said to Samuel: Look not on his countenance, nor on the height of his stature: because I have rejected him, nor do I judge according to the look of man: for man seeth those things that appear, but the Lord beholdeth the heart.
- 1 Samuel 17:47And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for it is his battle, and he will deliver you into our hands.
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2 Samuel
It tells of David's reign: his rise to the throne, Jerusalem as capital and God's promise of an everlasting dynasty. It also narrates his sin with Bathsheba, his repentance and the tragedies of his family.
5 key verses
- 2 Samuel 7:12-13And when thy days shall be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of the bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house to my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom fore ever.
- 2 Samuel 7:16And thy house shall be faithful, and thy kingdom for ever before thy face, and thy throne shall be firm for ever.
- 2 Samuel 12:13And David said to Nathan: I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David: The Lord also hath taken away thy sin: thou shalt not die.
- 2 Samuel 22:2-3And he said: The Lord is my rock, and my strength, and my saviour. God is my strong one, in him will I trust: my shield, and the horn of my salvation: he lifteth me up, and is my refuge: my saviour, thou wilt deliver me from iniquity.
- 2 Samuel 22:31God, his way is immaculate, the word of the Lord is tried by fire: he is the shield of all that trust in him.
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1 Kings
It narrates the reign of Solomon, his wisdom and the building of the Temple in Jerusalem; then the division of the kingdom into Israel and Judah. It highlights the prophet Elijah, who defends faith in the one God.
5 key verses
- 1 Kings 3:9Give therefore to thy servant an understanding heart, to judge thy people, and discern between good and evil. For who shall be able to judge this people, thy people, which is so numerous?
- 1 Kings 8:27Is it then to be thought that God should indeed dwell upon earth? for if heaven, and the heavens of heavens, cannot contain thee, how much less this house which I have built?
- 1 Kings 17:16The pot of meal wasted not, and the cruise of oil was not diminished according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke in the hand of Elias.
- 1 Kings 18:21And Elias coming to all the people, said: How long do you halt between two sides? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people did not answer him a word.
- 1 Kings 19:12And after the earthquake, a fire: but the Lord is not in the fire. And after the fire, a whistling of a gentle air.
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2 Kings
It continues the history of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah until their fall: Elijah's ascension, the miracles of Elisha, the destruction of Samaria and, finally, the fall of Jerusalem and the exile to Babylon.
5 key verses
- 2 Kings 2:11And as they went on, walking and talking together, behold, a fiery chariot and fiery horses parted them both asunder: and Elias went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
- 2 Kings 5:14Then he went down, and washed in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored, like the flesh of a little child: and he was made clean.
- 2 Kings 6:16But he answered: Fear not: for there are more with us than with them.
- 2 Kings 17:13And the Lord testified to them in Israel, and in Juda, by the hand of all the prophets and seers, saying: Return from your wicked ways, and keep my precepts, and ceremonies, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers: and as I have sent to you in the hand of my servants the prophets.
- 2 Kings 23:25There was no king before him like unto him, that returned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his strength, according to all the law of Moses: neither after him did there arise any like unto him.
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1 Chronicles
It retells the history of Israel from Adam to David, with long genealogies. It emphasizes David as a king after God's heart and his preparation of worship and the Temple.
5 key verses
- 1 Chronicles 16:8Praise ye the Lord, and call upon his name: make known his doings among the nations.
- 1 Chronicles 16:11Seek ye the Lord, and his power: seek ye his face evermore.
- 1 Chronicles 16:34Give ye glory to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
- 1 Chronicles 29:11Thine, O Lord, is magnificence, and power, and glory, and victory: and to thee is praise: for all that is in heaven, and in earth, is thine: thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art above all princes.
- 1 Chronicles 29:14Who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to promise thee all these things? all things are thine: and we have given thee what we received of thy hand.
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2 Chronicles
It narrates the history of the kings of Judah from Solomon to the exile, judging each king by his faithfulness to God and the Temple. It ends with the edict of Cyrus that allows the return to Jerusalem.
5 key verses
- 2 Chronicles 6:18Is it credible then that God should dwell with men on the earth? If heaven and the heavens of heavens do not contain thee, how much less this house, which I have built?
- 2 Chronicles 7:14And my people, upon whom my name is called, being converted, shall make supplication to me, and seek out my face, and do penance for their most wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and will heal their land.
- 2 Chronicles 16:9For the eyes of the Lord behold all the earth, and give strength to those who with a perfect heart trust in him. Wherefore thou hast done foolishly, and for this cause from this time wars shall arise against thee.
- 2 Chronicles 20:15And he said: Attend ye, all Juda, and you that dwell in Jerusalem, and thou king Josaphat: Thus saith the Lord to you: Fear ye not, and be not dismayed at this multitude: for the battle is not yours, but God's.
- 2 Chronicles 36:23Thus saith Cyrus king of the Persians: All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord the God of heaven given to me, and he hath charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judea: who is there among you of all his people? The Lord his God be with him, and let him go up.
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Ezra
It tells of the exiles' return from Babylon, the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem and the work of the priest and scribe Ezra to help the people live again by God's law.
5 key verses
- Ezra 1:3Who is there among you of all his people? His God be with him. Let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judea, and build the house of the Lord the God of Israel: he is the God that is in Jerusalem.
- Ezra 3:11And they sung together hymns, and praise to the Lord: because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever towards Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, praising the Lord, because the foundations of the temple of the Lord were laid.
- Ezra 7:10For Esdras had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do and to teach in Israel the commandments and judgment.
- Ezra 8:22For I was ashamed to ask the king for aid and for horsemen, to defend us from the enemy in the way: because we had said to the king: The hand of our God is upon all them that seek him in goodness: and his power and strength, and wrath upon all them that forsake him.
- Ezra 9:9For we are bondmen, and in our bondage our God hath not forsaken us, but hath extended mercy upon us before the king of the Persians, to give us life, and to set up the house of our God, and to rebuild the desolations thereof, and to give us a fence in Juda and Jerusalem.
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Nehemiah
It narrates how Nehemiah, cupbearer to the king of Persia, returns to Jerusalem to rebuild its walls despite opposition. It culminates with Ezra's solemn reading of the law and the renewal of the covenant.
5 key verses
- Nehemiah 1:5And I said: I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, strong, great, and terrible, who keepest covenant and mercy with those that love thee, and keep thy commandments:
- Nehemiah 2:20And I answered them, and said to them: The God of heaven he helpeth us, and we are his servants: let us rise up and build: but you have no part, nor justice, nor remembrance in Jerusalem.
- Nehemiah 4:14And I looked and rose up: and I said to the chief men and the magistrates, and to the rest of the common people: be not afraid of them. Remember the Lord who is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, and your wives, and your houses.
- Nehemiah 8:8And they read in the book of the law of God distinctly and plainly to be understood: and they understood when it was read.
- Nehemiah 8:10And he said to them: Go, eat fat meats, and drink sweet wine, and send portions to them that have not prepared for themselves: because it is the holy day of the Lord, and be not sad: for the joy of the Lord is our strength.
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Tobit
The story of a devout family in exile: Tobit, who goes blind, and his son Tobias, who travels with the angel Raphael. It teaches prayer, almsgiving, holy marriage and God's providence.
5 key verses
- Tobit 4:7Give alms out of thy substance, and turn not away thy face from any poor person: for so it shall come to pass that the face of the Lord shall not be turned from thee.
- Tobit 4:16See thou never do to another what thou wouldst hate to have done to thee by another.
- Tobit 8:7And Tobias said: Lord God of our fathers, may the heavens and the earth, and the sea, and the fountains, and the rivers, and all thy creatures that are in them, bless thee.
- Tobit 12:8Prayer is good with fasting and alms more than to lay up treasures of gold.
- Tobit 12:15For I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord.
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Judith
The story of Judith, a brave and devout widow who saves her people from Holofernes' army by trusting in God. It shows that God protects the lowly and uses the weak to overcome the mighty.
5 key verses
- Judith 8:27But esteeming these very punishments to be less than our sins deserve, let us believe that these scourges of the Lord, with which like servants we are chastised, have happened for our amendment, and not for our destruction.
- Judith 9:16For thy power, O Lord, is not in a multitude, nor is thy pleasure in the strength of horses, nor from the beginning have the proud been acceptable to thee: but the prayer of the humble and the meek hath always pleased thee.
- Judith 13:23And Ozias the prince of the people of Israel, said to her: Blessed art thou, O daughter, by the Lord the most high God, above all women upon the earth.
- Judith 16:16O Adonai, Lord, great art thou, and glorious in thy power, and no one can overcome thee.
- Judith 16:18-19The mountains shall be moved from the foundations with the waters: the rocks shall melt as wax before thy face. But they that fear thee, shall be great with thee in all things.
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Esther
It tells how Esther, a young Jewish woman who becomes queen of Persia, risks her life to save her people from a plan of extermination. The feast of Purim recalls this deliverance.
5 key verses
- Esther 4:14For if thou wilt now hold thy peace, the Jews shall be delivered by some other occasion: and thou, and thy father's house shall perish. And who knoweth whether thou art not therefore come to the kingdom, that thou mightest be ready in such a time as this?
- Esther 4:16Go, and gather together all the Jews whom thou shalt find in Susan, and pray ye for me. Neither eat nor drink for three days and three nights: and I with my handmaids will fast in like manner, and then I will go in to the king, against the law, not being called, and expose myself to death and to danger.
- Esther 7:3Then she answered: If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please thee, give me my life for which I ask, and my people for which I request.
- Esther 8:16But to the Jews, a new light seemed to rise, joy, honour, and dancing.
- Esther 9:22Because on those days the Jews revenged themselves of their enemies, and their mourning and sorrow were turned into mirth and joy, and that these should be days of feasting and gladness, in which they should send one to another portions of meats, and should give gifts to the poor.
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1 Maccabees
It narrates the resistance of the Jews, led by Mattathias and his sons, the Maccabees, against King Antiochus IV, who wanted to impose pagan customs on them. It tells of the purification of the Temple, the origin of Hanukkah.
5 key verses
- 1 Maccabees 2:19-20Then Mathathias answered, and said with a loud voice: Although all nations obey king Antiochus, so as to depart every man from the service of the law of his fathers, and consent to his commandments: I and my sons, and my brethren will obey the law of our fathers.
- 1 Maccabees 2:61And thus consider, through all generations: that none that trust in him, fail in strength.
- 1 Maccabees 3:19For the success of war is not in the multitude of the army, but strength cometh from heaven.
- 1 Maccabees 4:36Then Judas, and his brethren said: Behold our enemies are discomfited: let us go up now to cleanse the holy places, and to repair them.
- 1 Maccabees 4:59And Judas, and his brethren, and all the church of Israel decreed, that the day of the dedication of the altar should be kept in its season from year to year for eight days, from the five and twentieth day of the month of Casleu, with joy and gladness.
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2 Maccabees
It presents the same events from another angle, with accounts of martyrdom such as Eleazar's and that of the mother and her seven sons. It bears witness to faith in the resurrection and to prayer for the dead.
5 key verses
- 2 Maccabees 6:31Thus did this man die, leaving not only to young men, but also to the whole nation, the memory of his death, for an example of virtue and fortitude.
- 2 Maccabees 7:9And when he was at the last gasp, he said thus: Thou indeed, O most wicked man, destroyest us out of this present life: but the King of the world will raise us up, who die for his laws, in the resurrection of eternal life.
- 2 Maccabees 7:28I beseech thee, my son, look upon heaven and earth, and all that is in them, and consider that God made them out of nothing, and mankind also:
- 2 Maccabees 12:45And because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them.
- 2 Maccabees 15:12Now the vision was in this manner. Onias, who had been high priest, a good and virtuous man, modest in his looks, gentle in his manners, and graceful in speech, and who from a child was exercised in virtues holding up his hands, prayed for all the people of the Jews:
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Wisdom and poetic books
Prayer, poetry and wisdom for life: Job, the Psalms, Proverbs and more.
Job
A poem about the suffering of the innocent. Job, a righteous man, loses everything and argues with his friends about why pain exists. In the end God speaks to him from the storm, and Job recognizes God's greatness and mystery.
5 key verses
- Job 1:21And said: Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: as it hath pleased the Lord, so is it done: blessed be the name of the Lord.
- Job 19:25For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and in the last day I shall rise out of the earth.
- Job 38:4Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? tell me if thou hast understanding.
- Job 42:2I know that thou canst do all things, and no thought is hid from thee.
- Job 42:5With the hearing of the ear, I have heard thee, but now my eye seeth thee.
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Psalms
A book of 150 prayers and songs of God's people: praise, petitions, thanksgiving and laments. It is the prayer of Israel and of the Church, which prays them every day in the Liturgy of the Hours.
5 key verses
- Psalms 23:1 (Douay-Rheims: Psalm 22)A psalm for David. The Lord ruleth me: and I shall want nothing.
- Psalms 27:1 (Douay-Rheims: Psalm 26)The psalm of David before he was anointed. The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?
- Psalms 34:9 (Douay-Rheims: Psalm 33)O taste, and see that the Lord is sweet: blessed is the man that hopeth in him.
- Psalms 119:105 (Douay-Rheims: Psalm 118)Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my paths.
- Psalms 139:14 (Douay-Rheims: Psalm 138)I will praise thee, for thou art fearfully magnified: wonderful are thy works, and my soul knoweth right well.
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Proverbs
A collection of proverbs and advice for living wisely in family, work and society. It teaches that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.
5 key verses
- Proverbs 1:7The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
- Proverbs 3:5-6Have confidence in the Lord with all thy heart, and lean not upon thy own prudence. In all thy ways think on him, and he will direct thy steps.
- Proverbs 4:23With all watchfulness keep thy heart, because life issueth out from it.
- Proverbs 16:3Lay open thy works to the Lord: and thy thoughts shall be directed.
- Proverbs 22:6It is a proverb: A young man according to his way, even when he is old, he will not depart from it.
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Ecclesiastes
The Preacher's (Qoheleth's) reflection on the fleetingness of life: everything is vanity under the sun unless lived before God. It invites us to enjoy God's gifts simply and to fear him.
5 key verses
- Ecclesiastes 1:2Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes: vanity of vanities, and all is vanity.
- Ecclesiastes 3:1All things have their season, and in their times all things pass under heaven.
- Ecclesiastes 3:11He hath made all things good in their time, and hath delivered the world to their consideration, so that man cannot find out the work which God hath made from the beginning to the end.
- Ecclesiastes 12:1Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the time of affliction come, and the years draw nigh of which thou shalt say: They please me not:
- Ecclesiastes 12:13Let us all hear together the conclusion of the discourse. Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is all man:
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Song of Songs
A love poem between a lover and his beloved. Jewish and Christian tradition has also read it as an image of God's love for his people and of Christ's love for the Church and for each soul.
5 key verses
- Song of Songs 2:4He brought me into the cellar of wine, he set in order charity in me.
- Song of Songs 2:16My beloved to me, and I to him who feedeth among the lilies,
- Song of Songs 4:7Thou art all fair, O my love, and there is not a spot in thee.
- Song of Songs 8:6Put me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy as hard as hell, the lamps thereof are fire and flames.
- Song of Songs 8:7Many waters cannot quench charity, neither can the floods drown it: if a man should give all the substance of his house for love, he shall despise it as nothing.
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Wisdom
Written shortly before Christ, it praises wisdom as God's gift, teaches the immortality of the souls of the righteous and meditates on God's action in Israel's history.
5 key verses
- Wisdom 1:13For God made not death, neither hath he pleasure in the destruction of the living.
- Wisdom 2:23For God created man incorruptible, and to the image of his own likeness he made him.
- Wisdom 3:1But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them.
- Wisdom 7:7Wherefore I wished, and understanding was given me: and I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom came upon me:
- Wisdom 11:25For thou lovest all things that are, and hatest none of the things which thou hast made: for thou didst not appoint, or make any thing hating it.
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Sirach
The book of Jesus Ben Sira, with practical advice for family, social and religious life: friendship, speech, humility, work and honoring one's parents. It ends with a praise of Israel's ancestors.
5 key verses
- Sirach 2:1Son, when thou comest to the service of God, stand in justice and in fear, and prepare thy soul for temptation.
- Sirach 3:20The greater thou art, the more humble thyself in all things, and thou shalt find grace before God:
- Sirach 6:14A faithful friend is a strong defence: and he that hath found him, hath found a treasure.
- Sirach 15:16If thou wilt keep the commandments and perform acceptable fidelity for ever, they shall preserve thee.
- Sirach 35:21The prayer of him that humbleth himself, shall pierce the clouds: and till it come nigh he will not be comforted: and he will not depart till the most High behold.
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Prophetic books
The prophets call to conversion, denounce injustice and announce the Messiah.
Isaiah
The great prophet of hope. He denounces Jerusalem's sin, announces Emmanuel and the Messiah, prince of peace, comforts the exiles and presents the suffering Servant who bears the sins of many.
5 key verses
- Isaiah 7:14Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son and his name shall be called Emmanuel.
- Isaiah 40:31But they that hope in the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall take wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
- Isaiah 43:1And now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and formed thee, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, and called thee by thy name: thou art mine.
- Isaiah 53:5But he was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his bruises we are healed.
- Isaiah 55:8-9For my thoughts are not your thoughts: nor your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are my ways exalted above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts.
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Jeremiah
Jeremiah, called when young, announces the fall of Jerusalem and suffers persecution for his faithfulness. In the midst of disaster, he promises a new covenant written on the heart.
5 key verses
- Jeremiah 1:5Before I formed thee in the bowels of thy mother, I knew thee: and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and made thee a prophet unto the nations.
- Jeremiah 17:7Blessed be the man that trusteth in the Lord, and the Lord shall be his confidence.
- Jeremiah 29:11For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of affliction, to give you an end and patience.
- Jeremiah 31:3The Lord hath appeared from afar to me. Yea I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore have I drawn thee, taking pity on thee.
- Jeremiah 31:33But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those days, saith the Lord: I will give my law in their bowels, and I will write it in their heart: and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
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Lamentations
Five poems mourning the destruction of Jerusalem. In the midst of grief springs trust in God's mercy, which is renewed every morning.
5 key verses
- Lamentations 3:22-23The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed: because his commiserations have not failed. They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness.
- Lamentations 3:24The Lord is my portion, said my soul: therefore will I wait for him.
- Lamentations 3:25The Lord is good to them that hope in him, to the soul that seeketh him.
- Lamentations 3:31-32For the Lord will not cast off for ever. For if he hath cast off, he will also have mercy, according to the multitude of his mercies.
- Lamentations 5:21Convert us, O Lord, to thee, and we shall be converted: renew our days, as from the beginning.
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Baruch
Attributed to Baruch, Jeremiah's secretary, it gathers a confession of the people's sins, a praise of God's wisdom and words of comfort for Jerusalem. It includes the Letter of Jeremiah against idols.
5 key verses
- Baruch 3:14Learn where is wisdom, where is strength, where is understanding: that thou mayst know also where is length of days and life, where is the light of the eyes, and peace.
- Baruch 3:37He found out all the way of knowledge, and gave it to Jacob his servant, and to Israel his beloved.
- Baruch 4:4We are happy, O Israel: because the things that are pleasing to God, are made known to us.
- Baruch 4:21Be of good comfort, my children, cry to the Lord, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the princes your enemies.
- Baruch 5:1Put off, O Jerusalem, the garment of thy mourning, and affliction: and put on the beauty, and honour of that everlasting glory which thou hast from God.
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Ezekiel
Ezekiel, priest and prophet in exile, sees God's glory, announces judgment on Jerusalem and promises a new heart, a new spirit and the resurrection of the people, as in the vision of the dry bones.
5 key verses
- Ezekiel 18:32For I desire not the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God, return ye and live.
- Ezekiel 34:11For thus saith the Lord God: Behold I myself will seek my sheep, and will visit them.
- Ezekiel 36:26And I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you a heart of flesh.
- Ezekiel 37:5Thus saith the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will send spirit into you, and you shall live.
- Ezekiel 37:27And my tabernacle shall be with them: and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
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Daniel
It narrates the faithfulness of Daniel and his companions in Babylon —the fiery furnace and the lions' den— and contains visions of the kingdoms of the world and the Son of Man who receives an everlasting kingdom.
5 key verses
- Daniel 2:44But in the days of those kingdoms, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, and his kingdom shall not be delivered up to another people: and it shall break in pieces, and shall consume all these kingdoms: and itself shall stand for ever.
- Daniel 3:17-18For behold our God, whom we worship, is able to save us from the furnace of burning fire, and to deliver us out of thy hands, O king. But if he will not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not worship thy gods, nor adore the golden statue which thou hast set up.
- Daniel 6:22My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut up the mouths of the lions, and they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him justice hath been found in me: yea, and before thee, O king, I have done no offence.
- Daniel 7:13-14I beheld, therefore, in the vision of the night, and lo, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and he came even to the ancient of days: and they presented him before him. And he gave him power, and glory, and a kingdom: and all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve him: his power is an everlasting power that shall not be taken away: and his kingdom that shall not be destroyed.
- Daniel 12:3But they that are learned, shall shine as the brightness of the firmament: and they that instruct many to justice, as stars for all eternity.
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Hosea
Hosea lives out, in his own marriage to an unfaithful wife, the image of God's love for Israel: a love that is betrayed but never stops seeking, forgiving and healing.
5 key verses
- Hosea 2:19And I will espouse thee to me for ever: and I will espouse thee to me in justice, and judgment, and in mercy, and in commiserations.
- Hosea 6:6For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice: and the knowledge of God more than holocausts.
- Hosea 11:1As the morning passeth, so hath the king of Israel passed away. Because Israel was a child, and I loved him: and I called my son out of Egypt.
- Hosea 11:4I will draw them with the cords of Adam, with the bands of love: and I will be to them as one that taketh off the yoke on their jaws: and I put his meat to him that he might eat.
- Hosea 14:5I will heal their breaches, I will love them freely: for my wrath is turned away from them.
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Joel
Faced with a plague of locusts, Joel calls the people to turn back with all their heart through fasting and prayer, and announces that God will pour out his Spirit on all flesh, a prophecy fulfilled at Pentecost.
5 key verses
- Joel 2:12Now, therefore, saith the Lord. Be converted to me with all your heart, in fasting, and in weeping, and mourning.
- Joel 2:13And rend your hearts, and not your garments and turn to the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, patient and rich in mercy, and ready to repent of the evil.
- Joel 2:25And I will restore to you the years which the locust, and the bruchus, and the mildew, and the palmerworm hath eaten; my great host which I sent upon you.
- Joel 2:28And it shall come to pass after this, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy: your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.
- Joel 2:32And it shall come to pass, that every one that shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved: for in Mount Sion, and in Jerusalem shall be salvation, as the Lord hath said, and in the residue whom the Lord shall call.
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Amos
Amos, a shepherd from Tekoa, forcefully denounces social injustice, the oppression of the poor and empty worship. He asks that justice roll down like water.
5 key verses
- Amos 3:3Shall two walk together except they be agreed?
- Amos 5:14Seek ye good, and not evil, that you may live: and the Lord the God of hosts will be with you, as you have said.
- Amos 5:24But judgment shall be revealed as water, and justice as a mighty torrent.
- Amos 8:11Behold the days come, saith the Lord, and I will send forth a famine into the land: not a famine of bread, nor a thirst of water, but of hearing the word of the Lord.
- Amos 9:14And I will bring back the captivity of my people Israel: and they shall build the abandoned cities, and inhabit them: and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine of them: and shall make gardens, and eat the fruits of them.
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Obadiah
The shortest book of the Old Testament: a single chapter announcing judgment on Edom for its pride and violence against Judah, and the restoration of God's people.
5 key verses
- Obadiah 1:3The pride of thy heart hath lifted thee up, who dwellest in the clefts of the rocks, and settest up thy throne on high: who sayest in thy heart: Who shall bring me down to the ground?
- Obadiah 1:4Though thou be exalted as an eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars: thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.
- Obadiah 1:15For the day of the Lord is at hand upon all nations: as thou hast done, so shall it be done to thee: he will turn thy reward upon thy own head.
- Obadiah 1:17And in mount Sion shall be salvation, and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall possess those that possessed them.
- Obadiah 1:21And saviours shall come up into mount Sion to judge the mount of Esau: and the kingdom shall be for the Lord.
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Jonah
Jonah runs from the mission God gives him, is swallowed by a great fish and finally preaches in Nineveh, which repents. The book shows that God's mercy reaches all peoples.
5 key verses
- Jonah 1:3And Jonah rose up to flee into Tharsis from the face of the Lord, and he went down to Joppe, and found a ship going to Tharsis: and he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them to Tharsis from the face of the Lord,
- Jonah 2:3And he said: I cried out of my affliction to the Lord, and he heard me: I cried out of the belly of hell, and thou hast heard my voice.
- Jonah 2:10But I with the voice of praise will sacrifice to thee: I will pay whatsoever I have vowed for my salvation to the Lord.
- Jonah 3:10And God saw their works, that they were turned from their evil way: and God had mercy with regard to the evil which he had said that he would do to them, and he did it not.
- Jonah 4:2And he prayed to the Lord, and said: I beseech thee, O Lord, is not this what I said, when I was yet in my own country? therefore I went before to flee into Tharsis: for I know that thou art a gracious and merciful God, patient, and of much compassion, and easy to forgive evil.
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Micah
Micah denounces the corruption of the powerful and announces that from Bethlehem will come the one who is to rule Israel. He sums up what God asks: to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with him.
5 key verses
- Micah 4:3And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off: and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into spades: nation shall not take sword against nation: neither shall they learn war anymore.
- Micah 5:2And thou Bethlehem Ephrata, art a little one among the thousands of Juda, out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be the ruler in Israel: and his going forth is from the beginning, from the days of eternity.
- Micah 6:8I will shew thee, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requireth of thee: Verily to do judgment, and to love mercy, and to walk solicitous with thy God.
- Micah 7:7But I will look towards the Lord, I will wait for God, my saviour: my God will hear me.
- Micah 7:18Who is a God like to thee, who takest away iniquity, and passest by the sin of the remnant of thy inheritance? he will send his fury in no more, because he delighteth in mercy.
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Nahum
A poem announcing the fall of Nineveh, capital of the Assyrian empire that had oppressed many peoples. It proclaims that God is good and a refuge for those who trust in him.
5 key verses
- Nahum 1:2The Lord is a jealous God, and a revenger: the Lord is a revenger, and hath wrath: the Lord taketh vengeance on his adversaries, and he is angry with his enemies.
- Nahum 1:3The Lord is patient, and great in power, and will not cleanse and acquit the guilty. The Lord's ways are in a tempest, and a whirlwind, and clouds are the dust of his feet.
- Nahum 1:7The Lord is good, and giveth strength in the day of trouble: and knoweth them that hope in him.
- Nahum 1:15Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, and that preacheth peace: O Juda, keep thy festivals, and pay thy vows: for Belial shall no more pass through thee again, he is utterly cut off.
- Nahum 2:2For the Lord hath rendered the pride of Jacob, as the pride of Israel: because the spoilers have laid them waste, and have marred their vine branches.
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Habakkuk
Habakkuk asks God why he allows injustice, and receives the answer that the righteous will live by faithfulness. It ends with a song of trust even in the midst of scarcity.
5 key verses
- Habakkuk 1:2How long, O Lord, shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear? shall I cry out to thee suffering violence, and thou wilt not save?
- Habakkuk 2:3For as yet the vision is far off, and it shall appear at the end, and shall not lie: if it make any delay, wait for it: for it shall surely come, and it shall not be slack.
- Habakkuk 2:4Behold, he that is unbelieving, his soul shall not be right in himself: but the just shall live in his faith.
- Habakkuk 3:18But I will rejoice in the Lord: and I will joy in God my Jesus.
- Habakkuk 3:19The Lord God is my strength: and he will make my feet like the feet of harts: and he the conqueror will lead me upon my high places singing psalms.
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Zephaniah
Zephaniah announces the day of the Lord as judgment on idolatry and pride, and promises a humble and lowly remnant. It ends by inviting Jerusalem to rejoice because God is in her midst.
5 key verses
- Zephaniah 1:14The great day of the Lord is near, it is near and exceeding swift: the voice of the day of the Lord is bitter, the mighty man shall there meet with tribulation.
- Zephaniah 2:3Seek the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, you that have wrought his judgment: seek the just, seek the meek: if by any means you may be hid in the day of the Lord's indignation.
- Zephaniah 3:12And I will leave in the midst of thee a poor and needy people: and they shall hope in the name of the Lord.
- Zephaniah 3:14Give praise, O daughter of Sion: shout, O Israel: be glad, and rejoice with all thy heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
- Zephaniah 3:17The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty, he will save: he will rejoice over thee with gladness, he will be silent in his love, he will be joyful over thee in praise.
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Haggai
After the return from exile, Haggai urges the people to stop caring only for their own houses and rebuild the Temple, promising that its glory will be greater than the first.
5 key verses
- Haggai 1:5And now thus saith the Lord of hosts: Set your hearts to consider your ways.
- Haggai 1:8Go up to the mountain, bring timber, and build the house: and it shall be acceptable to me, and I shall be glorified, saith the Lord.
- Haggai 2:5Yet now take courage, O Zorobabel, saith the Lord, and take courage, Jesus the son of Josedec the high priest, and take courage, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord of hosts: and perform (for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts)
- Haggai 2:6The word that I covenanted with you when you came out of the land of Egypt: and my spirit shall be in the midst of you: fear not.
- Haggai 2:10Great shall be the glory of this last house more than of the first, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place I will give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.
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Zechariah
Zechariah encourages the rebuilding of the Temple through visions and announces the humble king entering Jerusalem riding on a donkey, a prophecy fulfilled in Jesus' entry on Palm Sunday.
5 key verses
- Zechariah 2:10Sing praise, and rejoice, O daughter of Sion: for behold I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee: saith the Lord.
- Zechariah 4:6And he answered, and spoke to me, saying: This is the word of the Lord to Zorobabel, saying: Not with an army, nor by might, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
- Zechariah 8:16These then are the things, which you shall do: Speak ye truth every one to his neighbour; judge ye truth and judgment of peace in your gates.
- Zechariah 9:9Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion, shout for joy, O daughter of Jerusalem: BEHOLD THY KING will come to thee, the just and saviour: he is poor, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass.
- Zechariah 12:10And I will pour out upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace, and of prayers: and they shall look upon me, whom they have pierced: and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for an only son, and they shall grieve over him, as the manner is to grieve for the death of the firstborn.
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Malachi
The last of the Old Testament prophets. He rebukes careless worship and unfaithfulness in marriage, and announces the messenger who will prepare the way of the Lord, fulfilled in John the Baptist.
5 key verses
- Malachi 1:11For from the rising of the sun even to the going down, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation: for my name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts.
- Malachi 2:10Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why then doth every one of us despise his brother, violating the covenant of our fathers?
- Malachi 3:1Behold I send my angel, and he shall prepare the way before my face. And presently the Lord, whom you seek, and the angel of the testament, whom you desire, shall come to his temple. Behold, he cometh, saith the Lord of hosts.
- Malachi 3:6For I am the Lord, and I change not: and you the sons of Jacob are not consumed.
- Malachi 4:2But unto you that fear my name, the Sun of justice shall arise, and health in his wings: and you shall go forth, and shall leap like calves of the herd.
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