The Skeptics Annotated Bible (589 page)

5 And
I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.

(21.5)
“I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.”
317 Does God ever get furious?

6 And
I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence.

(21.6)
“I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence.”

7 And afterward, saith the LORD,
I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.

(21.7)
“I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.”

8 And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.

(21.9-14) God tells the Judeans to either surrender to the Babylonians and become their slaves or die. “Behold, I am against thee.” No kidding.

9
He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.

(21.9)
“He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.”

10
For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.

(21.10)
“For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.”

11 And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the LORD;

12 O house of David, thus saith the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

13
Behold, I am against thee
, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the LORD; which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations?

(21.13)
“Behold, I am against thee.”

14 But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and
I will kindle a fire
in the forest thereof
, and it shall devour all things round about it.

(21.14)
“I will kindle a fire … and it shall devour all things round about it.”

22
Thus saith the LORD; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,

2 And say, Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates:

3 Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and
deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.

(22.3)
“Deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.”
Defend the helpless and oppressed; don’t harm strangers, widows, orphans or other innocent people.
112 How should strangers be treated?

4 For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people.

5 But if ye will not hear these words
, I swear by myself, saith the LORD
, that this house shall become a desolation.

(22.5)
“I swear by myself, saith the LORD.”

6 For thus saith the LORD unto the king’s house of Judah; Thou art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon: yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited.

7 And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons: and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire.

8 And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this great city?

9 Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them.

10 Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him: but weep sore for him that goeth away: for he shall return no more, nor see his native country.

11 For thus saith the LORD touching Shallum the son of Josiah king of Judah, which reigned instead of Josiah his father, which went forth out of this place; He shall not return thither any more:

12 But he shall die in the place whither they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more.

13
Woe unto him
that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong
; that useth his neighbour’s service without wages, and giveth him not for his work;

(22.13)
“Woe to him … that useth his neighbour’s service without wages, and giveth him not for his work.”
Pay a fair wage to your employees. Does this mean we can’t own slaves?
42 Is slavery OK?

14 That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion.