and said to them, "We wish that the LORD had killed us in Egypt. There we could at least sit down and eat meat and as much other food as we wanted. But you have brought us out into this desert to starve us all to death."

Moses answered, "Are you concerned about my interests? I wish that the LORD would give his spirit to all his people and make all of them shout like prophets!"

The king was overcome with grief. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he cried, "O my son! My son Absalom! Absalom, my son! If only I had died in your place, my son! Absalom, my son!"

One day she said to her mistress, "I wish that my master could go to the prophet who lives in Samaria! He would cure him of his disease."

Do you already have everything you need? Are you already rich? Have you become kings, even though we are not? Well, I wish you really were kings, so that we could be kings together with you.

Actually I would prefer that all of you were as I am; but each one has a special gift from God, one person this gift, another one that gift.

I wish you would tolerate me, even when I am a bit foolish. Please do!

If you will not listen, I will cry in secret because of your pride; I will cry bitterly, and my tears will flow because the LORD's people have been taken away as captives.

He came closer to the city, and when he saw it, he wept over it,

saying, "If you only knew today what is needed for peace! But now you cannot see it!

It is not that I must have a human witness; I say this only in order that you may be saved.

I am speaking the truth; I belong to Christ and I do not lie. My conscience, ruled by the Holy Spirit, also assures me that I am not lying

for my people, my own flesh and blood! For their sake I could wish that I myself were under God's curse and separated from Christ.

My friends, how I wish with all my heart that my own people might be saved! How I pray to God for them!

So we preach Christ to everyone. With all possible wisdom we warn and teach them in order to bring each one into God's presence as a mature individual in union with Christ.

The night before Herod was going to bring him out to the people, Peter was sleeping between two guards. He was tied with two chains, and there were guards on duty at the prison gate.

After they had been there several days, Festus explained Paul's situation to the king: "There is a man here who was left a prisoner by Felix;

For the sake of this gospel I am an ambassador, though now I am in prison. Pray that I may be bold in speaking about the gospel as I should.