some of the heavenly beings saw that these young women were beautiful, so they took the ones they liked.

In those days, and even later, there were giants on the earth who were descendants of human women and the heavenly beings. They were the great heroes and famous men of long ago.

Then you must tell him that I, the LORD, say, 'Israel is my first-born son.

I told you to let my son go, so that he might worship me, but you refused. Now I am going to kill your first-born son.' "

'You are gods,' I said; 'all of you are children of the Most High.'

But you will die like mortals; your life will end like that of any prince."

The LORD says, "Israel, I wanted to accept you as my child and give you a delightful land, the most beautiful land in all the world. I wanted you to call me father and never again turn away from me.

The people of Israel will become like the sand of the sea, more than can be counted or measured. Now God says to them, "You are not my people," but the day is coming when he will say to them, "You are the children of the living God!"

Some, however, did receive him and believed in him; so he gave them the right to become God's children.

and not only for them, but also to bring together into one body all the scattered people of God.

God's Spirit joins himself to our spirits to declare that we are God's children.

This means that the children born in the usual way are not the children of God; instead, the children born as a result of God's promise are regarded as the true descendants.

And in the very place where they were told, 'You are not my people,' there they will be called the children of the living God."

I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

It is through faith that all of you are God's children in union with Christ Jesus.

It was only right that God, who creates and preserves all things, should make Jesus perfect through suffering, in order to bring many children to share his glory. For Jesus is the one who leads them to salvation.

See how much the Father has loved us! His love is so great that we are called God's children---and so, in fact, we are. This is why the world does not know us: it has not known God.

My dear friends, we are now God's children, but it is not yet clear what we shall become. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he really is.

Here is the clear difference between God's children and the Devil's children: those who do not do what is right or do not love others are not God's children.

This is how we know that we love God's children: it is by loving God and obeying his commands.

Do not cut the hair on the sides of your head or trim your beard

or tattoo yourselves or cut gashes in your body to mourn for the dead. I am the LORD.

"No priest shall shave any part of his head or trim his beard or cut gashes on his body to show that he is in mourning.

The rich and the poor will die in this land, but no one will bury them or mourn for them. Not one of you will gash yourself or shave your head to show your grief.

eighty men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria. They had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes, and gashed themselves. They were taking grain and incense to offer in the Temple.

Great sorrow has come to the people of Gaza, and Ashkelon's people are silent. How long will the rest of Philistia mourn?

Our friends, we want you to know the truth about those who have died, so that you will not be sad, as are those who have no hope.