Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore!

Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.

Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the LORD your God, And have scattered your charms To alien deities under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,' says the LORD.

"Return, O backsliding children," says the LORD; "for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.

"If you will return, O Israel," says the LORD, "Return to Me; And if you will put away your abominations out of My sight, Then you shall not be moved.

And you shall swear, 'The LORD lives,' In truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; The nations shall bless themselves in Him, And in Him they shall glory."

Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

And you will seek Me and find [Me,] when you search for Me with all your heart.

And the pride of Israel testifies to his face, But they do not return to the LORD their God, Nor seek Him for all this.

Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For [it is] time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.

For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: "Seek Me and live;

Seek the LORD and live, Lest He break out like fire [in] the house of Joseph, And devour [it,] With no one to quench [it] in Bethel --

" Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

"For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

"because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard [you,"] says the LORD.

"Surely I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place and its inhabitants." ' " So they brought back word to the king.

The poor shall eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the LORD. Let your heart live forever!

Good and upright [is] the LORD; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.

The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way.

When God arose to judgment, To deliver all the oppressed of the earth. Selah

For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD [is] upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to [those who are] bound;

"Shall you reign because you enclose [yourself] in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink, And do justice and righteousness? Then [it was] well with him.

He judged the cause of the poor and needy; Then [it was] well. [Was] not this knowing Me?" says the LORD.

"Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'The fast of the fourth [month,] The fast of the fifth, The fast of the seventh, And the fast of the tenth, Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts For the house of Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.'

Blessed [are] the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.

Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

rather [let it be] the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible [beauty] of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing [I do,] forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God;

and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more;

Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,

but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him [be] the glory both now and forever. Amen.

And he said, "While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who can tell [whether] the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?'

So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He [is] gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.

Who knows [if] He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him -- A grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD your God?

Hate evil, love good; Establish justice in the gate. It may be that the LORD God of hosts Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

Who can tell [if] God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?

And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which [is] the breath of life.

So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in.

"that you shall say, 'It [is] the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.' " So the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence From the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion From the strife of tongues.

For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters They shall not come near him.

You [are] my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

To the Chief Musician. Set to "Do Not Destroy." A Michtam of David when he fled from Saul into the cave. Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until [these] calamities have passed by.

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

The name of the LORD [is] a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.

Come, my people, enter your chambers, And shut your doors behind you; Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, Until the indignation is past.

For behold, the LORD comes out of His place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; The earth will also disclose her blood, And will no more cover her slain.

"For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in Me," says the LORD.' "

"And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek [them;] for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh," says the LORD. "But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go." ' "

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

When Christ [who is] our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.