'God' in the Bible

“You will have plenty to eat and be satisfiedAnd praise the name of the Lord your GodWho has dealt wondrously with you;And My people shall never be put to shame.

“And you shall know [without any doubt] that I am in the midst of Israel [to protect and bless you],And that I am the Lord your God,And there is no other;My people will never be put to shame.

Then you will know and understand fully that I am the Lord your God,Dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain.Then Jerusalem will be holy,And strangers [who do not belong] will no longer pass through it.

“And I will cut off and destroy the inhabitants from Ashdod,And the ruler who holds the scepter, from Ashkelon;And I will unleash My power and turn My hand [in judgment] against Ekron,And the rest of the Philistines [in Gath and the towns dependent on these four Philistine cities] shall die,”Says the Lord God.

“They stretch out beside every [pagan] altar on clothes taken in pledge [to secure a loan, disregarding God’s command],And in the house of their God [in contempt of Him] they frivolously drink the wine [which has been] taken from those who have been fined.

Surely the Lord God does nothingWithout revealing His secret plan [of the judgment to come]To His servants the prophets.

The lion has roared! Who will not fear?The Lord God has spoken [to the prophets]! Who can but prophesy?

Therefore, thus says the Lord God,“An adversary (Assyria), even one surrounding the land,Shall pull down your strength from youAnd your fortresses will be looted.”

“Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,”Says the Lord God, the God of hosts,

The Lord God has sworn [an oath] by His holinessThat, “Behold, the days are coming upon youWhen they shall take you away with meat hooks,And the last of you with fish hooks.

“Offer [by burning] a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened,And [boastfully] proclaim freewill offerings, announce them.For this you so love to do, O children of Israel!”Says the Lord God.

“I overthrew and destroyed [some among] you, as [I, your] God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,And you were [rescued] like a log pulled out of the flame;Yet you have not returned to Me [in repentance],” says the Lord.

“Therefore this is what I shall do to you, O Israel;Because I will do this to you,Prepare to meet your God [in judgment], O Israel!”

For behold, He who forms the mountains and creates the windAnd declares to man what are His thoughts,He who makes the dawn into darknessAnd treads on the heights of the earth—The Lord God of hosts is His name.

For thus says the Lord God,“The city which goes forth a thousand strongWill have a hundred left,And the one which goes forth a hundred strongWill have ten left to the house of Israel.”

“But do not resort to Bethel [to worship the golden calf]Nor enter [idolatrous] Gilgal,Nor cross over to Beersheba [and its idols];For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity and exile,And Bethel will come to nothing.

“For those [shall be consumed] who turn justice into wormwood (bitterness)And cast righteousness down to the earth.”

Seek (long for, require) good and not evil, that you may live;And so may the Lord God of hosts be with you,Just as you have said!

Hate evil and love good,And establish justice in the [court of the city] gate.Perhaps the Lord God of hostsWill be gracious to the remnant of Joseph [that is, those who remain after God’s judgment].

Therefore, thus says the Lord God of hosts, the Lord,“There is wailing in all the public plazas,And in all the streets they say, ‘Alas! Alas!’And they call the farmers to mourning [for those who have died]And professional mourners to wailing.

Therefore, I will send you to go into exile far beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.

Woe (judgment is coming) to those who are at ease and carefree in Zion (Judah)And to those on the mountain of Samaria who feel secure,The distinguished men of the foremost of nations,To whom the house of Israel comes.

The Lord God has sworn [an oath] by Himself—the Lord God of hosts, says:“I loathe and reject the [self-centered] arrogance of Jacob (Israel),And I hate his palaces and citadels;Therefore, I shall hand over the [idolatrous] city [of Samaria] with all that it contains [to the Assyrian invaders].”

“For behold, I am going to stir up a nation against you,O house of Israel,” says the Lord, the God of hosts,“And they will afflict and torment you [to the entire limits of Israel] from the entrance of Hamath [in the north]To the brook of the Arabah [in the south].”

Thus the Lord God showed me [a vision], and behold, He was forming a swarm of locusts when the spring crop began to sprout. And behold, the spring crop was after the king’s mowing.

And when the locusts had finished eating the plants of the land, then I said,“O Lord God, please forgive!How can Jacob stand,For he is so small [that he cannot endure this]?”

Thus the Lord God showed me, and behold, the Lord God called for punishment with fire, and it devoured the great deep [underground sources of water] and began to consume the land.

Then I said,“O Lord God, please stop!How can Jacob stand,For he is so small [that he cannot endure this]?”

Thus the Lord God showed me [a vision], and behold, there was a basket of [overripe] summer fruit.

In that day, the songs of the palace shall turn to wailing,” says the Lord God. “There will be many dead bodies; in [sacred] silence they will throw them everywhere.”

“It shall come about in that day,” says the Lord God,“That I shall cause the sun to go down at noon,And I shall darken the earth in broad daylight.

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God,“When I will send hunger over the land,Not hunger for bread or a thirst for water,But rather [a hunger] for hearing the words of the Lord.

“Those who swear [their oaths] by the sin (guilt) of Samaria or Ashimah (a pagan goddess),Who say, ‘By the life of your god [the golden calf], O Dan!’And [swear], ‘By the life of the way of [idolatrous] Beersheba,’They shall fall and not rise again.”

The Lord God of hosts [the Omnipotent Ruler],It is He who touches the earth [in judgment] and it melts,And all who dwell on it mourn [in despair and fear],And all of it rises up like the NileAnd subsides like the Nile of Egypt;

“Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful [northern] kingdom [of Israel’s ten tribes]And I shall destroy it from the face of the earth;But I shall not totally destroy the house of Jacob [that is, the entire nation of Israel],”Says the Lord.

“I will also plant them on their land,And they shall never again be uprooted from their landWhich I have given them,”Says the Lord your God.

The vision of Obadiah.Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom—We have heard a report from the Lord,And an ambassador has been sent among the nations, saying,“Arise, and let us rise up against Edom for battle [with the Lord as commander]!”

“If thieves came to you,If robbers by night—How you will be ruined!—Would they not steal only until they had enough?If grape gatherers came to you,Would they not leave some grapes for gleaning?

Then the sailors were afraid, and each man cried out to his god; and to lighten the ship [and diminish the danger] they threw the ship’s cargo into the sea. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship and had lain down and was sound asleep.

So the captain came up to him and said, “How can you stay asleep? Get up! Call on your god! Perhaps your god will give a thought to us so that we will not perish.”

So he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I [reverently] fear and worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish,

“I descended to the [very] roots of the mountains.The earth with its bars closed behind me [bolting me in] forever,Yet You have brought up my life from the pit (death), O Lord my God.

The people of Nineveh believed and trusted in God; and they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth [in penitent mourning], from the greatest even to the least of them.

When word reached the king of Nineveh [of Jonah’s message from God], he rose from his throne, took off his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in the dust [in repentance].

But both man and animal must be covered with sackcloth; and every one is to call on God earnestly and forcefully that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence that is in his hands.

Who knows, God may turn [in compassion] and relent and withdraw His burning anger (judgment) so that we will not perish.”

When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God [had compassion and] relented concerning the disaster which He had declared that He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.

He prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still in my country? That is why I ran to Tarshish, because I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and great in lovingkindness, and [when sinners turn to You] You revoke the [sentence of] disaster [against them].

So the Lord God prepared a plant and it grew up over Jonah, to be a shade over his head to spare him from discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about [the protection of] the plant.

But God prepared a worm when morning dawned the next day, and it attacked the plant and it withered.

When the sun came up God prepared a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he fainted and he wished to die, and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

Then God said to Jonah, “Do you have a good reason to be angry about [the loss of] the plant?” And he said, “I have a [very] good reason to be angry, angry enough to die!”

Hear, O peoples, all of you;Listen closely, O earth and all that is in it,And let the Lord God be witness [giving a testimony of the judgment] against you,The Lord from His holy temple [in the heavens].

All her idols shall be broken in pieces,All her earnings [from her idolatry] shall be burned with fire,And all her images I shall make desolate;For from the earnings of a prostitute she collected them,And to the earnings of a prostitute they shall return.

“On that day they shall take up a [taunting, deriding] parable against youAnd wail with a doleful and bitter song of mourning and say,‘We are completely destroyed!God exchanges the inheritance of my people;How He removes it from me!He divides our fields to the rebellious [our captors].’

The seers shall be ashamedAnd the diviners discredited and embarrassed;Indeed, they shall all cover their mouths [in shame]Because there is no answer from God.

And many nations shall come and say,“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,To the house of the God of Jacob,That He may teach us about His waysAnd that we may walk in His paths.”For the law shall go forward from Zion,And the word of the Lord [the revelation about Him and His truth] from Jerusalem.

For all the peoples [now] walkEach in the name of his god [in a transient relationship],As for us, we shall walk [securely]In the name of the Lord our [true] God forever and ever.

And He shall stand and shepherd and guide His flockIn the strength of the Lord,In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God;And they shall dwell [secure in undisturbed peace],Because at that time He shall be great [extending His authority][Even] to the ends of the earth.

With what shall I come before the Lord [to honor Him]And bow myself before God on high?Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,With yearling calves?

He has told you, O man, what is good;And what does the Lord require of youExcept to be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion),And to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]?

But as for me, I will look expectantly for the Lord and with confidence in Him I will keep watch;I will wait [with confident expectation] for the God of my salvation.My God will hear me.

Then my enemy [all the pagan nations] shall see it,And shame [for despising the Lord] will cover her who said to me,“Where is the Lord your God?”My eyes will look on her [with satisfaction at her judgment];Now she (unbelievers) will be trampled downLike mud of the streets.

They shall lick the dust like a serpent;Like crawling things of the earthThey shall come trembling out of their fortresses and hiding places.They shall turn and come with fear and dread to the Lord our GodAnd they shall be afraid and stand in awe before You [O Lord].

The Lord is a jealous and avenging God [protecting and demanding what is rightfully and uniquely His];The Lord avenges and He is full of wrath.The Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries,And He reserves wrath for His enemies.

“Then they will sweep by like the wind and pass on.But they will be held guilty,They [and all men] whose own power and strength is their god.”

Are You not from everlasting,O Lord, my God, My Holy One?We will not die.O Lord, You have appointed the Chaldeans [who rule in Babylon] to execute [Your] judgment,And You, O Rock, have established them to correct and chastise.

I will stand at my guard postAnd station myself on the tower;And I will keep watch to see what He will say to me,And what answer I will give [as His spokesman] when I am reproved.

God [approaching from Sinai] comes from Teman (Edom),And the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah (pause, and calmly think of that).His splendor and majesty covers the heavensAnd the earth is full of His praise.

Yet I will [choose to] rejoice in the Lord;I will [choose to] shout in exultation in the [victorious] God of my salvation!

The Lord God is my strength [my source of courage, my invincible army];He has made my feet [steady and sure] like hinds’ feetAnd makes me walk [forward with spiritual confidence] on my high places [of challenge and responsibility].For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.

And those who bow down and worship the host of heaven [the sun, the moon, and the stars] on their housetopsAnd those who bow down and swear [oaths] to [and pretend to worship] the Lord and [yet also] swear by [the pagan god called] Milcom [god of the Ammonites],

[Hush!] Be silent before the Lord God [there is no acceptable excuse to offer]!For the day [of the vengeance] of the Lord is near,For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice (Judah),He has set apart [for His use] those who have accepted His invitation [the Chaldeans who rule Babylon].

The seacoast will belongTo the remnant of the house of Judah;They will pasture [their flocks] on it.In the [deserted] houses of Ashkelon [in Philistia] they [of Judah] will lie down and rest in the evening,For the Lord their God will care for them;And restore their fortune [permitting them to occupy the land].

“Therefore, as I live,” declares the Lord of hosts,The God of Israel,“Moab will in fact become like SodomAnd the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah,A land possessed by nettles and salt pits,And a perpetual desolation.The remnant of My people will plunder themAnd what is left of My nation will inherit them [as their own].”

She did not listen and heed the voice [of God];She accepted no correction.She did not trust in the Lord [but trusted her own power];She did not draw near to her God [but to the pagan gods of Baal or Molech].

Her prophets are reckless and treacherous men;Her priests have profaned the sanctuary;They have done violence to the law [by pretending their word is God’s word].

“The Lord your God is in your midst,A Warrior who saves.He will rejoice over you with joy;He will be quiet in His love [making no mention of your past sins],He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people [who had returned from exile], listened carefully and obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, since the Lord their God had sent him. And the people [reverently] feared the Lord.

So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God,

If a man carries meat that is holy [because it has been offered in sacrifice to God] in the fold of his garment, and he touches bread, or cooked food, or wine, or oil, or any [kind of] food with this fold, does what he touches become holy [dedicated exclusively to God’s service]?’” And the priests answered, “No!” [Holiness is not transferrable.]

For behold, the stone which I have set before Joshua; on that one stone are seven eyes (symbolizing infinite intelligence, omniscience). Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘and I will remove the wickedness and guilt of this land in a single day.

And those who are far away will come and [help] build the temple of the Lord.” Then you shall know [without any doubt] that the Lord of hosts sent me (Zechariah) to you. And it will come about if you will diligently obey the [voice of the] Lord your God.

and I will bring them home and they will live in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God in truth (faithfulness) and in righteousness.’

Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘In those days ten men [as representatives] from all the nations will grasp the robe of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’”

I will take the blood from their mouthsAnd their detestable things from between their teeth [those repulsive, idolatrous sacrifices eaten with the blood].Then they too will be a remnant for our God,And be like a clan in Judah,And Ekron will be like one of the Jebusites.

Then the Lord will be seen [hovering] over them [protecting His people],And His arrow will go forth like lightning;And the Lord God will blow the trumpetAnd will march in the windstorms of the south.

And the Lord their God shall save them on that dayAs the flock of His people;For they are like the [precious] jewels of a crown,Displayed and glittering in His land.

“I will strengthen the house of Judah [making it superior],And I will save the house of Joseph.I will bring them back [and allow them to live securely],Because I have had compassion on them.They will be as though I had not rejected them,For I am the Lord their God, and I will listen and answer them.

“When I scatter them among the nations,They will remember Me in far countries,And with their children they will live and come back [to Me and the land I gave them].

Thus says the Lord my God, “Pasture the flock doomed for slaughter,

Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are our strength in the Lord of hosts, their God.’

In that day the Lord will defend the people of Jerusalem, and the one who is impaired among them in that day [of persecution] will become [strong and noble] like David; and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the Lord [who is] before them.

“And I will bring the third part through the fire,Refine them as silver is refined,And test them as gold is tested.They will call on My name,And I will listen and answer them;I will say, ‘They are My people,’And they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”

You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; and you will flee just as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones (believers, angels) with Him.

“But now will you not entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us? With such an offering from your hand [as an imperfect animal for sacrifice], will He show favor to any of you?” says the Lord of hosts.

“So I have also made you despised and abased before all the people, just as you are not keeping My ways but are showing partiality [to people] in [your administration of] the law.”

Do we not all have one Father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously with one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers [with God]?

Judah has been treacherous (disloyal), and an repulsive act has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord which He loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.