I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.

He led you through the great and terrible wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, a thirsty land where there was no water. He brought water out of the flintlike rock for you.

He fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers had not known, in order to humble and test you, so that in the end He might cause you to prosper.

The ravens kept bringing him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening, and he drank from the wadi.

People came and told Jehoshaphat, "A vast multitude from beyond the Dead Sea and from Edom has come [to fight] against you; they are already in Hazazon-tamar" (that is, En-gedi).

Then Jehoshaphat and his people went to gather the plunder. They found among them an abundance of goods on the bodies and valuable items. So they stripped them until nobody could carry any more. They were gathering the plunder for three days because there was so much.

Yet the LORD was pleased to crush Him, and He made Him sick. When You make Him a restitution offering, He will see [His] seed, He will prolong His days, and the will of the LORD will succeed by His hand.

Therefore I will give Him the many as a portion, and He will receive the mighty as spoil, because He submitted Himself to death, and was counted among the rebels; yet He bore the sin of many and interceded for the rebels.

And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance,

This hope does not disappoint, because God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us.

For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.

But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may reside in me.

So because of Christ, I am pleased in weaknesses, in insults, in catastrophes, in persecutions, and in pressures. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has actually resulted in the advancement of the gospel,

Most of the brothers in the Lord have gained confidence from my imprisonment and dare even more to speak the message fearlessly.

These do so out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel;

What does it matter? Just that in every way, whether out of false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed. And in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice

My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all boldness, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, He also shared in these, so that through His death He might destroy the one holding the power of death-- that is, the Devil--

and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death.

For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but He does it for our benefit, so that we can share His holiness.

No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials,

But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; by His wounding you have been healed.

Wisdom is inaccessible to a fool; he does not open his mouth at the gate.

He answered them, "Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know, but it has not been given to them.

"How can I," he said, "unless someone guides me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.