Covenant in the Bible

All Israel anoints David king at Hebron. He captures Jerusalem and makes it his capital. His mighty warriors are listed, including Jashobeam who killed 300 with his spear and the three who broke through Philistine lines for Bethlehem water.

The Ark is placed in the tent David prepared. David appoints Levites to minister before the Ark and delivers a psalm of thanksgiving combining elements of Psalms 105, 96, and 106. Regular worship is established before the Ark.

David wants to build God a temple, but God tells Nathan to relay the Davidic covenant: God will build David a house — an eternal dynasty. David responds with a humble prayer of amazement and gratitude.

Paul discusses head coverings in worship and corrects abuses of the Lord's Supper. He recounts Jesus' institution of communion—this is my body, this is the new covenant in my blood—and warns against partaking in an unworthy manner.

The aging King David's son Adonijah attempts to seize the throne. Bathsheba and the prophet Nathan intervene, and David confirms Solomon as his chosen successor. Solomon is anointed king at Gihon, and Adonijah's supporters scatter.

David gives Solomon final instructions and dies after 40 years as king. Solomon consolidates power by dealing with Adonijah, Joab, and Shimei, establishing his kingdom firmly in accordance with David's counsel.

Solomon makes an alliance with King Hiram of Tyre to obtain cedar and cypress timber for the temple. He conscripts laborers and arranges the massive workforce needed for the construction project.

Solomon builds the temple over seven years according to precise specifications. God promises that if Solomon walks in His statutes, He will dwell among Israel and never forsake them. The inner sanctuary is overlaid with pure gold.

Solomon dedicates the temple with a magnificent prayer. The glory of the Lord fills the temple as a cloud. Solomon prays for God to hear prayers directed toward this house — from foreigners, in battle, during famine, and in exile.

God appears to Solomon a second time, promising blessing for obedience and warning of judgment for apostasy. Solomon's building projects, trade activities, and the cities he builds are described.

Solomon's many foreign wives turn his heart to other gods in his old age. God raises adversaries against him and tells Solomon the kingdom will be torn from his son, leaving only one tribe for David's sake. Solomon dies after 40 years.

Abijam and Asa reign in Judah. Asa does what is right, removing idols and deposing his grandmother for her idol. In Israel, Nadab and Baasha reign, with Baasha destroying Jeroboam's entire family as prophesied.

Israel is defeated by the Philistines and foolishly brings the Ark of the Covenant into battle as a talisman. The Ark is captured, Hophni and Phinehas are killed, and Eli dies upon hearing the news. Phinehas's wife names her son Ichabod — the glory has departed.

Jonathan and David form a deep friendship covenant. David's military success makes him wildly popular, provoking Saul's jealousy. Saul attempts to kill David with a spear and schemes to have him killed by the Philistines through a dangerous bride-price.

Jonathan confirms Saul's intent to kill David through a secret arrow signal. The friends weep together and renew their covenant. Jonathan sends David away in peace, both knowing their separation may be permanent.

The Ark of the Covenant is brought into the completed temple by the priests and Levites. As the musicians and singers praise God in unison, the glory of the Lord fills the temple as a cloud so thick that the priests cannot continue ministering.

Solomon kneels before the entire assembly and prays an extensive dedication prayer. He asks God to hear prayers directed toward the temple — in times of sin, drought, famine, plague, war, and exile — and to forgive those who repent.

Fire falls from heaven and consumes the sacrifices, and God's glory fills the temple. God appears to Solomon at night with the famous promise: if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, I will heal their land.

Abijah of Judah confronts Jeroboam of Israel in battle. Standing on Mount Zemaraim, Abijah declares that Judah fights with God because they have kept the true priesthood and worship. God gives Judah a decisive victory over Israel's larger army.

The prophet Azariah encourages Asa: The Lord is with you while you are with Him. Asa removes idols, repairs the altar, and leads a national covenant renewal ceremony. People from the northern tribes join Judah because they see God is with them.

Jehoram kills his brothers and follows the wicked ways of Ahab's family through his wife Athaliah. Elijah sends a letter predicting judgment. Edom and Libnah revolt. Jehoram is struck with an incurable disease and dies unmourned.

After six years, the priest Jehoiada organizes a coup against Athaliah. He crowns the boy Joash king, and Athaliah is executed when she cries treason. Jehoiada establishes a covenant between God, the king, and the people. The temple of Baal is destroyed.

At age 16, Josiah begins seeking God. At 20 he purges idolatry from Judah. During temple repairs, the Book of the Law is found. When it is read to Josiah, he tears his robes and leads the nation in covenant renewal. The prophetess Huldah confirms coming judgment but promises it will not come in Josiah's lifetime.

Paul contrasts the old covenant written on stone with the new covenant written on hearts by the Spirit. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Believers with unveiled faces reflect the Lord's glory, being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory.

Athaliah, Ahab's daughter, seizes Judah's throne and massacres the royal family. But baby Joash is hidden in the temple for six years. The priest Jehoiada organizes a coup, crowns Joash king, and Athaliah is executed. The people destroy the temple of Baal.

The northern kingdom of Israel falls to Assyria in 722 BC. The people are deported and foreigners are settled in their place. The narrator explains this happened because Israel abandoned God's covenant, worshiped idols, and ignored the prophets' warnings.

Josiah leads the most thorough religious reform in Judah's history, destroying idolatrous sites throughout the land and reinstating the Passover. He fulfills the 300-year-old prophecy from 1 Kings 13 by desecrating the altar at Bethel. Despite his faithfulness, Josiah is killed in battle at Megiddo.

All the tribes of Israel anoint David king over a united kingdom at Hebron. He conquers Jerusalem from the Jebusites and makes it his capital, the City of David. David defeats the Philistines twice with God's guidance.

David wants to build God a temple, but God instead promises to build David a house — an eternal dynasty. This Davidic covenant promises that David's throne will be established forever, pointing to the Messiah.

David seeks to show kindness to anyone remaining from Saul's house for Jonathan's sake. He finds Mephibosheth, Jonathan's crippled son, and restores all of Saul's land to him, giving him a permanent place at the king's table.

A three-year famine is traced to Saul's violation of the Gibeonite treaty. David makes restitution, and Rizpah's devotion to her dead sons moves David to properly bury Saul and Jonathan. Various battles with Philistine giants are recorded.

David's last words are recorded as a prophetic oracle about righteous rule. The chapter lists David's mighty warriors and their extraordinary feats, including the three who broke through Philistine lines to get David water from Bethlehem's well.

Stephen delivers a powerful speech recounting Israel's history from Abraham to Solomon, showing the nation's pattern of rejecting God's messengers. He accuses the council of resisting the Holy Spirit. As they stone him, Stephen sees Jesus standing at God's right hand and prays for his killers' forgiveness, becoming the first Christian martyr.

Can two walk together unless they agree? God does nothing without revealing His plan to the prophets. Israel was chosen above all families — but with privilege comes greater accountability. Destruction is coming to the altars of Bethel and the mansions of the wealthy.

Final judgment: no one can escape God — not in Sheol, the sea floor, or Carmel's peak. Yet the book ends with stunning hope: God will raise up David's fallen booth, restore Israel, and they will plant vineyards and gardens, never again to be uprooted. Grace has the last word.

Daniel prays one of Scripture's greatest confessional prayers. Gabriel reveals the prophecy of Seventy Weeks — 490 years until the Anointed One comes and is cut off. This is the most precise messianic timeline in the Bible, pointing directly to Christ's coming.

Moses begins his farewell speeches to Israel on the plains of Moab. He recounts the journey from Sinai to Kadesh Barnea, the appointment of leaders following Jethro's advice, and the disastrous decision to refuse entering Canaan after the spies' report. He reminds the new generation of the consequences of their parents' unbelief.

Moses urges the new generation to obey God's commands without adding to or subtracting from them. He reminds them of the Baal Peor incident and warns against idolatry, since God is a consuming fire and jealous God. He speaks of God's uniqueness — no other nation has a god so near to them — and prophetically warns of future exile and restoration.

Moses restates the Ten Commandments to the new generation, emphasising that the covenant was made not just with their parents but with them who are alive today. He recounts how the people were terrified by God's voice from the fire and asked Moses to be their mediator. God approves their reverent fear.

Moses delivers the Shema — the foundational confession of Israel's faith: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. He commands them to love God with all their heart, soul, and strength, and to teach God's words diligently to their children. He warns that prosperity in the Promised Land must not lead to forgetting God.

God commands Israel to completely destroy the seven Canaanite nations and make no treaties or intermarriages with them. He explains His choice of Israel is not because of their size but because of His love and His oath to the patriarchs. God promises to drive out the nations gradually and bless Israel with health, fertility, and victory.

Moses reminds Israel that God humbled and tested them in the wilderness for forty years to teach them dependence on Him. He taught them that man does not live by bread alone but by every word from God's mouth. Moses warns that when they prosper in the land, they must not forget God or claim their own power made them wealthy.

God gives Moses new stone tablets to replace the broken ones and the ark is made to hold them. Moses recounts the death of Aaron and the setting apart of the Levites. He calls Israel to fear the Lord, walk in His ways, love and serve Him with all their heart. God defends the fatherless and widows and loves the foreigner.

Moses urges Israel to love God and keep His commands, recalling the mighty acts they witnessed — the plagues, the Red Sea crossing, and the swallowing of Dathan and Abiram. He presents the Promised Land as dependent on God's rain rather than irrigation, requiring ongoing trust. He sets before them blessing and curse.

Moses prescribes two ceremonies for the Promised Land: offering firstfruits with a confession recounting God's rescue from Egypt, and presenting the third-year tithe with a declaration of obedience. The chapter concludes with the covenant declaration — God claims Israel as His treasured people and Israel claims Him as their God.

Moses commands Israel to set up large plastered stones inscribed with God's law upon entering the Promised Land. An altar of uncut stones is to be built on Mount Ebal. Six tribes will pronounce blessings from Mount Gerizim and six will pronounce curses from Mount Ebal. Twelve specific curses are declared for secret sins.

Moses presents the fullest statement of covenant blessings and curses. Blessings for obedience include prosperity, military victory, agricultural abundance, and honour among nations. Curses for disobedience are far more extensive — disease, drought, defeat, siege, exile, and scattering among the nations. The chapter prophetically describes events that would unfold centuries later.

Moses renews the covenant with the entire assembly — including future generations — reminding them that despite witnessing God's mighty acts, their hearts have not fully understood. He warns that secret idolatry will bring ruin and that the devastation of the land will be a witness to all nations. The secret things belong to God, but revealed things belong to Israel to obey.

Moses prophesies that after exile and judgment, if Israel returns to God wholeheartedly, He will restore their fortunes, gather them from all nations, and circumcise their hearts to love Him. He sets before them the ultimate choice: life and death, blessing and curse. He pleads with them to choose life by loving and obeying God.

Moses, now 120 years old, tells Israel he can no longer lead them and formally commissions Joshua as his successor. He writes down the law and entrusts it to the Levites to be read publicly every seven years. God warns Moses that Israel will eventually turn away, and commands him to write a song as a witness against them.

Moses ascends Mount Nebo and God shows him the entire Promised Land — from Gilead to Dan, Naphtali, Ephraim, Manasseh, Judah to the western sea, and the Negev. Moses dies at 120 with his eyesight undiminished and his vigour unabated. God buries him in an unknown location. Joshua succeeds him, but the text notes that no prophet like Moses has since arisen in Israel.

God appears to Moses in a burning bush that is not consumed on Mount Horeb. He reveals Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and commissions Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt. When Moses asks God's name, God replies with the famous declaration: I AM WHO I AM.

God reassures Moses by revealing His name Yahweh and reaffirming the covenant promises to Abraham. He pledges to redeem Israel with an outstretched arm and bring them to the Promised Land. The chapter also records the genealogy of Moses and Aaron through the tribe of Levi.

God institutes the Passover: each family must sacrifice a lamb, put its blood on the doorposts, and eat the meal in readiness to depart. At midnight, God strikes down all the firstborn in Egypt, and Pharaoh finally releases Israel. The Israelites leave Egypt after 430 years of sojourning.

God commands the consecration of every firstborn and establishes the Feast of Unleavened Bread as an annual memorial of the exodus. God does not lead Israel by the shorter coastal route to avoid war but guides them through the wilderness. He leads them by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

Israel arrives at Mount Sinai and God proposes a covenant: if they obey, they will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. The people agree. God descends on Sinai in fire, smoke, thunder, and earthquake, warning that no one may touch the mountain. Moses alone is summoned to the top.

God speaks the Ten Commandments directly to the people from Mount Sinai, covering duties toward God (no other gods, no idols, no taking God's name in vain, keep the Sabbath) and toward others (honour parents, no murder, adultery, theft, false witness, or coveting). The people tremble and ask Moses to speak to them instead of God.

God gives Moses detailed laws governing the treatment of servants, including conditions for their release. Laws address personal injury cases including murder, assault, and the principle of proportional justice — an eye for an eye. These civil laws establish justice and protect the vulnerable in Israelite society.

Moses reads the Book of the Covenant to all Israel and they respond saying they will obey everything. He sprinkles blood on the people to ratify the covenant. Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders ascend the mountain and see God, then Moses goes up alone for forty days and nights.

God instructs Moses to collect offerings from the people for building the tabernacle. He gives detailed specifications for the Ark of the Covenant (overlaid with gold, with two cherubim), the table of showbread, and the golden lampstand. Each item is to be made exactly according to the pattern shown on the mountain.

God names Bezalel and Oholiab as Spirit-filled craftsmen to build the tabernacle and all its furnishings. He reaffirms the Sabbath as a perpetual sign of the covenant between Himself and Israel. God finishes speaking to Moses on Sinai and gives him the two stone tablets written by His own finger.

God threatens to withdraw His personal presence from Israel because of their stubbornness. Moses pleads with God and sets up a tent of meeting outside the camp where God speaks with him face to face. Moses asks to see God's glory, and God agrees to let His goodness pass by while shielding Moses in the cleft of a rock.

God tells Moses to cut two new stone tablets and come back up Sinai. God passes before Moses, proclaiming His name: The LORD, compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. God renews the covenant with Israel and gives further laws. When Moses descends, his face shines so brightly he must wear a veil.

Bezalel crafts the Ark of the Covenant overlaid with pure gold, with its mercy seat and two cherubim. He also makes the table of showbread, the golden lampstand with its seven branches, and the altar of incense — all according to God's exact specifications given on the mountain.

Ezekiel sees corrupt leaders in Jerusalem planning evil. God strikes one dead as a sign. The exiles are told they are actually closer to God than those in Jerusalem. God promises a new heart and a new spirit — removing the heart of stone and giving a heart of flesh.

An extended allegory: Jerusalem was an abandoned newborn whom God rescued, raised, and married in lavish splendor. But she used her beauty for prostitution with every passerby — worse than Sodom and Samaria. Yet God will remember His covenant and establish an everlasting one.

Two eagles and a vine: a riddle about international politics. The first eagle (Babylon) planted a seed (Zedekiah), but the vine turned to a second eagle (Egypt). God condemns Zedekiah's broken oath and promises to plant His own cedar sprig on a high mountain — a messianic image.

God condemns the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves instead of the flock. He will rescue His sheep personally and raise up one shepherd — His servant David — to tend them. A covenant of peace and showers of blessing will follow.

God will restore the mountains of Israel — not for their sake but for His holy name. He will sprinkle clean water on them, give them a new heart and new spirit, remove the heart of stone, and put His Spirit within them. One of the most important regeneration passages.

The famous Valley of Dry Bones: God leads Ezekiel through a valley of bones and asks, Can these bones live? Ezekiel prophesies, the bones reassemble, flesh covers them, and breath enters — they live! God promises to reunite Israel and Judah under one king, with His Spirit among them forever.

The land is divided among the twelve tribes in parallel horizontal strips, with the sacred district at the center. The city has twelve gates named for the tribes. The book ends with its most beautiful statement: the name of the city from that time on shall be The Lord Is There — Yahweh Shammah.

The people respond to Ezra's grief with repentance and agree to put away their foreign wives. A process is established to investigate cases over three months. Those who married foreign women are listed, and the marriages are dissolved.

Paul argues passionately that the Galatians received the Spirit by faith, not by observing the law. Abraham was justified by faith, and the law was a guardian until Christ came. In Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female—all are one.

Paul explains that before Christ, we were enslaved under the law like children under guardians. But when the fullness of time came, God sent His Son so we might receive adoption as children. Paul pleads with the Galatians not to return to slavery, using the allegory of Hagar and Sarah.

God blesses Noah and establishes a covenant never to destroy the earth by flood again, setting the rainbow as its sign. God gives new dietary permissions and institutes the principle of capital punishment for murder. Noah plants a vineyard, becomes drunk, and Ham's disrespect leads to prophetic blessings and curses on his sons.

God calls Abram to leave his homeland and go to a land He will show him, promising to make him a great nation and bless all families of the earth through him. Abram obeys and travels to Canaan, then goes to Egypt during a famine where he deceives Pharaoh about Sarai.

Abram and Lot separate due to their growing wealth and the strife between their herdsmen. Lot chooses the well-watered Jordan plain near Sodom, while Abram remains in Canaan. God reaffirms His promise to give Abram all the land he can see and descendants as numerous as dust.

God makes a formal covenant with Abram, promising him descendants as numerous as the stars and the land of Canaan. Abram believes God and it is credited to him as righteousness. God reveals that Abram's descendants will be enslaved for 400 years before returning to the land.

Sarai, unable to conceive, gives her servant Hagar to Abram as a wife. Hagar becomes pregnant and despises Sarai, leading to conflict. Hagar flees but the angel of the Lord finds her and tells her to return, promising her son Ishmael will become a great nation.

God establishes the covenant of circumcision with Abram, renaming him Abraham and Sarai as Sarah. God promises that Sarah will bear a son named Isaac, through whom the covenant will continue. Abraham circumcises all the males of his household as God commanded.

Three visitors appear to Abraham at Mamre and reaffirm that Sarah will have a son within a year. Sarah laughs in disbelief. Abraham then intercedes with God for the city of Sodom, negotiating from fifty righteous people down to ten.

Isaac is born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age, fulfilling God's promise. Sarah insists that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away, and God assures Abraham that Ishmael will also become a nation. Abraham makes a treaty with Abimelech at Beersheba.

God tests Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah. Abraham obeys in faith, binding Isaac on the altar, but the angel of the Lord stops him at the last moment and provides a ram as a substitute. God reaffirms His covenant blessings because of Abraham's obedience.

Sarah dies at age 127 in Hebron. Abraham mourns for her and negotiates with the Hittites to purchase the cave of Machpelah as a burial site. This is the first piece of the Promised Land that Abraham legally owns.

Abraham dies and is buried with Sarah. The chapter lists Ishmael's descendants and records the birth of Esau and Jacob as twins to Isaac and Rebekah. Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew, despising his inheritance.

A famine sends Isaac to Gerar where God reaffirms the Abrahamic covenant with him. Isaac repeats his father's deception by calling Rebekah his sister. Despite opposition, Isaac prospers greatly and makes a peace treaty with Abimelech at Beersheba.

Jacob deceives his blind father Isaac by impersonating Esau to steal the patriarchal blessing. When Esau discovers the deception he weeps bitterly, but Isaac confirms Jacob's blessing cannot be revoked. Esau vows to kill Jacob, so Rebekah sends Jacob away to her brother Laban.

Jacob flees to Haran and on the way has a dream at Bethel of a stairway reaching to heaven with angels ascending and descending. God appears above it and renews the Abrahamic covenant with Jacob. Jacob vows that if God protects him, the Lord will be his God.

God tells Jacob to return to the land of his fathers. Jacob secretly flees from Laban with his family and flocks, and Rachel steals her father's household idols. Laban pursues and confronts Jacob, but God warns Laban in a dream not to harm him, and they make a covenant at Mizpah.

God commands Jacob to return to Bethel and build an altar. Jacob's household puts away their foreign gods, and God reaffirms the name Israel and the covenant promises. Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin near Bethlehem, and Isaac dies at age 180.

Jacob sets out for Egypt with his entire household. God speaks to him at Beersheba in a vision, reassuring him not to fear going to Egypt and promising to make him a great nation there. The chapter lists all seventy members of Jacob's family who enter Egypt, and Joseph joyfully reunites with his father.

Joseph presents his family to Pharaoh, and Jacob blesses Pharaoh. The family settles in Goshen. As the famine worsens, Joseph acquires all the money, livestock, and land of Egypt for Pharaoh in exchange for grain. Jacob makes Joseph swear to bury him in Canaan, not in Egypt.

Jacob falls ill and Joseph brings his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh to be blessed. Jacob adopts them as his own, giving them inheritance among his sons. He deliberately crosses his hands to give the greater blessing to Ephraim the younger over Manasseh the firstborn, continuing the biblical pattern of the younger being chosen.

Jacob gathers his twelve sons and delivers prophetic blessings over each, foretelling the character and destiny of the twelve tribes. Judah receives the sceptre and ruler's staff prophecy pointing to the Messiah. Jacob gives instructions for his burial in the cave of Machpelah and then dies.

Joseph mourns Jacob's death and fulfils his promise to bury him in Canaan with an elaborate funeral procession. His brothers fear Joseph will now take revenge, but Joseph reassures them with one of the Bible's greatest statements of faith: what they meant for evil, God meant for good. Joseph dies at 110 and is embalmed in Egypt.

God encourages the discouraged builders: the glory of this latter house will be greater than the former. God will shake the heavens, earth, sea, and nations, and the desired of all nations will come. He declares Zerubbabel His chosen signet ring — a messianic symbol reversing Jehoiachin's curse.

The author warns about the impossibility of restoring those who fall away after experiencing God's gifts. But he is confident of better things for his readers. God's promise is anchored by His oath—two unchangeable things. This hope is an anchor for the soul, firm and secure, entering behind the curtain where Jesus has gone as a forerunner.

Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High, prefigures Christ's eternal priesthood. Unlike the Levitical priests who die, Jesus lives forever and holds His priesthood permanently. He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.

Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant, established on better promises. The author quotes Jeremiah's prophecy of the new covenant, where God puts His laws in their minds and writes them on their hearts. He will be their God, and they will be His people. The old covenant is obsolete.

The author describes the old tabernacle system with its outer room and Most Holy Place. Christ entered the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not with animal blood but with His own blood, securing eternal redemption. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Christ offered Himself once for all.

The law's repeated sacrifices could never make worshipers perfect. But by one sacrifice, Christ has made perfect forever those being sanctified. Having confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, believers should draw near to God, hold firmly to hope, and spur one another toward love and good deeds. Do not throw away your confidence.

The great faith chapter: now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. The author surveys a hall of heroes—Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Rahab, David—all commended for their faith. They did not receive what was promised but saw it from afar and welcomed it. They were looking for a better country.

God commands Hosea to marry Gomer, a promiscuous woman, as a living parable of God's relationship with unfaithful Israel. Their children receive prophetic names: Jezreel (God scatters), Lo-Ruhamah (no mercy), and Lo-Ammi (not my people).

God as the spurned husband will punish unfaithful Israel but ultimately woo her back. He will allure her into the wilderness, speak tenderly, and restore the relationship. She will call Him my husband instead of my master — a beautiful image of renewed intimacy.

Israel's superficial repentance: Come, let us return to the Lord — but their love is like morning mist that quickly vanishes. God declares: I desire mercy, not sacrifice — a verse Jesus quotes twice. True knowledge of God matters more than religious ritual.

Israel sows the wind and reaps the whirlwind. They set up kings without God's consent, make idols from gold and silver, and their golden calf of Samaria will be destroyed. Israel has forgotten its Maker and built temples to itself.

God recounts Jacob's history — wrestling with the angel, meeting God at Bethel — and challenges Israel to return like their ancestor did. Ephraim's lies and violence are condemned, while the prophet's role in delivering Israel from Egypt is affirmed.

The Isaiah Apocalypse begins. The entire earth faces devastating judgment — the land is laid waste, social order collapses, and even the cosmic powers are shaken. Yet the chapter ends with God reigning gloriously on Mount Zion.

The second Servant Song: the Servant is called from the womb as a light to the nations. Though Israel feels forgotten, God inscribes them on His palms. The Servant's mission expands beyond Israel to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.

God encourages the faithful remnant to look back at Abraham — one man called, yet God made him many. Salvation is eternal, outlasting the heavens. The chapter calls Jerusalem to awake and shake off the dust of captivity.

After the Servant's sacrifice comes restoration: the barren woman sings because her children will be more than the married woman's. God promises unfailing covenant love — His kindness will never depart. No weapon formed against His people will prosper.

A magnificent invitation: Come, everyone who thirsts, to the waters — buy wine and milk without money. Seek the Lord while He may be found. God's thoughts are higher than ours, and His word never returns empty but accomplishes its purpose.

God's salvation extends to foreigners and eunuchs who keep His covenant — no one is excluded. His house will be a house of prayer for all nations. But Israel's watchmen are blind and its shepherds lack understanding.

Israel's sins have separated them from God — His arm is not too short to save, but their iniquities have hidden His face. Sin is vividly described. God Himself puts on righteousness as armor and comes as Redeemer to Zion.

After Joshua's death, Judah leads the conquest of remaining Canaanite territories with mixed success. Several tribes fail to fully drive out the inhabitants, setting the stage for future compromise and idolatry.

The angel of the Lord rebukes Israel for making treaties with Canaanites. After Joshua's generation dies, a new generation abandons God. The cyclical pattern of Judges is introduced: sin, oppression, crying out, and deliverance.

Israel grieves that Benjamin is nearly extinct but has sworn not to give them wives. They find solutions through the destruction of Jabesh-gilead and by allowing Benjamin to take wives from a festival at Shiloh. The book ends noting that in those days there was no king in Israel.

God recalls Israel's early devotion like a bride, then charges them with a double sin: forsaking Him, the fountain of living water, and digging broken cisterns that hold nothing. Israel has exchanged its glory for worthless idols.

God reminds Judah of the covenant they broke — the terms of the Mosaic covenant they swore to keep. A conspiracy against Jeremiah's life is revealed, even from his hometown Anathoth, showing the personal cost of his prophetic ministry.

Woe to false shepherds who scatter God's flock. God promises a righteous Branch from David's line who will reign wisely — the Lord Our Righteousness. The chapter fiercely denounces false prophets who speak visions from their own minds rather than from God.

After the first deportation, God shows Jeremiah two baskets of figs. The good figs represent the exiles in Babylon whom God will restore. The bad figs represent those remaining in Jerusalem and Egypt — they face destruction.

Jeremiah writes to the exiles in Babylon: build houses, plant gardens, seek the welfare of the city, and pray for it. The massive promise: I know the plans I have for you — plans for welfare, not evil, to give you a future and a hope. After seventy years, God will restore them.

The Book of Consolation begins: God will restore Israel and Judah from captivity. Though discipline was necessary, God will heal their wounds. A new David-like leader will arise, and God's fierce anger will not return until He has accomplished His purposes.

The pinnacle of Jeremiah's hope: God declares an everlasting love, promises Rachel's weeping will end, and announces the New Covenant — writing His law on hearts rather than stone tablets. This becomes the theological foundation for the New Testament.

While Jerusalem is under siege and Jeremiah is imprisoned, God tells him to buy a field in Anathoth — an absurd investment in a doomed land. This radical act of faith demonstrates that houses, fields, and vineyards will again be bought in the land.

God tells Jeremiah to call to Him and He will answer, showing great and mighty things. The Branch of righteousness from David is reaffirmed. God's covenant with day and night is compared to His unbreakable covenant with David's line and the Levitical priests.

King Zedekiah briefly freed Hebrew slaves during the siege, then re-enslaved them when pressure eased. God condemns this hypocrisy and covenant-breaking, declaring that those who passed through the cut calf will be given to their enemies.

God commissions Joshua to lead Israel into the Promised Land after Moses' death. He commands Joshua to be strong and courageous, promising His presence. Joshua orders the people to prepare to cross the Jordan.

The Israelites cross the Jordan River on dry ground as the priests carry the Ark of the Covenant into the water. God miraculously stops the river's flow, demonstrating His power to the new generation.

Twelve stones are set up at Gilgal as a memorial of the Jordan crossing. Joshua explains the stones will serve as a testimony to future generations about God's mighty works.

The Israelites are circumcised at Gilgal, observe Passover, and the manna ceases as they eat the produce of Canaan. Joshua encounters the commander of the Lord's army near Jericho.

Israel conquers Ai using an ambush strategy after dealing with Achan's sin. Joshua builds an altar on Mount Ebal and reads the entire Law to the people as Moses had commanded.

The Gibeonites deceive Israel into making a peace treaty by pretending to be from a distant land. Though tricked, Israel honors the oath, and the Gibeonites become servants.

A summary lists all thirty-one kings defeated by Moses east of the Jordan and by Joshua west of the Jordan. This catalog records God's faithfulness in giving Israel the Promised Land.

God tells Joshua that much land remains to be conquered despite his old age. The territories east of the Jordan given to Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh are described in detail.

Caleb, at 85 years old, asks Joshua for the hill country of Hebron that God promised him 45 years earlier. His faith and vigor remain strong, and Joshua grants his request.

The territory allotted to the tribe of Judah is described in detail, including its borders and cities. Caleb conquers Hebron and Debir. Judah cannot drive out the Jebusites from Jerusalem.

The territory of the descendants of Joseph — Ephraim — is described. The Ephraimites fail to drive out the Canaanites from Gezer, who remain as forced laborers among them.

The remaining tribal allotments are given: Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan. Joshua himself receives the city of Timnath-serah in Ephraim as his personal inheritance.

The Levites receive 48 cities with pasturelands distributed throughout the tribal territories as God commanded through Moses. The chapter concludes affirming that God fulfilled every promise He made to Israel.

Joshua, now old, gathers Israel's leaders for a farewell address. He reminds them of God's faithfulness in battle and warns them that intermarriage and idolatry with remaining nations will lead to their downfall.

Joshua recounts God's saving acts from Abraham to the conquest and challenges Israel to choose whom they will serve. The people renew their covenant with God. Joshua dies at 110 and is buried at Timnath-serah.

The grain offering is described, made of fine flour with oil and frankincense. It can be baked, cooked on a griddle, or presented raw. No leaven or honey is to be included, but salt must be added to every grain offering as a sign of the covenant.

God institutes the Sabbath year (every seventh year the land rests) and the Year of Jubilee (every fiftieth year). In Jubilee, all land returns to its original owners, slaves are freed, and debts are cancelled. God promises to provide enough in the sixth year to sustain through the rest period.

God presents the blessings and curses of the covenant. Obedience brings rain, harvests, peace, and God's presence. Disobedience brings terror, disease, famine, exile, and the land made desolate. Yet even in judgment, God promises that if they confess their sins, He will remember His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The angel Gabriel announces the births of John the Baptist to Zechariah and of Jesus to Mary. Mary visits Elizabeth, and the two expectant mothers rejoice. Mary sings the Magnificat, and Zechariah prophesies after the birth of John. Nothing is impossible with God.

Judas conspires to betray Jesus. At the Last Supper, Jesus institutes the new covenant in His blood. He predicts Peter's denial, prays on the Mount of Olives in such agony that His sweat becomes like drops of blood, is arrested, and Peter denies Him three times.

God curses the priests for breaking the covenant of Levi. He condemns divorce — I hate divorce, says the Lord — because they are breaking faith with the wives of their youth. They have wearied God by calling evil good and asking where is the God of justice?

The genealogy of Jesus Christ traces His lineage from Abraham through David to Joseph. The angel appears to Joseph in a dream, revealing Mary's conception by the Holy Spirit and the name Immanuel—God with us.

The events leading to Jesus' crucifixion unfold: the plot to kill Him, the anointing at Bethany, Judas's betrayal, the Last Supper where He institutes communion, the agony in Gethsemane, His arrest, and trial before the Sanhedrin. Peter denies knowing Him three times.

God takes Israel to court, with the mountains as witnesses. What does the Lord require? Not thousands of rams or rivers of oil, but to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God — one of the most famous ethical summaries in all of Scripture.

A woman anoints Jesus with costly perfume at Bethany. Judas agrees to betray Him. Jesus shares the Last Supper, institutes the new covenant, and prays in Gethsemane. He is arrested, tried before the Sanhedrin, and Peter denies Him three times.

Nehemiah, cupbearer to King Artaxerxes in Persia, learns that Jerusalem's walls are still broken and its gates burned. Devastated, he weeps, fasts, and prays a powerful prayer of confession and petition, asking God to grant him favor with the king.

The people gather for a day of fasting, confession, and worship. The Levites lead a long prayer recounting Israel's history from creation through the exodus, wilderness, conquest, and exile — acknowledging God's persistent faithfulness despite Israel's repeated unfaithfulness.

The leaders, Levites, and people sign a binding covenant committing to keep God's Law. They specifically pledge not to intermarry with foreigners, to observe the Sabbath, to let the land rest every seventh year, and to support the temple with tithes and offerings.

Balaam delivers two more prophetic oracles blessing Israel, comparing them to a lion and foretelling a star and sceptre rising from Jacob — a Messianic prophecy. Balak dismisses Balaam in anger, but Balaam gives a final oracle predicting the doom of Moab, Edom, Amalek, and other nations.

Israelite men are seduced into sexual immorality and idolatry with Moabite women at Baal Peor, following Balaam's counsel. God's anger brings a plague that kills 24,000. Phinehas the priest zealously intervenes by executing an Israelite man and Midianite woman together, and God grants him a covenant of peace for his zeal.

The tribes of Reuben and Gad request to settle east of the Jordan because the land is good for livestock. Moses initially rebukes them, comparing them to the faithless spies. They agree to cross the Jordan and fight alongside their brothers before returning to their eastern inheritance. Half of Manasseh also settles east.

God defines the precise boundaries of the Promised Land — from the wilderness of Zin in the south to Mount Hor and Lebo-hamath in the north, the Mediterranean Sea in the west, and the Jordan River in the east. Leaders are appointed from each tribe to oversee the land distribution.