GIC Government Invading Religion

You will perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies will eat you up.

He said, "Listen now, house of David. Is it not enough for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God also?

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they don't look to the Holy One of Israel, and they don't seek Yahweh!

So the decree went forth, and the wise men were to be slain; and they sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.

that whenever you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up;

and whoever doesn't fall down and worship shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

You, O king, have made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image;

and whoever doesn't fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not respected you. They don't serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.

But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.

Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his appearance was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: [therefore] he spoke, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.

He commanded certain mighty men who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, [and] to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

I saw, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;

He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High; and he shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time.

You who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth:

If we leave him alone like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."

and led him to Annas first, for he was father-in-law to Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.

Now about that time, King Herod stretched out his hands to oppress some of the assembly.

For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they didn't know him, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.

When some of both the Gentiles and the Jews, with their rulers, made a violent attempt to mistreat and stone them,

But some Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there, and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul, and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.

The multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates tore their clothes off of them, and commanded them to be beaten with rods.

who, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison, and secured their feet in the stocks.

But Paul said to them, "They have beaten us publicly, without a trial, men who are Romans, and have cast us into prison! Do they now release us secretly? No, most certainly, but let them come themselves and bring us out!"

When they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

He found a certain Jew named Aquila, a man of Pontus by race, who had recently come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome. He came to them,

It happened that after three days Paul called together those who were the leaders of the Jews. When they had come together, he said to them, "I, brothers, though I had done nothing against the people, or the customs of our fathers, still was delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans,

For this cause therefore I asked to see you and to speak with you. For because of the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain."

Yes, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead,

pursued, yet not forsaken; struck down, yet not destroyed;

It is even right for me to think this way on behalf of all of you, because I have you in my heart, because, both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the Good News, you all are partakers with me of grace.

The former insincerely preach Christ from selfish ambition, thinking that they add affliction to my chains;