The foundations of law and order have collapsed. What can the righteous do?”

根基若毁坏，义人还能做什么呢？”

根基若毁坏，义人还能做什么呢？”

根基若毁坏，义人还能做什么呢？”

根基若遭毁坏，义人还能做什么？”

根基既然毁坏，义人还能作什么呢？”

如果根基被毁，义人还能做什么呢？

根基若毀壞，義人還能做甚麼呢？

根基若毀壞，義人還能做甚麼呢？」

根基若毀壞，義人還能做甚麼呢？」

根基若遭毀壞，義人還能做什麼？」

根基既然毀壞，義人還能作甚麼呢？”

根基若毁壞，義人還能作甚麼？』

如果根基被毀，義人還能做什麼呢？

基礎如其傾圮、義者將何為兮、

根基若壞、善人亦復何為、

國家根基已崩潰。賢人焉能獨支撐。

When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

When law and order are being destroyed, what can godly people do?”

if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?”

If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?

If the foundations be destroyed, What can the righteous do?

When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

When the foundations are destroyed, what can the godly accomplish?”

If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?

But these oppressors know nothing; they are so ignorant! They wander about in darkness, while the whole world is shaken to the core.

But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription:“ The Lord knows those who are his,” and“ All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil.”

Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes.

When the earth quakes and its people live in turmoil, I am the one who keeps its foundations firm. Interlude

I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied,“ O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you.If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

Later I went to visit Shemaiah son of Delaiah and grandson of Mehetabel, who was confined to his home. He said,“ Let us meet together inside the Temple of God and bolt the doors shut. Your enemies are coming to kill you tonight.”But I replied,“ Should someone in my position run from danger? Should someone in my position enter the Temple to save his life? No, I won’t do it!”I realized that God had not spoken to him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

What happened to the king of Hamath and the king of Arpad? What happened to the kings of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?”After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the Lord’s Temple and spread it out before the Lord.And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the Lord:“ O Lord, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth.Bend down, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance against the living God.“ It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations.And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all— only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands.

When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God:“ O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying,‘ Why were the nations so angry? Why did they waste their time with futile plans?The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’“ In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed.But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will.And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word.Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all.

“ Surely you must realize what I and the other kings of Assyria before me have done to all the people of the earth! Were any of the gods of those nations able to rescue their people from my power?Which of their gods was able to rescue its people from the destructive power of my predecessors? What makes you think your God can rescue you from me?Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you! Don’t let him fool you like this! I say it again— no god of any nation or kingdom has ever yet been able to rescue his people from me or my ancestors. How much less will your God rescue you from my power!”

But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help.So they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law.“ Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human— except to you, Your Majesty— will be thrown into the den of lions?”“ Yes,” the king replied,“ that decision stands; it is an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.”Then they told the king,“ That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a day.”Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament.In the evening the men went together to the king and said,“ Your Majesty, you know that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no law that the king signs can be changed.”So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him,“ May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.”A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel.Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that night.Very early the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’ den.When he got there, he called out in anguish,“ Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?”Daniel answered,“ Long live the king!My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.”The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God.Then the king gave orders to arrest the men who had maliciously accused Daniel. He had them thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. The lions leaped on them and tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den.Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world:“ Peace and prosperity to you!“ I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, and he will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end.He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

But his disciples objected.“ Rabbi,” they said,“ only a few days ago the people in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?”Jesus replied,“ There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world.But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.”

The priests and prophets presented their accusations to the officials and the people.“ This man should die!” they said.“ You have heard with your own ears what a traitor he is, for he has prophesied against this city.”Then Jeremiah spoke to the officials and the people in his own defense.“ The Lord sent me to prophesy against this Temple and this city,” he said.“ The Lord gave me every word that I have spoken.But if you stop your sinning and begin to obey the Lord your God, he will change his mind about this disaster that he has announced against you.As for me, I am in your hands— do with me as you think best.But if you kill me, rest assured that you will be killing an innocent man! The responsibility for such a deed will lie on you, on this city, and on every person living in it. For it is absolutely true that the Lord sent me to speak every word you have heard.”

The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem.Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest.They brought in the two disciples and demanded,“ By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?”Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them,“ Rulers and elders of our people,are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed?Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,‘ The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

Then he gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the court secretary, and Asaiah the king’s personal adviser:“ Go to the Temple and speak to the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah. Inquire about the words written in this scroll that has been found. For the Lord’s great anger is burning against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words in this scroll. We have not been doing everything it says we must do.”So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to the New Quarter of Jerusalem to consult with the prophet Huldah. She was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, the keeper of the Temple wardrobe.