Black History

there is not here Jew or Greek, there is not here servant nor freeman, there is not here male and female, for all ye are one in Christ Jesus;

He made also of one blood every nation of men, to dwell upon all the face of the earth--having ordained times before appointed, and the bounds of their dwellings--

And there were certain in Antioch, in the assembly there, prophets and teachers; both Barnabas, and Simeon who is called Niger, and Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen also--Herod the tetrarch's foster-brother--and Saul;

And there was a man of the Pharisees, Nicodemus his name, a ruler of the Jews, — read the full passage →

And the queen of Sheba is hearing of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of Jehovah, and cometh to try him with enigmas,

Dark <FI>am<Fi> I, and comely, daughters of Jerusalem, As tents of Kedar, as curtains of Solomon.

Fear me not, because I <FI>am<Fi> very dark, Because the sun hath scorched me, The sons of my mother were angry with me, They made me keeper of the vineyards, My vineyard--my own--I have not kept.

Yea, he cometh up as a tender plant before Him, And as a root out of a dry land, He hath no form, nor honour, when we observe him, Nor appearance, when we desire him.

white linen, white cotton, and blue, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple on rings of silver, and pillars of marble, couches of gold, and of silver, on a pavement of smaragdus, and white marble, and mother-of-pearl, and black marble--

`And it hath been, if thou dost hearken diligently to the voice of Jehovah thy God, to observe to do all His commands which I am commanding thee to-day, that Jehovah thy God hath made thee uppermost above all the nations of the earth, — read the full passage →

for now men do I persuade, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if yet men I did please--Christ's servant I should not be.

And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, `Come and behold!' and I saw, and lo, a black horse, and he who is sitting upon it is having a balance in his hand,

`I was seeing till that thrones have been thrown down, and the Ancient of Days is seated, His garment as snow <FI>is<Fi> white, and the hair of his head <FI>is<Fi> as pure wool, His throne flames of fire, its wheels burning fire. — read the full passage →

Let every soul to the higher authorities be subject, for there is no authority except from God, and the authorities existing are appointed by God, — read the full passage →

For this doth the land mourn, And black have been the heavens above, because I have spoken--I have purposed, And I have not repented, Nor do I turn back from it.

And it cometh to pass, in the meantime, that the heavens have become black--thick clouds and wind--and the shower is great; and Ahab rideth, and goeth to Jezreel,

And God blesseth Noah, and his sons, and saith to them, `Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth; — read the full passage →

For, ask I pray thee of a former generation, And prepare to a search of their fathers, — read the full passage →

Our skin as an oven hath been burning, Because of the raging of the famine.

Darker than blackness hath been their visage, They have not been known in out-places, Cleaved hath their skin unto their bone, It hath withered--it hath been as wood.

`And it hath been, when all these things come upon thee, the blessing and the reviling, which I have set before thee, and thou hast brought <FI>them<Fi> back unto thy heart, among all the nations whither Jehovah thy God hath driven thee away, — read the full passage →

And these <FI>are<Fi> births of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and born to them are sons after the deluge. — read the full passage →

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, a habitation Thou--Thou hast been, To us--in generation and generation,

And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, — read the full passage →

Mourned hath Judah, and her gates have languished, They have mourned to the earth, And the cry of Jerusalem hath gone up.

For a breach of the daughter of my people have I been broken, I have been black, astonishment hath seized me.

I have come in to my garden, my sister-spouse, I have plucked my myrrh with my spice, I have eaten my comb with my honey, I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends, drink, Yea, drink abundantly, O beloved ones! — read the full passage →

and one of the elders saith to me, `Weep not; lo, overcome did the Lion, who is of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, to open the scroll, and to loose the seven seals of it;

Bend yourselves, yea, bend ye, O nation not desired, — read the full passage →

My skin hath been black upon me, And my bone hath burned from heat,

I exhort, then, first of all, there be made supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, for all men: — read the full passage →

know ye, then, that those of faith--these are sons of Abraham,

I call upon you, therefore, brethren, through the compassions of God, to present your bodies a sacrifice--living, sanctified, acceptable to God--your intelligent service; — read the full passage →

And coming forth, they found a man, a Cyrenian, by name Simon: him they impressed that he might bear his cross;

I have seen the Lord standing by the altar, and He saith: `Smite the knob, and the thresholds shake, And cut them off by the head--all of them, And their posterity with a sword I do slay, Not flee to them doth the fleer, Nor escape to them doth a fugitive. — read the full passage →

And Shephatiah son of Mattan, and Gedaliah son of Pashhur, and Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah, hear the words that Jeremiah is speaking unto all the people, saying, — read the full passage →

Whoso is sowing perverseness reapeth sorrow, And the rod of his anger weareth out. — read the full passage →

Not equal it doth the topaz of Cush, With pure gold it is not valued.

A lion's whelp <FI>is<Fi> Judah, For prey, my son, thou hast gone up; He hath bent, he hath crouched as a lion, And as a lioness; who causeth him to arise? — read the full passage →

and He saith to Abram, `knowing--know that thy seed is a sojourner in a land not theirs, and they have served them, and they have afflicted them four hundred years, — read the full passage →

and there was given to it to give a spirit to the image of the beast, that also the image of the beast may speak, and <FI>that<Fi> it may cause as many as shall not bow before the image of the beast, that they may be killed. — read the full passage →

and they sing a new song, saying, `Worthy art thou to take the scroll, and to open the seals of it, because thou wast slain, and didst redeem us to God in thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation,

and his head and hairs white, as if white wool--as snow, and his eyes as a flame of fire; — read the full passage →

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timotheus the brother, to Philemon our beloved and fellow-worker, — read the full passage →

if any one be teaching otherwise, and do not consent to sound words--those of our Lord Jesus Christ--and to the teaching according to piety, — read the full passage →

and the other out of love, having known that for defence of the good news I am set: — read the full passage →

neither may we tempt the Christ, as also certain of them did tempt, and by the serpents did perish; — read the full passage →

Truth I say in Christ, I lie not, my conscience bearing testimony with me in the Holy Spirit, — read the full passage →

And it came to pass, at our sailing, having been parted from them, having run direct, we came to Coos, and the succeeding <FI>day<Fi> to Rhodes, and thence to Patara, — read the full passage →

And in these days, the disciples multiplying, there came a murmuring of the Hellenists at the Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily ministration, — read the full passage →

`And he who is reaping doth receive a reward, and doth gather fruit to life age-during, that both he who is sowing and he who is reaping may rejoice together; — read the full passage →

And having entered, he was passing through Jericho, — read the full passage →

The brown horses that <FI>are<Fi> therein, are coming forth unto the land of the north; and the white have come forth unto their hinder part; and the grisled have come forth unto the land of the south;

In the first chariot <FI>are<Fi> red horses, and in the second chariot brown horses,

And ye have said, Wherefore hath not the son, Borne of the iniquity of the father? And--the son judgment and righteousness hath done, All My statutes he hath kept, And he doeth them, he surely liveth. — read the full passage →

Call unto Me, and I do answer thee, yea, I declare to thee great and fenced things--thou hast not known them. — read the full passage →

And the Lord saith: Because drawn near hath this people, with its mouth, And with its lips they have honoured Me, And its heart it hath put far off from Me, And their fear of Me is--A precept of men is taught! — read the full passage →

Surely oppression maketh the wise mad, And a gift destroyeth the heart. — read the full passage →

For from a house of prisoners he hath come out to reign, for even in his own kingdom he hath been poor. — read the full passage →

As a bird wandering from her nest, So <FI>is<Fi> a man wandering from his place. — read the full passage →

As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, So honour <FI>is<Fi> not comely for a fool. — read the full passage →

Hast thou seen a man speedy in his business? Before kings he doth station himself, He stations not himself before obscure men!

To do righteousness and judgment, Is chosen of Jehovah rather than sacrifice. — read the full passage →

Because of winter the slothful plougheth not, He asketh in harvest, and there is nothing. — read the full passage →

The folly of man perverteth his way, And against Jehovah is his heart wroth. — read the full passage →

An evil man seeketh only rebellion, And a fierce messenger is sent against him. — read the full passage →

A wise servant ruleth over a son causing shame, And in the midst of brethren He apportioneth an inheritance.

A faithful witness lieth not, And a false witness breatheth out lies. — read the full passage →

Better <FI>is<Fi> the lightly esteemed who hath a servant, Than the self-honoured who lacketh bread. — read the full passage →

There is who is scattering, and yet is increased, And who is keeping back from uprightness, only to want. — read the full passage →

Jehovah causeth not the soul of the righteous to hunger, And the desire of the wicked He thrusteth away. — read the full passage →

Keep my commands, and live, And my law as the pupil of thine eye.

The way of Thy precepts cause me to understand, And I meditate in Thy wonders. — read the full passage →

By Solomon. O God, Thy judgments to the king give, And Thy righteousness to the king's son. — read the full passage →

To the Overseer. --By a servant of Jehovah, by David, who hath spoken to Jehovah the words of this song in the day Jehovah delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, and he saith: --I love Thee, O Jehovah, my strength. — read the full passage →

Because of the spoiling of the poor, Because of the groaning of the needy, Now do I arise, saith Jehovah, I set in safety <FI>him who<Fi> doth breathe for it. — read the full passage →

Removing deep things out of darkness, And He bringeth out to light death-shade.

If I sinned, then Thou hast observed me, And from mine iniquity dost not acquit me, — read the full passage →

Jehoshaphat made ships at Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, and they went not, for the ships were broken in Ezion-Geber. — read the full passage →

He raiseth from the dust the poor, From a dunghill He lifteth up the needy, To cause <FI>them<Fi> to sit with nobles, Yea, a throne of honour He doth cause them to inherit, For to Jehovah <FI>are<Fi> the fixtures of earth, And He setteth on them the habitable world. — read the full passage →

These <FI>are<Fi> the words of the covenant which Jehovah hath commanded Moses to make with the sons of Israel in the land of Moab, apart from the covenant which He made with them in Horeb. — read the full passage →

And Miriam speaketh--Aaron also--against Moses concerning the circumstance of the Cushite woman whom he had taken: for a Cushite woman he had taken;

And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, and unto Aaron, saying, — read the full passage →

Thou dost not bow thyself to them, nor serve them: for I, Jehovah thy God, <FI>am<Fi> a zealous God, charging iniquity of fathers on sons, on the third <FI>generation<Fi> , and on the fourth, of those hating Me,

And God prepareth the man in His image; in the image of God He prepared him, a male and a female He prepared them.

as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them, in like manner to these, having given themselves to whoredom, and gone after other flesh, have been set before--an example, of fire age-during, justice suffering. — read the full passage →

My brethren, hold not, in respect of persons, the faith of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, — read the full passage →

doth not even nature itself teach you, that if a man indeed have long hair, a dishonour it is to him?

And it came to pass thereafter, that he was going through every city and village, preaching and proclaiming good news of the reign of God, and the twelve <FI>are<Fi> with him, — read the full passage →

Thus said Jehovah concerning the prophets Who are causing My people to err, Who are biting with their teeth, And have cried `Peace,' And he who doth not give unto their mouth, They have sanctified against him war. — read the full passage →

And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying: — read the full passage →

That which hath been the word of Jehovah unto Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations, — read the full passage →

Vanity and a lying word put far from me, Poverty or wealth give not to me, Cause me to eat the bread of my portion, — read the full passage →

A soft answer turneth back fury, And a grievous word raiseth up anger. — read the full passage →

He accepteth not the appearance of any atonement, Yea, he doth not consent, Though thou dost multiply bribes!

And Abijah lieth with his fathers, and they bury him in the city of David, and reign doth Asa his son in his stead: in his days was the land quiet ten years. — read the full passage →

`He who smiteth a man so that he hath died, is certainly put to death; — read the full passage →

And Jacob dwelleth in the land of his father's sojournings--in the land of Canaan. — read the full passage →

And having called together his twelve disciples, he gave them power and authority over all the demons, and to cure sicknesses, — read the full passage →

In the twenty and fifth year of our removal, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in this self-same day hath a hand of Jehovah been upon me, and He bringeth me in thither; — read the full passage →