Add curly quotes (#647)

02-EXO.usfm

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 \c 1
 
 \p
-\v 1 These were the sons of Jacob (they all went to the land of Egypt with Jacob, their father, and with their own households). The sons' names were:
+\v 1 These were the sons of Jacob (they all went to the land of Egypt with Jacob, their father, and with their own households). The sons’ names were:
 \v 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,
 \v 3 Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin,
 \v 4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
@@ -18,12 +18,12 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 After some time, Joseph and his brothers and everyone else in their family who lived in that generation died.
-\v 7 But Jacob's descendants gave birth to many children. The number of his descendants grew very large. As a result, there were so many of them that they were everywhere in Egypt.
+\v 7 But Jacob’s descendants gave birth to many children. The number of his descendants grew very large. As a result, there were so many of them that they were everywhere in Egypt.
 
 \s5
 \v 8 However, many years later, a new king began to rule in Egypt. He did not know about all the good things Joseph had done for the people of Egypt long ago.
-\v 9 He said to his people, "Look at what has happened! The Israelite people have become so many and so powerful that they are dangerous to us!
-\v 10 We must find a way to control them! If we do not do that, there will be more of them. Then, if enemies attack us, the Israelites will join with our enemies and fight against us, and they will escape from our land."
+\v 9 He said to his people, “Look at what has happened! The Israelite people have become so many and so powerful that they are dangerous to us!
+\v 10 We must find a way to control them! If we do not do that, there will be more of them. Then, if enemies attack us, the Israelites will join with our enemies and fight against us, and they will escape from our land.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -37,26 +37,26 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 Now there were two Hebrew midwives. Their names were Shiphrah and Puah. The king of Egypt said to those two women,
-\v 16 "When you help the Hebrew women give birth to their children, if the baby is a boy, you must kill him. If the baby is a girl, you may let her live."
+\v 16 “When you help the Hebrew women give birth to their children, if the baby is a boy, you must kill him. If the baby is a girl, you may let her live.”
 \v 17 But the midwives feared that God would punish them if they obeyed the king. So they did not do what the king told them to do. They allowed the baby boys to live.
 
 \s5
-\v 18 So the king called the two midwives and said to them, "Why are you doing this? Why are you letting the baby boys live?"
-\v 19 One of the midwives said to the king, "The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women. The Hebrew women are very strong. They give birth to their babies before we can get to them to help them."
+\v 18 So the king called the two midwives and said to them, “Why are you doing this? Why are you letting the baby boys live?”
+\v 19 One of the midwives said to the king, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women. The Hebrew women are very strong. They give birth to their babies before we can get to them to help them.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 So God acted kindly toward the midwives, and the Hebrew people became very numerous and strong.
 \v 21 Because the midwives feared God, God gave them children of their own.
 \p
-\v 22 Then the king commanded all the Egyptian people, saying, "You must throw into the Nile River every Hebrew baby boy that is born! However, you can allow the baby girls to live."
+\v 22 Then the king commanded all the Egyptian people, saying, “You must throw into the Nile River every Hebrew baby boy that is born! However, you can allow the baby girls to live.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 2
 
 \p
-\v 1 Now there was a man who was a descendant of Jacob's son Levi. He married a woman who was also a descendant of Levi.
+\v 1 Now there was a man who was a descendant of Jacob’s son Levi. He married a woman who was also a descendant of Levi.
 \v 2 She became pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy. When she saw that he was a healthy baby, she hid him for three months because she was not willing to do what the king commanded.
 
 \s5
@@ -65,17 +65,17 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 Soon the king's daughter went down to the river to take a bath. Her female servants walked along the riverbank. She saw the basket in the tall reeds in the river, so she sent one of her servants to get it.
-\v 6 When the servant brought the basket to her, she opened it, and was surprised to see a baby inside that was crying. She felt sad for him, and said, "This must be a Hebrew baby."
+\v 5 Soon the king’s daughter went down to the river to take a bath. Her female servants walked along the riverbank. She saw the basket in the tall reeds in the river, so she sent one of her servants to get it.
+\v 6 When the servant brought the basket to her, she opened it, and was surprised to see a baby inside that was crying. She felt sad for him, and said, “This must be a Hebrew baby.”
 
 \s5
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-\v 7 Then the baby's older sister walked up to the king's daughter and said, "Do you want me to go and find a Hebrew woman who will be able to nurse the baby for you?"
-\v 8 The king's daughter said to her, "Yes, go and find one." So the girl went and found the baby's mother.
+\v 7 Then the baby’s older sister walked up to the king’s daughter and said, “Do you want me to go and find a Hebrew woman who will be able to nurse the baby for you?”
+\v 8 The king’s daughter said to her, “Yes, go and find one.” So the girl went and found the baby’s mother.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 The king's daughter said to the mother, "Please take this baby and nurse him for me. I will pay you for doing that." So the baby's mother took him and nursed him.
-\v 10 Several years later, his mother brought the boy to the king's daughter. She adopted him as though he were her own son. She named him Moses, which sounds like the Hebrew words 'pull out' because she said, "I pulled him out of the water."
+\v 9 The king’s daughter said to the mother, “Please take this baby and nurse him for me. I will pay you for doing that.” So the baby’s mother took him and nursed him.
+\v 10 Several years later, his mother brought the boy to the king’s daughter. She adopted him as though he were her own son. She named him Moses, which sounds like the Hebrew words ‘pull out’ because she said, “I pulled him out of the water.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -85,24 +85,24 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 The next day he returned to the same place. He was surprised to see two Hebrew men fighting each other. He said to the man who started the fight, "Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?"
-\v 14 The man replied, "Who made you our ruler and judge? Are you going to kill me just like you killed that Egyptian man yesterday?" Then Moses was afraid, because he thought, "Since this man knows what I did, other people will know, too."
+\v 13 The next day he returned to the same place. He was surprised to see two Hebrew men fighting each other. He said to the man who started the fight, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?”
+\v 14 The man replied, “Who made you our ruler and judge? Are you going to kill me just like you killed that Egyptian man yesterday?” Then Moses was afraid, because he thought, “Since this man knows what I did, other people will know, too.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15-16 When the king heard that Moses killed an Egyptian, he ordered his soldiers to kill Moses. But Moses ran away from the king and left Egypt. He traveled east to the region of Midian and started to live there.
-Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had seven daughters. One day as Moses sat down beside a well, the seven daughters came to the well, got water, and filled the troughs in order to give water to their father's sheep.
+Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had seven daughters. One day as Moses sat down beside a well, the seven daughters came to the well, got water, and filled the troughs in order to give water to their father’s sheep.
 \v 17 Some shepherds came and started to chase away the girls. But Moses helped the girls and got water for their sheep.
 
 \s5
-\v 18 When the girls returned to their father Jethro, who was also called Reuel, he asked them, "How is it that you were able to give water to the sheep and come home so quickly today?"
-\v 19 They replied, "A man from Egypt kept other shepherds from chasing us away. He also got water for us from the well and gave water to the sheep."
+\v 18 When the girls returned to their father Jethro, who was also called Reuel, he asked them, “How is it that you were able to give water to the sheep and come home so quickly today?”
+\v 19 They replied, “A man from Egypt kept other shepherds from chasing us away. He also got water for us from the well and gave water to the sheep.”
 \p
-\v 20 He said to his daughters, "Where is he? Why did you leave him out there? Invite him in so that he can have something to eat!"
+\v 20 He said to his daughters, “Where is he? Why did you leave him out there? Invite him in so that he can have something to eat!”
 
 \s5
 \v 21 So they did, and Moses ate with them. Moses decided to live there. Later, Jethro gave Moses his daughter Zipporah to be his wife.
-\v 22 Later she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, which sounds like the Hebrew word that means "foreigner" because he said, "I am a foreigner living in this land."
+\v 22 Later she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, which sounds like the Hebrew word that means “foreigner” because he said, “I am a foreigner living in this land.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -116,104 +116,104 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \p
 \v 1 One day, Moses took the flock of Jethro his father in law, priest of Midian, to the far side of the wilderness. He came to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God.
 \v 2 When he was on the mountain, Yahweh appeared as an angel to Moses from inside a burning bush. As Moses looked at the bush, it was not destroyed by the fire.
-\v 3 Moses thought, "I will go closer to see this strange sight! Why is the bush not burning up?"
+\v 3 Moses thought, “I will go closer to see this strange sight! Why is the bush not burning up?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 When Yahweh saw Moses come close to the bush, he called out to Moses, "Moses, Moses!" Moses said to God, "Here I am."
-\v 5 God said, "Do not come close to the bush! Because I am God, the ground on which you are standing belongs to me. So take off your sandals to show respect to me."
-\v 6 He said, "I am God, the one your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob worshiped." Moses was afraid that God would kill him if he looked at him, so he turned his head away.
+\v 4 When Yahweh saw Moses come close to the bush, he called out to Moses, “Moses, Moses!” Moses said to God, “Here I am.”
+\v 5 God said, “Do not come close to the bush! Because I am God, the ground on which you are standing belongs to me. So take off your sandals to show respect to me.”
+\v 6 He said, “I am God, the one your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob worshiped.” Moses was afraid that God would kill him if he looked at him, so he turned his head away.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 Then Yahweh said, "I have seen how badly the Egyptians are treating my people in Egypt. I have heard my people shouting in despair because of what the slave drivers are making them do. I know how my people are suffering.
+\v 7 Then Yahweh said, “I have seen how badly the Egyptians are treating my people in Egypt. I have heard my people shouting in despair because of what the slave drivers are making them do. I know how my people are suffering.
 \v 8 So I have come down from heaven to rescue them from the Egyptians. I will lead them to a good and large land, a land where they can grow many crops and raise much livestock, where the descendants of Canaan, Heth, Amor, Periz, Hiv, and Jebus live.
 
 \s5
 \v 9 Truly I have now heard my Israelite people crying. I have seen how badly the Egyptians treat them.
-\v 10 So I am sending you back to Egypt to the king because you will lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt."
+\v 10 So I am sending you back to Egypt to the king because you will lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 But Moses said to God, "I am not important enough to go to the king in order to bring your people out of Egypt."
-\v 12 God said, "I will be with you. When you bring my people out of Egypt, all of you will worship me right here on this mountain. That will prove to you that I am the one who sent you to them."
+\v 11 But Moses said to God, “I am not important enough to go to the king in order to bring your people out of Egypt.”
+\v 12 God said, “I will be with you. When you bring my people out of Egypt, all of you will worship me right here on this mountain. That will prove to you that I am the one who sent you to them.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 Moses said to God, "If I go to the Israelite people and say to them, 'God, the one your ancestors worshiped, has sent me to you,' they will ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what should I say to them?"
-\v 14 God replied to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. Tell the Israelite people that the one named 'I AM' has sent you to them."
+\v 13 Moses said to God, “If I go to the Israelite people and say to them, ‘God, the one your ancestors worshiped, has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I say to them?”
+\v 14 God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. Tell the Israelite people that the one named ‘I AM’ has sent you to them.”
 \p
-\v 15 God also said to Moses, "You must say to the Israelites, 'Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God whom Abraham worshiped, whom Isaac worshiped, and whom Jacob worshiped, has sent me to you. Yahweh is my name forever, and this is what all generations should call me.'
+\v 15 God also said to Moses, “You must say to the Israelites, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God whom Abraham worshiped, whom Isaac worshiped, and whom Jacob worshiped, has sent me to you. Yahweh is my name forever, and this is what all generations should call me.’
 
 \s5
-\v 16 Go to Egypt and gather together the elders. Say to them, 'Yahweh, the God whom Abraham worshiped, whom Isaac worshiped, and whom Jacob worshiped, has appeared to me and said: I have seen what the Egyptian people have done to you.
-\v 17 I promise that I will rescue you from being treated badly in Egypt, and I will take you to the land where the descendants of Canaan, Heth, Amor, Periz, Hiv, and Jebus live. It is a good land where you can grow many crops and raise much livestock.'
-\v 18 The elders will do what you say. Then you and the elders will go to the king of Egypt, and you will say to him, 'Yahweh, whom we Hebrews worship as God, has met with us. So now we ask you to allow us to travel for three days to a place in the wilderness in order that there we may offer sacrifices to Yahweh, our God.'
+\v 16 Go to Egypt and gather together the elders. Say to them, ‘Yahweh, the God whom Abraham worshiped, whom Isaac worshiped, and whom Jacob worshiped, has appeared to me and said: I have seen what the Egyptian people have done to you.
+\v 17 I promise that I will rescue you from being treated badly in Egypt, and I will take you to the land where the descendants of Canaan, Heth, Amor, Periz, Hiv, and Jebus live. It is a good land where you can grow many crops and raise much livestock.’
+\v 18 The elders will do what you say. Then you and the elders will go to the king of Egypt, and you will say to him, ‘Yahweh, whom we Hebrews worship as God, has met with us. So now we ask you to allow us to travel for three days to a place in the wilderness in order that there we may offer sacrifices to Yahweh, our God.’
 
 \s5
 \v 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will allow you to go only if he sees that he has no other choice.
 \v 20 So I will use my power by performing many miracles there. Then he will allow you to leave.
 \v 21 When this happens, I will cause the people of Egypt to honor the Hebrew people so that when you leave Egypt, they will give you what you need for the journey.
-\v 22 At that time, each Hebrew woman will ask for what belongs to the Egyptian women living nearby. The Egyptians will give you all they have—silver and gold jewelry and clothing. You will put these things on your children. In this way, you will take everything from the Egyptians."
+\v 22 At that time, each Hebrew woman will ask for what belongs to the Egyptian women living nearby. The Egyptians will give you all they have—silver and gold jewelry and clothing. You will put these things on your children. In this way, you will take everything from the Egyptians.”
 
 
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 \c 4
 \p
-\v 1 Moses said to God, "What should I do if they do not believe me or listen to me? What should I do if they say, 'Yahweh did not appear to you'?"
-\v 2 Yahweh said to him, "What is that in your hand?" Moses answered, "A staff."
-\v 3 Yahweh said, "Throw it down on the ground!" So, Moses threw the staff on the ground and it became a snake, and Moses ran away from it.
+\v 1 Moses said to God, “What should I do if they do not believe me or listen to me? What should I do if they say, ‘Yahweh did not appear to you’?”
+\v 2 Yahweh said to him, “What is that in your hand?” Moses answered, “A staff.”
+\v 3 Yahweh said, “Throw it down on the ground!” So, Moses threw the staff on the ground and it became a snake, and Moses ran away from it.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 But Yahweh said to Moses, "Pick up the snake by its tail." So Moses picked up the snake by the tail, and it became a staff in his hand again.
+\v 4 But Yahweh said to Moses, “Pick up the snake by its tail.” So Moses picked up the snake by the tail, and it became a staff in his hand again.
 \p
-\v 5 Yahweh said, "Do the same thing in front of the Israelite people in order that they may believe that I, Yahweh, the God whom Abraham worshiped, whom Isaac worshiped, and whom Jacob worshiped, truly appeared to you."
+\v 5 Yahweh said, “Do the same thing in front of the Israelite people in order that they may believe that I, Yahweh, the God whom Abraham worshiped, whom Isaac worshiped, and whom Jacob worshiped, truly appeared to you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Yahweh said to Moses, "Put your hand in your robe." Moses put his hand in his robe. When he brought his hand out, it had a disease that made the skin look white as snow.
-\v 7 Then Yahweh said, "Put your hand in your robe again." Moses put his hand back inside his robe. This time when he brought it out, the disease was healed, and it looked like his other hand.
+\v 6 Yahweh said to Moses, “Put your hand in your robe.” Moses put his hand in his robe. When he brought his hand out, it had a disease that made the skin look white as snow.
+\v 7 Then Yahweh said, “Put your hand in your robe again.” Moses put his hand back inside his robe. This time when he brought it out, the disease was healed, and it looked like his other hand.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 Yahweh said, "You can do that in front of the Israelite people, too. If they do not believe you or listen to you after seeing the first miracle, they will believe you when you perform the second miracle.
-\v 9 But if they do not believe you or listen to what you say even after you show them these two miracles, get some water from the Nile River and pour it on the dry ground. When you do that, the water that you pour on the dry ground will become blood."
+\v 8 Yahweh said, “You can do that in front of the Israelite people, too. If they do not believe you or listen to you after seeing the first miracle, they will believe you when you perform the second miracle.
+\v 9 But if they do not believe you or listen to what you say even after you show them these two miracles, get some water from the Nile River and pour it on the dry ground. When you do that, the water that you pour on the dry ground will become blood.”
 
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-\v 10 Then Moses said to Yahweh, "Oh Lord, I have never been good at speaking to people. I am still that way even after you began talking to me. I speak slowly and never know what to say."
-\v 11 Then Yahweh said to him, "Who made a man's mouth? Who is it who makes a man able to speak, hear, see, or not see? Is it not I, Yahweh?
-\v 12 So now go, and I will help you speak, and I will tell you what to say."
-\v 13 But Moses replied, "Oh Lord, I ask you, please send someone else in my place!"
+\v 10 Then Moses said to Yahweh, “Oh Lord, I have never been good at speaking to people. I am still that way even after you began talking to me. I speak slowly and never know what to say.”
+\v 11 Then Yahweh said to him, “Who made a man’s mouth? Who is it who makes a man able to speak, hear, see, or not see? Is it not I, Yahweh?
+\v 12 So now go, and I will help you speak, and I will tell you what to say.”
+\v 13 But Moses replied, “Oh Lord, I ask you, please send someone else in my place!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Then Yahweh became angry with Moses and said to him, "What about Aaron, your brother, the Levite? He is a good speaker. He is on his way here right now, and he will be very happy to see you.
+\v 14 Then Yahweh became angry with Moses and said to him, “What about Aaron, your brother, the Levite? He is a good speaker. He is on his way here right now, and he will be very happy to see you.
 \v 15 You can talk to him and tell him what to say. I will tell you both what you should do.
 \v 16 He will speak for you to the Israelite people. He will be your spokesman, and he will think of you as if you were me.
-\v 17 Be sure to take with you the staff that is in your hand because you will perform miracles with it."
+\v 17 Be sure to take with you the staff that is in your hand because you will perform miracles with it.”
 
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 \p
-\v 18 Moses went back to his father-in-law, Jethro, and said to him, "Let me go back to my people in Egypt to see if they are still alive." Jethro said to Moses, "Go, and may God give you peace."
+\v 18 Moses went back to his father-in-law, Jethro, and said to him, “Let me go back to my people in Egypt to see if they are still alive.” Jethro said to Moses, “Go, and may God give you peace.”
 \p
-\v 19 Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, for the men who were looking for you are now dead."
+\v 19 Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for the men who were looking for you are now dead.”
 \v 20 So Moses took his wife and sons and set them on a donkey and walked back to Egypt, and he took the staff in his hand as God had told him to do.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 Yahweh said to Moses, "When you return to Egypt, be sure to do all the miracles that I have given you power to do in front of the king. But I will make him reject you, and he will not let the Israelite people leave Egypt.
-\v 22 Then say to him, 'This is what Yahweh says: Israel is like my first born son,
-\v 23 and I say to you, "Let my son go, so that he may worship me." But you did not let my son go and because of this, I will kill your firstborn son!'"
+\v 21 Yahweh said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, be sure to do all the miracles that I have given you power to do in front of the king. But I will make him reject you, and he will not let the Israelite people leave Egypt.
+\v 22 Then say to him, ‘This is what Yahweh says: Israel is like my first born son,
+\v 23 and I say to you, “Let my son go, so that he may worship me.” But you did not let my son go and because of this, I will kill your firstborn son!’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 24 One night, as they were on the way to Egypt, Yahweh appeared to Moses in order to kill him.
-\v 25 Then Moses' wife, Zipporah, took a knife and cut off the foreskin of their firstborn son. Then she touched the foreskin to Moses' feet and said, "You are a bridegroom of blood to me."
-\v 26 Yahweh did not kill Moses. Zipporah said, "You are a bridegroom of blood to me" because of the circumcision.
+\v 25 Then Moses’ wife, Zipporah, took a knife and cut off the foreskin of their firstborn son. Then she touched the foreskin to Moses’ feet and said, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me.”
+\v 26 Yahweh did not kill Moses. Zipporah said, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me” because of the circumcision.
 
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 \p
-\v 27 Meanwhile, Yahweh said to Aaron, "Go into the desert to meet Moses." So Aaron went and met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him on the cheek.
+\v 27 Meanwhile, Yahweh said to Aaron, “Go into the desert to meet Moses.” So Aaron went and met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him on the cheek.
 \v 28 Moses told Aaron everything that Yahweh had said to him and all the miracles that he had instructed him to do.
 
 \s5
@@ -227,70 +227,70 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \c 5
 
 \p
-\v 1 Then Moses and Aaron went to the king. They said to him, "Yahweh God, whom we Israelite people worship, says this to you: 'Let my people go to the desert in order that they may have a festival to honor me!'"
-\v 2 But the king said, "Yahweh is no one important. I do not need to pay attention to what he says, or let the Israelite people go. I do not know this Yahweh! Furthermore, I will not let the Israelite people go!"
+\v 1 Then Moses and Aaron went to the king. They said to him, “Yahweh God, whom we Israelite people worship, says this to you: ‘Let my people go to the desert in order that they may have a festival to honor me!’”
+\v 2 But the king said, “Yahweh is no one important. I do not need to pay attention to what he says, or let the Israelite people go. I do not know this Yahweh! Furthermore, I will not let the Israelite people go!”
 
 \s5
-\v 3 Moses and Aaron replied, "Yahweh God, the one we Hebrews worship, has revealed himself to us and told us what to tell you. So we ask you to let us go for three days into the wilderness. We must offer sacrifices to Yahweh God there. If we do not do that, he will cause us to die from diseases or from attacks by our enemies."
-\v 4 But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why are you preventing the Israelite people from working? Tell those slaves to return to work!"
-\v 5 The king also said, "Listen to me! You people who now live in this land are more numerous than we Egyptians. Why are you stopping them from working?"
+\v 3 Moses and Aaron replied, “Yahweh God, the one we Hebrews worship, has revealed himself to us and told us what to tell you. So we ask you to let us go for three days into the wilderness. We must offer sacrifices to Yahweh God there. If we do not do that, he will cause us to die from diseases or from attacks by our enemies.”
+\v 4 But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you preventing the Israelite people from working? Tell those slaves to return to work!”
+\v 5 The king also said, “Listen to me! You people who now live in this land are more numerous than we Egyptians. Why are you stopping them from working?”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 That same day the king commanded the Egyptian slave bosses and the Israelite assistants who directed the slaves,
-\v 7 "Do not continue to give straw to Israelite people for making bricks. Make them go into the fields and gather straw for themselves.
+\v 7 “Do not continue to give straw to Israelite people for making bricks. Make them go into the fields and gather straw for themselves.
 \v 8 However, still force them to make the same number of bricks that they did before. Do not lower the number at all. They do not want to work. That is the reason they are asking me to let them go into the wilderness to worship their god.
-\v 9 Make the men work harder so that they will not have time to listen to lies from their leaders!"
+\v 9 Make the men work harder so that they will not have time to listen to lies from their leaders!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 So the slave bosses and Israelite assistants went to where the Israelite people were and said to them, "The king has said that he will no longer give you any straw.
-\v 11 So you must go and get straw where you can find it. But you must keep working to make the same number of bricks."
+\v 10 So the slave bosses and Israelite assistants went to where the Israelite people were and said to them, “The king has said that he will no longer give you any straw.
+\v 11 So you must go and get straw where you can find it. But you must keep working to make the same number of bricks.”
 \s5
 \v 12 So the Israelite people went all over Egypt to find straw.
-\v 13 The slave bosses kept telling them, "Do all the work you are assigned each day. Make the same number of bricks as you did before when we gave you straw!"
-\v 14 When they were not able to make enough bricks, the slave bosses working for Pharaoh beat the Israelite assistants with sticks. They asked them, "Why have all the men you are in charge of not been able to make the same number of bricks today as they did before?"
+\v 13 The slave bosses kept telling them, “Do all the work you are assigned each day. Make the same number of bricks as you did before when we gave you straw!”
+\v 14 When they were not able to make enough bricks, the slave bosses working for Pharaoh beat the Israelite assistants with sticks. They asked them, “Why have all the men you are in charge of not been able to make the same number of bricks today as they did before?”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 Then the Israelite assistants went to the king and cried out, "Your Majesty, why are you treating us this way?
-\v 16 Now they are not giving us any straw for making bricks, but they keep telling us to make more bricks. And they beat us. But it is because of your own slave bosses that we cannot make as many bricks as before!"
-\v 17 But the king said, "You are lazy and do not want to work! That is why you keep saying, 'Allow us to go to the desert to worship Yahweh.'
-\v 18 So get back to work! We are not going to give you any straw, but you must keep making the same number of bricks!"
+\v 15 Then the Israelite assistants went to the king and cried out, “Your Majesty, why are you treating us this way?
+\v 16 Now they are not giving us any straw for making bricks, but they keep telling us to make more bricks. And they beat us. But it is because of your own slave bosses that we cannot make as many bricks as before!”
+\v 17 But the king said, “You are lazy and do not want to work! That is why you keep saying, ‘Allow us to go to the desert to worship Yahweh.’
+\v 18 So get back to work! We are not going to give you any straw, but you must keep making the same number of bricks!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 The Israelite assistants knew that they were having a bad time because they had been told, "We are not going to lower the number of bricks you must make each day."
-\v 20 As they left the king's palace, they met Aaron and Moses, who were waiting for them there.
-\v 21 They said to Aaron and Moses, "May Yahweh see what you two have done! May he punish you because you have caused the king and his officials to hate us! You have given them a reason to kill us!"
+\v 19 The Israelite assistants knew that they were having a bad time because they had been told, “We are not going to lower the number of bricks you must make each day.”
+\v 20 As they left the king’s palace, they met Aaron and Moses, who were waiting for them there.
+\v 21 They said to Aaron and Moses, “May Yahweh see what you two have done! May he punish you because you have caused the king and his officials to hate us! You have given them a reason to kill us!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 Moses left them and prayed to Yahweh again, saying, "O Yahweh, why have you caused all these evil things to happen to your people? And why did you send me here?
-\v 23 Ever since I went to the king and told him what you told me to say, he has treated your people very badly, and you have not done anything to help them!"
+\v 22 Moses left them and prayed to Yahweh again, saying, “O Yahweh, why have you caused all these evil things to happen to your people? And why did you send me here?
+\v 23 Ever since I went to the king and told him what you told me to say, he has treated your people very badly, and you have not done anything to help them!”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 6
 
 \p
-\v 1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to the king and his people. I will make him let my people go. In fact, by my power I will force him to chase them from his land!"
+\v 1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to the king and his people. I will make him let my people go. In fact, by my power I will force him to chase them from his land!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 2 God also said to Moses, "I am Yahweh.
+\v 2 God also said to Moses, “I am Yahweh.
 \v 3 I am the one who appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and told them that I was God Almighty, but I did not tell them that my name was Yahweh.
 \v 4 I also made my covenant with them, promising to give them the land of Canaan. That was the land in which they were living as foreigners.
 \v 5 Furthermore, I have heard the Israelite people groan because of the hard work that the Egyptians have been making them do as their slaves. I have thought about the covenant that I made.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 So tell the Israelite people that I said this: 'I am Yahweh. I will free you from the burdens of heavy work that the Egyptians have forced upon you. I will free you from being their slaves. With my great power and by punishing them very harshly, I will save you.
+\v 6 So tell the Israelite people that I said this: ‘I am Yahweh. I will free you from the burdens of heavy work that the Egyptians have forced upon you. I will free you from being their slaves. With my great power and by punishing them very harshly, I will save you.
 \v 7 I will cause you to become my own people, and I will be your God, the one you worship. You will truly know that I am Yahweh God, the one who has freed you from the burdens of work as slaves of the Egyptians.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 I will bring you to the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. You will live in it forever. I, Yahweh, am promising this.'"
+\v 8 I will bring you to the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. You will live in it forever. I, Yahweh, am promising this.’”
 \p
 \v 9 Moses told that to the Israelite people, but they did not believe what he said. They were very sad because of the hard work they were made to do as slaves.
 
@@ -298,17 +298,17 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 
 \p
 \v 10 Then Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 11 "Go and tell the king of Egypt again that he must allow the Israelite people to leave his land!"
-\v 12 But Moses said to Yahweh, "Please listen to me. Even the Israelite people have not paid attention to what I told them. I am a poor speaker. So why should the king pay attention to what I tell him?"
-\v 13 But Yahweh spoke to Aaron and Moses, "Tell the Israelite people and the king of Egypt that I have called you two to lead the Israelite people out of Egypt."
+\v 11 “Go and tell the king of Egypt again that he must allow the Israelite people to leave his land!”
+\v 12 But Moses said to Yahweh, “Please listen to me. Even the Israelite people have not paid attention to what I told them. I am a poor speaker. So why should the king pay attention to what I tell him?”
+\v 13 But Yahweh spoke to Aaron and Moses, “Tell the Israelite people and the king of Egypt that I have called you two to lead the Israelite people out of Egypt.”
 
 \s5
 
 \p
 \v 14 Now here is a list of the ancestors of Moses and Aaron.
-\p The sons of Reuben, who was Jacob's oldest son, were: Hanok, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. They were ancestors of the clans that have those same names.
+\p The sons of Reuben, who was Jacob’s oldest son, were: Hanok, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. They were ancestors of the clans that have those same names.
 \p
-\v 15 The sons of Simeon were: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul. Shaul's mother was a woman from the land of Canaan. They also were ancestors of clans that have those same names.
+\v 15 The sons of Simeon were: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul. Shaul’s mother was a woman from the land of Canaan. They also were ancestors of clans that have those same names.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Amram married his father's sister, Jochebed. She was the mother of Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years.
+\v 20 Amram married his father’s sister, Jochebed. She was the mother of Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years.
 \p
 \v 21 The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.
 \p
@@ -334,29 +334,29 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \p
 \v 24 The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. They were the ancestors of the Korahite people.
 \p
-\v 25 Aaron's son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she gave birth to Phinehas. That ends the list of the families and clans that were descended from Levi.
+\v 25 Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she gave birth to Phinehas. That ends the list of the families and clans that were descended from Levi.
 
 \s5
-\v 26 Aaron and Moses were the ones to whom Yahweh said, "Lead all the tribes of the Israelite people out of Egypt."
+\v 26 Aaron and Moses were the ones to whom Yahweh said, “Lead all the tribes of the Israelite people out of Egypt.”
 \v 27 They were the ones who spoke to the king of Egypt in order to bring the Israelite people out of Egypt.
 
 \s5
 \v 28 On the day that Yahweh spoke to Moses in Egypt,
-\v 29 he said, "I am Yahweh. You must tell the king everything that I say to you."
-\v 30 But Moses said to Yahweh, "Please listen to me. I am not a good speaker. So why should the king listen to what I tell him?"
+\v 29 he said, “I am Yahweh. You must tell the king everything that I say to you.”
+\v 30 But Moses said to Yahweh, “Please listen to me. I am not a good speaker. So why should the king listen to what I tell him?”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 7
 
 \p
-\v 1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Listen to me. I will cause the king to see you as a god, and Aaron will be like a prophet because he will speak for you.
+\v 1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Listen to me. I will cause the king to see you as a god, and Aaron will be like a prophet because he will speak for you.
 \v 2 You must tell everything I command you to your older brother Aaron, and he will tell it all to the king. He must tell the king to let the Israelite people leave his land.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 But I will make the king stubborn. Because of this, even though I will do many kinds of miracles here in Egypt,
 \v 4 the king will not believe what you say. Then I will punish the people of Egypt very severely, and I will lead the tribes of my Israelite people out of Egypt.
-\v 5 Then, when I show my great power to the Egyptian people and bring the Israelite people out from among them, they will know that I am Yahweh, the all-powerful God."
+\v 5 Then, when I show my great power to the Egyptian people and bring the Israelite people out from among them, they will know that I am Yahweh, the all-powerful God.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -366,28 +366,28 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron,
-\v 9 "If the king says to you, 'Show me that God sent you by performing a miracle,' then say to Aaron, 'Throw your staff down in front of the king in order that it may become a snake.'"
+\v 9 “If the king says to you, ‘Show me that God sent you by performing a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Throw your staff down in front of the king in order that it may become a snake.’”
 \v 10 So Aaron and Moses went to the king and did what Yahweh told them to do. Aaron threw his staff down in front of the king and his officials, and it became a snake.
 
 \s5
 \v 11 Then the king called his sorcerers and men who did magic. They did the same thing, using their magic.
-\v 12 They all threw down their staffs, and the staffs became snakes. But Aaron's staff, which had become a snake, swallowed up all their snakes!
+\v 12 They all threw down their staffs, and the staffs became snakes. But Aaron’s staff, which had become a snake, swallowed up all their snakes!
 \v 13 But the king continued to be stubborn, just as Yahweh had said he would, and he would not believe what Aaron and Moses said.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "The king is very stubborn. He refuses to allow my people to go.
+\v 14 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “The king is very stubborn. He refuses to allow my people to go.
 \v 15 So tomorrow morning, go to him as he is going down to the Nile River to bathe. Wait for him on the riverbank. When he comes out of the water, show him the staff, the one that had become a snake.
 
 \s5
-\v 16 Say to him, 'Yahweh God, the one we Hebrews worship, sent me to you to tell you to let my people go in order that they may worship him in the desert. We told you that, but you have not listened to us.
-\v 17 So now Yahweh says this: "This is the way you will know that I am Yahweh, the all-powerful God. I am going to strike the water that is in the Nile River with the staff that is in my hand. When I do that, the water will become blood.
-\v 18 Then the fish in the Nile River will die, and the water in the river will smell bad. The Egyptians will not be able to drink water from the river."'"
+\v 16 Say to him, ‘Yahweh God, the one we Hebrews worship, sent me to you to tell you to let my people go in order that they may worship him in the desert. We told you that, but you have not listened to us.
+\v 17 So now Yahweh says this: “This is the way you will know that I am Yahweh, the all-powerful God. I am going to strike the water that is in the Nile River with the staff that is in my hand. When I do that, the water will become blood.
+\v 18 Then the fish in the Nile River will die, and the water in the river will smell bad. The Egyptians will not be able to drink water from the river.”’”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 Yahweh said to Moses, "When you are talking to the king, say to Aaron, 'Hold your staff out as though you were holding it over all the water in Egypt—over the rivers, the canals, the ponds, and over the pools of water, in order that all of it may become blood.' When Aaron does that, there will be blood throughout Egypt, even in wooden jars and in stone jars."
+\v 19 Yahweh said to Moses, “When you are talking to the king, say to Aaron, ‘Hold your staff out as though you were holding it over all the water in Egypt—over the rivers, the canals, the ponds, and over the pools of water, in order that all of it may become blood.’ When Aaron does that, there will be blood throughout Egypt, even in wooden jars and in stone jars.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -406,26 +406,26 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \s5
 \c 8
 \p
-\v 1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Go back to the king and tell him, 'Yahweh says that you must let my people go in order that they can worship me in the desert.
+\v 1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Go back to the king and tell him, ‘Yahweh says that you must let my people go in order that they can worship me in the desert.
 \v 2 But if you do not let them go, I will punish you by sending frogs to cover your country.
 \v 3 Not only will the Nile River be full of frogs, but also the frogs will come up out of the river into your house. They will come into your bedroom and onto your bed. They will be in the houses of your leaders and all the rest of your people. They will even get into your ovens and your pans for mixing the materials for baking bread.
-\v 4 The frogs will jump up on you, your officials, and on all the rest of your people.'"
+\v 4 The frogs will jump up on you, your officials, and on all the rest of your people.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 Yahweh also said to Moses, "Say this to Aaron: 'Hold your staff in your hand and stretch it out as though you were stretching it over the river, the canals, and the pools, and cause frogs to come up from all this water and to cover the land of Egypt.'"
+\v 5 Yahweh also said to Moses, “Say this to Aaron: ‘Hold your staff in your hand and stretch it out as though you were stretching it over the river, the canals, and the pools, and cause frogs to come up from all this water and to cover the land of Egypt.’”
 \v 6 After Moses told that to him, Aaron stretched out his hand as though he were stretching it over all the water in Egypt. Then the frogs came up from the water and covered Egypt.
 \v 7 But the men who did magic did the same thing, and they caused more frogs to come up from the water onto the land.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 Then the king called Moses and said, "Ask Yahweh to take away these frogs from me and my people. After that happens, I will allow your people to go to worship Yahweh."
-\v 9 Moses said to the king, "I will be glad to pray for you, for your officials, and for the rest of your people. I will ask Yahweh to get rid of the frogs from all your houses. The only frogs left will be those in the Nile River. Just tell me when I should pray."
+\v 8 Then the king called Moses and said, “Ask Yahweh to take away these frogs from me and my people. After that happens, I will allow your people to go to worship Yahweh.”
+\v 9 Moses said to the king, “I will be glad to pray for you, for your officials, and for the rest of your people. I will ask Yahweh to get rid of the frogs from all your houses. The only frogs left will be those in the Nile River. Just tell me when I should pray.”
 
 \s5
-\v 10 The king replied, "Tomorrow." So Moses said, "I will do what you say, and then you will know that Yahweh God, the one we worship, is the only true god, and that there is no other god like him.
-\v 11 The frogs will leave you, your officials, and all the rest of your people. The only ones left will be in the Nile River."
+\v 10 The king replied, “Tomorrow.” So Moses said, “I will do what you say, and then you will know that Yahweh God, the one we worship, is the only true god, and that there is no other god like him.
+\v 11 The frogs will leave you, your officials, and all the rest of your people. The only ones left will be in the Nile River.”
 \p
-\v 12 Then Moses and Aaron left the king. Moses prayed to Yahweh, asking him to take away all the frogs he had brought to the king's land.
+\v 12 Then Moses and Aaron left the king. Moses prayed to Yahweh, asking him to take away all the frogs he had brought to the king’s land.
 
 \s5
 \v 13 Yahweh did just what Moses asked him to do. As a result, all the frogs in the houses, in their courtyards, and in their fields died.
@@ -435,33 +435,33 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Tell Aaron to strike the ground with his staff. When he does that, all the fine particles of earth will become gnats all over the land of Egypt."
+\v 16 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron to strike the ground with his staff. When he does that, all the fine particles of earth will become gnats all over the land of Egypt.”
 \v 17 Moses and Aaron obeyed Yahweh. Aaron struck the ground with his staff, and all over Egypt the fine particles of earth became gnats. The gnats covered the people and all their animals.
 
 \s5
 \v 18 The men who worked magic tried to cause gnats to appear, but they could not do it. So the gnats stayed on the people and on their animals.
-\v 19 The men who worked magic said to the king, "It is God who has done this with his power!" But the king continued to be stubborn, and he would not pay attention to what Aaron and Moses said, just as Yahweh had said.
+\v 19 The men who worked magic said to the king, “It is God who has done this with his power!” But the king continued to be stubborn, and he would not pay attention to what Aaron and Moses said, just as Yahweh had said.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Get up early tomorrow morning. Go down to the river and wait for the king. When he comes to bathe, say to him, 'This is what Yahweh says to you: "Let my people go, in order that they may worship me in the desert.
+\v 20 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Get up early tomorrow morning. Go down to the river and wait for the king. When he comes to bathe, say to him, ‘This is what Yahweh says to you: “Let my people go, in order that they may worship me in the desert.
 \v 21 I warn you that if you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies to you. They will come on you, on your officials, and on the rest of your people. The houses of all you Egyptians will be full of flies. They will even cover the ground on which you will be standing.
 
 \s5
 \v 22 But when that happens, I will treat the region of Goshen differently, because my people live there. There will be no swarms of flies there. In that way, you will know that I, Yahweh, am doing these things here in this land.
-\v 23 I will show you how I act toward my people and how I act toward your people. This miracle is going to happen tomorrow!"'"
+\v 23 I will show you how I act toward my people and how I act toward your people. This miracle is going to happen tomorrow!”’”
 \p
 \v 24 Early the next morning, Moses told that to the king, but the king would not listen. So Yahweh did what he said he would do. He sent great swarms of flies into the palace of the king and into the houses of his officials. The whole country of Egypt was ruined by the flies.
 
 \s5
-\v 25 Then the king called Aaron and Moses and said, "You Israelite people can go and worship your god, but you must do it here in this land."
-\v 26 But Moses replied, "It would not be right for us to do that because we will offer sacrifices that are very offensive to the Egyptian people. If we offer sacrifices that the Egyptian people do not like, they will kill us by throwing stones at us!
-\v 27 We need to travel for three days into the wilderness. There we will offer sacrifices to Yahweh, the God we worship, just as he commands us."
+\v 25 Then the king called Aaron and Moses and said, “You Israelite people can go and worship your god, but you must do it here in this land.”
+\v 26 But Moses replied, “It would not be right for us to do that because we will offer sacrifices that are very offensive to the Egyptian people. If we offer sacrifices that the Egyptian people do not like, they will kill us by throwing stones at us!
+\v 27 We need to travel for three days into the wilderness. There we will offer sacrifices to Yahweh, the God we worship, just as he commands us.”
 
 \s5
-\v 28 So the king said, "I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to Yahweh, your god, in the desert. But you must not go very far. Now pray for me!"
-\v 29 Moses said, "Listen to me! After I leave you, I will pray to Yahweh, asking that tomorrow he will cause the swarms of flies to leave you, your officials, and the rest of your people. But do not lie to us again by refusing to let our people go to offer sacrifices to Yahweh!"
+\v 28 So the king said, “I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to Yahweh, your god, in the desert. But you must not go very far. Now pray for me!”
+\v 29 Moses said, “Listen to me! After I leave you, I will pray to Yahweh, asking that tomorrow he will cause the swarms of flies to leave you, your officials, and the rest of your people. But do not lie to us again by refusing to let our people go to offer sacrifices to Yahweh!”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -474,22 +474,22 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \c 9
 
 \p
-\v 1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Go to the king and say to him, 'This is what Yahweh, the one we Hebrews worship, says: "Allow my people to go, in order that they may worship me.
+\v 1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to the king and say to him, ‘This is what Yahweh, the one we Hebrews worship, says: “Allow my people to go, in order that they may worship me.
 \v 2 If you still refuse to let them go,
 \v 3 I warn you that I will punish you with my power by sending a terrible disease on all your livestock to make them sick and die—on your horses, on your donkeys, on your camels, on your cattle, and on your flocks of sheep and goats.
-\v 4 But I, Yahweh, will not treat the livestock that belongs to the Israelite people the same as yours. You will see that none of the livestock that belongs to the Israelite people will die."
+\v 4 But I, Yahweh, will not treat the livestock that belongs to the Israelite people the same as yours. You will see that none of the livestock that belongs to the Israelite people will die.”
 
 \s5
-\v 5 Tell Pharaoh that I will do this thing in the land tomorrow."'"
+\v 5 Tell Pharaoh that I will do this thing in the land tomorrow.”’”
 \p
-\v 6 The next day Yahweh did what he said that he would do. A terrible disease came upon all of the Egyptians' livestock, and all of the livestock died. But none of the Israelite livestock died.
+\v 6 The next day Yahweh did what he said that he would do. A terrible disease came upon all of the Egyptians’ livestock, and all of the livestock died. But none of the Israelite livestock died.
 \v 7 The king sent men to look at what happened, and they were surprised to see that none of the Israelite animals had died. But after they told that to the king, he continued to be stubborn, and he did not let the Israelite people go.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 Then Yahweh said to Aaron and Moses, "Take a few handfuls of ashes from a furnace. Moses will throw them up into the air in front of the king.
-\v 9 The ashes will spread all over the country of Egypt like fine dust. Everywhere in the land, the ashes will cause boils to be upon both the Egyptian people and their animals."
+\v 8 Then Yahweh said to Aaron and Moses, “Take a few handfuls of ashes from a furnace. Moses will throw them up into the air in front of the king.
+\v 9 The ashes will spread all over the country of Egypt like fine dust. Everywhere in the land, the ashes will cause boils to be upon both the Egyptian people and their animals.”
 \v 10 So they got some ashes and went and stood in front of the king. Moses threw the ashes up into the air. The ashes spread all over, causing boils to be upon both the Egyptian people and their animals. All the boils became open sores.
 
 \s5
@@ -499,7 +499,7 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Get up early tomorrow morning. Go and stand in front of the king and tell him that Yahweh God, the one whom the Hebrew people worship, says this: 'Let my people go in order that they may worship me in the wilderness.
+\v 13 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Get up early tomorrow morning. Go and stand in front of the king and tell him that Yahweh God, the one whom the Hebrew people worship, says this: ‘Let my people go in order that they may worship me in the wilderness.
 \v 14 If you do not let them go, this time I will punish with disasters, not only your officials and the rest of your people, but also you yourself in order that you might know there is no god like me anywhere in the world.
 
 \s5
@@ -509,15 +509,15 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 
 \s5
 \v 18 So listen to this: About this time tomorrow I will cause large balls of ice to fall in Egypt. From the time Egypt first became a nation, there has never been an ice storm as bad as this one will be.
-\v 19 So you should send a message to all people to put under shelter their cattle and everything else that they own that is out in the fields. The ice will fall on every person and every animal that is out in the fields and that is not brought under a shelter, and they will all die.'" So Moses did what Yahweh said.
+\v 19 So you should send a message to all people to put under shelter their cattle and everything else that they own that is out in the fields. The ice will fall on every person and every animal that is out in the fields and that is not brought under a shelter, and they will all die.’” So Moses did what Yahweh said.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Some of the king's officials who heard what Yahweh had said became very afraid. So they brought all their animals and their slaves under shelters.
+\v 20 Some of the king’s officials who heard what Yahweh had said became very afraid. So they brought all their animals and their slaves under shelters.
 \v 21 But those who did not listen to what Yahweh had said left their slaves and their animals in the fields.
 
 \s5
-\v 22 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Raise your hand up toward the sky, in order that balls of ice may fall all over the land of Egypt—on the people, on their animals, and on all the plants in the fields."
+\v 22 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Raise your hand up toward the sky, in order that balls of ice may fall all over the land of Egypt—on the people, on their animals, and on all the plants in the fields.”
 \v 23 So Moses lifted his staff up toward the sky. And Yahweh sent down balls of ice all over the land of Egypt. There was also thunder and lightning.
 \v 24 While large balls of ice were falling, there was thunder, and lightning struck the ground. There had never been an ice storm like that since Egypt first became a country.
 
@@ -527,13 +527,13 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 27 Then the king sent someone to summon Aaron and Moses. He said to them, "This time I admit that I have sinned. What Yahweh has done is right, and what I and my people have done is wrong.
-\v 28 Pray to Yahweh! We cannot take any more of this thunder and ice! I will let your people go; they do not have to stay in Egypt any longer."
+\v 27 Then the king sent someone to summon Aaron and Moses. He said to them, “This time I admit that I have sinned. What Yahweh has done is right, and what I and my people have done is wrong.
+\v 28 Pray to Yahweh! We cannot take any more of this thunder and ice! I will let your people go; they do not have to stay in Egypt any longer.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 29 Moses replied, "As soon as I go out of this city, I will lift up my hands and pray to Yahweh. Then the thunder will cease, and no more ice will fall. This will happen in order that you will know that Yahweh, not your gods, controls everything that happens on the earth.
-\v 30 But as for you and your officials, I know that you do not yet fear Yahweh God."
+\v 29 Moses replied, “As soon as I go out of this city, I will lift up my hands and pray to Yahweh. Then the thunder will cease, and no more ice will fall. This will happen in order that you will know that Yahweh, not your gods, controls everything that happens on the earth.
+\v 30 But as for you and your officials, I know that you do not yet fear Yahweh God.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -550,32 +550,32 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \s5
 \c 10
 \p
-\v 1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Go to the king again. I have made him and his officials stubborn. I have done so in order that I may have a good reason to do all these miracles among them.
-\v 2 I have also done so in order that you would be able to tell your children and your grandchildren how I caused the Egyptians to act very foolishly when I performed all these miracles. Then all of you will know that I am Yahweh God."
+\v 1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to the king again. I have made him and his officials stubborn. I have done so in order that I may have a good reason to do all these miracles among them.
+\v 2 I have also done so in order that you would be able to tell your children and your grandchildren how I caused the Egyptians to act very foolishly when I performed all these miracles. Then all of you will know that I am Yahweh God.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 So Aaron and Moses went to the king and said to him, "Yahweh God, the one whom we Hebrews worship, says this, 'How long will you stubbornly refuse to do what I tell you? Let my people go in order that they may worship me in the wilderness!
+\v 3 So Aaron and Moses went to the king and said to him, “Yahweh God, the one whom we Hebrews worship, says this, ‘How long will you stubbornly refuse to do what I tell you? Let my people go in order that they may worship me in the wilderness!
 \v 4 If you do not let them go, I warn you that tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 They will cover the ground so that you will not even be able to see it. They will eat everything that the ice storm did not destroy. They will eat everything that is left on the trees that is still growing.
-\v 6 They will fill your houses and the houses of all your officials and of all the rest of the Egyptians. There will be more locusts than you or your parents or your grandparents have ever seen from the time your ancestors first came to this land until now!'" Then Moses, along with Aaron, turned and left the king.
+\v 6 They will fill your houses and the houses of all your officials and of all the rest of the Egyptians. There will be more locusts than you or your parents or your grandparents have ever seen from the time your ancestors first came to this land until now!’” Then Moses, along with Aaron, turned and left the king.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 The king's officials said to him, "How long is this man going to bring bad things upon us? Let the Israelites go in order that they may worship Yahweh, their god. Do you not yet understand that this man has ruined Egypt?"
-\v 8 So they brought Aaron and Moses back to the king. He said to them, "All right, you can go and worship Yahweh, your god. But who are the ones who will go?"
+\v 7 The king’s officials said to him, “How long is this man going to bring bad things upon us? Let the Israelites go in order that they may worship Yahweh, their god. Do you not yet understand that this man has ruined Egypt?”
+\v 8 So they brought Aaron and Moses back to the king. He said to them, “All right, you can go and worship Yahweh, your god. But who are the ones who will go?”
 
 \s5
-\v 9 Moses replied, "We all need to go, everyone, including those who are young and those who are old. We need to take our sons, our daughters, and our flocks of sheep, goats, and herds of livestock because we must have a festival to honor Yahweh."
+\v 9 Moses replied, “We all need to go, everyone, including those who are young and those who are old. We need to take our sons, our daughters, and our flocks of sheep, goats, and herds of livestock because we must have a festival to honor Yahweh.”
 \p
-\v 10 So the king replied, "I never want Yahweh to help you, and I myself will never let you take your children and your wives with you! It is clear that you are planning not to return.
-\v 11 So, no, I will not let you all go. The Israelite men may go and worship Yahweh if that is what you want." Then the king drove Moses and Aaron from his palace.
+\v 10 So the king replied, “I never want Yahweh to help you, and I myself will never let you take your children and your wives with you! It is clear that you are planning not to return.
+\v 11 So, no, I will not let you all go. The Israelite men may go and worship Yahweh if that is what you want.” Then the king drove Moses and Aaron from his palace.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Reach out your hand as though you were stretching it over the land to welcome the locusts. They will come to the country of Egypt and eat every plant that is left in the land, every plant that the ice storm did not destroy."
+\v 12 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Reach out your hand as though you were stretching it over the land to welcome the locusts. They will come to the country of Egypt and eat every plant that is left in the land, every plant that the ice storm did not destroy.”
 \p
 \v 13 So Moses held out his staff as though he were stretching it over the whole land of Egypt. Then Yahweh caused a strong wind to blow from the east, and it blew over the land all that day and all that night. By the next morning, it had brought the locusts.
 
@@ -585,8 +585,8 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 The king quickly called Aaron and Moses and said, "I have sinned against Yahweh, your god, and against you two.
-\v 17 So now I ask you to forgive me this one time for having sinned. Please pray to Yahweh, your god, to take away this terrible disaster that will cause us all to die."
+\v 16 The king quickly called Aaron and Moses and said, “I have sinned against Yahweh, your god, and against you two.
+\v 17 So now I ask you to forgive me this one time for having sinned. Please pray to Yahweh, your god, to take away this terrible disaster that will cause us all to die.”
 \p
 \v 18 So Moses and Aaron left the king, and Moses prayed to Yahweh.
 
@@ -597,44 +597,44 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 Yahweh said to Moses, "Reach your hand up toward the sky in order that there may be darkness over all the land of Egypt, a darkness so complete that people will have to feel around to know where to walk."
+\v 21 Yahweh said to Moses, “Reach your hand up toward the sky in order that there may be darkness over all the land of Egypt, a darkness so complete that people will have to feel around to know where to walk.”
 \v 22 So Moses reached his hand toward the sky, and it became very dark all over Egypt for three days and nights.
 \v 23 People could not see each other. No one left his house during that whole time. But there was light in the area where the Israelite people lived.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 24 The king called Moses and said, "All right, you may go and worship Yahweh. Your wives and your children may go with you. But your flocks of sheep and goats and your herds of cattle must remain here."
-\v 25 But Moses replied, "No, you must let us take along the sheep and goats in order that we may have some of them to sacrifice and give as burnt offerings to Yahweh, our God.
-\v 26 Our livestock must also go with us; we are not going to leave one animal behind. We must take them to worship Yahweh. We will not know which animals to sacrifice until we get to where we are going."
+\v 24 The king called Moses and said, “All right, you may go and worship Yahweh. Your wives and your children may go with you. But your flocks of sheep and goats and your herds of cattle must remain here.”
+\v 25 But Moses replied, “No, you must let us take along the sheep and goats in order that we may have some of them to sacrifice and give as burnt offerings to Yahweh, our God.
+\v 26 Our livestock must also go with us; we are not going to leave one animal behind. We must take them to worship Yahweh. We will not know which animals to sacrifice until we get to where we are going.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 27 But Yahweh made the king continue to be stubborn. The king would not let the Israelite people go.
-\v 28 The king said to Moses and Aaron, "Get out of here! Make sure that you never come to see me again! The day you see me again, I will have you killed!"
-\v 29 Moses replied, "You are correct! You will never see me again!"
+\v 28 The king said to Moses and Aaron, “Get out of here! Make sure that you never come to see me again! The day you see me again, I will have you killed!”
+\v 29 Moses replied, “You are correct! You will never see me again!”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 11
 
 \p
-\v 1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "I will bring one more disaster on the king of Egypt and on all his people. After that, he will let you leave. In fact, he will chase you out of Egypt.
-\v 2 So now, speak to all the Israelite people. Tell them to ask all their Egyptian neighbors, both men and women, to give them their silver and gold jewelry."
-\v 3 Yahweh made the Egyptians highly respect the Israelite people. In fact, the king's officials and all the rest of the people thought that Moses was a very great man.
+\v 1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “I will bring one more disaster on the king of Egypt and on all his people. After that, he will let you leave. In fact, he will chase you out of Egypt.
+\v 2 So now, speak to all the Israelite people. Tell them to ask all their Egyptian neighbors, both men and women, to give them their silver and gold jewelry.”
+\v 3 Yahweh made the Egyptians highly respect the Israelite people. In fact, the king’s officials and all the rest of the people thought that Moses was a very great man.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 Then Moses went to the king and said, "This is what Yahweh says: 'About midnight tonight I will go through Egypt,
-\v 5 and I will cause all the firstborn sons to die. From the king's oldest son to the oldest son of the slave woman who grinds grain, and the oldest son of everyone else. I will also kill the oldest males of your livestock.
+\v 4 Then Moses went to the king and said, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘About midnight tonight I will go through Egypt,
+\v 5 and I will cause all the firstborn sons to die. From the king’s oldest son to the oldest son of the slave woman who grinds grain, and the oldest son of everyone else. I will also kill the oldest males of your livestock.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 When that happens, people all over Egypt will lament loudly. They will lament more loudly than they ever have lamented before and more than they ever will again.
-\v 7 But among the Israelite people it will be so quiet that not even a dog will bark! Then you will know for sure that I, Yahweh, am treating the Egyptians differently from the Israelites.'
-\v 8 Then all these officials of yours will come and bow down before me and will say, 'Please get out of Egypt, you and all the Israelite people!' After that, we will leave Egypt!" When Moses had said that, he left the king very angrily.
+\v 7 But among the Israelite people it will be so quiet that not even a dog will bark! Then you will know for sure that I, Yahweh, am treating the Egyptians differently from the Israelites.’
+\v 8 Then all these officials of yours will come and bow down before me and will say, ‘Please get out of Egypt, you and all the Israelite people!’ After that, we will leave Egypt!” When Moses had said that, he left the king very angrily.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "The king will not listen to what you say. So I will perform more miracles in the land of Egypt."
+\v 9 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “The king will not listen to what you say. So I will perform more miracles in the land of Egypt.”
 \p
 \v 10 Aaron and Moses did all these miracles in front of the king, but Yahweh made the king stubborn. The king did not let the Israelite people leave his land.
 
@@ -644,7 +644,7 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh said to Aaron and Moses in Egypt,
-\v 2 "From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you Israelites.
+\v 2 “From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you Israelites.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 Tell all the Israelite people that in each family, the man who heads the family must take a lamb or a young goat for his household.
@@ -677,12 +677,12 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \v 18 In the first month of the year, on the fourteenth day of that month, the only bread you may eat is bread that has no yeast in it. You must keep doing that each day until the twenty-first day of that month.
 \s5
 \v 19 For those seven days you must not have any yeast in your house. During that time, if anyone, either an Israelite or a foreigner, eats bread made with yeast, that person will no longer be an Israelite.
-\v 20 In your houses, do not eat anything that has yeast in it during those seven days."
+\v 20 In your houses, do not eat anything that has yeast in it during those seven days.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 Then Moses summoned all the leaders of the Israelite people. He said to them, "Each family should select a lamb and kill it, in order that you may eat it to celebrate the festival that will be called 'Passover.'
-\v 22 Let the lamb's blood drain into a bowl. Get a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood. Then wipe some of the blood on the top of the doorframe and on the doorposts of your houses. The people in each house must stay inside the house until the next morning.
+\v 21 Then Moses summoned all the leaders of the Israelite people. He said to them, “Each family should select a lamb and kill it, in order that you may eat it to celebrate the festival that will be called ‘Passover.’
+\v 22 Let the lamb’s blood drain into a bowl. Get a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood. Then wipe some of the blood on the top of the doorframe and on the doorposts of your houses. The people in each house must stay inside the house until the next morning.
 
 \s5
 \v 23 When Yahweh goes through Egypt to kill the oldest male in each Egyptian family, he will see the blood on your doorframes, and he will pass over those houses. He will not allow the angel who causes people to die to enter your houses and kill your oldest sons.
@@ -692,23 +692,23 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \v 25 When you arrive in the land that Yahweh will give to you as he promised, you must keep celebrating this ritual every year.
 
 \s5
-\v 26 When your children ask you, 'What does this ritual mean?'
-\v 27 you must tell them, 'This ritual is to remember how your ancestors sacrificed lambs on the night that Yahweh's angel passed over the houses of the Israelite people when they were in Egypt. He killed the oldest males in all the Egyptian houses, but he did not kill the sons in our houses." After Moses told them this, the people all bowed their heads and worshiped Yahweh.
+\v 26 When your children ask you, ‘What does this ritual mean?’
+\v 27 you must tell them, ‘This ritual is to remember how your ancestors sacrificed lambs on the night that Yahweh’s angel passed over the houses of the Israelite people when they were in Egypt. He killed the oldest males in all the Egyptian houses, but he did not kill the sons in our houses.” After Moses told them this, the people all bowed their heads and worshiped Yahweh.
 \v 28 Then the Israelite people did exactly what Yahweh told Aaron and Moses to tell them to do.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 29 At midnight Yahweh killed all the oldest sons of the Egyptian people, all over Egypt. This included the king's oldest son, the oldest sons of the prisoners in the dungeons, and the oldest sons of everyone else. He also killed the oldest males of all the Egyptians' livestock.
-\v 30 That night the king, all his officials, and all the rest of the Egyptian people awoke and discovered what had happened. They wailed loudly all over Egypt because in every house someone's son had died.
+\v 29 At midnight Yahweh killed all the oldest sons of the Egyptian people, all over Egypt. This included the king’s oldest son, the oldest sons of the prisoners in the dungeons, and the oldest sons of everyone else. He also killed the oldest males of all the Egyptians’ livestock.
+\v 30 That night the king, all his officials, and all the rest of the Egyptian people awoke and discovered what had happened. They wailed loudly all over Egypt because in every house someone’s son had died.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 31 That night the king called Aaron and Moses and said, "Get up, you and all the other Israelite people, and leave my country now! Go and worship Yahweh, as you requested!
-\v 32 Take your flocks of sheep and goats and herds of cattle, and leave! And ask Yahweh to bless me, also!"
+\v 31 That night the king called Aaron and Moses and said, “Get up, you and all the other Israelite people, and leave my country now! Go and worship Yahweh, as you requested!
+\v 32 Take your flocks of sheep and goats and herds of cattle, and leave! And ask Yahweh to bless me, also!”
 \p
-\v 33 The Egyptians asked the Israelite people to leave their country quickly. They said, "If you do not do that, we will all die!"
+\v 33 The Egyptians asked the Israelite people to leave their country quickly. They said, “If you do not do that, we will all die!”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -725,13 +725,13 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \v 40 The Israelite people had lived in Egypt for 430 years.
 
 \s5
-\v 41 On the day that those 430 years ended, on that very day, all the tribes of Yahweh's people left Egypt.
+\v 41 On the day that those 430 years ended, on that very day, all the tribes of Yahweh’s people left Egypt.
 \v 42 It was a night when the Israelites stayed awake as Yahweh brought them out of Egypt. So this same night every year is a night that is dedicated to Yahweh, a night when the Israelite people in every generation remember how Yahweh kept their ancestors safe.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 43 Then Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, "These are my instructions about the Passover ritual: Do not let foreigners eat the Passover meal.
+\v 43 Then Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “These are my instructions about the Passover ritual: Do not let foreigners eat the Passover meal.
 \v 44 But any male slaves that you have bought may eat it after you have circumcised them.
 
 \s5
@@ -743,7 +743,7 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \v 48 When someone from another country comes to live with you and wants to celebrate the Passover festival, circumcise all the males in his household. Then he can eat the Passover meal, and you should treat that man as though he had been born an Israelite. But do not allow men who have not been circumcised to eat the Passover meal.
 
 \s5
-\v 49 These rules apply to people who were born as Israelites and to foreigners who come and live among you."
+\v 49 These rules apply to people who were born as Israelites and to foreigners who come and live among you.”
 \p
 \v 50 All the Israelite people obeyed Moses and Aaron and did what Yahweh had commanded.
 \v 51 On that very day, Yahweh brought all the tribes of the Israelite people out of Egypt.
@@ -753,11 +753,11 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \c 13
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 2 "Set apart all the firstborn males in order that they may belong to me. The firstborn males of the Israelite people and of their animals will be mine."
+\v 2 “Set apart all the firstborn males in order that they may belong to me. The firstborn males of the Israelite people and of their animals will be mine.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 Moses said to the people, "Do not forget this day! This is the day that you left Egypt. This is the day you were freed from being their slaves. Yahweh has brought you out of Egypt by his great power. Do not eat any bread that has yeast in it whenever you celebrate this day.
+\v 3 Moses said to the people, “Do not forget this day! This is the day that you left Egypt. This is the day you were freed from being their slaves. Yahweh has brought you out of Egypt by his great power. Do not eat any bread that has yeast in it whenever you celebrate this day.
 \v 4 You are leaving Egypt on this day which is the first day of the month of Aviv.
 \v 5 Later, when Yahweh brings you into the land where the descendants of Canaan, Heth, Amor, Hiv, and Jebus now live, the land that he promised to give to you, a land that will be very good for raising livestock and growing crops, you must celebrate this festival in this month every year.
 
@@ -766,7 +766,7 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \v 7 Do not eat bread that has yeast in it for seven days. You should not have any yeast or bread made with yeast anywhere in your land.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 On the day the festival starts, you must tell your children, 'We are doing this to remember what Yahweh did for our ancestors when they left Egypt.'
+\v 8 On the day the festival starts, you must tell your children, ‘We are doing this to remember what Yahweh did for our ancestors when they left Egypt.’
 \v 9 This ritual will remind you how Yahweh brought your ancestors out of Egypt with his great power. The ritual will be like something you tie on your forehead or on your wrist. It will remind you to recite to others what Yahweh has instructed you.
 \v 10 So you must celebrate this festival every year at the time Yahweh has appointed.
 
@@ -777,18 +777,18 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \v 13 You may keep the firstborn male donkeys, but you must buy them back by killing a lamb in the place of the donkey. If you do not want to buy back the donkey, you must kill it by breaking its neck. You must buy back every one of your own firstborn sons.
 
 \s5
-\v 14 In the future, when one of your children asks, 'What does this mean?' you must say to him, 'Yahweh brought our ancestors out of Egypt with his great power, and freed us from being slaves there.
-\v 15 The king of Egypt did not let them leave his land, so Yahweh killed all the firstborn males in Egypt, both the boys and the firstborn of their livestock. That is why we now sacrifice to Yahweh all the firstborn of our livestock, but we buy back our own firstborn sons.'
-\v 16 This will remind you about how Yahweh brought our ancestors out of Egypt by his great power; it will be like something you tie on your wrist or on your forehead to remind you of that."
+\v 14 In the future, when one of your children asks, ‘What does this mean?’ you must say to him, ‘Yahweh brought our ancestors out of Egypt with his great power, and freed us from being slaves there.
+\v 15 The king of Egypt did not let them leave his land, so Yahweh killed all the firstborn males in Egypt, both the boys and the firstborn of their livestock. That is why we now sacrifice to Yahweh all the firstborn of our livestock, but we buy back our own firstborn sons.’
+\v 16 This will remind you about how Yahweh brought our ancestors out of Egypt by his great power; it will be like something you tie on your wrist or on your forehead to remind you of that.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 When the king of Egypt let the Israelite people go, God did not lead them to go through the land of the Philistines. That was a shorter road, but God said, "It would be bad if my people changed their minds when they realized that they will have to fight the Philistines to take their land. Then they would decide to go back to Egypt."
+\v 17 When the king of Egypt let the Israelite people go, God did not lead them to go through the land of the Philistines. That was a shorter road, but God said, “It would be bad if my people changed their minds when they realized that they will have to fight the Philistines to take their land. Then they would decide to go back to Egypt.”
 \v 18 Instead, God led them to go around through the wilderness toward the Sea of Reeds. When the Israelite people left Egypt, they were carrying weapons to fight their enemies.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 Moses had them take along the bones of Joseph with them because Joseph long ago had made the Israelite people promise that they would do that. He had said to them, "God will rescue your descendants out of Egypt. When that happens, you must carry my bones with you."
+\v 19 Moses had them take along the bones of Joseph with them because Joseph long ago had made the Israelite people promise that they would do that. He had said to them, “God will rescue your descendants out of Egypt. When that happens, you must carry my bones with you.”
 \p
 \v 20 The Israelite people left Succoth and walked to Etham at the edge of the wilderness, and they set up their tents there.
 \v 21 When they walked during the daytime, Yahweh went in front of them in a tall white cloud to show them the way. During the night, he went in front of them in a tall cloud that looked like a fire. By doing this, he enabled them to travel in the daytime and also at nighttime.
@@ -800,39 +800,39 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 
 \p
 \v 1 Then Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 2 "Tell the Israelite people to turn around and go back and set up their tents in front of Pi Hahiroth. That town is between Migdol and the sea, near Baal Zephon. Set up your tents there close to the sea.
-\v 3 When the king knows you have done that, he will think, 'The Israelite people are confused. They are wandering around, and the desert blocks their path.'
+\v 2 “Tell the Israelite people to turn around and go back and set up their tents in front of Pi Hahiroth. That town is between Migdol and the sea, near Baal Zephon. Set up your tents there close to the sea.
+\v 3 When the king knows you have done that, he will think, ‘The Israelite people are confused. They are wandering around, and the desert blocks their path.’
 
 \s5
-\v 4 But I will make the king stubborn again, and he will take his army and come after you. Then my people will praise me for winning a victory over the king and his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh." So Moses told the Israelites that, and they did what he told them to do.
+\v 4 But I will make the king stubborn again, and he will take his army and come after you. Then my people will praise me for winning a victory over the king and his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh.” So Moses told the Israelites that, and they did what he told them to do.
 
 \p
-\v 5 When someone told the king that the Israelite people had left during the night, he and his leaders changed their minds and said, "What have we done? The Israelite people will no longer be our slaves!"
+\v 5 When someone told the king that the Israelite people had left during the night, he and his leaders changed their minds and said, “What have we done? The Israelite people will no longer be our slaves!”
 
 \s5
 \v 6 So the king got his chariot and his army ready.
 \v 7 Then he selected six hundred of the best chariots, and in each chariot he placed a driver, a soldier, and a commander, and they left.
 \v 8 Yahweh made the king of Egypt stubborn, so he and his army went to pursue the Israelites. The Israelites marched out with confidence.
-\v 9 The Egyptian army, with all the king's horses and chariots and horsemen, went after the Israelites. They caught up with them as they were camped near the sea close to Pi Hahiroth, in front of Baal Zephon.
+\v 9 The Egyptian army, with all the king’s horses and chariots and horsemen, went after the Israelites. They caught up with them as they were camped near the sea close to Pi Hahiroth, in front of Baal Zephon.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 When the king's army got near, the Israelite people were surprised to see that the Egyptians were marching toward them. They were terrified, so they cried out to Yahweh to help them.
-\v 11 Then they said to Moses, "Certainly you did not think that there was not enough room in Egypt for us to be buried. So why did you bring us here to die in this wilderness? Look what you have done to us by bringing us out of Egypt!
-\v 12 That is what we told you when we were in Egypt. We said, 'Leave us alone, and let us work for the Egyptians.' It would have been better for us to be slaves for the Egyptians than to die here in the desert!"
+\v 10 When the king’s army got near, the Israelite people were surprised to see that the Egyptians were marching toward them. They were terrified, so they cried out to Yahweh to help them.
+\v 11 Then they said to Moses, “Certainly you did not think that there was not enough room in Egypt for us to be buried. So why did you bring us here to die in this wilderness? Look what you have done to us by bringing us out of Egypt!
+\v 12 That is what we told you when we were in Egypt. We said, ‘Leave us alone, and let us work for the Egyptians.’ It would have been better for us to be slaves for the Egyptians than to die here in the desert!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid! Stand strong and see how Yahweh will rescue you. He will save you today, and the result will be that the Egyptians that you are looking at today—you will never see them again.
-\v 14 Yahweh will fight for you! Just stay calm. There is nothing else that you will have to do."
+\v 13 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid! Stand strong and see how Yahweh will rescue you. He will save you today, and the result will be that the Egyptians that you are looking at today—you will never see them again.
+\v 14 Yahweh will fight for you! Just stay calm. There is nothing else that you will have to do.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "You must not call out to me for help any longer in this situation. Instead, tell the people to go forward.
+\v 15 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “You must not call out to me for help any longer in this situation. Instead, tell the people to go forward.
 \v 16 Lift up your staff and stretch it out as though you were stretching it over the sea. The water will move away so that the Israelite people can go in the middle of the sea, walking on dry ground between the walls of water on each side.
 \v 17 I will make the Egyptians stubborn so that they will try to follow the Israelites. Then because of what I will do to the king, his army, his chariots, and his horsemen, my people will praise me.
-\v 18 When I have won a glorious victory over the king, his chariots, and his horsemen, the other Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh, the God who can do anything."
+\v 18 When I have won a glorious victory over the king, his chariots, and his horsemen, the other Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh, the God who can do anything.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -847,11 +847,11 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \s5
 \v 23 Then the Egyptian army went after them into the middle of the sea with their horses and their chariots and chariot drivers.
 \v 24 Just before dawn, Yahweh looked down from the fiery cloud, and then he caused the Egyptian army to panic.
-\v 25 He caused the wheels of the chariots to get stuck in the ground so that they could hardly move. So the Egyptians said, "Yahweh is fighting for the Israelites against us; let us get out of here!"
+\v 25 He caused the wheels of the chariots to get stuck in the ground so that they could hardly move. So the Egyptians said, “Yahweh is fighting for the Israelites against us; let us get out of here!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 26 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Stretch out your arm as though you were stretching it over the sea. Then the water will come back on the Egyptians, on their chariots, and their horsemen."
+\v 26 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your arm as though you were stretching it over the sea. Then the water will come back on the Egyptians, on their chariots, and their horsemen.”
 \v 27 So Moses stretched out his arm, and, as the sun was rising, the water returned to its normal level. The Egyptians tried to escape, but Yahweh hurled them back into the sea.
 \v 28 The water returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and the whole Egyptian army that had tried to follow the Israelites into the sea. Every one of the Egyptians died.
 
@@ -866,7 +866,7 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \c 15
 \p
 \v 1 Then Moses and all the Israelite people sang a song to Yahweh. They sang,
-\q1 "I will sing to Yahweh because he has won a great victory;
+\q1 “I will sing to Yahweh because he has won a great victory;
 \q2 He has thrown the horses and their riders into the sea!
 
 \s5
@@ -882,8 +882,8 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 4 He has thrown the king's chariots and his army into the sea;
-\q The king's best officers all drowned in the Sea of Reeds.
+\v 4 He has thrown the king’s chariots and his army into the sea;
+\q The king’s best officers all drowned in the Sea of Reeds.
 \q1
 \v 5 The water covered them like a flood;
 \q2 they sank to the bottom like a stone.
@@ -905,12 +905,12 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 9 Our enemies said, 'We will go after them
+\v 9 Our enemies said, ‘We will go after them
 \q2 and catch up to them.
 \q1 We will draw our swords
 \q2 and strike them.
 \q1 After we defeat them,
-\q2 we will divide up everything we take from them.'
+\q2 we will divide up everything we take from them.’
 \q1
 \v 10 But you blew on them with your breath,
 \q2 and then the sea covered them.
@@ -953,26 +953,26 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \q1 in the holy place, our Lord,
 \q2 that you yourself will build.
 \q1
-\v 18 O Yahweh, you will rule forever!"
+\v 18 O Yahweh, you will rule forever!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 When the king's horses and chariots and horsemen tried to go through the sea, Yahweh caused the water to come back and cover them. But the Israelite people walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground.
-\v 20 Then Miriam, who was Aaron's older sister and a prophetess, picked up her tambourine, and went out dancing with all the other women who had tambourines.
+\v 19 When the king’s horses and chariots and horsemen tried to go through the sea, Yahweh caused the water to come back and cover them. But the Israelite people walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground.
+\v 20 Then Miriam, who was Aaron’s older sister and a prophetess, picked up her tambourine, and went out dancing with all the other women who had tambourines.
 \v 21 Miriam sang to Yahweh this song:
-\q1 "Sing to Yahweh
+\q1 “Sing to Yahweh
 \q2 because he has triumphed gloriously over his enemies.
-\q1 He has thrown the horses and their riders into the sea."
+\q1 He has thrown the horses and their riders into the sea.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 22 Then Moses led the Israelite people away from the Sea of Reeds. They went to the wilderness of Shur. They walked for three days, but they could not find any water.
-\v 23 So they went on and came to a place named Marah. There was water there, but they could not drink it because it was bitter. That is why they named the place Marah, which is the Hebrew word that means 'bitter.'
+\v 23 So they went on and came to a place named Marah. There was water there, but they could not drink it because it was bitter. That is why they named the place Marah, which is the Hebrew word that means ‘bitter.’
 
 \s5
-\v 24 The people complained to Moses, saying, "What are we going to drink?"
+\v 24 The people complained to Moses, saying, “What are we going to drink?”
 \v 25 So Moses prayed to Yahweh. Then Yahweh showed him a tree. So he took one of the branches and threw it into the water, and the water became good to drink. There at Marah, Yahweh gave them a fixed rule by which to live. He also tested them there to determine if they would obey him.
-\v 26 He said, "I am Yahweh, your God. If you will obey me when I speak to you and do those things that are right to me, and listen to all the things that I tell you, I will keep you from all the diseases that I brought on the Egyptians. Do not forget that I am Yahweh, the one who heals you."
+\v 26 He said, “I am Yahweh, your God. If you will obey me when I speak to you and do those things that are right to me, and listen to all the things that I tell you, I will keep you from all the diseases that I brought on the Egyptians. Do not forget that I am Yahweh, the one who heals you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -985,42 +985,42 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \p
 \v 1 They left Elim, and all the Israelite people came to the wilderness of Sin between Elim and Sinai Mountain. That was on the fifteenth day of the second month after they left Egypt.
 \v 2 There in the wilderness, the Israelite people complained against Aaron and Moses.
-\v 3 They said to them, "We wish that Yahweh had killed us in Egypt! There we had meat to eat and all the bread that we wanted. But you have brought us into this desert in order that we will all starve to death!"
+\v 3 They said to them, “We wish that Yahweh had killed us in Egypt! There we had meat to eat and all the bread that we wanted. But you have brought us into this desert in order that we will all starve to death!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 Yahweh said to Moses, "Listen to what I am going to do. I am going to send something from the sky that will take the place of bread for you. When I do that, the people must go out of their tents every day and gather enough to eat on that day. When I do that, I will find out whether they will obey me or not.
-\v 5 On the sixth day after I start doing that, they will be able to gather twice as much as on the other days and not have to gather any on the seventh day. Then they can prepare it to eat it."
+\v 4 Yahweh said to Moses, “Listen to what I am going to do. I am going to send something from the sky that will take the place of bread for you. When I do that, the people must go out of their tents every day and gather enough to eat on that day. When I do that, I will find out whether they will obey me or not.
+\v 5 On the sixth day after I start doing that, they will be able to gather twice as much as on the other days and not have to gather any on the seventh day. Then they can prepare it to eat it.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 So Aaron and Moses said to all the Israelite people, "This evening you will know that it was Yahweh, not us, who brought you out of Egypt.
-\v 7 Tomorrow morning you will see how great Yahweh is because he has heard how you have complained against him. He is the one to whom you have really complained because we are just his servants."
-\v 8 Then Moses also said, "Each evening Yahweh will give you meat to eat, and each morning he will give you something that will take the place of bread because he has heard what you have complained about. Yahweh is the one to whom you have really complained, not us. We are just his servants."
+\v 6 So Aaron and Moses said to all the Israelite people, “This evening you will know that it was Yahweh, not us, who brought you out of Egypt.
+\v 7 Tomorrow morning you will see how great Yahweh is because he has heard how you have complained against him. He is the one to whom you have really complained because we are just his servants.”
+\v 8 Then Moses also said, “Each evening Yahweh will give you meat to eat, and each morning he will give you something that will take the place of bread because he has heard what you have complained about. Yahweh is the one to whom you have really complained, not us. We are just his servants.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 Then Moses said to Aaron, "Tell all the Israelite people, 'Come and stand here in the presence of Yahweh because he has heard what you have been complaining about.'"
+\v 9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell all the Israelite people, ‘Come and stand here in the presence of Yahweh because he has heard what you have been complaining about.’”
 \p
 \v 10 So Aaron told them that. As Aaron was talking to all the Israelite people, they looked toward the desert and were surprised to see the dazzling light of Yahweh in the cloud that had been leading them.
 \v 11 Then Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 12 "I have heard what the Israelite people have been complaining about. So say to them, 'At twilight, you will have meat to eat, and tomorrow morning you will have something that will take the place of bread. You will have all you want of it to eat. Then you will know that I am Yahweh, your God.'"
+\v 12 “I have heard what the Israelite people have been complaining about. So say to them, ‘At twilight, you will have meat to eat, and tomorrow morning you will have something that will take the place of bread. You will have all you want of it to eat. Then you will know that I am Yahweh, your God.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 13 That evening quails appeared, and there were so many that they covered the campsite. The next morning there was something like small drops of water all around the campsite.
 \v 14 When the water dried up, on the ground there was a thin layer of something that looked like small white flakes. It looked like ice laying on the ground.
-\v 15 When the Israelite people saw it, since they had never seen it before and did not know what it was, they said to each other, "What is it?" Moses replied to them, "It is something Yahweh has given you to eat, to take the place of bread.
+\v 15 When the Israelite people saw it, since they had never seen it before and did not know what it was, they said to each other, “What is it?” Moses replied to them, “It is something Yahweh has given you to eat, to take the place of bread.
 
 \s5
-\v 16 This is what Yahweh has commanded: Each of you should gather as much as you need to eat. Gather two liters for each person who lives in your tents."
+\v 16 This is what Yahweh has commanded: Each of you should gather as much as you need to eat. Gather two liters for each person who lives in your tents.”
 \p
 \v 17 So that is what the Israelite people did. Some gathered more and some gathered less.
 \v 18 But when they measured what they had gathered, those who had gathered a lot did not have anything left over. Those who had gathered less still had enough to eat. Each person gathered just enough.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 Moses said to them, "Do not leave any of it to eat tomorrow morning!"
+\v 19 Moses said to them, “Do not leave any of it to eat tomorrow morning!”
 \v 20 Some of them did not pay any attention to what Moses said. They kept some of it until the next morning. However, it was full of maggots and smelled rotten. That made Moses angry.
 \p
 \v 21 Each morning they gathered as much as they needed. Later, when the sun got hot, what was left on the ground melted.
@@ -1028,29 +1028,29 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \s5
 \p
 \v 22 On the sixth day after they started gathering it, each person was able to gather four liters, which was twice as much as they gathered on the other days. When the leaders of the people came to Moses and told him about that,
-\v 23 Moses said to them, "This is what Yahweh has told you: Tomorrow will be a day for you to rest. It will be a day for Yahweh. So today, bake or boil what you will need for today and for tomorrow. Whatever is left this evening, you should put aside and keep it to eat tomorrow."
+\v 23 Moses said to them, “This is what Yahweh has told you: Tomorrow will be a day for you to rest. It will be a day for Yahweh. So today, bake or boil what you will need for today and for tomorrow. Whatever is left this evening, you should put aside and keep it to eat tomorrow.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 24 So they did what Moses told them. What was left over, they kept until the next day. It did not spoil and did not get maggots in it!
-\v 25 On that day, Moses said, "Eat today what you have saved from yesterday because today is a day of rest to Yahweh. Today you will not find any of that food outside.
+\v 25 On that day, Moses said, “Eat today what you have saved from yesterday because today is a day of rest to Yahweh. Today you will not find any of that food outside.
 
 \s5
-\v 26 Every week, you must gather it for six days; but on the seventh day, which will be a day of rest for you, you will not find any."
+\v 26 Every week, you must gather it for six days; but on the seventh day, which will be a day of rest for you, you will not find any.”
 \v 27 On the seventh day, some of the people went outside their tents to gather some of that food, but there was none.
 
 \s5
-\v 28 Then Yahweh told Moses to say this to the people: "Yahweh is angry because for a long time you people have refused to do all the things that he has told you to do!
-\v 29 Listen! Yahweh has given you a day of rest. So on the sixth day of each week, he will be giving you enough of this food for two days. Each of you should stay in his tent and do no work on the seventh day!"
+\v 28 Then Yahweh told Moses to say this to the people: “Yahweh is angry because for a long time you people have refused to do all the things that he has told you to do!
+\v 29 Listen! Yahweh has given you a day of rest. So on the sixth day of each week, he will be giving you enough of this food for two days. Each of you should stay in his tent and do no work on the seventh day!”
 \v 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 31 The Israelite people called this food 'manna,' which sounds like the Hebrew word that means 'what is it?' It looked white, like the color of coriander seeds, and it tasted like thin wafers made with honey.
-\v 32 Moses said, "This is what Yahweh has told you: 'You must keep two liters of it for all future generations so that they can see the food that took the place of bread that I gave to your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt.'"
+\v 31 The Israelite people called this food ‘manna,’ which sounds like the Hebrew word that means ‘what is it?’ It looked white, like the color of coriander seeds, and it tasted like thin wafers made with honey.
+\v 32 Moses said, “This is what Yahweh has told you: ‘You must keep two liters of it for all future generations so that they can see the food that took the place of bread that I gave to your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt.’”
 
 \s5
-\v 33 And he said to Aaron, "Take a jar, and put two liters of manna in it. Then put it in a place where Yahweh can see it. It is to be kept like that for all future generations."
+\v 33 And he said to Aaron, “Take a jar, and put two liters of manna in it. Then put it in a place where Yahweh can see it. It is to be kept like that for all future generations.”
 \v 34 As Yahweh had commanded Moses, Aaron put the jar in front of the box that contained the stone slabs on which the Ten Commandments were written.
 \v 35 The Israelite people ate manna every day for forty years until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.
 \v 36 Now two liters is a tenth of an ephah.
@@ -1061,56 +1061,56 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 
 \p
 \v 1 Obeying what Yahweh commanded, all the Israelite people moved from the wilderness of Sin. They traveled from one place to another. They camped at a place called Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink.
-\v 2 So the people complained to Moses again, saying, "Give us water to drink!" Moses replied to them, "Why are you speaking against me? And why are you trying to test whether Yahweh has the power to give you what you need?"
-\v 3 But the people were very thirsty, and they continued to complain to Moses. They were saying, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt? Did you bring us here to cause us and our children and animals to die from thirst?"
+\v 2 So the people complained to Moses again, saying, “Give us water to drink!” Moses replied to them, “Why are you speaking against me? And why are you trying to test whether Yahweh has the power to give you what you need?”
+\v 3 But the people were very thirsty, and they continued to complain to Moses. They were saying, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt? Did you bring us here to cause us and our children and animals to die from thirst?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 So Moses prayed to Yahweh. He said, "How shall I deal with these people? They are almost ready to kill me by throwing stones at me!"
-\v 5 Yahweh said to Moses, "Lead the people and walk in front of them. Take some of the elders of the Israelite people with you. Carry in your hand the staff you used to strike the Nile River.
-\v 6 Listen to me! I will stand in front of you on top of a large rock at the foot of Mount Sinai. Strike the rock with your stick. When you do that, water for the people to drink will flow out of the rock." Moses did what God had said, and the elders were there with him when the water flowed out of the rock.
-\v 7 Moses gave that place two names in the Hebrew language—Masseh, which means 'testing,' and Meribah, which means 'complaining.' He gave it the name Massah because the Israelite people were testing Yahweh, saying "Is Yahweh really among us and able to help us, or not?" and Moses gave it the name Meribah because they were complaining all the time to him.
+\v 4 So Moses prayed to Yahweh. He said, “How shall I deal with these people? They are almost ready to kill me by throwing stones at me!”
+\v 5 Yahweh said to Moses, “Lead the people and walk in front of them. Take some of the elders of the Israelite people with you. Carry in your hand the staff you used to strike the Nile River.
+\v 6 Listen to me! I will stand in front of you on top of a large rock at the foot of Mount Sinai. Strike the rock with your stick. When you do that, water for the people to drink will flow out of the rock.” Moses did what God had said, and the elders were there with him when the water flowed out of the rock.
+\v 7 Moses gave that place two names in the Hebrew language—Masseh, which means ‘testing,’ and Meribah, which means ‘complaining.’ He gave it the name Massah because the Israelite people were testing Yahweh, saying “Is Yahweh really among us and able to help us, or not?” and Moses gave it the name Meribah because they were complaining all the time to him.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 Then the people of Amalek came and fought against the Israelite people at Rephidim.
-\v 9 Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some men to go out and fight against the people of Amalek tomorrow. I will stand on the top of the hill, holding the staff that God told me to carry."
+\v 9 Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some men to go out and fight against the people of Amalek tomorrow. I will stand on the top of the hill, holding the staff that God told me to carry.”
 \v 10 So Joshua obeyed Moses. He took some men to fight against the people of Amalek. While they were fighting, Aaron, Hur, and Moses went up to the top of the hill so that they could see the whole battle area.
 
 \s5
 \v 11 Whenever Moses lifted up his arms, the Israelite men started to win the battle; whenever he lowered his arms, the people of Amalek started to win.
-\v 12 But Moses' arms became tired. So Aaron and Hur rolled a large stone for him to sit on. While he was sitting on it, those two held up his arms, one man on either side of him. In that way, they kept his arms lifted up until the sun went down.
+\v 12 But Moses’ arms became tired. So Aaron and Hur rolled a large stone for him to sit on. While he was sitting on it, those two held up his arms, one man on either side of him. In that way, they kept his arms lifted up until the sun went down.
 \v 13 In this way Joshua and the men with him defeated the people of Amalek in battle.
 
 \s5
-\v 14 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Write an account of this battle and then read it to Joshua. Also write that I will completely destroy the people of Amalek."
-\v 15 Then Moses built a stone altar there and named it "Yahweh is my flag."
-\v 16 He said, "A promise was made in front of the throne of Yahweh: Yahweh will fight against the people of Amalek forever!"
+\v 14 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Write an account of this battle and then read it to Joshua. Also write that I will completely destroy the people of Amalek.”
+\v 15 Then Moses built a stone altar there and named it “Yahweh is my flag.”
+\v 16 He said, “A promise was made in front of the throne of Yahweh: Yahweh will fight against the people of Amalek forever!”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 18
 
 \p
-\v 1 Jethro, who was the priest for the people of Midian, and who was also Moses' father-in-law, heard about all that God had done for the Israelite people. He heard about how Yahweh had brought them out of Egypt.
+\v 1 Jethro, who was the priest for the people of Midian, and who was also Moses’ father-in-law, heard about all that God had done for the Israelite people. He heard about how Yahweh had brought them out of Egypt.
 \v 2 Moses had sent his wife Zipporah and his two sons back home when he was returning to Egypt. But now Jethro came to him,
-\v 3 bringing Zipporah and her sons. One son was named Gershom, which sounds like the Hebrew word that means "foreigner" because Moses had said, "I have been a foreigner living in another land."
-\v 4 Her other son was named Eliezer, which sounds like the Hebrew word that means "God helps me" because Moses had said, "God, whom my father worshiped, has helped me and saved me from being killed by the king of Egypt."
+\v 3 bringing Zipporah and her sons. One son was named Gershom, which sounds like the Hebrew word that means “foreigner” because Moses had said, “I have been a foreigner living in another land.”
+\v 4 Her other son was named Eliezer, which sounds like the Hebrew word that means “God helps me” because Moses had said, “God, whom my father worshiped, has helped me and saved me from being killed by the king of Egypt.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 While Moses was camped with the Israelite people in the wilderness near Sinai, God's holy mountain, Jethro came to him, bringing along Moses' wife and two sons.
-\v 6 Jethro had sent a message to Moses, "I, your father-in-law, Jethro, am coming to see you. I am bringing your wife and her two sons!"
+\v 5 While Moses was camped with the Israelite people in the wilderness near Sinai, God’s holy mountain, Jethro came to him, bringing along Moses’ wife and two sons.
+\v 6 Jethro had sent a message to Moses, “I, your father-in-law, Jethro, am coming to see you. I am bringing your wife and her two sons!”
 
 \s5
-\v 7 So Moses went out of the campsite to meet his father-in-law. He bowed before him and kissed him on the cheek. They both asked each other, "Have you been well?" Then they went into Moses' tent.
+\v 7 So Moses went out of the campsite to meet his father-in-law. He bowed before him and kissed him on the cheek. They both asked each other, “Have you been well?” Then they went into Moses’ tent.
 \v 8 Moses told Jethro everything that Yahweh had done to the king and all the other people in Egypt in order to help the Israelite people. He also told him about the troubles they had experienced on the way, and about how Yahweh had helped them.
 
 \s5
 \v 9 Jethro was happy when he heard all that Yahweh had done for the Israelite people.
-\v 10 He said, "Praise Yahweh, who has rescued you from the power of the Egyptian army, and out of the power of the king of the Egyptians (who is called Pharaoh), and has set the Israelites free from the control of the Egyptian people!
-\v 11 Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all other gods because he rescued you from the power of the proud Egyptians when they were causing you to suffer."
+\v 10 He said, “Praise Yahweh, who has rescued you from the power of the Egyptian army, and out of the power of the king of the Egyptians (who is called Pharaoh), and has set the Israelites free from the control of the Egyptian people!
+\v 11 Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all other gods because he rescued you from the power of the proud Egyptians when they were causing you to suffer.”
 
 \s5
 \v 12 Then Jethro brought an animal to sacrifice by burning it on the altar as an offering, and he also offered other sacrifices to God. Aaron and the Israelite elders went with them to eat a meal with Jethro to honor God.
@@ -1119,28 +1119,28 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \s5
 \p
 \v 13 The next day, Moses sat down at the place where he settled disputes among the people. The people were bringing their disputes to Moses from the morning until the evening.
-\v 14 When Jethro saw everything that Moses was doing for the people, he said, "Why are you doing all this for the people? Why are you doing this by yourself, and why are all the people standing around you from the morning until the evening, asking you to make decisions for them?"
+\v 14 When Jethro saw everything that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “Why are you doing all this for the people? Why are you doing this by yourself, and why are all the people standing around you from the morning until the evening, asking you to make decisions for them?”
 
 \s5
-\v 15 Moses replied, "I am doing this because the people keep coming to me to find out what God desires.
-\v 16 When they have a dispute about something, they come to me, and they ask me to decide which of them is right. I also tell them all of God's laws and instructions."
+\v 15 Moses replied, “I am doing this because the people keep coming to me to find out what God desires.
+\v 16 When they have a dispute about something, they come to me, and they ask me to decide which of them is right. I also tell them all of God’s laws and instructions.”
 
 \s5
-\v 17 Jethro said to him, "What you are doing is not good for you or for the people.
+\v 17 Jethro said to him, “What you are doing is not good for you or for the people.
 \v 18 You and these people will wear yourselves out! This work is too much for you. You are not able to do it by yourself.
-\v 19 Now listen to what I will tell you to do. If you do what I suggest, God will help you. You should continue to speak to God and tell him about the people's disputes.
+\v 19 Now listen to what I will tell you to do. If you do what I suggest, God will help you. You should continue to speak to God and tell him about the people’s disputes.
 \v 20 You should also teach them what God has commanded and instructed you. You should also explain to them how they should conduct their lives and the things that they should do.
 
 \s5
 \v 21 In addition, you should choose some other men to help you. Choose men who have respect for God and who will not accept bribes. Appoint some of them to make decisions for groups of ten people, some for groups of fifty people, some for groups of a hundred people, and some for groups of a thousand people.
 \v 22 Allow them to serve to settle disputes for the people. The difficult matters they can bring to you, but the matters that are not difficult, they can decide themselves. That will make the work easier for you as they help you do that work.
-\v 23 If you do that, and if God agrees, you will be able to endure the stress, and all the people will be able to go home peacefully with their disputes settled quickly."
+\v 23 If you do that, and if God agrees, you will be able to endure the stress, and all the people will be able to go home peacefully with their disputes settled quickly.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did all that Jethro told him.
 \v 25 Then Moses chose capable men from among the Israelite people and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
-\v 26 Moses chose them to decide about the people's disputes. They brought the difficult cases to Moses, but they decided the matters that were not difficult by themselves.
+\v 26 Moses chose them to decide about the people’s disputes. They brought the difficult cases to Moses, but they decided the matters that were not difficult by themselves.
 \v 27 Then Moses said goodbye to his father-in-law, and Jethro returned home.
 
 
@@ -1151,30 +1151,30 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \v 2 After they left Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai, and they set up their tents at the base of the mountain.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 Moses climbed up the mountain to talk with God. Yahweh called to him from the top of the mountain and said, "This is what I want you to say to the Israelite people, the descendants of Jacob,
-\v 4 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You have seen what I did for you and how I brought you as if you had been on eagles' wings here to me.
+\v 3 Moses climbed up the mountain to talk with God. Yahweh called to him from the top of the mountain and said, “This is what I want you to say to the Israelite people, the descendants of Jacob,
+\v 4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You have seen what I did for you and how I brought you as if you had been on eagles’ wings here to me.
 \v 5 So now, if you do what I tell you and obey all that I command you, you will be my own people. You will be my special possession from among all of the people, for all the earth is mine.
-\v 6 You will be people over whom I will rule, and you will be a kingdom where everyone will worship me like priests, and you will be a nation only for me.' That is what you must tell the Israelite people."
+\v 6 You will be people over whom I will rule, and you will be a kingdom where everyone will worship me like priests, and you will be a nation only for me.’ That is what you must tell the Israelite people.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 So Moses went down the mountain and called the elders of the people. He told them everything that Yahweh had told him to tell them.
-\v 8 The people all said, "We will do everything that Yahweh has told us to do." Then Moses climbed back up the mountain and reported to Yahweh what the people had said.
+\v 8 The people all said, “We will do everything that Yahweh has told us to do.” Then Moses climbed back up the mountain and reported to Yahweh what the people had said.
 \p
-\v 9 Then Yahweh said to Moses "Listen carefully. I will come to you from inside a thick cloud. When I am speaking to you, the people will hear it, and they will always believe that you are their leader." Then Moses told Yahweh what the people said.
+\v 9 Then Yahweh said to Moses “Listen carefully. I will come to you from inside a thick cloud. When I am speaking to you, the people will hear it, and they will always believe that you are their leader.” Then Moses told Yahweh what the people said.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Go back down to the people again. Tell them to get ready for my coming. They must purify themselves today and tomorrow, and wash their clothes, too.
+\v 10 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Go back down to the people again. Tell them to get ready for my coming. They must purify themselves today and tomorrow, and wash their clothes, too.
 \v 11 They must do that to be ready on the third day. On that day I will come down to Mount Sinai to where all the people can see me.
 
 \s5
-\v 12 You must make a boundary around the base of the mountain, and tell them, 'Be sure that you do not climb the mountain or even go near it. Anyone who even touches the base of the mountain must be killed.'
-\v 13 Do not let anyone touch any person or any animal that touches the mountain. You must kill any person or animal that touches the mountain by throwing stones at it or shooting it with arrows. But when you hear a long, loud trumpet sound, the people can come close to the base of the mountain."
+\v 12 You must make a boundary around the base of the mountain, and tell them, ‘Be sure that you do not climb the mountain or even go near it. Anyone who even touches the base of the mountain must be killed.’
+\v 13 Do not let anyone touch any person or any animal that touches the mountain. You must kill any person or animal that touches the mountain by throwing stones at it or shooting it with arrows. But when you hear a long, loud trumpet sound, the people can come close to the base of the mountain.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 So Moses went down the mountain again and told the people to purify themselves and to get ready for Yahweh's coming. They did what Moses told them to do, and they also washed their clothes.
-\v 15 Then Moses said to the people, "Be ready on the third day, and you men must not sleep with your wives until after then."
+\v 14 So Moses went down the mountain again and told the people to purify themselves and to get ready for Yahweh’s coming. They did what Moses told them to do, and they also washed their clothes.
+\v 15 Then Moses said to the people, “Be ready on the third day, and you men must not sleep with your wives until after then.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1185,13 +1185,13 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \s5
 \v 19 As the sound of the trumpet continued to become louder, Moses spoke to Yahweh, and Yahweh answered him in a loud voice that sounded like thunder.
 \v 20 Then Yahweh came down again onto the top of Mount Sinai, and he summoned Moses to come up to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up.
-\v 21 Yahweh said to Moses, "Go down again and warn the people not to cross the boundary in order to look at me. If they do that, many of them will die.
-\v 22 Also, the priests who come near me must purify themselves, because I am coming to them. If they do not do that, I will punish them."
+\v 21 Yahweh said to Moses, “Go down again and warn the people not to cross the boundary in order to look at me. If they do that, many of them will die.
+\v 22 Also, the priests who come near me must purify themselves, because I am coming to them. If they do not do that, I will punish them.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 Then Moses said to Yahweh, "The people will not climb the mountain because you commanded them, saying, 'Set a boundary around the mountain, to set it apart.'"
-\v 24 Yahweh said to Moses, "Go down the mountain and bring Aaron back up with you. But do not allow the priests or other people to cross the boundary to come up to me. If they cross it, I will punish them."
+\v 23 Then Moses said to Yahweh, “The people will not climb the mountain because you commanded them, saying, ‘Set a boundary around the mountain, to set it apart.’”
+\v 24 Yahweh said to Moses, “Go down the mountain and bring Aaron back up with you. But do not allow the priests or other people to cross the boundary to come up to me. If they cross it, I will punish them.”
 \v 25 So Moses went down the mountain again and told the people what Yahweh had said.
 
 
@@ -1200,7 +1200,7 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 
 \p
 \v 1 Then God spoke these words to the Israelite people.
-\v 2 "I am Yahweh your God, the one you worship. I am the one who brought you out of the land of Egypt. I am the one who freed you from being slaves there.
+\v 2 “I am Yahweh your God, the one you worship. I am the one who brought you out of the land of Egypt. I am the one who freed you from being slaves there.
 \v 3 You must worship only me; you must not worship any other god.
 
 \s5
@@ -1232,32 +1232,32 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \p
 \v 16 Do not falsely accuse anyone of committing a crime.
 \p
-\v 17 Do not covet someone else's house, someone else's wife, someone else's male or female slave, someone else's livestock, someone else's donkeys, or anything else that another person owns."
+\v 17 Do not covet someone else’s house, someone else’s wife, someone else’s male or female slave, someone else’s livestock, someone else’s donkeys, or anything else that another person owns.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 18 When the people heard the thunder and saw the lightning, and when they heard the sound of the trumpet and saw the smoke on the mountain, they were afraid and trembled. They stood at a distance
-\v 19 and said to Moses, "If you speak to us, we will listen. But do not let God speak anymore to us. We are afraid that if he speaks anymore to us, we will die."
-\v 20 Moses replied to the people, "Do not be afraid! God has come to determine how you will behave. He wants you to honor him and to not sin."
+\v 19 and said to Moses, “If you speak to us, we will listen. But do not let God speak anymore to us. We are afraid that if he speaks anymore to us, we will die.”
+\v 20 Moses replied to the people, “Do not be afraid! God has come to determine how you will behave. He wants you to honor him and to not sin.”
 \p
 \v 21 Then, as the people watched from a distance, Moses went close to the black cloud where God was.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 Yahweh said to Moses, "Say this to the Israelite people, 'You have heard how I, Yahweh, have spoken to you from heaven.
+\v 22 Yahweh said to Moses, “Say this to the Israelite people, ‘You have heard how I, Yahweh, have spoken to you from heaven.
 \v 23 I told you that you must not make any idols of silver or gold that you will worship instead of me.
 
 \s5
 \v 24 Make for me an altar from earth. Sacrifice on it your burnt offerings, your offerings to promise friendship with me, and also your sheep and oxen. Worship me in any place that I choose for you to honor me; if you do that, I will come to you and bless you.
 \v 25 If you make for me an altar from stones, do not make it from stones that you have cut to make them look nice because you will make the altar unsuitable for worshiping me if you use tools to cut the stones.
-\v 26 Do not make an altar that has steps in front of it because if you do that, God could see your naked body as you go up the steps.'"
+\v 26 Do not make an altar that has steps in front of it because if you do that, God could see your naked body as you go up the steps.’”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 21
 
 \p
-\v 1 "Here are some other instructions to give to the Israelite people.
+\v 1 “Here are some other instructions to give to the Israelite people.
 
 \s5
 \v 2 When you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to serve you for only six years. In the seventh year you must free him from being your slave, and he does not have to pay you anything for setting him free.
@@ -1265,13 +1265,13 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \v 4 If the master of a slave gives him a wife, and she gives birth to sons or daughters while her husband is a slave, only the man is to be freed. His wife and children will continue to be slaves of their master.
 
 \s5
-\v 5 But when it is time for the slave to be set free, if the slave says, 'I love my master and my wife and my children, and I do not want to be set free,'
-\v 6 then his master must take him to the place where they worship God. There he must make the slave stand against the door or the doorpost. Then the master will use an awl to make a hole in the slave's ear and fasten something to the slave's ear to show that he will own that slave for the rest of his life.
+\v 5 But when it is time for the slave to be set free, if the slave says, ‘I love my master and my wife and my children, and I do not want to be set free,’
+\v 6 then his master must take him to the place where they worship God. There he must make the slave stand against the door or the doorpost. Then the master will use an awl to make a hole in the slave’s ear and fasten something to the slave’s ear to show that he will own that slave for the rest of his life.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 If a man sells his daughter to become a slave, she should not be set free after six years as the male slaves are.
-\v 8 If the man who bought her wanted her to be his concubine, but if later he is not pleased with her, he must sell her back to her father. He must not sell her to a foreigner because that would be breaking the contract he made with the girl's father.
+\v 8 If the man who bought her wanted her to be his concubine, but if later he is not pleased with her, he must sell her back to her father. He must not sell her to a foreigner because that would be breaking the contract he made with the girl’s father.
 
 \s5
 \v 9 If the man who buys her wants her to be a wife for his son, he must then treat her as though she were his own daughter.
@@ -1304,14 +1304,14 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 If two people are fighting and they hurt a pregnant woman so that she has a miscarriage but the woman is not harmed in any other way, the one who hurt her must pay a fine. He must pay whatever the woman's husband asks after a judge approves of the fine.
+\v 22 If two people are fighting and they hurt a pregnant woman so that she has a miscarriage but the woman is not harmed in any other way, the one who hurt her must pay a fine. He must pay whatever the woman’s husband asks after a judge approves of the fine.
 \v 23 But if the woman is hurt in another way, the one who hurt her must be caused to suffer in the same way that he caused her to suffer. If she dies, he must be killed.
 \v 24 If her eye is hurt, or if he knocks out her teeth, or her hand or foot is hurt,
 \v 25 or if she is burned or bruised, the one who hurt her must be hurt in the same way.
 
 \s5
-\v 26 If the owner of a slave strikes the eye of his male or female slave and that eye becomes blind, he must free that slave because of what he did to the slave's eye.
-\v 27 If someone knocks out one of his slave's teeth, he must free the slave because of what he did to the slave's tooth.
+\v 26 If the owner of a slave strikes the eye of his male or female slave and that eye becomes blind, he must free that slave because of what he did to the slave’s eye.
+\v 27 If someone knocks out one of his slave’s teeth, he must free the slave because of what he did to the slave’s tooth.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1320,43 +1320,43 @@ Now the man who was the priest for the Midian people, whose name was Jethro, had
 \v 30 However, if the owner of the bull can pay a fine to save his own life, he must pay the full amount that the judges say that he must pay.
 
 \s5
-\v 31 If someone's bull attacks and gores another person's son or daughter, you must treat the bull's owner according to that same rule.
-\v 32 If a bull attacks and gores a male or female slave, its owner must pay to the slave's owner thirty pieces of silver, and you must kill the bull by throwing stones at it.
+\v 31 If someone’s bull attacks and gores another person’s son or daughter, you must treat the bull’s owner according to that same rule.
+\v 32 If a bull attacks and gores a male or female slave, its owner must pay to the slave’s owner thirty pieces of silver, and you must kill the bull by throwing stones at it.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 33 Suppose someone has a pit and does not keep it covered, and someone's bull or donkey falls into it and dies.
-\v 34 Then the owner of the pit must pay for the animal that died. He must give the money to the animal's owner, but then he can take away the animal that died and do whatever he wants to with it.
+\v 33 Suppose someone has a pit and does not keep it covered, and someone’s bull or donkey falls into it and dies.
+\v 34 Then the owner of the pit must pay for the animal that died. He must give the money to the animal’s owner, but then he can take away the animal that died and do whatever he wants to with it.
 
 \s5
-\v 35 If someone's bull hurts another person's bull so that it dies, the owners of both bulls must sell the bull that is living, and they must divide between them the money that they get for it. They must also divide between them the meat of the animal that died.
-\v 36 However, if people know that the bull often attacked other animals before, and its owner did not keep it inside a fence, then the owner of that bull must give the owner of the bull that died one of his own bulls, but he can take away the animal that died and do whatever he wants to with it."
+\v 35 If someone’s bull hurts another person’s bull so that it dies, the owners of both bulls must sell the bull that is living, and they must divide between them the money that they get for it. They must also divide between them the meat of the animal that died.
+\v 36 However, if people know that the bull often attacked other animals before, and its owner did not keep it inside a fence, then the owner of that bull must give the owner of the bull that died one of his own bulls, but he can take away the animal that died and do whatever he wants to with it.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 22
 
 \p
-\v 1 "If someone steals a bull or a sheep and then kills it or sells it, he must pay five bulls for the bull that he stole, and he must pay four sheep for the sheep that he stole.
+\v 1 “If someone steals a bull or a sheep and then kills it or sells it, he must pay five bulls for the bull that he stole, and he must pay four sheep for the sheep that he stole.
 \p
-\v 2 If a thief is caught while he is breaking into someone's house at night, if the one who catches him kills the thief, he is not guilty of killing him.
+\v 2 If a thief is caught while he is breaking into someone’s house at night, if the one who catches him kills the thief, he is not guilty of killing him.
 \v 3 But if that happens during the daytime, the one who killed the thief is guilty of murdering him.
 \p
-A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for the one that he stole, he must be sold to become someone else's slave, and the money from his sale must be used to pay for what he stole.
+A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for the one that he stole, he must be sold to become someone else’s slave, and the money from his sale must be used to pay for what he stole.
 \v 4 If a thief still has the animal when he is caught, whether it is a bull or a donkey or a sheep, and it is still alive, the thief must pay back the stolen animal as well as another one of the same kind.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 If someone allows his animals to eat grass in his field or in his vineyard, and if the animals stray away and eat the plants in another person's field, the owner of the animals must pay the owner of that field by giving him the best from his own field or vineyard.
+\v 5 If someone allows his animals to eat grass in his field or in his vineyard, and if the animals stray away and eat the plants in another person’s field, the owner of the animals must pay the owner of that field by giving him the best from his own field or vineyard.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 If someone starts a fire and it spreads through the grass and starts burning in someone else's field, and the fire burns grain that is growing or grain that is already cut and stacked, then the person who started the fire must pay for what has been lost.
+\v 6 If someone starts a fire and it spreads through the grass and starts burning in someone else’s field, and the fire burns grain that is growing or grain that is already cut and stacked, then the person who started the fire must pay for what has been lost.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 Suppose that someone gives another person some money or other valuable item and asks him to keep it in his house for a while. And suppose that a thief steals it from that person's house. If the thief is caught, the thief must pay back twice as much as he stole.
-\v 8 But if the thief is not caught, the owner of the house from which the item was stolen must stand before the judges so that the judges can say whether the owner of the house was the one who took the other man's valuable item.
+\v 7 Suppose that someone gives another person some money or other valuable item and asks him to keep it in his house for a while. And suppose that a thief steals it from that person’s house. If the thief is caught, the thief must pay back twice as much as he stole.
+\v 8 But if the thief is not caught, the owner of the house from which the item was stolen must stand before the judges so that the judges can say whether the owner of the house was the one who took the other man’s valuable item.
 \p
 \v 9 If two people argue about which one of them owns a bull or a donkey or a sheep or some clothing, or something else that has been lost, they must stand before the judges. The one whom the judges say is lying must pay back to the real owner twice as many bulls or donkeys or sheep or items of clothing.
 
@@ -1365,18 +1365,18 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \v 10 Suppose someone gives his donkey or bull or sheep or some other animal to someone else and asks him to take care of it for a while, and the animal dies or is injured or is stolen while no one is watching.
 \v 11 Then the person who was taking care of the animal must swear, knowing that God is listening, that he did not steal the animal. If he did not steal it, the owner of the animal must accept that the other person is telling the truth, and the other person will not have to pay anything back to the owner.
 \v 12 But if the animal was stolen while he was supposed to be taking care of it, the man who promised to take care of it must pay back the owner for the animal.
-\v 13 If he says that the animal was killed by wild animals, he must bring back the remains of the animal that was killed and show it to the animal's owner. If he does that, he will not have to pay anything for the animal.
+\v 13 If he says that the animal was killed by wild animals, he must bring back the remains of the animal that was killed and show it to the animal’s owner. If he does that, he will not have to pay anything for the animal.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 14 If someone borrows an animal, and if that animal is hurt or dies when its owner is not there, the one who borrowed it must pay the owner for the animal.
-\v 15 But if that happens when the owner of the animal is there, the one who borrowed it will not have to pay back anything. If the man who borrowed it only rented it, the money that he paid to rent it will be enough to pay for the animal dying or being injured."
+\v 15 But if that happens when the owner of the animal is there, the one who borrowed it will not have to pay back anything. If the man who borrowed it only rented it, the money that he paid to rent it will be enough to pay for the animal dying or being injured.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 "If a man forces a girl to sleep with him, a girl who is a virgin and who is not engaged to be married, he must pay the bride price for her and marry her.
-\v 17 But if her father does not allow her to marry him, he must pay to the woman's father money that is the same as the bride price money that men pay for virgins.
+\v 16 “If a man forces a girl to sleep with him, a girl who is a virgin and who is not engaged to be married, he must pay the bride price for her and marry her.
+\v 17 But if her father does not allow her to marry him, he must pay to the woman’s father money that is the same as the bride price money that men pay for virgins.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1412,21 +1412,21 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \p
 \v 30 Similarly, your firstborn male cattle and sheep belong to me. After those animals are born, allow them to stay with their mothers for seven days. On the eighth day you will give them to me.
 \p
-\v 31 You are people who are set apart to me. I detest the meat of any animal that has been killed by wild animals. Therefore do not eat such meat. Instead, throw it where the dogs can eat it."
+\v 31 You are people who are set apart to me. I detest the meat of any animal that has been killed by wild animals. Therefore do not eat such meat. Instead, throw it where the dogs can eat it.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 23
 \p
-\v 1 "Do not lie about other people. Do not help someone who is guilty by lying about what happened.
+\v 1 “Do not lie about other people. Do not help someone who is guilty by lying about what happened.
 \p
 \v 2 Do not join with a group of people who are planning do something evil. Do not tell the same lies they do and so keep the judge from deciding the case justly.
 \v 3 When a poor person is on trial, do not testify in his favor just because he is poor and you feel sorry for him.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 If you see someone's bull or donkey when it is wandering away loose, take it back to its owner even if the owner is your enemy.
-\v 5 If you see someone's donkey that has fallen down because of its heavy load, help the owner to get the donkey up again even if he is someone who hates you. Do not just walk away without helping him.
+\v 4 If you see someone’s bull or donkey when it is wandering away loose, take it back to its owner even if the owner is your enemy.
+\v 5 If you see someone’s donkey that has fallen down because of its heavy load, help the owner to get the donkey up again even if he is someone who hates you. Do not just walk away without helping him.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1462,11 +1462,11 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \p
 \v 18 When you sacrifice an animal and offer it to me, you must not offer bread that has been baked with yeast. When you offer sacrifices, burn the fat from the animals on that same day so that no fat remains the next morning.
 \p
-\v 19 Each year, when you harvest your crops, take the best of what you harvest first, go to the place where you worship me, and give it to me, Yahweh God. When you kill a young animal, do not cook it by boiling it in its mother's milk."
+\v 19 Each year, when you harvest your crops, take the best of what you harvest first, go to the place where you worship me, and give it to me, Yahweh God. When you kill a young animal, do not cook it by boiling it in its mother’s milk.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 "I am going to send an angel ahead of you to guard you as you travel and to bring you safely to the place that I have prepared for you.
+\v 20 “I am going to send an angel ahead of you to guard you as you travel and to bring you safely to the place that I have prepared for you.
 \v 21 Pay attention to what he says and obey him. Do not rebel against him because he will have my authority and he will punish you if you rebel against him.
 \v 22 But if you pay attention to what he says and if you do all that I tell you to do, I will fight against all of your enemies.
 
@@ -1487,19 +1487,19 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \v 30 I will remove those people groups slowly, a few at a time, until the number of your people increases and you are able to live everywhere in the land.
 \v 31 I will cause the borders of your land to extend from the Sea of Reeds in the southeast to the Mediterranean Sea in the northwest, and from the wilderness of Sinai in the southwest to the Euphrates River in the northeast of the country. I will give you the power to remove the people who live there so that you will remove them as you occupy more of the country.
 \v 32 You must not make any agreement with those people or with their gods.
-\v 33 Do not allow those people to live in your land in order that they do not cause you to sin against me. If you worship their gods, you will not be able to escape from worshiping them and sinning against me just as someone caught in a trap is unable to escape."
+\v 33 Do not allow those people to live in your land in order that they do not cause you to sin against me. If you worship their gods, you will not be able to escape from worshiping them and sinning against me just as someone caught in a trap is unable to escape.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 24
 
 \p
-\v 1 Then Yahweh said to Moses. "Come up to me on top of this mountain, you and Aaron and his sons Nadab and Abihu. Also take along seventy of the Israelite elders. While you are still some distance from the top of the mountain, there you may worship me.
-\v 2 Moses, I will allow you alone to come near to me. The others must not come near, and the rest of the people must not come up the mountain."
+\v 1 Then Yahweh said to Moses. “Come up to me on top of this mountain, you and Aaron and his sons Nadab and Abihu. Also take along seventy of the Israelite elders. While you are still some distance from the top of the mountain, there you may worship me.
+\v 2 Moses, I will allow you alone to come near to me. The others must not come near, and the rest of the people must not come up the mountain.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 Moses went and told the people everything that Yahweh had said and all that he had commanded. The people all replied together, saying, "We will do everything that Yahweh has told us to do."
+\v 3 Moses went and told the people everything that Yahweh had said and all that he had commanded. The people all replied together, saying, “We will do everything that Yahweh has told us to do.”
 \v 4 Then Moses wrote down everything that Yahweh had commanded. Early the next morning Moses built a stone altar. He also set up twelve stones, one for each of the Israelite tribes.
 
 \s5
@@ -1507,9 +1507,9 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \v 6 Moses took half of the blood of the animals that were slaughtered and put it in bowls. The other half of the blood he threw against the altar.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 Then he took the scroll on which he had written everything that Yahweh had commanded in the covenant that he had made, and he read it aloud while all the people were listening. Then all the people said, "We will do all that Yahweh has told us to do. We will obey everything."
+\v 7 Then he took the scroll on which he had written everything that Yahweh had commanded in the covenant that he had made, and he read it aloud while all the people were listening. Then all the people said, “We will do all that Yahweh has told us to do. We will obey everything.”
 \p
-\v 8 Then Moses took the blood that was in the bowls and threw it on the people. He said, "This is the blood that confirms the covenant that Yahweh has made with you when he gave you all these commands."
+\v 8 Then Moses took the blood that was in the bowls and threw it on the people. He said, “This is the blood that confirms the covenant that Yahweh has made with you when he gave you all these commands.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1519,11 +1519,11 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Come up to me on top of this mountain. While you are here, I will give you two stone slabs on which I have written all the laws that I have given to you to teach the people."
+\v 12 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Come up to me on top of this mountain. While you are here, I will give you two stone slabs on which I have written all the laws that I have given to you to teach the people.”
 \v 13 Then Moses went with his servant Joshua part of the way up the mountain where God was.
 
 \s5
-\v 14 Now Moses had said to the elders, "Stay here with the other people until we return! Do not forget that Aaron and Hur will be with you, so if anyone has a dispute while I am gone, he can go to those two men."
+\v 14 Now Moses had said to the elders, “Stay here with the other people until we return! Do not forget that Aaron and Hur will be with you, so if anyone has a dispute while I am gone, he can go to those two men.”
 \v 15 Then Moses went the rest of the way up the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.
 
 \s5
@@ -1537,14 +1537,14 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh said to Moses,
 \p
-\v 2 "Tell the Israelites that they must give offerings to me. Receive from the people every offering that they want to give to me.
+\v 2 “Tell the Israelites that they must give offerings to me. Receive from the people every offering that they want to give to me.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 These are the things that they may offer: gold, silver, bronze,
-\v 4 blue and purple and scarlet dyed wool, fine linen, goats' hair for making cloth,
+\v 4 blue and purple and scarlet dyed wool, fine linen, goats’ hair for making cloth,
 \v 5 ram skins that have been tanned, fine leather hides, hard wood from acacia trees,
 \v 6 olive oil to burn in the lamps, spices to put in the olive oil for anointing the priests, and spices to put in the sweet-smelling incense,
-\v 7 onyx stones and other expensive stones to be fastened to the priest's sacred apron and to be put on the chest pouch that is to be fastened to the apron.
+\v 7 onyx stones and other expensive stones to be fastened to the priest’s sacred apron and to be put on the chest pouch that is to be fastened to the apron.
 
 \s5
 \v 8 Tell the people to make a big sacred tent for me so that I can live in it in their midst.
@@ -1564,7 +1564,7 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \v 15 The poles must always be left in the rings; they must not take the poles out of the rings.
 \v 16 Put inside the chest the two stone slabs that I will give you on which I have written my commandments.
 \p
-\v 17 Tell them to make a lid for the chest from pure gold; it will be the place where I will cover people's sins. It also is to be one meter long and three-quarters of a meter wide.
+\v 17 Tell them to make a lid for the chest from pure gold; it will be the place where I will cover people’s sins. It also is to be one meter long and three-quarters of a meter wide.
 \v 18 Tell them to hammer a large lump of gold into the form of two creatures that have wings for the two ends of the lid.
 
 \s5
@@ -1607,12 +1607,12 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \v 37 Also tell them to make seven small cups for holding oil. One is to be put on top of the shaft and the others are to be put on top of the branches. Place these cups so that when the lamps are lit, the light will shine toward the front of the lampstand.
 \v 38 Tell them to make tongs from pure gold, to remove the burned wicks and trays in which to put the burned wicks.
 \v 39 Tell them to use thirty-three kilograms of pure gold to make the lampstand, the tongs, and the trays.
-\v 40 Make sure that they make these things according to the instructions that I am giving you here on this mountain."
+\v 40 Make sure that they make these things according to the instructions that I am giving you here on this mountain.”
 
 \s5
 \c 26
 \p
-\v 1 "Tell the people to make the sacred tent using ten long strips of fine linen. They must take blue, purple, and red thread, and a skilled craftsman must embroider these strips with designs that represent the winged creatures that are above the chest.
+\v 1 “Tell the people to make the sacred tent using ten long strips of fine linen. They must take blue, purple, and red thread, and a skilled craftsman must embroider these strips with designs that represent the winged creatures that are above the chest.
 \v 2 Each strip is to be twelve and one-half meters long and one and four-fifths meters wide.
 \v 3 Tell them to sew five strips together to make one set, and to sew the other five strips together to make another set.
 
@@ -1623,7 +1623,7 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 Also tell them to make a cover for the sacred tent from eleven pieces of cloth made from goats' hair.
+\v 7 Also tell them to make a cover for the sacred tent from eleven pieces of cloth made from goats’ hair.
 \v 8 Each piece of cloth is to be thirteen and one-half meters long and one and four-fifths meters wide.
 \v 9 Tell them to sew five of these pieces of cloth together to make one set, and sew the other six pieces of cloth together to make another set. They must fold the sixth piece of cloth in half to make it double over the front of the sacred tent .
 
@@ -1634,7 +1634,7 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \s5
 \v 12 Let the extra part of the cover, the part that extends beyond the linen cloth, hang over the back of the sacred tent.
 \v 13 The extra half-meter of each cover, the part that extends beyond the linen cloth on each side, must hang over the two sides of the sacred tent to protect the sides.
-\v 14 Tell them to make two more covers for the sacred tent. One is to be made from rams' skins that have been dyed red, and the top cover is to be made from fine leather.
+\v 14 Tell them to make two more covers for the sacred tent. One is to be made from rams’ skins that have been dyed red, and the top cover is to be made from fine leather.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1662,11 +1662,11 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 
 \s5
 \v 29 Tell them to cover the frames with gold, and make gold rings to fasten the crossbars to the frames. The crossbars must also be covered with gold.
-\v 30 Build the sacred tent in the way that I have shown you here on this mountain."
+\v 30 Build the sacred tent in the way that I have shown you here on this mountain.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 31 "Tell them to make a curtain from fine linen. A skilled craftsman must embroider it with blue, purple, and red yarn making designs to represent the winged creatures that are above the chest.
+\v 31 “Tell them to make a curtain from fine linen. A skilled craftsman must embroider it with blue, purple, and red yarn making designs to represent the winged creatures that are above the chest.
 \v 32 Tell them to suspend the curtain from four posts made from acacia wood and covered with gold. Set each post in a silver base.
 \v 33 They must hang the top of the curtain by hooks that are fastened to the roof of the sacred tent. Behind the curtain, in the room called the very holy place, they must put the chest containing the two stone slabs on which I have written my commandments. That curtain will separate the holy place from the very holy place.
 
@@ -1681,7 +1681,7 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \s5
 \c 27
 \p
-\v 1 "Tell them to make an altar from acacia wood. It is to be square, two and one-tenth meters long on each side, and make it one and one-third meters high.
+\v 1 “Tell them to make an altar from acacia wood. It is to be square, two and one-tenth meters long on each side, and make it one and one-third meters high.
 \v 2 They must make a projection that looks like a horn on each of the top corners. The projections must be carved from the same block of wood as the altar. Tell them to cover the whole altar with bronze.
 
 \s5
@@ -1718,14 +1718,14 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 Command the Israelite people that they must bring to you the best kind of pure olive oil to burn in the lamp. They must bring this oil to you so that the lamp is always burning.
-\v 21 Outside the curtain of the tabernacle, where the sacred chest of Yahweh is kept, Aaron and his sons must take care to keep the lamps burning every day from evening to morning. The Israelite people must obey this regulation throughout all future generations."
+\v 21 Outside the curtain of the tabernacle, where the sacred chest of Yahweh is kept, Aaron and his sons must take care to keep the lamps burning every day from evening to morning. The Israelite people must obey this regulation throughout all future generations.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 28
 
 \p
-\v 1 "Call your older brother Aaron and his sons—Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Set them apart from the rest of the Israelite people in order that they can serve me as priests.
+\v 1 “Call your older brother Aaron and his sons—Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Set them apart from the rest of the Israelite people in order that they can serve me as priests.
 \v 2 Tell the people to make beautiful clothes for Aaron, clothes that are suitable for one who has this dignified and sacred work.
 \v 3 Talk to all the workmen, those to whom I have given skill to build things. Tell them to make clothes for Aaron to wear when he is set apart to become a priest to serve me.
 
@@ -1742,13 +1742,13 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \v 9 A skilled workman must take two onyx stones and carve on them the names of the twelve sons of Jacob.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 He must engrave the names in the order in which Jacob's sons were born. He must engrave six names on one stone and the other six names on the other stone.
+\v 10 He must engrave the names in the order in which Jacob’s sons were born. He must engrave six names on one stone and the other six names on the other stone.
 \v 11 A gem cutter should engrave these names on the two stones. Then he should mount the stones in gold settings.
 \v 12 Then he should fasten the stones onto the shoulder straps of the sacred apron to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. In that way, Aaron will carry the names of the tribes on his shoulders in order that I, Yahweh, will never forget my people.
 
 \s5
 \v 13 The settings for the stones must be made from gold.
-\v 14 Tell them to make two chains of gold that are braided like cords and to fasten the chains to the settings."
+\v 14 Tell them to make two chains of gold that are braided like cords and to fasten the chains to the settings.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1778,12 +1778,12 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 
 \s5
 \v 29 In that way, Aaron will have the names of the twelve tribes of Israel in the sacred pouch close to his chest for making decisions when he enters the holy place.
-\v 30 Put into the sacred pouch the two things—named Urim and Thummim—that the priest will use to determine my answers to the questions he asks. In that way, they will be close to his chest when he enters the holy place to talk to me. He will use them to determine what my will is for the Israelite people."
+\v 30 Put into the sacred pouch the two things—named Urim and Thummim—that the priest will use to determine my answers to the questions he asks. In that way, they will be close to his chest when he enters the holy place to talk to me. He will use them to determine what my will is for the Israelite people.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 31 "Tell the workmen to weave only purple cloth for the robe that is to be worn underneath the priest's sacred apron.
+\v 31 “Tell the workmen to weave only purple cloth for the robe that is to be worn underneath the priest’s sacred apron.
 \v 32 It is to have an opening through which the priest can put his head. They must sew a border around this opening to keep the material from tearing.
 
 \s5
@@ -1793,7 +1793,7 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 36 Tell them to make a tiny ornament of pure gold, and tell a skilled workman to engrave on it the words, 'Dedicated to Yahweh.'
+\v 36 Tell them to make a tiny ornament of pure gold, and tell a skilled workman to engrave on it the words, ‘Dedicated to Yahweh.’
 \v 37 They should fasten this ornament to the front of the turban by a blue cord.
 \v 38 Aaron must always wear the turban on his forehead. Aaron himself must accept the guilt of the Israelite people because of any failure to offer their holy gifts to Yahweh as he commanded. When Aaron does this, Yahweh may accept their gifts.
 
@@ -1803,19 +1803,19 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 40 Tell them to make beautiful long-sleeved tunics, sashes, waistbands, and caps for Aaron's sons. Make ones that will be suitable for those who have this dignified work.
+\v 40 Tell them to make beautiful long-sleeved tunics, sashes, waistbands, and caps for Aaron’s sons. Make ones that will be suitable for those who have this dignified work.
 \v 41 Put these clothes on your older brother Aaron and on his sons. Then set them apart for this work by anointing them with olive oil in order that they may serve me by being priests.
 
 \s5
 \v 42 Also tell them to make linen undershorts for them. The undershorts should extend from their waists to their thighs in order that no one can see their private parts.
-\v 43 Aaron and his sons must always wear those undershorts when they enter the sacred tent or when they come near to the altar to offer sacrifices in the holy place. If they do not obey this ritual, I will cause them to die. Aaron and all his male descendants must obey this rule forever."
+\v 43 Aaron and his sons must always wear those undershorts when they enter the sacred tent or when they come near to the altar to offer sacrifices in the holy place. If they do not obey this ritual, I will cause them to die. Aaron and all his male descendants must obey this rule forever.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 29
 
 \p
-\v 1 "Do the following things to dedicate Aaron and his sons to serve me by being priests. Select one young bull and two rams that do not have any defects.
+\v 1 “Do the following things to dedicate Aaron and his sons to serve me by being priests. Select one young bull and two rams that do not have any defects.
 \v 2 Bake three kinds of bread using finely ground wheat flour without yeast. Bake some buns that do not have any olive oil in them, bake some buns that have olive oil in the dough, and bake some thin wafers that will be smeared with olive oil after they are baked.
 
 \s5
@@ -1824,7 +1824,7 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 
 \s5
 \v 5 Then put the special clothes on Aaron—the long-sleeved tunic, the robe that will be worn underneath the sacred apron, the sacred apron, the sacred pouch, and the sash.
-\v 6 Put the turban on his head, and fasten to the turban the ornament that has the words 'Dedicated to Yahweh' engraved on it.
+\v 6 Put the turban on his head, and fasten to the turban the ornament that has the words ‘Dedicated to Yahweh’ engraved on it.
 \v 7 Then take the oil and pour some on his head to dedicate him.
 
 \s5
@@ -1858,7 +1858,7 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 Also, cut off the ram's fat, its fat tail, and the fat that covers the inner organs, the covering of the liver, the two kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh. (This ram is for setting Aaron and his sons apart for me as priests.)
+\v 22 Also, cut off the ram’s fat, its fat tail, and the fat that covers the inner organs, the covering of the liver, the two kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh. (This ram is for setting Aaron and his sons apart for me as priests.)
 \v 23 From the basket, also take one of each of the kinds of bread that was baked without yeast—one made with no oil, one with oil, and one thin wafer.
 
 \s5
@@ -1867,13 +1867,13 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 
 \s5
 \v 26 Then take the breast of the second ram that was killed, and lift it up high for an offering to me. But then this part of the animal will be for you to eat.
-\v 27 Set apart for me the ram's breast that you lifted high to offer to me. Also set apart for me the ram's thigh that you presented to me, both of these pieces that came from the ram that was slaughtered when you set apart for me Aaron and his sons as priests.
+\v 27 Set apart for me the ram’s breast that you lifted high to offer to me. Also set apart for me the ram’s thigh that you presented to me, both of these pieces that came from the ram that was slaughtered when you set apart for me Aaron and his sons as priests.
 \v 28 In the future, whenever the Israelite people present to me, Yahweh, offerings to restore fellowship with each other, the breast and the thigh of animals that they present to me will be for Aaron and his male descendants to eat.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 29 After Aaron dies, the special clothes that he wore will belong to his sons. They are to wear those clothes when they are set apart to become priests.
-\v 30 Aaron's son who becomes priest and enters the sacred tent and performs rituals in the holy place must stay in the sacred tent, wearing these special clothes, for seven days.
+\v 30 Aaron’s son who becomes priest and enters the sacred tent and performs rituals in the holy place must stay in the sacred tent, wearing these special clothes, for seven days.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1906,13 +1906,13 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 
 \s5
 \v 45 I will live among the Israelite people, and I will be their God.
-\v 46 They will know that I am Yahweh God, the one who brought them out of Egypt in order that I might live among them. I am Yahweh, the God whom they worship."
+\v 46 They will know that I am Yahweh God, the one who brought them out of Egypt in order that I might live among them. I am Yahweh, the God whom they worship.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 30
 \p
-\v 1 "Tell the skilled workers to make an altar from acacia wood for burning incense.
+\v 1 “Tell the skilled workers to make an altar from acacia wood for burning incense.
 \v 2 It is to be square, one-half meter on each side. It is to be one meter high. Tell them to make a projection that looks like a horn on each of the top corners. The projections must be carved from the same block of wood from which the altar is made.
 
 \s5
@@ -1929,33 +1929,33 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \v 9 The priests must not burn on the altar any incense that I have not told you to burn, or burn any animal on it, nor any flour offering for me, nor pour any wine on it as an offering.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 One time every year Aaron must perform the ritual for making this altar pure. He must do it by putting on its four projections some of the blood from the animal that was sacrificed to cover people's sins. Aaron and his descendants must do this ritual throughout all future generations. This altar must be dedicated to me, Yahweh."
+\v 10 One time every year Aaron must perform the ritual for making this altar pure. He must do it by putting on its four projections some of the blood from the animal that was sacrificed to cover people’s sins. Aaron and his descendants must do this ritual throughout all future generations. This altar must be dedicated to me, Yahweh.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 11 Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 12 "When your leaders take a census of the Israelite people, each man who is counted must pay to me a price to save his life. They must do this in order that no disaster will happen to them while the people are being counted.
+\v 12 “When your leaders take a census of the Israelite people, each man who is counted must pay to me a price to save his life. They must do this in order that no disaster will happen to them while the people are being counted.
 \v 13 Every man who is counted must pay to me six grams of silver. They must use the official standard of the tabernacle when they weigh the silver. This silver is to be an offering to Yahweh.
 \v 14 All the men who are at least twenty years old must pay this amount to me when the people are counted.
 
 \s5
 \v 15 Rich men must not pay more than this amount, and poor men must not pay less than this amount when they pay this money to save their lives.
-\v 16 Your leaders must collect this money from the Israelite people and give it to those who will take care of the sacred tent. You Israelites will see the leaders collect this money and remember that you need to make payment to me so you can live."
+\v 16 Your leaders must collect this money from the Israelite people and give it to those who will take care of the sacred tent. You Israelites will see the leaders collect this money and remember that you need to make payment to me so you can live.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 18 "Tell the skilled workers to make a bronze washbasin and a bronze base for it. They must put it between the sacred tent and the altar and must fill it with water.
+\v 18 “Tell the skilled workers to make a bronze washbasin and a bronze base for it. They must put it between the sacred tent and the altar and must fill it with water.
 
 \s5
 \v 19 Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and their feet with this water
 \v 20 before they enter the sacred tent and before they come to the altar to burn offerings as sacrifices. If they wash, they will obey my instructions and will not die.
-\v 21 They must wash their hands and their feet in order that they will not die. They and the males descended from them must obey this ritual throughout all generations."
+\v 21 They must wash their hands and their feet in order that they will not die. They and the males descended from them must obey this ritual throughout all generations.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 22 Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 23 "Tell the people to collect some of the finest spices—six kilograms of liquid myrrh, three kilograms of sweet-smelling cinnamon, three kilograms of a sweet-smelling cane,
+\v 23 “Tell the people to collect some of the finest spices—six kilograms of liquid myrrh, three kilograms of sweet-smelling cinnamon, three kilograms of a sweet-smelling cane,
 \v 24 and six kilograms of cassia. Be sure that they use the official standard when they weigh these things.
 \v 25 Tell an expert perfumer to mix these with four liters of olive oil to make sacred oil for anointing.
 
@@ -1967,21 +1967,21 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \s5
 \v 29 Dedicate them by anointing them in order that they will be reserved for me. If any person or thing that is not allowed to do so touches the altar, no one will be allowed to touch that person or thing.
 \v 30 Anoint Aaron and his sons. By doing that, you will dedicate them to serve me by being priests.
-\v 31 Tell the Israelite people, 'This oil will be my special oil that must be used throughout all future generations.
+\v 31 Tell the Israelite people, ‘This oil will be my special oil that must be used throughout all future generations.
 
 \s5
 \v 32 You must not pour it on the bodies of people who are not priests, and you must not make other oil to be like it by mixing those same things. This oil is reserved for me, and you must consider it to be such.
-\v 33 Yahweh will view anyone who makes ointment like this for any other purpose, or anyone who puts any of this ointment on someone who is not a priest, as no longer belonging to his people.'"
+\v 33 Yahweh will view anyone who makes ointment like this for any other purpose, or anyone who puts any of this ointment on someone who is not a priest, as no longer belonging to his people.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 34 Yahweh also said to Moses, "Have an expert perfumer take equal parts of several sweet spices: Stacte—a resin from certain gum plants, onycha—from certain shellfish or mollusks, galbanum—another kind of gum resin, and pure frankincense—yet another sort of gum resin.
+\v 34 Yahweh also said to Moses, “Have an expert perfumer take equal parts of several sweet spices: Stacte—a resin from certain gum plants, onycha—from certain shellfish or mollusks, galbanum—another kind of gum resin, and pure frankincense—yet another sort of gum resin.
 \v 35 Have him mix them together to make some perfume and add some salt to keep it pure and special for me.
 \v 36 Have him beat some of it into a fine powder. Then I want you to take some of it into the sacred tent and sprinkle it in front of the sacred chest. You all must consider this incense to be completely reserved for me.
 
 \s5
 \v 37 The people must not mix the same spices to make incense for themselves. This incense must be dedicated to me, Yahweh.
-\v 38 I will view anyone who makes incense like this to use it for perfume as no longer belonging to my people."
+\v 38 I will view anyone who makes incense like this to use it for perfume as no longer belonging to my people.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1989,7 +1989,7 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 2 "I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri and grandson of Hur, from the tribe of Judah.
+\v 2 “I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri and grandson of Hur, from the tribe of Judah.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 I have filled him with my Spirit, and I have given him special ability to make things; I have enabled him to know how to do very skilled work.
@@ -2004,19 +2004,19 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 
 \s5
 \v 10 Also included in these things were all the beautiful, special clothes for Aaron and his sons to wear when they work as priests;
-\v 11 the oil for anointing, and the sweet-smelling incense for the holy place. The craftsmen must make all these things exactly as I have told you that they should do."
+\v 11 the oil for anointing, and the sweet-smelling incense for the holy place. The craftsmen must make all these things exactly as I have told you that they should do.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 13 "Tell the Israelite people, 'Obey my instructions regarding the Sabbath days for rest. Those days will remind me and you and your descendants, throughout all future generations, that I, Yahweh, have set you apart to be my people.
+\v 13 “Tell the Israelite people, ‘Obey my instructions regarding the Sabbath days for rest. Those days will remind me and you and your descendants, throughout all future generations, that I, Yahweh, have set you apart to be my people.
 \v 14 You must obey my rules about the Sabbath days for rest because you must regard them as special for me. Those who treat these days with disrespect must be killed; this will show that I no longer consider them to belong to my people.
 \v 15 You may work for six days each week, but the seventh day of each week is a solemn rest day, dedicated to me, Yahweh. Anyone who does any work on a Sabbath day of rest is to be killed.
 
 \s5
 \v 16 You Israelite people must respect the Sabbath days of rest, and you and your descendants must observe them throughout all future generations. I will always require this of you.
-\v 17 The Sabbath days of rest will remind you Israelite people and me of our covenant because I, Yahweh, created the heavens and the earth in six days, and on the seventh day I stopped doing that work and rested.'"
+\v 17 The Sabbath days of rest will remind you Israelite people and me of our covenant because I, Yahweh, created the heavens and the earth in six days, and on the seventh day I stopped doing that work and rested.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2027,34 +2027,34 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \c 32
 
 \p
-\v 1 Moses stayed on top of the mountain a long time. When the people saw that he was not returning, they went to Aaron and said to him, "Make us gods who will lead us on our journey. We do not know what happened to that man Moses, who brought us here out of Egypt."
-\v 2 Aaron said to them, "All right, I will do that. Tell your wives and your children to take off all their gold earrings and bring them to me."
+\v 1 Moses stayed on top of the mountain a long time. When the people saw that he was not returning, they went to Aaron and said to him, “Make us gods who will lead us on our journey. We do not know what happened to that man Moses, who brought us here out of Egypt.”
+\v 2 Aaron said to them, “All right, I will do that. Tell your wives and your children to take off all their gold earrings and bring them to me.”
 
 \s5
 \v 3 So the people took off all their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron.
-\v 4 He melted the gold in a fire. He poured the gold into a mold and made a statue that looked like a young bull. The people saw it and said, "This is the god of the Israelite people! This is the one who rescued us from the land of Egypt!"
+\v 4 He melted the gold in a fire. He poured the gold into a mold and made a statue that looked like a young bull. The people saw it and said, “This is the god of the Israelite people! This is the one who rescued us from the land of Egypt!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 When Aaron saw how the people reacted, he built an altar in front of the bull. Then he announced, "Tomorrow we will have a festival to honor Yahweh!"
+\v 5 When Aaron saw how the people reacted, he built an altar in front of the bull. Then he announced, “Tomorrow we will have a festival to honor Yahweh!”
 \v 6 So the people got up early the next morning and brought animals to kill and burn as sacrifices on the altar. They also brought sacrifices to restore fellowship with others. Then they sat down to eat and to drink wine. After a while, they got up and had a wild party.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Go down from the mountain because your people, the ones that you brought up here from Egypt, have become bad.
-\v 8 They have already left the road that I showed them and have stopped obeying me! They have made a statue of a young bull from melted gold. They have worshiped it and offered sacrifices to it. They are saying, 'This is the god of the Israelite people! This is the one who brought us up from Egypt!'
+\v 7 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Go down from the mountain because your people, the ones that you brought up here from Egypt, have become bad.
+\v 8 They have already left the road that I showed them and have stopped obeying me! They have made a statue of a young bull from melted gold. They have worshiped it and offered sacrifices to it. They are saying, ‘This is the god of the Israelite people! This is the one who brought us up from Egypt!’
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 9 I know that these people are very stubborn.
-\v 10 I am very angry with them, so I am going to get rid of them. Do not try to stop me! Then I will cause you and your descendants to become a great nation."
+\v 10 I am very angry with them, so I am going to get rid of them. Do not try to stop me! Then I will cause you and your descendants to become a great nation.”
 \p
-\v 11 But Moses pleaded with his God, Yahweh, and said, "Yahweh, you should not be angry with your people! These are the people whom you saved from Egypt with very great power!
+\v 11 But Moses pleaded with his God, Yahweh, and said, “Yahweh, you should not be angry with your people! These are the people whom you saved from Egypt with very great power!
 
 \s5
-\v 12 Do not do anything that would allow the people of Egypt to say, 'Their god led them out from our country, but he did that only because he wanted to kill them in the mountains and get rid of them completely! Do not do to your people this terrible thing that you have just said that you will do! Stop being so angry! Change your mind!
-\v 13 Think about your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You solemnly promised them, saying, 'I will enable you to have as many descendants as the stars that are in the sky.' You said to them, 'I will give to your descendants all the land that I am promising to give them. It will be their land forever.'"
+\v 12 Do not do anything that would allow the people of Egypt to say, ‘Their god led them out from our country, but he did that only because he wanted to kill them in the mountains and get rid of them completely! Do not do to your people this terrible thing that you have just said that you will do! Stop being so angry! Change your mind!
+\v 13 Think about your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You solemnly promised them, saying, ‘I will enable you to have as many descendants as the stars that are in the sky.’ You said to them, ‘I will give to your descendants all the land that I am promising to give them. It will be their land forever.’”
 \p
 \v 14 So Yahweh changed his mind. He did not do to his people the terrible thing that he said he would do.
 
@@ -2065,11 +2065,11 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 Joshua heard the people shouting very loudly. So when Moses got near the camp, Joshua met him and said, "There is a noise in the camp that sounds like the noise of a battle!"
+\v 17 Joshua heard the people shouting very loudly. So when Moses got near the camp, Joshua met him and said, “There is a noise in the camp that sounds like the noise of a battle!”
 \v 18 But Moses said,
-\q "No, that does not sound as though the people have won a victory;
+\q “No, that does not sound as though the people have won a victory;
 \q it does not sound as though they have been defeated in a battle!
-\q It sounds as though they are singing!"
+\q It sounds as though they are singing!”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2077,30 +2077,30 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \v 20 Then he took the statue of the bull that they had made and melted it in the fire. When it cooled, he ground it into fine powder. Then he mixed the powder with water and forced the Israelite people to drink it.
 
 \s5
-\v 21 Then Moses said to Aaron, "Did these people do something to you that led you to make them sin in this way?"
-\v 22 Aaron replied, "Please do not be angry with me, my lord. You know that these people are likely to do wicked things.
-\v 23 They said to me, 'Make for us an idol who will lead us on our journey! As for that man Moses, the one who brought us up here from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.'
-\v 24 So I said to them, 'Everyone who is wearing gold earrings should take them off.' So they took them off and gave them to me. I threw them into the fire, and out came this statue of a young bull!"
+\v 21 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Did these people do something to you that led you to make them sin in this way?”
+\v 22 Aaron replied, “Please do not be angry with me, my lord. You know that these people are likely to do wicked things.
+\v 23 They said to me, ‘Make for us an idol who will lead us on our journey! As for that man Moses, the one who brought us up here from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’
+\v 24 So I said to them, ‘Everyone who is wearing gold earrings should take them off.’ So they took them off and gave them to me. I threw them into the fire, and out came this statue of a young bull!”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 25 Moses saw that Aaron had allowed the people to get out of control and to do things that would make their enemies think the Israelite people were foolish.
-\v 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and shouted, "Everyone who is loyal to Yahweh should come close to me!" So all the men in the tribe of Levi gathered around him.
-\v 27 Then he said to them, "Yahweh, the God of the Israelite people, commands that every one of you should fasten your sword to your side, and then go through the camp from this gate to the other one. Each one of you must kill the other men, whether they are your brother, your friend, or your neighbor."
+\v 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and shouted, “Everyone who is loyal to Yahweh should come close to me!” So all the men in the tribe of Levi gathered around him.
+\v 27 Then he said to them, “Yahweh, the God of the Israelite people, commands that every one of you should fasten your sword to your side, and then go through the camp from this gate to the other one. Each one of you must kill the other men, whether they are your brother, your friend, or your neighbor.”
 
 \s5
 \v 28 The men in the tribe of Levi did what Moses told them to do, and they killed three thousand men on that day.
-\v 29 Moses said to the men in the tribe of Levi, "Today you have become special servants of Yahweh by killing even your own sons and your brothers. As a result Yahweh has blessed you."
+\v 29 Moses said to the men in the tribe of Levi, “Today you have become special servants of Yahweh by killing even your own sons and your brothers. As a result Yahweh has blessed you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 30 The next day, Moses said to the people, "You have sinned very greatly. But I will now climb up the mountain again to talk with Yahweh. Perhaps I can persuade him to forgive you for sinning like this."
-\v 31 So Moses went up the mountain and said to Yahweh, "I am sorry to admit that these people sinned very greatly when they made for themselves a gold idol and worshiped it.
-\v 32 But now I ask you to forgive them for their sin. If you will not forgive them, then erase my name from the book in which you have written the names of your people."
+\v 30 The next day, Moses said to the people, “You have sinned very greatly. But I will now climb up the mountain again to talk with Yahweh. Perhaps I can persuade him to forgive you for sinning like this.”
+\v 31 So Moses went up the mountain and said to Yahweh, “I am sorry to admit that these people sinned very greatly when they made for themselves a gold idol and worshiped it.
+\v 32 But now I ask you to forgive them for their sin. If you will not forgive them, then erase my name from the book in which you have written the names of your people.”
 
 \s5
-\v 33 But Yahweh said to Moses, "It is only those who have sinned against me whose names I will erase from that book.
-\v 34 Now go back down and lead the Israelite people to the place about which I told you. Keep in mind that my angel will go in front of you. But, at the time that I decide, I will punish them for their sin."
+\v 33 But Yahweh said to Moses, “It is only those who have sinned against me whose names I will erase from that book.
+\v 34 Now go back down and lead the Israelite people to the place about which I told you. Keep in mind that my angel will go in front of you. But, at the time that I decide, I will punish them for their sin.”
 \p
 \v 35 Later Yahweh caused the people to become sick because they had told Aaron to make the statue of a young bull.
 
@@ -2109,19 +2109,19 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \c 33
 
 \p
-\v 1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Leave this place and go with the people whom you led out of Egypt. Go to the land that I promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that I would give to their descendants.
+\v 1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Leave this place and go with the people whom you led out of Egypt. Go to the land that I promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that I would give to their descendants.
 \v 2 I will send my angel ahead of you, and I will remove from that land the people of Canaan, Amor, Heth, Periz, Hiv, and Jebus.
-\v 3 You will go to a land that will be very good for raising livestock and growing crops. But I will not go with you myself because if I did that, I might annihilate you while you are traveling because you are very stubborn people."
+\v 3 You will go to a land that will be very good for raising livestock and growing crops. But I will not go with you myself because if I did that, I might annihilate you while you are traveling because you are very stubborn people.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 When the people heard these words, they were sad, and no one wore fancy clothing anymore.
-\v 5 Yahweh had said to Moses, "Tell the Israelite people, 'You are very stubborn. If I were to go with you for even a moment, I would kill you. Now take off your fine clothing to show that you are sorry for your sin. Then I will decide how I will punish you.'"
+\v 5 Yahweh had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelite people, ‘You are very stubborn. If I were to go with you for even a moment, I would kill you. Now take off your fine clothing to show that you are sorry for your sin. Then I will decide how I will punish you.’”
 \v 6 After the Israelite people left Mount Sinai, they wore no more fancy clothing.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 As the Israelite people were traveling, whenever they stopped and set up their tents, Moses set up the sacred tent outside the camp, far from the camp. He called it "the tent of meeting." Everyone who wanted Yahweh to decide something for them would go out of the camp to the tent of meeting.
+\v 7 As the Israelite people were traveling, whenever they stopped and set up their tents, Moses set up the sacred tent outside the camp, far from the camp. He called it “the tent of meeting.” Everyone who wanted Yahweh to decide something for them would go out of the camp to the tent of meeting.
 \v 8 Whenever Moses went out to the tent of meeting, all the people would stand at their own tent entrances and watch him until he had walked into the tent of meeting.
 \v 9 Whenever Moses went into the tent of meeting, the tall cloud would come down and stay at the tent entrance, and then Yahweh would talk with Moses.
 \s5
@@ -2131,53 +2131,53 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Moses said to Yahweh, "It is true that you have told me, 'Lead the people to the land that I will show you,' but you have not told me whom you will send with me! Nevertheless, you have said that you know me well and that you are pleased with me.
-\v 13 So now, if you are truly pleased with me, I ask you, please tell me the things that you are going to do in order that I may know you better and continue to please you. Please remember that the Israelite people are the people whom you chose to belong to you."
+\v 12 Moses said to Yahweh, “It is true that you have told me, ‘Lead the people to the land that I will show you,’ but you have not told me whom you will send with me! Nevertheless, you have said that you know me well and that you are pleased with me.
+\v 13 So now, if you are truly pleased with me, I ask you, please tell me the things that you are going to do in order that I may know you better and continue to please you. Please remember that the Israelite people are the people whom you chose to belong to you.”
 
 \s5
-\v 14 Yahweh replied, "I will go with you, and I will give you rest."
-\v 15 Moses replied, "If you do not go with me, do not make us leave this place.
-\v 16 The only way that others will know that you are pleased with me and with your people is if you go with us! If you go with us, it will show that we are different from all the other people on the earth."
+\v 14 Yahweh replied, “I will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
+\v 15 Moses replied, “If you do not go with me, do not make us leave this place.
+\v 16 The only way that others will know that you are pleased with me and with your people is if you go with us! If you go with us, it will show that we are different from all the other people on the earth.”
 
 \s5
-\v 17 Yahweh replied to Moses, "I will do what you have asked because I know you well and I am pleased with you."
+\v 17 Yahweh replied to Moses, “I will do what you have asked because I know you well and I am pleased with you.”
 \p
-\v 18 Then Moses said, "Please let me see you in all your power."
+\v 18 Then Moses said, “Please let me see you in all your power.”
 
 \s5
-\v 19 Yahweh replied, "I will let you see how great and powerful I am, and I will tell you clearly that my name is Yahweh. I will act very kindly and be merciful to all those whom I choose.
+\v 19 Yahweh replied, “I will let you see how great and powerful I am, and I will tell you clearly that my name is Yahweh. I will act very kindly and be merciful to all those whom I choose.
 \v 20 But I will not let you see my face because anyone who sees my face will die.
 
 \s5
 \v 21 But look! Here is a place close to me where you can stand on a large rock.
 \v 22 When I come past you in all my power, I will put you in a large hole in the rock, and I will cover your face with my hand until I have passed by.
-\v 23 Then I will take my hand away, and you will see my back, but you will not see my face."
+\v 23 Then I will take my hand away, and you will see my back, but you will not see my face.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 34
 
 \p
-\v 1 Yahweh said to Moses, "Cut two slabs of stone that will be like the first slabs, the ones that you broke. Then I will write on them the words that were on the first slabs.
+\v 1 Yahweh said to Moses, “Cut two slabs of stone that will be like the first slabs, the ones that you broke. Then I will write on them the words that were on the first slabs.
 \v 2 Get ready tomorrow morning, and come up to the top of Mount Sinai again to talk with me there.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 Do not allow anyone to come up with you. I do not want anyone else to be anywhere on the mountain. Do not even allow any sheep or cattle to graze at the base of the mountain."
+\v 3 Do not allow anyone to come up with you. I do not want anyone else to be anywhere on the mountain. Do not even allow any sheep or cattle to graze at the base of the mountain.”
 \v 4 So Moses cut two slabs of stone that were like the first ones. He rose early the next morning, picked up the slabs, and carried them in his hands up to the top of Mount Sinai, as Yahweh had told him.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 Then Yahweh came down in the tall cloud and stood with Moses there. Then he pronounced his own name, Yahweh, in front of Moses.
-\v 6 Yahweh passed in front of him and said, "I am Yahweh God. I always act mercifully and kindly toward people and I do not get angry quickly. I truly love people and I do what I promise to do for them.
-\v 7 I love people for thousands of generations. I forgive people for all kinds of sins. But I will certainly punish those who are guilty. I will punish not only them, but also I will punish their descendants, down to the third and fourth generation."
+\v 6 Yahweh passed in front of him and said, “I am Yahweh God. I always act mercifully and kindly toward people and I do not get angry quickly. I truly love people and I do what I promise to do for them.
+\v 7 I love people for thousands of generations. I forgive people for all kinds of sins. But I will certainly punish those who are guilty. I will punish not only them, but also I will punish their descendants, down to the third and fourth generation.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 Moses bowed low down on the ground and worshiped Yahweh.
-\v 9 He said, "My Lord, if you are now pleased with me, I ask that you go with us. These people are very stubborn, but forgive us for all our sins, and accept us as the people who belong to you forever."
+\v 9 He said, “My Lord, if you are now pleased with me, I ask that you go with us. These people are very stubborn, but forgive us for all our sins, and accept us as the people who belong to you forever.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 Yahweh replied, "I am about to make a covenant with your people, the Israelite people. As they are watching, I will perform great miracles. They will see miracles that no one has ever done on the earth in any people group. Everyone among your people will see the great things that I, Yahweh, will do. I will do things for you all that will make you fear me.
+\v 10 Yahweh replied, “I am about to make a covenant with your people, the Israelite people. As they are watching, I will perform great miracles. They will see miracles that no one has ever done on the earth in any people group. Everyone among your people will see the great things that I, Yahweh, will do. I will do things for you all that will make you fear me.
 \v 11 Do what I tell you to do today. I am about to make the Amor, Canaan, Heth, Periz, Hiv, and Jebus people groups leave the land.
 \s5
 \v 12 But be careful that you do not make a covenant to live peacefully with any of the people who live in the land into which you are going because if you do that, you will begin to do the evil things that they do. It will be like falling into a trap.
@@ -2214,13 +2214,13 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \p
 \v 25 When you sacrifice an animal to me, do not offer bread that is made with yeast. During the Passover festival, when you sacrifice lambs, do not keep any of the meat until the next morning.
 \p
-\v 26 You must bring to my tent of meeting the first part of the grain that you harvest every year. When you kill a young animal, do not cook it by boiling it in its mother's milk."
+\v 26 You must bring to my tent of meeting the first part of the grain that you harvest every year. When you kill a young animal, do not cook it by boiling it in its mother’s milk.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 27 Yahweh said to Moses, "Write down the words that I have told you. By giving you these commands, I have made a covenant with you and with the Israelite people."
+\v 27 Yahweh said to Moses, “Write down the words that I have told you. By giving you these commands, I have made a covenant with you and with the Israelite people.”
 \p
-\v 28 Moses was there on the top of the mountain with Yahweh for forty days and nights. During that time he did not eat or drink anything. He engraved on the stone slabs the words of the Ten Commandments which belonged to Yahweh's covenant.
+\v 28 Moses was there on the top of the mountain with Yahweh for forty days and nights. During that time he did not eat or drink anything. He engraved on the stone slabs the words of the Ten Commandments which belonged to Yahweh’s covenant.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -2235,26 +2235,26 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 
 \s5
 \v 34 Whenever Moses entered the tent of meeting to talk with Yahweh, he would remove the cloth. When he came back out, he would always tell the Israelite people everything that Yahweh had commanded him to tell them.
-\v 35 The Israelite people would see that Moses' face was still shining. Then he would put the cloth back on his face again until the next time that he went to talk with Yahweh.
+\v 35 The Israelite people would see that Moses’ face was still shining. Then he would put the cloth back on his face again until the next time that he went to talk with Yahweh.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 35
 
 \p
-\v 1 Moses gathered all the Israelite people together and said to them, "This is what Yahweh has commanded you to do.
+\v 1 Moses gathered all the Israelite people together and said to them, “This is what Yahweh has commanded you to do.
 \v 2 Each week you may work for six days, but on the seventh day, you must rest. It is a sacred day, dedicated to Yahweh. Anyone who does any work on the seventh day must be killed.
-\v 3 Do not light a fire in your homes on the rest days."
+\v 3 Do not light a fire in your homes on the rest days.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 Moses also said to all the Israelite people, "This is what Yahweh has commanded.
+\v 4 Moses also said to all the Israelite people, “This is what Yahweh has commanded.
 \v 5 Make offerings to Yahweh. Everyone who wants to should bring to Yahweh an offering. The offerings can be gold, silver, or bronze,
-\v 6 fine white linen, blue, purple or red woolen cloth, cloth made from goats' hair,
-\v 7 rams' skins that are tanned, fine leather skins, wood from acacia trees,
+\v 6 fine white linen, blue, purple or red woolen cloth, cloth made from goats’ hair,
+\v 7 rams’ skins that are tanned, fine leather skins, wood from acacia trees,
 \v 8 oil for the lamps, spices to put into the olive oil for anointing and to put into the sweet-smelling incense,
-\v 9 onyx stones or other valuable stones to fasten onto the priest's sacred apron and to put on his sacred chest pouch.
+\v 9 onyx stones or other valuable stones to fasten onto the priest’s sacred apron and to put on his sacred chest pouch.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2271,7 +2271,7 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \s5
 \v 17 They workers made the curtains to surround the courtyard and the posts and bases for the posts to support the curtains; the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard;
 \v 18 the pegs and ropes for the sacred tent;
-\v 19 and the beautiful clothes that Aaron and his sons are to wear when they do their work in the holy place."
+\v 19 and the beautiful clothes that Aaron and his sons are to wear when they do their work in the holy place.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2280,22 +2280,22 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \v 22 All the men and women who wished to brought gold ornaments, earrings, rings, necklaces, and many other kinds of things made of gold, and they dedicated them to Yahweh.
 
 \s5
-\v 23 Many people who had blue, purple, or red woolen cloth or fine white linen or cloth made from goats' hair, or rams' skins that were tanned, or leather made from fine skins, brought some of these things.
+\v 23 Many people who had blue, purple, or red woolen cloth or fine white linen or cloth made from goats’ hair, or rams’ skins that were tanned, or leather made from fine skins, brought some of these things.
 \v 24 All those who had silver or bronze brought them as offerings to Yahweh. All those who had some acacia wood that could be used for any of the work for the people to worship Yahweh brought it.
 
 \s5
 \v 25 All the women who were skilled to make cloth brought fine linen thread and blue, purple, or red woolen yarn that they had made.
-\v 26 All the women who wanted to made thread from goats' hair.
+\v 26 All the women who wanted to made thread from goats’ hair.
 
 \s5
-\v 27 All the leaders brought onyx stones and other fine stones to be fastened to Aaron's sacred apron and his sacred chest pouch.
+\v 27 All the leaders brought onyx stones and other fine stones to be fastened to Aaron’s sacred apron and his sacred chest pouch.
 \v 28 They also brought spices to put into the sweet-smelling incense, and they brought olive oil for the lamps and for the oil for anointing and for putting in the sweet-smelling incense.
 \v 29 All the Israelite men and women who wanted to brought these things to offer them to Yahweh for doing the work that he had commanded Moses to do.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 30 Moses said to the Israelite people, "Listen carefully. Yahweh has chosen Bezalel son of Uri and grandson of Hur, from the tribe of Judah.
+\v 30 Moses said to the Israelite people, “Listen carefully. Yahweh has chosen Bezalel son of Uri and grandson of Hur, from the tribe of Judah.
 \v 31 Yahweh has enabled his Spirit to live in Bezalel, has given him ability and knowledge, and has enabled him to know how to do very skilled work.
 \v 32 He can engrave skillful designs in gold, silver, and bronze.
 \v 33 He can cut jewels and enclose them in tiny gold frames and can carve things from wood and do other skilled work.
@@ -2317,8 +2317,8 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \v 4 As a result, the men who were doing various things to make the sacred tent came to Moses, each of them what Yahweh commanded them.
 
 \s5
-\v 5 So the craftsmen said to Moses, "The people are bringing more than we need to do the work that Yahweh has commanded us!"
-\v 6 So Moses gave them a message that others proclaimed throughout the camp, saying "No one should bring anything more as an offering to make the sacred tent!" When the people heard that, they did not bring anything more.
+\v 5 So the craftsmen said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than we need to do the work that Yahweh has commanded us!”
+\v 6 So Moses gave them a message that others proclaimed throughout the camp, saying “No one should bring anything more as an offering to make the sacred tent!” When the people heard that, they did not bring anything more.
 \v 7 What they had already brought was enough to do all the work. In fact, it was more than was needed!
 
 
@@ -2334,14 +2334,14 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \v 13 They made 50 gold fasteners to attach both of the sets together. In that way, the inside of the sacred tent was as though it were one piece.
 
 \s5
-\v 14 Bezalel and his men made a cover for the sacred tent from 11 pieces of cloth made from goats' hair.
+\v 14 Bezalel and his men made a cover for the sacred tent from 11 pieces of cloth made from goats’ hair.
 \v 15 Each piece of cloth was eighteen and one-third meters long and one and four-fifths meters wide.
 \v 16 They sewed five of these pieces of cloth together to make one set, and they sewed the other six pieces of cloth together to make another set.
 \v 17 They made one hundred loops of blue cloth. They fastened fifty of them to the outer edge of the one set and they fastened fifty to the outer edge of the other set.
 
 \s5
 \v 18 Bezalel and his men made 50 bronze clasps and joined the two sets together with them. In that way it formed one cover.
-\v 19 They made two more covers for the sacred tent. They made one from rams' skins that had been tanned, and they made the top cover from goatskin leather.
+\v 19 They made two more covers for the sacred tent. They made one from rams’ skins that had been tanned, and they made the top cover from goatskin leather.
 
 \s5
 \v 20 Bezalel and his men made forty-eight frames from acacia wood and set them up to support the covers for the sacred tent.
@@ -2392,9 +2392,9 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \v 6 They made a lid for the chest. It also was one meter long and three-quarters of a meter wide.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 Bezalel and his men made two winged creatures from hammered gold, to put them on the two ends of the chest's lid.
+\v 7 Bezalel and his men made two winged creatures from hammered gold, to put them on the two ends of the chest’s lid.
 \v 8 They put one creature at each end of the chest, and they joined the gold of the creatures to the gold of the lid so that the creatures were one piece with the lid.
-\v 9 They placed the winged creatures so that their wings touched each other and spread out over the lid. The creatures faced each other, looking toward the lid's center.
+\v 9 They placed the winged creatures so that their wings touched each other and spread out over the lid. The creatures faced each other, looking toward the lid’s center.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -2482,7 +2482,7 @@ A thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animal with which to pay for th
 \p
 \v 21 Here is a list of the amounts of metal used to make the sacred tent. Moses told some men from the tribe of Levi to count all the materials used and write down the amounts. Ithamar son of Aaron the priest, supervised those men.
 \v 22 Bezalel son of Uri and grandson of Hur made all the things that Yahweh had commanded Moses to make.
-\v 23 Bezalel's helper was Oholiab son of Ahisamak, from the tribe of Dan. Oholiab was a skilled engraver who made artistic things. He embroidered designs using blue, purple, and red woolen yarn, and linen.
+\v 23 Bezalel’s helper was Oholiab son of Ahisamak, from the tribe of Dan. Oholiab was a skilled engraver who made artistic things. He embroidered designs using blue, purple, and red woolen yarn, and linen.
 
 \s5
 \v 24 All the gold that was used to make the sacred tent weighed 965
@@ -2548,7 +2548,7 @@ gold.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 They made the robe that was to be worn underneath the priest's sacred apron; they used only blue cloth.
+\v 22 They made the robe that was to be worn underneath the priest’s sacred apron; they used only blue cloth.
 \v 23 It had an opening through which the priest would put his head. They sewed a border around this opening to prevent the material from tearing.
 \v 24 At the lower edge on the robe they fastened decorations that resembled pomegranate fruit. The decorations were woven from blue, purple, and red woolen yarn.
 
@@ -2559,18 +2559,18 @@ gold.
 \s5
 \p
 \v 27 They wove long-sleeved tunics from fine linen for Aaron and his sons.
-\v 28 They also made a turban of fine linen for Aaron to wear around his head. They made the caps and the undershorts for Aaron's sons from fine linen.
+\v 28 They also made a turban of fine linen for Aaron to wear around his head. They made the caps and the undershorts for Aaron’s sons from fine linen.
 \v 29 They made the embroidered sash for Aaron from fine linen and from blue, purple, and red woolen cloth, and they embroidered designs on it using blue, purple, and red woolen yarn, exactly as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
 
 \s5
-\v 30 They also made the tiny ornament of pure gold and had a skilled workman engrave on it the words, "Dedicated to Yahweh."
+\v 30 They also made the tiny ornament of pure gold and had a skilled workman engrave on it the words, “Dedicated to Yahweh.”
 \v 31 They fastened this to the front of the turban by a blue cord, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 32 Finally, they finished all the work of making the sacred tent and brought everything to Moses. They had made them exactly as Yahweh had commanded them to.
 \v 33 They brought to him the sacred tent and all the things that were used with it—the hooks, the frames, the crossbars, the posts and their bases;
-\v 34 the coverings for the sacred tent that were made of tanned rams' skins and goatskins; the curtains;
+\v 34 the coverings for the sacred tent that were made of tanned rams’ skins and goatskins; the curtains;
 \v 35 the sacred chest that contained the stone slabs on which the commandments were written and the lid for the chest.
 
 \s5
@@ -2594,7 +2594,7 @@ Truly, they had done everything exactly as Yahweh had commanded that it should b
 
 \p
 \v 1 Then Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 2 "Next year, on the first day of the first month, tell the people to set up the sacred tent.
+\v 2 “Next year, on the first day of the first month, tell the people to set up the sacred tent.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 Put inside it the sacred chest that contains the stone slabs on which are engraved the Ten Commandments, and hang its curtain in front of it.
@@ -2616,8 +2616,8 @@ Truly, they had done everything exactly as Yahweh had commanded that it should b
 \v 13 Then set Aaron apart for me by putting his special clothes on him and by pouring oil on him. Do this so he may serve me as a priest who comes before me.
 
 \s5
-\v 14 Also bring Aaron's sons and put their special tunics on them;
-\v 15 then pour oil on them just as you did on their father. Do this so that they also may worship me as priests. By pouring oil on them, you will cause them and their descendants to be priests throughout all their future generations."
+\v 14 Also bring Aaron’s sons and put their special tunics on them;
+\v 15 then pour oil on them just as you did on their father. Do this so that they also may worship me as priests. By pouring oil on them, you will cause them and their descendants to be priests throughout all their future generations.”
 \p
 \v 16 Moses and the men working with him did all these things exactly as Yahweh had commanded him to do.
 
@@ -2634,30 +2634,30 @@ the commandments were written and put them into the sacred chest. He caused the
 \v 23 They placed on the table the bread in order to display it before Yahweh, exactly as Yahweh had commanded Moses to do.
 
 \s5
-\v 24 Moses's workmen set the lampstand inside the sacred tent, on the south side, on the other side of the table.
-\v 25 Then they set the lamps on the lampstand in Yahweh's presence, exactly as Yahweh had commanded.
+\v 24 Moses’s workmen set the lampstand inside the sacred tent, on the south side, on the other side of the table.
+\v 25 Then they set the lamps on the lampstand in Yahweh’s presence, exactly as Yahweh had commanded.
 
 \s5
-\v 26 Moses's workmen set the gold altar for burning incense inside the sacred tent, in front of the curtain that separated the holy place from the very holy place,
+\v 26 Moses’s workmen set the gold altar for burning incense inside the sacred tent, in front of the curtain that separated the holy place from the very holy place,
 \v 27 and they burned some sweet-smelling incense on it, exactly as Yahweh had commanded Moses to do.
 
 \s5
-\v 28 Moses's workmen hung the curtain at the entrance to the sacred tent.
+\v 28 Moses’s workmen hung the curtain at the entrance to the sacred tent.
 \v 29 At the entrance to the sacred tent, they placed the altar for offering sacrifices that the priests were to burn. Then they burned on it the meat and the flour that they offered, exactly as Yahweh had commanded Moses to do.
 \v 30 They set the washbasin between the sacred tent and the bronze altar, and they filled the washbasin with water.
 
 \s5
-\v 31-32 Every time Moses, Aaron, or Aaron's sons went into the sacred tent or went up to the altar, they washed their hands and feet, exactly as Yahweh had commanded them through Moses to do.
-\v 33 Moses's workmen hung up the curtains that surrounded the courtyard and the altar, and they hung the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. In this way Moses caused the people to complete all that work.
+\v 31-32 Every time Moses, Aaron, or Aaron’s sons went into the sacred tent or went up to the altar, they washed their hands and feet, exactly as Yahweh had commanded them through Moses to do.
+\v 33 Moses’s workmen hung up the curtains that surrounded the courtyard and the altar, and they hung the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. In this way Moses caused the people to complete all that work.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 34 Then the tall cloud covered the sacred tent, and Yahweh's power and brilliant light filled the sacred tent.
+\v 34 Then the tall cloud covered the sacred tent, and Yahweh’s power and brilliant light filled the sacred tent.
 \v 35 Because the light was very bright, Moses was not able to enter the sacred tent.
 
 \s5
 \v 36 From that day, whenever the people of Israel wanted to move to another place, they went only when the cloud rose from above the sacred tent and moved on.
 \v 37 If the cloud did not rise, they stayed where they were and waited for the cloud to rise and move.
-\v 38 Wherever they traveled, the cloud that showed Yahweh's presence was above the sacred tent during the day, and a bright fire was over it at night. All the people of Israel could see it at any time, for as long as they were traveling to the land that God had promised to give them.
+\v 38 Wherever they traveled, the cloud that showed Yahweh’s presence was above the sacred tent during the day, and a bright fire was over it at night. All the people of Israel could see it at any time, for as long as they were traveling to the land that God had promised to give them.
 

03-LEV.usfm

@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 While Moses was standing near the entrance to the sacred tent, Yahweh called to him from inside the tent. He said to Moses
-\v 2 to say this to the Israelite people: "When any of you brings an offering to Yahweh, bring one of your sheep or goats or cattle.
+\v 2 to say this to the Israelite people: “When any of you brings an offering to Yahweh, bring one of your sheep or goats or cattle.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -19,18 +19,18 @@
 \v 4 You must lay your hands on the head of the bull. When you do that, Yahweh will accept its death in your place to forgive you for the sins that you have committed.
 
 \s5
-\v 5 You must slaughter the young bull in front of Yahweh. Then Aaron's sons, who are priests, will bring the blood and throw it against all sides of the altar near the entrance to the sacred tent.
+\v 5 You must slaughter the young bull in front of Yahweh. Then Aaron’s sons, who are priests, will bring the blood and throw it against all sides of the altar near the entrance to the sacred tent.
 \v 6 You must remove the skin of the animal and cut the animal into pieces. You must wash the inner parts and the legs of the bull.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 Then Aaron's sons will put wood fire on the altar and arrange the wood on the fire. 
+\v 7 Then Aaron’s sons will put wood fire on the altar and arrange the wood on the fire. 
 \v 8 Then they will arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the burning wood.
 \v 9 Then one of the priests will completely burn all of it on the altar. And the good odor will be pleasing to Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 10 If you are offering a sheep or a goat, it must be a male without any defect.
-\v 11 You must slaughter it in front of Yahweh, on the north side of the altar and drain all the blood into a bowl. Then Aaron's sons will sprinkle the blood against all sides of the altar.
+\v 11 You must slaughter it in front of Yahweh, on the north side of the altar and drain all the blood into a bowl. Then Aaron’s sons will sprinkle the blood against all sides of the altar.
 
 \s5
 \v 12 You must cut the animal into pieces. You must wash the inner parts and the legs of the animal. Then the priests will arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the burning wood.
@@ -39,11 +39,11 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 14 If what you are offering to Yahweh is birds, you must offer a dove or a young pigeon.
-\v 15 The priest will take it to the altar and wring off its head. Then he will burn the head on the altar. He will drain out the bird's blood onto the side of the altar.
+\v 15 The priest will take it to the altar and wring off its head. Then he will burn the head on the altar. He will drain out the bird’s blood onto the side of the altar.
 
 \s5
-\v 16 Then he will remove the bird's craw and what is inside it, and throw it on the east side of the altar, where they also throw the ashes.
-\v 17 Then he will grasp the bird's wings and tear the bird open partially, but never all the way. Then he will burn it completely in the fire on the altar. And the good odor will be pleasing to Yahweh.
+\v 16 Then he will remove the bird’s craw and what is inside it, and throw it on the east side of the altar, where they also throw the ashes.
+\v 17 Then he will grasp the bird’s wings and tear the bird open partially, but never all the way. Then he will burn it completely in the fire on the altar. And the good odor will be pleasing to Yahweh.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 When you offer to Yahweh an animal to promise friendship with him, you may bring a bull or a cow from your herd of cattle, but what you present to Yahweh must be an animal that has no defects.
-\v 2 You must bring the animal to the entrance to the sacred tent. You must lay your hands on its head. Then you must slaughter it and catch some of its blood in a bowl. Then one of Aaron's sons, one of the priests, will sprinkle the blood against all sides of the altar.
+\v 2 You must bring the animal to the entrance to the sacred tent. You must lay your hands on its head. Then you must slaughter it and catch some of its blood in a bowl. Then one of Aaron’s sons, one of the priests, will sprinkle the blood against all sides of the altar.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 From that offering you must bring to Yahweh a sacrifice that a priest will burn in the fire. That will consist of all the fat that covers the inner parts of the animal, or which is attached to them—
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 If that offering to promise friendship with Yahweh is a sheep or a goat, it must also be an animal that has no defects.
-\v 7 If you offer a lamb, you must present it to Yahweh at the entrance to the sacred tent. You must lay your hands on the lamb's head and then slaughter it. You must catch some of its blood in a bowl.
+\v 7 If you offer a lamb, you must present it to Yahweh at the entrance to the sacred tent. You must lay your hands on the lamb’s head and then slaughter it. You must catch some of its blood in a bowl.
 \v 8 Then one of the priests will sprinkle that blood against all sides of the altar.
 
 \s5
@@ -107,14 +107,14 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 If your offering is a goat, you must take it to Yahweh.
-\v 13 You must lay your hands on its head. Then you must slaughter it in front of the sacred tent. Then one of Aaron's sons will sprinkle the blood against all sides of the altar.
+\v 13 You must lay your hands on its head. Then you must slaughter it in front of the sacred tent. Then one of Aaron’s sons will sprinkle the blood against all sides of the altar.
 \v 14 From that offering you must separate these things to be a sacrifice to Yahweh that is burned: All the fat that covers the inner parts of the animal or which is attached to them.
 
 \s5
 \v 15 Also separate the kidneys with the fat that is on them near the lower back muscle, and the fat that covers the liver.
 \v 16 The priest will burn those things on the altar to be an offering to Yahweh. Those things will come from your food supplies. And the good odor will be pleasing to Yahweh. All the fat of the animals that are sacrificed belongs to Yahweh.
 \p
-\v 17 This is a command that must be obeyed by you and your descendants forever, wherever you live. You must not eat the fat or the blood of any animal."
+\v 17 This is a command that must be obeyed by you and your descendants forever, wherever you live. You must not eat the fat or the blood of any animal.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Then Yahweh told Moses
-\v 2 to say this to the Israelite people, "This is what anyone must do if he sins without intending to sin, that is, if he does something that breaks any of Yahweh's commands.
+\v 2 to say this to the Israelite people, “This is what anyone must do if he sins without intending to sin, that is, if he does something that breaks any of Yahweh’s commands.
 \p
 \v 3 If the high priest sins and that causes all the people to be guilty, he must bring to Yahweh a young bull that has no defects. That will be an offering for the sin that he has committed.
 
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 6 He must dip one of his fingers into the blood and sprinkle it seven times in the presence of Yahweh, in front of the curtain that separates the holy place from the very holy place.
-\v 7 Then he must put some of the blood on the projections at the corners of the altar where fragrant incense is burned in the sacred tent in the presence of Yahweh. The remaining part of the bull's blood that is still in the bowl, he must pour out at the base of the altar, where sacrifices are burned, at the entrance to the sacred tent.
+\v 7 Then he must put some of the blood on the projections at the corners of the altar where fragrant incense is burned in the sacred tent in the presence of Yahweh. The remaining part of the bull’s blood that is still in the bowl, he must pour out at the base of the altar, where sacrifices are burned, at the entrance to the sacred tent.
 
 \s5
 \v 8 From that offering the high priest must separate these things from the bull that is to be burned: The fat that covers the inner parts of the bull or which is attached to them—
@@ -145,17 +145,17 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 If all the Israelite people sin without intending to sin, doing something that is forbidden in any of Yahweh's commands, they will be guilty, even if they do not realize that they have sinned.
+\v 13 If all the Israelite people sin without intending to sin, doing something that is forbidden in any of Yahweh’s commands, they will be guilty, even if they do not realize that they have sinned.
 \v 14 When they realize that they have committed a sin, together they must bring a young bull to be an offering for their sin, to the front of the sacred tent.
-\v 15 The elders must lay their hands on the bull's head in the presence of Yahweh and slaughter it and catch some of the blood in a bowl.
+\v 15 The elders must lay their hands on the bull’s head in the presence of Yahweh and slaughter it and catch some of the blood in a bowl.
 
 \s5
 \v 16 Then the high priest must take some of that blood into the sacred tent.
 \v 17 He must dip one of his fingers into the blood and sprinkle it seven times in the presence of Yahweh, in front of the curtain that separates the holy place from the very holy place.
 
 \s5
-\v 18 Then he must put some of the blood on the projections at the corners of the altar that is in the presence of Yahweh in the sacred tent. The remaining part of the bull's blood he must pour out at the base of the altar where sacrifices are burned, at the entrance of the sacred tent.
-\v 19 He must remove all the animal's fat and burn it on the altar.
+\v 18 Then he must put some of the blood on the projections at the corners of the altar that is in the presence of Yahweh in the sacred tent. The remaining part of the bull’s blood he must pour out at the base of the altar where sacrifices are burned, at the entrance of the sacred tent.
+\v 19 He must remove all the animal’s fat and burn it on the altar.
 
 \s5
 \v 20 He must do with this bull the same things that he did with the bull that was an offering for his own sins, and they will be forgiven.
@@ -167,11 +167,11 @@
 \v 23 When he realizes that he has committed a sin, he must bring as his offering a male goat that has no defects.
 
 \s5
-\v 24 He must lay his hands on the goat's head in the presence of Yahweh and slaughter it at the place where they slaughter the animals that will be completely burned on the altar. That will be an offering for his sin.
-\v 25 Then the priest must put some of the animal's blood into a bowl and dip one of his fingers in it and put some of the blood on the corners of the projections of the altar. Then he must pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.
+\v 24 He must lay his hands on the goat’s head in the presence of Yahweh and slaughter it at the place where they slaughter the animals that will be completely burned on the altar. That will be an offering for his sin.
+\v 25 Then the priest must put some of the animal’s blood into a bowl and dip one of his fingers in it and put some of the blood on the corners of the projections of the altar. Then he must pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.
 
 \s5
-\v 26 Then he must burn all the fat on the altar, like was done with the fat of the offering to promise friendship with Yahweh. As a result of the priest's doing that, the leader will no longer be guilty for his sin and he will be forgiven.
+\v 26 Then he must burn all the fat on the altar, like was done with the fat of the offering to promise friendship with Yahweh. As a result of the priest’s doing that, the leader will no longer be guilty for his sin and he will be forgiven.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -179,20 +179,20 @@
 \v 28 When he realizes that he has committed a sin, he must bring as his offering a female goat that has no defects.
 
 \s5
-\v 29 He must lay his hands on the goat's head and slaughter it at the place where they slaughter the animals that they will burn completely on the altar, and catch some of the blood in a bowl.
+\v 29 He must lay his hands on the goat’s head and slaughter it at the place where they slaughter the animals that they will burn completely on the altar, and catch some of the blood in a bowl.
 \v 30 Then the priest must dip one of his fingers in it, and put some of the blood on the projections at the corners of the altar. Then he must pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.
 
 \s5
-\v 31 Then he must remove all the goat's fat, and burn all the fat on the altar, like was done with the fat of the offering to maintain fellowship with Yahweh. And the good odor will be pleasing to Yahweh. As a result of the priest doing that, the person will no longer be guilty for his sin, and he will be forgiven.
+\v 31 Then he must remove all the goat’s fat, and burn all the fat on the altar, like was done with the fat of the offering to maintain fellowship with Yahweh. And the good odor will be pleasing to Yahweh. As a result of the priest doing that, the person will no longer be guilty for his sin, and he will be forgiven.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 32 If that person brings a lamb to be his offering for sin, he must bring a female lamb that has no defects.
-\v 33 He must lay his hands on the lamb's head and slaughter it at the place where they slaughter the animals that will be completely burned on the altar, and catch some of the blood in a bowl.
+\v 33 He must lay his hands on the lamb’s head and slaughter it at the place where they slaughter the animals that will be completely burned on the altar, and catch some of the blood in a bowl.
 
 \s5
 \v 34 Then the priest must dip one of his fingers in it and put some of the blood on the projections at the corners of the altar. Then he must pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.
-\v 35 Then he must remove all the lamb's fat, and burn all the fat on the altar, like was done with the fat of the offering to promise friendship with Yahweh. He must burn it on top of the other offerings to Yahweh that are being burned. As a result, the priest will request God to forgive that person for his sin, and he will be forgiven.
+\v 35 Then he must remove all the lamb’s fat, and burn all the fat on the altar, like was done with the fat of the offering to promise friendship with Yahweh. He must burn it on top of the other offerings to Yahweh that are being burned. As a result, the priest will request God to forgive that person for his sin, and he will be forgiven.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -228,39 +228,39 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 12 You must take it to the priest. He will take a handful of it to symbolize that the whole offering truly belongs to Yahweh, and burn it on the altar, on top of the other offerings.
-\v 13 When he does that, the priest will enable you to no longer be guilty for any of the sins that you have committed, and God will forgive you. The part of the offering that is not burned will belong to the priest, just as in the case of the offerings made from flour."
+\v 13 When he does that, the priest will enable you to no longer be guilty for any of the sins that you have committed, and God will forgive you. The part of the offering that is not burned will belong to the priest, just as in the case of the offerings made from flour.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 14 Yahweh also said to Moses to tell the people:
-\v 15 "When you sin, without intending to, by not giving to me, Yahweh, the things that you are required to give to him, you must pay a penalty by bringing to me a ram that has no defects. You must determine how much silver it is worth, by using the official standard in the sacred tent. It will be an offering to cause you to no longer be guilty.
+\v 15 “When you sin, without intending to, by not giving to me, Yahweh, the things that you are required to give to him, you must pay a penalty by bringing to me a ram that has no defects. You must determine how much silver it is worth, by using the official standard in the sacred tent. It will be an offering to cause you to no longer be guilty.
 \v 16 But you must also make restitution for failing to pay him what has been set apart as only for him. Also, you must add one-fifth of its value. You must give that to the priest. He will offer the ram as a sacrifice for the sin that you have committed and cause you to no longer be guilty, and I will forgive you.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 If you sin by doing something that is forbidden in any of my commands, even if you do not know that you have disobeyed one of my commands, you are still guilty; you must pay a penalty to me.
 \v 18 When you realize what you have done, you must bring a ram to the priest as an offering in order that you will no longer be guilty. You must bring one that has no defects. The priest will offer the ram to be a sacrifice to me, and as a result you will no longer be guilty for the sin that you have committed, and I will forgive you.
-\v 19 It is an offering to cause you to no longer be guilty for sinning against me."
+\v 19 It is an offering to cause you to no longer be guilty for sinning against me.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 6
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 2 "If you sin against me by deceiving someone—if you refuse to return what someone has lent you, or if you steal something of his,
+\v 2 “If you sin against me by deceiving someone—if you refuse to return what someone has lent you, or if you steal something of his,
 \v 3 or if you find something and swear that you do not have it, you are guilty.
 \v 4 You must return to its owner what you have stolen or what someone has lent to you and you have not returned, or what you found that someone else had lost, or whatever you lied about.
 \s5
 \v 5 You must not only return anything like that to its owner, but you must also pay to the owner an additional one-fifth of its value.
 \v 6 You must also bring to the priest a ram to be an offering to me, in order that you will no longer be guilty. The ram that you bring must be one that has no defects, one that has the value that has been officially determined.
-\v 7 Then the priest will offer that ram to be a sacrifice that will cause you to no longer be guilty, and I will forgive you for the wrong things that you did."
+\v 7 Then the priest will offer that ram to be a sacrifice that will cause you to no longer be guilty, and I will forgive you for the wrong things that you did.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 9 "Tell this to Aaron and his sons: These are the regulations concerning the offerings that will be completely burned on the altar: The offering must remain on the altar all during the night, and the fire on the altar must always be kept burning.
+\v 9 “Tell this to Aaron and his sons: These are the regulations concerning the offerings that will be completely burned on the altar: The offering must remain on the altar all during the night, and the fire on the altar must always be kept burning.
 
 \s5
 \v 10 The next morning the priest must put on his linen underclothes and linen outer clothes. Then he must remove the ashes of the offering from the fire and put them beside the altar.
@@ -268,65 +268,65 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 12 The fire on the altar must always be kept burning. The priest must not allow it to go out. Each morning the priest must put more firewood on the fire. Then he must arrange more offerings on the fire, and burn on the altar the fat of the offerings to be burned to promise friendship with Yahweh.
-\v 13 The fire on the altar must be kept burning continually. The priest must not allow it to go out."
+\v 13 The fire on the altar must be kept burning continually. The priest must not allow it to go out.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 "These are the regulations concerning the offerings made from flour. Aaron's sons must bring them to Yahweh in front of the altar.
+\v 14 “These are the regulations concerning the offerings made from flour. Aaron’s sons must bring them to Yahweh in front of the altar.
 \v 15 The priest must take a handful of fine flour mixed with olive oil and incense and burn that on the altar. That handful will signify that the whole offering truly belongs to me. And the good odor, while the offering burns, will be pleasing to me.
 
 \s5
 \v 16 Aaron and his sons may eat the remaining part of the grain offering. But they must eat it in a place that is set apart for God, in the courtyard of the sacred tent.
 \v 17 It must not have yeast mixed with it. Like the offerings for sin and the offerings to cause people to no longer be guilty of sin, that offering is very special, reserved for me.
-\v 18 Any male descendants of Aaron are permitted to eat it, because it is their permanent regular share of the offerings given to me and burned in the fire on the altar. Whoever touches them will be considered to be set apart for the honor of Yahweh."
+\v 18 Any male descendants of Aaron are permitted to eat it, because it is their permanent regular share of the offerings given to me and burned in the fire on the altar. Whoever touches them will be considered to be set apart for the honor of Yahweh.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 19 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 20 "Tell Aaron and his sons that this is the offering that they must bring to me on the day that any of them is ordained: That person must bring two liters of fine flour as an offering made from grain flour. He must bring half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening.
+\v 20 “Tell Aaron and his sons that this is the offering that they must bring to me on the day that any of them is ordained: That person must bring two liters of fine flour as an offering made from grain flour. He must bring half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening.
 
 \s5
 \v 21 He must mix it well with olive oil and bake it in a shallow pan. He must then break it into small pieces to be burned on the altar. And the good odor, while it burns, will be pleasing to me.
 \v 22 I have commanded that the descendants of Aaron who are appointed to become the high priests after Aaron dies are the ones who must prepare those things. They must be completely burned on the altar to be sacrifices to me.
-\v 23 Every offering that a priest gives that is made from flour must be completely burned. No one is to eat any of it."
+\v 23 Every offering that a priest gives that is made from flour must be completely burned. No one is to eat any of it.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 24 Yahweh also told Moses to
-\v 25 tell Aaron and his sons, "These are the regulations concerning the offerings for the sins of the people. The priest will kill the sacrifice at the place where the offerings are burned; it is killed before Yahweh and the offering is dedicated to Yahweh.
+\v 25 tell Aaron and his sons, “These are the regulations concerning the offerings for the sins of the people. The priest will kill the sacrifice at the place where the offerings are burned; it is killed before Yahweh and the offering is dedicated to Yahweh.
 \v 26 The priest who makes the offering for sin, may eat the offering given to Yahweh. The priest can only eat it in the place in the courtyard that has been set apart for eating sacrifices.
 \s5
 \v 27 Any other person who touches any of its meat will belong to me. And if its blood is splattered on your clothes, you must wash the clothes in a holy place.
 \v 28 If the meat is cooked in a clay pot, the pot must be broken afterwards. But if it is cooked in a bronze pot, the pot must be scoured afterwards and rinsed with water.
 
 \s5
-\v 29 Any male in a priest's family may eat some of the cooked meat. That meat is very special.
-\v 30 But if the blood of those offerings is brought into the sacred tent to enable the people to be forgiven for having sinned, the meat of those animals must not be eaten. The priest must burn that meat completely."
+\v 29 Any male in a priest’s family may eat some of the cooked meat. That meat is very special.
+\v 30 But if the blood of those offerings is brought into the sacred tent to enable the people to be forgiven for having sinned, the meat of those animals must not be eaten. The priest must burn that meat completely.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 7
 
 \p
-\v 1 "These are the regulations concerning the offerings for when people are guilty of not giving to Yahweh the things that are required to be given to him. Those are very sacred offerings.
-\v 2 A priest must slaughter each animal that people offer for this purpose in the same place where they slaughter the animals that they will completely burn. The priest must sprinkle the animal's blood on all sides of the altar.
+\v 1 “These are the regulations concerning the offerings for when people are guilty of not giving to Yahweh the things that are required to be given to him. Those are very sacred offerings.
+\v 2 A priest must slaughter each animal that people offer for this purpose in the same place where they slaughter the animals that they will completely burn. The priest must sprinkle the animal’s blood on all sides of the altar.
 \v 3 All their fat, the fat tails that are cut close to the backbone, and all the fat that covers the inner parts of the animals or which is attached to them, must be burned on the altar.
 \v 4 This includes the kidneys with their fat near the lower back muscle, and the fat that covers the liver. The priest must remove all these fatty pieces.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 The priest must burn these pieces on the altar to be offerings to me, Yahweh. They are an offering for the people, for me to forgive them when they have not done what I required them to do.
-\v 6 All the males in the priest's family are permitted to eat its meat, but it must be eaten in a place set apart for me, because it is very special to me.
+\v 6 All the males in the priest’s family are permitted to eat its meat, but it must be eaten in a place set apart for me, because it is very special to me.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 The regulation is the same for the offerings to cause people to become acceptable to me again and the offerings for when they are guilty of not giving to me the things that I required from them. The meat of those offerings belongs to the priest who offers them.
-\v 8 When a priest slaughters an animal that he will completely burn on the altar, he may keep the animal's hide for himself.
+\v 8 When a priest slaughters an animal that he will completely burn on the altar, he may keep the animal’s hide for himself.
 
 \s5
 \v 9 Offerings of things made from flour that are baked in an oven or cooked in a pan or in a shallow pan belong to the priest who sacrifices those things for another person.
-\v 10 And offerings of things made from flour, whether they were mixed with olive oil or not, also belong to the Aaron's descendants.
+\v 10 And offerings of things made from flour, whether they were mixed with olive oil or not, also belong to the Aaron’s descendants.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -351,28 +351,28 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 19 Meat that touches something that God considers to be impure must not be eaten. It must be completely burned. But as for other mea, anyone who has performed the rituals to become acceptable to God is allowed to eat it.
-\v 20 If anyone who has not performed those rituals eats some of the meat of the offering to promise friendship with Yahweh, meat that belongs to Yahweh, he must no longer be allowed to associate with God's people.
+\v 20 If anyone who has not performed those rituals eats some of the meat of the offering to promise friendship with Yahweh, meat that belongs to Yahweh, he must no longer be allowed to associate with God’s people.
 
 \s5
-\v 21 If anyone touches something that God considers to be impure and very displeasing to him, whether it is from a human or from an animal, and then he eats any of the meat of the offering to promise friendship with Yahweh, meat that belongs to Yahweh, he must no longer be allowed to associate with God's people."
+\v 21 If anyone touches something that God considers to be impure and very displeasing to him, whether it is from a human or from an animal, and then he eats any of the meat of the offering to promise friendship with Yahweh, meat that belongs to Yahweh, he must no longer be allowed to associate with God’s people.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 22 Yahweh also said to Moses:
-\v 23 "Say this to the Israelite people: 'Do not eat any of the fat of cattle or sheep or goats.
+\v 23 “Say this to the Israelite people: ‘Do not eat any of the fat of cattle or sheep or goats.
 \v 24 The fat of an animal that is found dead or that has been killed by a wild animal may be used for other purposes, but you must not eat it.
 
 \s5
-\v 25 Anyone who eats the fat of an animal from which an offering has been made to Yahweh must no longer be allowed to associate with God's people.
+\v 25 Anyone who eats the fat of an animal from which an offering has been made to Yahweh must no longer be allowed to associate with God’s people.
 \v 26 And wherever you live, you must not eat the blood of any bird or animal.
-\v 27 If anyone eats blood, he must no longer be allowed to associate with God's people."
+\v 27 If anyone eats blood, he must no longer be allowed to associate with God’s people.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 28 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 29 "Tell the Israelite people this: 'Anyone who brings an offering to promise friendship with Yahweh must bring part of it to be a sacrifice to Yahweh.
+\v 29 “Tell the Israelite people this: ‘Anyone who brings an offering to promise friendship with Yahweh must bring part of it to be a sacrifice to Yahweh.
 \v 30 He himself must bring the offering that will be burned in the fire. He must bring the fat along with the breast of the animal and lift it high in front of Yahweh to present it as an offering to him.
 
 \s5
@@ -386,7 +386,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 35 Those are the portions of the offerings brought to Yahweh and burned in fire that are allotted to Aaron and his descendants on the day that you, Moses, will set apart to serve Yahweh as priests.
-\v 36 Yahweh commands that on the day that the priests are appointed, that the Israelite people must always give those portions to the priests.'"
+\v 36 Yahweh commands that on the day that the priests are appointed, that the Israelite people must always give those portions to the priests.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -399,13 +399,13 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 2 "Bring Aaron and his sons, and bring their special clothes, the oil for anointing them, the bull to be offered to cause them to become acceptable to God, the two rams to be slaughtered, and the basket containing bread made without yeast.
-\v 3 Then gather all the people at the entrance to the sacred tent."
+\v 2 “Bring Aaron and his sons, and bring their special clothes, the oil for anointing them, the bull to be offered to cause them to become acceptable to God, the two rams to be slaughtered, and the basket containing bread made without yeast.
+\v 3 Then gather all the people at the entrance to the sacred tent.”
 
 \s5
 \v 4 Moses did what Yahweh told him to do, and all the people gathered there.
 \p
-\v 5 Then Moses said to the people, "This is what Yahweh has commanded us to do."
+\v 5 Then Moses said to the people, “This is what Yahweh has commanded us to do.”
 
 \s5
 \v 6 Then he brought Aaron and his sons forward and washed them.
@@ -413,7 +413,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 8 He put the sacred pouch on his chest and put into it the two stones for him to use to determine what God wants.
-\v 9 Then he wrapped the turban around Aaron's head and fastened on the front of it the gold ornament the object that showed that he was dedicated to God, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
+\v 9 Then he wrapped the turban around Aaron’s head and fastened on the front of it the gold ornament the object that showed that he was dedicated to God, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -421,12 +421,12 @@
 \v 11 He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times. He anointed the altar and all the things used with it, and its huge washbasin and its stand, to dedicate them to Yahweh.
 
 \s5
-\v 12 He poured some of the oil on Aaron's head and anointed him, to dedicate him to Yahweh.
-\v 13 Then he brought forward Aaron's sons. He put tunics on them, tied sashes around them, and wrapped turbans around their heads, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
+\v 12 He poured some of the oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him, to dedicate him to Yahweh.
+\v 13 Then he brought forward Aaron’s sons. He put tunics on them, tied sashes around them, and wrapped turbans around their heads, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Then he brought the bull for the offering to cause people to become acceptable to God. Then Aaron and his sons put their hands on the bull's head.
+\v 14 Then he brought the bull for the offering to cause people to become acceptable to God. Then Aaron and his sons put their hands on the bull’s head.
 \v 15 Then Moses slaughtered the bull, caught some of its blood in a bowl, and with his finger put some of it on the projections at the corners of the altar, to purify the altar. He poured the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. By doing that, he caused it to be a suitable place for burning sacrifices for sin.
 
 \s5
@@ -452,7 +452,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 28 Then Moses took those things from their hands and burned them on the altar. That was the offering that was burned to appoint Aaron and his sons as priests. And the aroma while it burned was pleasing to Yahweh.
-\v 29 Moses also took the breast of the second ram and lifted it high before Yahweh to offer it to him, as Yahweh had commanded. The breast was Moses' share of the ram that was sacrificed to dedicate the priests.
+\v 29 Moses also took the breast of the second ram and lifted it high before Yahweh to offer it to him, as Yahweh had commanded. The breast was Moses’ share of the ram that was sacrificed to dedicate the priests.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -460,13 +460,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 31 Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons, "Boil the meat of the second ram at the entrance of the sacred tent, and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket, as I told you to do.
+\v 31 Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the meat of the second ram at the entrance of the sacred tent, and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket, as I told you to do.
 \v 32 Burn up any of the meat and bread that remains.
 \v 33 The time for you to be set apart as priests will be seven days, so do not leave the entrance of the sacred tent for seven days.
 
 \s5
 \v 34 What we have done today is what Yahweh commanded to cause you to be forgiven for your sins.
-\v 35 You must stay at the entrance to the sacred tent for seven days and seven nights and do what Yahweh requires, in order that you will not die because of disobeying him. I am telling you that because that is what Yahweh has commanded me to tell you."
+\v 35 You must stay at the entrance to the sacred tent for seven days and seven nights and do what Yahweh requires, in order that you will not die because of disobeying him. I am telling you that because that is what Yahweh has commanded me to tell you.”
 \p
 \v 36 So Aaron and his sons did everything that Yahweh told Moses to tell them.
 
@@ -476,18 +476,18 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Eight days later Moses summoned the elders of Israel.
-\v 2 Then he said to Aaron, "Take a young bull so you can offer it for your sins, and a ram so that you can burn it whole on the altar, both of them without any defects, and offer them to Yahweh.
+\v 2 Then he said to Aaron, “Take a young bull so you can offer it for your sins, and a ram so that you can burn it whole on the altar, both of them without any defects, and offer them to Yahweh.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 Then say to the Israelite people, 'Take a male goat to offer it for your sins. Also take a calf and a lamb that have no defects, so that you can burn them whole on the altar.
-\v 4 Also take an ox and a ram to offer them, so you may promise friendship with Yahweh, along with an offering of flour mixed with olive oil. Do this because today Yahweh is going to appear to you.'"
+\v 3 Then say to the Israelite people, ‘Take a male goat to offer it for your sins. Also take a calf and a lamb that have no defects, so that you can burn them whole on the altar.
+\v 4 Also take an ox and a ram to offer them, so you may promise friendship with Yahweh, along with an offering of flour mixed with olive oil. Do this because today Yahweh is going to appear to you.’”
 \p
 \v 5 After Moses gave these instructions to the Israelites, some of them brought these things and went to the courtyard in front of the sacred tent. Then all the people came near and stood in front of Yahweh.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 Then Moses said, "This is what Yahweh has commanded you to do, in order that his glory will appear to you."
+\v 6 Then Moses said, “This is what Yahweh has commanded you to do, in order that his glory will appear to you.”
 \p
-\v 7 Then Moses said to Aaron, "Come to the altar and sacrifice the animal that is your offering to enable you to be forgiven for the sins you have committed. Also bring the animal that you will burn whole on the altar. Because of those offerings, God will forgive you and the people for the sins that you have committed. Do these things that Yahweh has commanded you to do."
+\v 7 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Come to the altar and sacrifice the animal that is your offering to enable you to be forgiven for the sins you have committed. Also bring the animal that you will burn whole on the altar. Because of those offerings, God will forgive you and the people for the sins that you have committed. Do these things that Yahweh has commanded you to do.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -506,7 +506,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 Then Aaron brought the animals that would be sacrifices for the Israelite people. He took a goat and slaughtered it for the people's sins, as he had done with the goat for his own offering.
+\v 15 Then Aaron brought the animals that would be sacrifices for the Israelite people. He took a goat and slaughtered it for the people’s sins, as he had done with the goat for his own offering.
 \p
 \v 16 Then he brought the animal for the offering in order to burn it whole. He slaughtered it and offered it in the way that Yahweh had commanded him to do.
 \v 17 He also brought the offering made from flour. He took a handful of it and burned it on the altar, as he had done with the animal that he had sacrificed earlier that morning.
@@ -532,50 +532,50 @@
 \c 10
 
 \p
-\v 1 Two of Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, took the pans in which they burned incense. They put some burning coals in them and put incense on top of the coals, but this fire was not acceptable to Yahweh because it was not the kind that he had commanded them to burn.
+\v 1 Two of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, took the pans in which they burned incense. They put some burning coals in them and put incense on top of the coals, but this fire was not acceptable to Yahweh because it was not the kind that he had commanded them to burn.
 \v 2 So suddenly a fire from Yahweh appeared and burned them up in his own presence.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what Yahweh was talking about when he said,
-\q1 'Those priests who come near to me—
+\v 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what Yahweh was talking about when he said,
+\q1 ‘Those priests who come near to me—
 \q2 I will show them that they must honor me;
 \q1 in the presence of all the people
-\q2 I am the one whom they must honor.'"
+\q2 I am the one whom they must honor.’”
 \m But Aaron said nothing.
 \p
-\v 4 Then Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, who were the sons of Aaron's uncle Uzziel, and said to them, "Take the corpses of your cousins outside the camp, away from being in front of the sacred tent."
+\v 4 Then Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, who were the sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Take the corpses of your cousins outside the camp, away from being in front of the sacred tent.”
 
 \s5
 \v 5 So they carried the corpses, on which were still the special tunics, outside the camp, and buried them.
 \p
-\v 6 Then Moses said to Aaron and his other two sons Eleazar and Ithamar, "You are sad because Nadab and Abihu died, but you must act like you always do. Do not allow the hair on your heads to remain uncombed, and do not tear your clothes. If you do, Yahweh will be angry with all the people. But you must let your relatives and all your fellow Israelites engage in mourning ceremonies for those whom Yahweh has destroyed by fire.
-\v 7 But you must not leave the entrance of the sacred tent to join those who are mourning, because if you do that, you also will die. Do not forget that Yahweh has set you apart to work for him here, and he does not want you to become defiled by touching a corpse." So they obeyed Moses; they did not join the rest of the people in mourning for their cousins' death.
+\v 6 Then Moses said to Aaron and his other two sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “You are sad because Nadab and Abihu died, but you must act like you always do. Do not allow the hair on your heads to remain uncombed, and do not tear your clothes. If you do, Yahweh will be angry with all the people. But you must let your relatives and all your fellow Israelites engage in mourning ceremonies for those whom Yahweh has destroyed by fire.
+\v 7 But you must not leave the entrance of the sacred tent to join those who are mourning, because if you do that, you also will die. Do not forget that Yahweh has set you apart to work for him here, and he does not want you to become defiled by touching a corpse.” So they obeyed Moses; they did not join the rest of the people in mourning for their cousins’ death.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 Then Yahweh said to Aaron,
-\v 9 "You and your two sons who are still alive must not drink wine or other fermented drinks before you enter the sacred tent. If you do that, you will die. That is a command that you and your descendants must obey forever.
+\v 9 “You and your two sons who are still alive must not drink wine or other fermented drinks before you enter the sacred tent. If you do that, you will die. That is a command that you and your descendants must obey forever.
 \v 10 You must do that in order to learn what things are holy and what things are not holy; you must also learn what things I will accept what I will not accept.
-\v 11 And you must teach the Israelite people all the laws that I gave to them by telling them to Moses."
+\v 11 And you must teach the Israelite people all the laws that I gave to them by telling them to Moses.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Moses said to Aaron and his two sons who were still alive, Eleazar and Ithamar, "Take the offering made from flour that is left after a portion of it has been offered to Yahweh to be burned, and eat it alongside the altar. It should not be eaten elsewhere because it is very holy.
+\v 12 Moses said to Aaron and his two sons who were still alive, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the offering made from flour that is left after a portion of it has been offered to Yahweh to be burned, and eat it alongside the altar. It should not be eaten elsewhere because it is very holy.
 \v 13 Eat it in a holy place. It is the share for you and your sons from the meat that you have burned as offerings. Yahweh has commanded me to tell you this.
 
 \s5
 \v 14 But you and your sons and daughters are permitted to eat the breast and the thigh that were lifted up in front of Yahweh. Eat them in any place that is holy. They have been given to you and your descendants as your share of the offerings when the Israelites promise friendship with Yahweh.
-\v 15 The thigh and the breast that were lifted up in front of Yahweh must be brought with the portions of fat to be burned, to be lifted up and offered in his presence. They will be the regular share for you and your descendants, as Yahweh has commanded."
+\v 15 The thigh and the breast that were lifted up in front of Yahweh must be brought with the portions of fat to be burned, to be lifted up and offered in his presence. They will be the regular share for you and your descendants, as Yahweh has commanded.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 When Moses inquired about the goat that the priests had sacrificed for the people's sins, he found out that the priests had burned it all. So he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar and asked them,
-\v 17 "Why did you not eat near the sacred tent the meat of the sin offering? It was very special for Yahweh; he gave it to you so he could forgive the sins of the people.
-\v 18 Since its blood was not taken into the holy place inside the sacred tent, you should have eaten the meat of the goat outside the sacred tent, as I commanded."
+\v 16 When Moses inquired about the goat that the priests had sacrificed for the people’s sins, he found out that the priests had burned it all. So he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar and asked them,
+\v 17 “Why did you not eat near the sacred tent the meat of the sin offering? It was very special for Yahweh; he gave it to you so he could forgive the sins of the people.
+\v 18 Since its blood was not taken into the holy place inside the sacred tent, you should have eaten the meat of the goat outside the sacred tent, as I commanded.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 Aaron replied to Moses, "Today the people brought to Yahweh their offering for him to forgive their sins, and also the offering we burned completely to please Yahweh. But think about the terrible thing that happened to my other two sons! Would Yahweh have been pleased if I had eaten some of the people's sin offering today?"
+\v 19 Aaron replied to Moses, “Today the people brought to Yahweh their offering for him to forgive their sins, and also the offering we burned completely to please Yahweh. But think about the terrible thing that happened to my other two sons! Would Yahweh have been pleased if I had eaten some of the people’s sin offering today?”
 \v 20 When Moses heard that, he was satisfied and said nothing more.
 
 
@@ -584,7 +584,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh said to Aaron and Moses,
-\v 2 "Tell the people that this is what I say: 'Of all the animals that live on the land, these are the ones that you are permitted to eat.
+\v 2 “Tell the people that this is what I say: ‘Of all the animals that live on the land, these are the ones that you are permitted to eat.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 The ones that have hooves that are completely split and that chew their cuds—you may eat these animals.
@@ -672,7 +672,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 46 Those are the regulations concerning animals and birds, all the living creatures that live in water or creep along on the ground.
-\v 47 You must learn what things I say are acceptable to me and what things are not, and learn what things you are permitted to eat and what things you are not permitted to eat.'"
+\v 47 You must learn what things I say are acceptable to me and what things are not, and learn what things you are permitted to eat and what things you are not permitted to eat.’”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -680,7 +680,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 2 "Tell this to the Israelite people. If a woman gives birth to a boy, she must be avoided for seven days, as she must be avoided when she is menstruating each month.
+\v 2 “Tell this to the Israelite people. If a woman gives birth to a boy, she must be avoided for seven days, as she must be avoided when she is menstruating each month.
 \v 3 The baby boy must be circumcised eight days after he is born.
 
 \s5
@@ -694,7 +694,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 7 The priest will offer these animals to Yahweh in order that she may be made acceptable to him again. Then she will be purified from her flow of blood when the baby was born.
 \p Those are the regulations for women who give birth to a baby boy or girl.
-\v 8 If a woman who gives birth to a child cannot afford a lamb, she must bring two doves or two pigeons. One will be burned completely on the altar, and one will be an offering to enable her to become acceptable to God again. By doing that, the priest will cause her to be forgiven for any sins she has committed, and she no longer will need to be avoided."
+\v 8 If a woman who gives birth to a child cannot afford a lamb, she must bring two doves or two pigeons. One will be burned completely on the altar, and one will be an offering to enable her to become acceptable to God again. By doing that, the priest will cause her to be forgiven for any sins she has committed, and she no longer will need to be avoided.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -702,11 +702,11 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh said this to Aaron and Moses:
-\v 2 "When someone has on his skin a swelling, a scab, or a shiny spot that seems to be infected, then someone must bring him to Aaron or to one of his sons who are also priests.
+\v 2 “When someone has on his skin a swelling, a scab, or a shiny spot that seems to be infected, then someone must bring him to Aaron or to one of his sons who are also priests.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 The priest must examine that part of the person's skin. If the hair in that area has become white and it appears that the sore is deeper than just on the skin, then it is a skin disease that other people are in danger of receiving from him. If that is what the priest sees, he must declare that this sick person is not fit to be with other people.
-\v 4 If the spot on the person's skin is white but it does not appear that the sore is deeper than the surface of the skin, the priest must keep him away from all other people for seven days.
+\v 3 The priest must examine that part of the person’s skin. If the hair in that area has become white and it appears that the sore is deeper than just on the skin, then it is a skin disease that other people are in danger of receiving from him. If that is what the priest sees, he must declare that this sick person is not fit to be with other people.
+\v 4 If the spot on the person’s skin is white but it does not appear that the sore is deeper than the surface of the skin, the priest must keep him away from all other people for seven days.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 After seven days, the priest must examine the person again. If the priest sees that the sore has not changed and has not spread, he must keep the person away from people for yet another seven days.
@@ -724,13 +724,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 If the disease spreads all over someone's body, and the priest examines that person and sees that it is covering his skin from his head to his feet,
+\v 12 If the disease spreads all over someone’s body, and the priest examines that person and sees that it is covering his skin from his head to his feet,
 \v 13 and it has caused all his skin to become white which will indicate that the disease has ended, the priest will declare that the person does not have to stay away from other people.
 \v 14 But if the person has open sores, he has a contagious skin disease.
 
 \s5
 \v 15 When the priest sees that, he must declare that the person has a contagious skin disease and is unfit to be with other people.
-\v 16 But if the person's flesh changes and becomes white, he must go to the priest again.
+\v 16 But if the person’s flesh changes and becomes white, he must go to the priest again.
 \v 17 The priest must examine him again, and if the sores have become white, the priest will declare that this person is now fit to be with other people again.
 
 \s5
@@ -791,13 +791,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 45 Anyone who has a contagious skin disease must wear torn clothes and not comb his hair. When he is near other people, he must cover the lower part of his face and call out, 'Do not come near me! I have a contagious skin disease!'
-\v 46 He is not allowed to be with other people as long as he has the disease. He must live alone, outside the camp."
+\v 45 Anyone who has a contagious skin disease must wear torn clothes and not comb his hair. When he is near other people, he must cover the lower part of his face and call out, ‘Do not come near me! I have a contagious skin disease!’
+\v 46 He is not allowed to be with other people as long as he has the disease. He must live alone, outside the camp.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 47-48 "Sometimes a person's clothing gets mildew on it. It may be clothing that is woven from wool or made from linen or from leather, or it may be another item that has leather in it.
+\v 47-48 “Sometimes a person’s clothing gets mildew on it. It may be clothing that is woven from wool or made from linen or from leather, or it may be another item that has leather in it.
 \v 49 If the contaminated part is greenish or reddish, there is spreading mildew, and the owner must show it to a priest.
 
 \s5
@@ -818,7 +818,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 59 These are the regulations concerning mildew on things made of wool or linen or leather, for deciding whether the owner may continue to use those things or not."
+\v 59 These are the regulations concerning mildew on things made of wool or linen or leather, for deciding whether the owner may continue to use those things or not.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -826,7 +826,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 2 "These are the regulations for anyone who has been healed of a contagious skin disease.
+\v 2 “These are the regulations for anyone who has been healed of a contagious skin disease.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 Other people must tell the priest about that person. The priest will go outside the camp and examine him. If the skin disease has been healed,
@@ -845,7 +845,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 10 The next day that person must bring two male lambs and one female lamb; the female lamb must be one year old, and the animals must have no defects. He must also bring about six and one-half liters of a fine flour offering, mixed with olive oil, to be an offering, and about one-third liter of olive oil.
-\v 11 The priest who declared that the person's skin disease has ended must bring that person and his offerings to Yahweh at the entrance to the sacred tent.
+\v 11 The priest who declared that the person’s skin disease has ended must bring that person and his offerings to Yahweh at the entrance to the sacred tent.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -853,17 +853,17 @@
 \v 13 Then the priest must slaughter the lamb in the special place where the priests kill the other sacrifices as well. Like the offering to enable people to be forgiven, God considers this guilt offering to be very special, and so the meat from it belongs to the priest.
 
 \s5
-\v 14 The priest must take some of that animal's blood and put it on person's right earlobe, on his right thumb, and on his right big toe.
+\v 14 The priest must take some of that animal’s blood and put it on person’s right earlobe, on his right thumb, and on his right big toe.
 \v 15 Then the priest must take some of the olive oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand.
 \v 16 Then he must dip his right forefinger into that oil and sprinkle it in front of Yahweh seven times.
 
 \s5
-\v 17 Next, the priest must put some of that oil in his hand on the person's right earlobe, on his right thumb, and on his right big toe. He must put the oil in those three places, exactly where he has already put the blood.
-\v 18 The priest must put what is left of the oil in his hand onto the person's head; this will show that Yahweh has forgiven that person's sins.
+\v 17 Next, the priest must put some of that oil in his hand on the person’s right earlobe, on his right thumb, and on his right big toe. He must put the oil in those three places, exactly where he has already put the blood.
+\v 18 The priest must put what is left of the oil in his hand onto the person’s head; this will show that Yahweh has forgiven that person’s sins.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 Then the priest must slaughter the female lamb that the person brought; this will be the offering for the person's sins, so that Yahweh will forgive him. After that, the priest will slaughter the second male lamb and burn it whole on the altar.
+\v 19 Then the priest must slaughter the female lamb that the person brought; this will be the offering for the person’s sins, so that Yahweh will forgive him. After that, the priest will slaughter the second male lamb and burn it whole on the altar.
 \v 20 He will also burn on the altar the offering made from flour, along with the whole burnt offering. Then the person will be acceptable in the camp; he will be allowed to be with the other people.
 
 \s5
@@ -875,7 +875,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 24 Then the priest will take the lamb for the guilt offering and the olive oil, and he will raise them up as an offering to Yahweh and present them to him.
-\v 25 Then the priest will slaughter that lamb and catch some of the blood in a bowl. He will take some of the blood and put it onto the person's right earlobe, his right thumb, and his right big toe.
+\v 25 Then the priest will slaughter that lamb and catch some of the blood in a bowl. He will take some of the blood and put it onto the person’s right earlobe, his right thumb, and his right big toe.
 
 \s5
 \v 26 Then the priest must take some of the olive oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand.
@@ -883,22 +883,22 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 28 He must put some of the oil in his palm on exactly the same places where he put the blood.
-\v 29 He must put the rest of the oil that is in his hand on the head of the person whose has gotten well. This will show that Yahweh has forgiven that person's sins.
+\v 29 He must put the rest of the oil that is in his hand on the head of the person whose has gotten well. This will show that Yahweh has forgiven that person’s sins.
 
 \s5
 \v 30 Then the priest must sacrifice the doves or young pigeons, whichever kind that person has brought.
-\v 31 One will be a sin offering and the other will be completely burned on the altar, along with the offering made from flour. By doing that, the priest will atone for that person's sins.
+\v 31 One will be a sin offering and the other will be completely burned on the altar, along with the offering made from flour. By doing that, the priest will atone for that person’s sins.
 \p
-\v 32 These are the regulations for anyone who has a contagious skin disease and who is poor and cannot afford the usual offerings, in order that he can be with people again."
+\v 32 These are the regulations for anyone who has a contagious skin disease and who is poor and cannot afford the usual offerings, in order that he can be with people again.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 33 Yahweh also said to Aaron and Moses,
-\v 34 "I am about to give you the land of Canaan to belong to your people permanently. When you enter that land, there will be times when I cause mildew to appear inside one of your houses.
-\v 35 If that happens, the owner of that house must go to the priest and tell him, 'There is something in my house that looks like mildew.'
+\v 34 “I am about to give you the land of Canaan to belong to your people permanently. When you enter that land, there will be times when I cause mildew to appear inside one of your houses.
+\v 35 If that happens, the owner of that house must go to the priest and tell him, ‘There is something in my house that looks like mildew.’
 
 \s5
-\v 36 Then the priest will say to him, 'Take everything out of the house before I enter it to examine the mildew. If you do not do that, I will declare that everything in the house is contaminated.'
+\v 36 Then the priest will say to him, ‘Take everything out of the house before I enter it to examine the mildew. If you do not do that, I will declare that everything in the house is contaminated.’
 \v 37 After the owner takes everything outside of his house, the priest will go in and inspect the house. If the mildew has caused greenish or reddish spots on the walls that seem to be deeper than only on the surface of the walls,
 \v 38 the priest will go outside of the house and lock it up for seven days.
 
@@ -939,7 +939,7 @@
 \v 54 Those are the regulations for contagious diseases, for itching sores,
 \v 55 for mildew on clothes or in a house,
 \v 56 and for swellings, rashes, or bright spots on sores;
-\v 57 these regulations will determine whether people will still be permitted to touch those things or not."
+\v 57 these regulations will determine whether people will still be permitted to touch those things or not.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -947,13 +947,13 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh also said to Moses and Aaron,
-\v 2 "Tell this to the Israelites: When an unusual, infected fluid comes out of a man's private parts, no one should touch that man.
+\v 2 “Tell this to the Israelites: When an unusual, infected fluid comes out of a man’s private parts, no one should touch that man.
 \v 3 Whether that fluid is blocked or continues to drip, no one should touch him.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 No one should touch any bed that such a man lies on, nor anything he sits on.
-\v 5 Anyone who touches that person's bed must wash his clothes and bathe, and allow no one to touch him until that evening.
+\v 5 Anyone who touches that person’s bed must wash his clothes and bathe, and allow no one to touch him until that evening.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 Anyone who sits on something that man has sat on must wash his clothes and bathe, and allow no one to touch him until that evening.
@@ -976,11 +976,11 @@
 \p
 \v 13 If such a man gets well from his flow of fluid, he must wait for seven days. Then he must wash his clothes and bathe in water from a spring or stream. Then he will be able to be with others.
 \v 14 On the eighth day, he must take two doves or two pigeons and come in front of Yahweh at the entrance of the sacred tent, and give them to the priest.
-\v 15 The priest will sacrifice them. One bird will be an offering for the man's sin, and the priest will completely burn the other one on the altar. Then the man will be pure again and acceptable to Yahweh.
+\v 15 The priest will sacrifice them. One bird will be an offering for the man’s sin, and the priest will completely burn the other one on the altar. Then the man will be pure again and acceptable to Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 When semen accidentally flows from a man's private parts, he must bathe his whole body, and no one may touch him until that evening.
+\v 16 When semen accidentally flows from a man’s private parts, he must bathe his whole body, and no one may touch him until that evening.
 \v 17 Any clothing or leather that has semen on it must be washed, and no one may touch it until that evening.
 \v 18 When a man has slept with a woman and gives her semen, both of them must bathe, and no one may touch them until that evening.
 
@@ -1016,7 +1016,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 32 Those are the regulations for a man who has a discharge from his body, or who has an emission of semen, when that happens he is unclean;
-\v 33 and for any woman during her menstrual period, and for any man who sleeps with a woman during her menstrual period.'"
+\v 33 and for any woman during her menstrual period, and for any man who sleeps with a woman during her menstrual period.’”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1024,7 +1024,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 After the two sons of Aaron died because they burned incense to Yahweh in a manner that was contrary to what he had commanded, Yahweh spoke to Moses.
-\v 2 He said to him, "Tell your brother Aaron not to go into the very holy place, which is inside the inmost curtain, where the sacred chest and its lid are, and where I am present in the cloud that is over it. If Aaron goes in that room when it is not the proper time, he will die!
+\v 2 He said to him, “Tell your brother Aaron not to go into the very holy place, which is inside the inmost curtain, where the sacred chest and its lid are, and where I am present in the cloud that is over it. If Aaron goes in that room when it is not the proper time, he will die!
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1034,13 +1034,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Aaron must offer the bull to me to be a sacrifice in order that I will forgive his sins and his family's sins.
+\v 6 Aaron must offer the bull to me to be a sacrifice in order that I will forgive his sins and his family’s sins.
 \v 7 Then he must bring the two male goats to me at the entrance to the sacred tent.
 
 \s5
 \v 8 He must cast lots to determine which goat will be sacrificed to me and which will be the goat that he will set free.
-\v 9 Aaron must bring to me the goat that was chosen to be sacrificed. It will be an offering for the people's sins.
-\v 10 Aaron must also bring to me the other goat. But it is not to be killed. It will be freed while it is still alive. When Aaron sends it into the wilderness, I will forgive the people's sins.
+\v 9 Aaron must bring to me the goat that was chosen to be sacrificed. It will be an offering for the people’s sins.
+\v 10 Aaron must also bring to me the other goat. But it is not to be killed. It will be freed while it is still alive. When Aaron sends it into the wilderness, I will forgive the people’s sins.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1055,19 +1055,19 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 Aaron must then go outside the sacred tent and slaughter the goat, for it to be an offering for the sins of the people. Then he must bring its blood into the very holy place behind the curtain. There he must sprinkle some of that blood on the lid of the sacred chest and against the front of the chest, as he did with the bull's blood.
+\v 15 Aaron must then go outside the sacred tent and slaughter the goat, for it to be an offering for the sins of the people. Then he must bring its blood into the very holy place behind the curtain. There he must sprinkle some of that blood on the lid of the sacred chest and against the front of the chest, as he did with the bull’s blood.
 \v 16 By doing that, he will purify the very holy place. And he must sprinkle more of the blood on the sacred tent, because I am present where the tent is, in the midst of the camp of the Israelite people, who have become unacceptable to me because of their sins.
 
 \s5
 \v 17 When Aaron goes into the very holy place in the sacred tent to purify it, no one else is permitted to enter the other part of the sacred tent. Only after Aaron has performed rituals to enable me to forgive him and his family, and all the Israelite people, is any priest permitted to enter the sacred tent.
 \p
 \v 18 Then Aaron must go outside the tent to purify my altar. He must do this by smearing some of the blood from the bull and some of the blood from the goat on each of the projections at the corners of the altar.
-\v 19 Then Aaron must dip his finger into the basin of blood and sprinkle some of the blood over the altar seven times. By doing that, he will separate the altar from the Israelites' deeds that are unacceptable to me. The altar will be set apart for me.
+\v 19 Then Aaron must dip his finger into the basin of blood and sprinkle some of the blood over the altar seven times. By doing that, he will separate the altar from the Israelites’ deeds that are unacceptable to me. The altar will be set apart for me.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 When Aaron has finished purifying the very holy place inside the sacred tent and all of the sacred tent and the altar, he must bring the goat that was chosen to be set free.
-\v 21 He must put both of his hands on the goat's head and confess all the sins of the Israelite people. By doing that, he will put the guilt of their sins on the goat's head. Then he must give the goat to a man who is chosen, and that man will send the goat out into the wilderness.
+\v 21 He must put both of his hands on the goat’s head and confess all the sins of the Israelite people. By doing that, he will put the guilt of their sins on the goat’s head. Then he must give the goat to a man who is chosen, and that man will send the goat out into the wilderness.
 \v 22 I will view the goat as carrying away into the wilderness the guilt for all the sins that the people have committed.
 
 \s5
@@ -1081,7 +1081,7 @@
 \v 26 After the man who was to lead the goat into the wilderness has done that and set it free, then he must return, wash his clothes, and bathe himself. Then he may enter the camp again.
 
 \s5
-\v 27 The carcasses of the bull and the goat that were slaughtered as an offering for the people's sins, to make atonement for them, must be carried outside the camp and burned. The hides of these animals, their inner organs, and their dung must be burned.
+\v 27 The carcasses of the bull and the goat that were slaughtered as an offering for the people’s sins, to make atonement for them, must be carried outside the camp and burned. The hides of these animals, their inner organs, and their dung must be burned.
 \v 28 The man who burns those things must then wash his clothes and bathe before he comes back into the camp.
 
 \s5
@@ -1095,7 +1095,7 @@
 \v 33 and offer sacrifices. He will do this to purify the very holy place, all of the sacred tent, the altar, the priests, and all the Israelites, as Aaron did.
 
 \s5
-\v 34 This will be a permanent command for you to obey once every year, to enable me to forgive you Israelite people for the sins that you have committed."
+\v 34 This will be a permanent command for you to obey once every year, to enable me to forgive you Israelite people for the sins that you have committed.”
 \p Moses obeyed all the instructions that Yahweh had given to him.
 
 
@@ -1104,20 +1104,20 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 2 "Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the other Israelites. Tell them that I am giving them the following commands:
+\v 2 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the other Israelites. Tell them that I am giving them the following commands:
 \v 3 If you sacrifice an ox, a lamb, or a goat, you must bring it to the priest at the entrance to the area of the sacred tent, so that he may present it to me there.
-\v 4 If you slaughter it anywhere else as a sacrifice, whether in the camp or outside of it, you will be guilty of shedding its blood in an unacceptable place. If you do that, you will no longer be allowed to be with Yahweh's people.
+\v 4 If you slaughter it anywhere else as a sacrifice, whether in the camp or outside of it, you will be guilty of shedding its blood in an unacceptable place. If you do that, you will no longer be allowed to be with Yahweh’s people.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 Yahweh is telling you to do this so that you will no longer offer sacrifices in the open fields; instead, you must offer them to him in the proper manner: By taking them to the priest at the entrance to the area of the sacred tent, to be offerings to promise friendship with him.
 \v 6 After the priest slaughters the animal, he must sprinkle some of its blood against the altar at the entrance to the sacred tent, and burn its fat for an aroma that is pleasing to Yahweh.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 You people must no longer give sacrifices to the images that resemble goats. You people must obey this command for all time."
+\v 7 You people must no longer give sacrifices to the images that resemble goats. You people must obey this command for all time.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 Yahweh also said this to Moses: "Tell Aaron and his sons to tell the people that if any Israelite or any foreigner living among them brings an offering for a priest to burn whole on the altar, or if he brings any other sacrifice,
+\v 8 Yahweh also said this to Moses: “Tell Aaron and his sons to tell the people that if any Israelite or any foreigner living among them brings an offering for a priest to burn whole on the altar, or if he brings any other sacrifice,
 \v 9 but if he does not bring it to the entrance of the sacred tent area as be a sacrifice to me, that person will no longer be allowed to be with my people.
 
 \s5
@@ -1136,7 +1136,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 If any of you Israelites or any foreigner who is living among you eats any meat from an animal that died or that was killed by wild animals, you must wash your clothes and bathe. Then you must not touch anyone else until that evening.
-\v 16 If you do not obey this rule, I will certainly punish you.'"
+\v 16 If you do not obey this rule, I will certainly punish you.’”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1144,7 +1144,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 2 "Speak to the Israelite people and tell them that I, Yahweh, say this, 'I am Yahweh, your God.
+\v 2 “Speak to the Israelite people and tell them that I, Yahweh, say this, ‘I am Yahweh, your God.
 \v 3 After seeing how the Egyptians behaved, among whom you also lived, you must not do what they did. And you must not behave as the Canaanites live, into whose land I am taking you. You must avoid their practices.
 
 \s5
@@ -1157,7 +1157,7 @@
 \p
 \v 7 Do not disgrace your father by sleeping with your mother. Do not disgrace your mother in this manner.
 \p
-\v 8 Do not sleep with any of your father's other wives, because that would disgrace your father.
+\v 8 Do not sleep with any of your father’s other wives, because that would disgrace your father.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1169,29 +1169,29 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Do not sleep with your father's sister, because she is your father's close relative.
+\v 12 Do not sleep with your father’s sister, because she is your father’s close relative.
 \p
-\v 13 Do not sleep with your mother's sister, because she is your mother's close relative.
+\v 13 Do not sleep with your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s close relative.
 \p
-\v 14 Do not disgrace your father's brother by sleeping with his wife, because she is your aunt.
+\v 14 Do not disgrace your father’s brother by sleeping with his wife, because she is your aunt.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 Do not sleep with your daughter-in-law, because she is your son's wife.
+\v 15 Do not sleep with your daughter-in-law, because she is your son’s wife.
 \p
-\v 16 Do not sleep with your brother's wife, because that would disgrace your brother.
+\v 16 Do not sleep with your brother’s wife, because that would disgrace your brother.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 Do not sleep with the daughter or granddaughter of any woman with whom you have previously slept. They are her close relatives. Sleeping with any of them would be an evil thing to do.
 \p
-\v 18 While your wife is still living, do not marry your wife's sister and sleep with her.
+\v 18 While your wife is still living, do not marry your wife’s sister and sleep with her.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 19 Do not sleep with any woman while she is having her menstrual period.
 \p
-\v 20 Do not defile yourself by sleeping with someone else's wife.
+\v 20 Do not defile yourself by sleeping with someone else’s wife.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1216,7 +1216,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 29 You must not allow people who do any of those detestable things to associate with you, who are my people.
-\v 30 Obey all that I command you to do, and do not defile yourselves by following any of the disgusting habits of the people who were there before you came. I, Yahweh your God, am the one who is commanding these things.'"
+\v 30 Obey all that I command you to do, and do not defile yourselves by following any of the disgusting habits of the people who were there before you came. I, Yahweh your God, am the one who is commanding these things.’”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1224,7 +1224,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 2 "Speak to all the people of Israel and tell them this: 'You must be holy, because Yahweh your God is holy, and he wants you to be like him.
+\v 2 “Speak to all the people of Israel and tell them this: ‘You must be holy, because Yahweh your God is holy, and he wants you to be like him.
 \p
 \v 3 Each of you must respect your father and your mother. And you must honor the Sabbath days. It is Yahweh, your God, who is commanding you to do these things.
 \p
@@ -1232,7 +1232,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 Yahweh also says this: 'When you bring an offering to promise friendship with me, offer it in a way that I will accept.
+\v 5 Yahweh also says this: ‘When you bring an offering to promise friendship with me, offer it in a way that I will accept.
 \v 6 The meat should be eaten on the day that you sacrifice it, but you may eat some of it on the next day. However, you must burn anything that remains until the third day.
 \v 7 For any of it to be eaten on the third day is very displeasing to me, and I will not accept that offering.
 \v 8 I will punish anyone who eats it after the second day, because he will have not respected what I say is holy. And that person must no longer be allowed to associate with my people.
@@ -1291,7 +1291,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 26 Do not eat any meat that still has the animal's blood in it.
+\v 26 Do not eat any meat that still has the animal’s blood in it.
 \p Do not consult spirits to find out what will happen in the future, and do not practice sorcery.
 \p
 \v 27 Do not shave the hair at the sides of your heads as pagan people do.
@@ -1300,7 +1300,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 29 Do not disgrace your daughters by forcing them to become prostitutes. If you cause them to become prostitutes, soon the land will be filled with prostitutes and all other kinds of people's wicked behavior.
+\v 29 Do not disgrace your daughters by forcing them to become prostitutes. If you cause them to become prostitutes, soon the land will be filled with prostitutes and all other kinds of people’s wicked behavior.
 \p
 \v 30 Honor my Sabbath days and revere my sacred tent, because I am Yahweh.
 
@@ -1322,7 +1322,7 @@
 \v 35 When you are measuring things, to see how long they are or how much they weigh or how many there are,
 \v 36 use correct measuring sticks and scales and weights on the scales and measuring baskets and other measuring containers. I am Yahweh, your God, who brought you out of Egypt.
 \p
-\v 37 Obey carefully all my laws and decrees. It is I, Yahweh, who am commanding you these things.'"
+\v 37 Obey carefully all my laws and decrees. It is I, Yahweh, who am commanding you these things.’”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1330,11 +1330,11 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh also said this to Moses:
-\v 2 "Tell the Israelite people, 'Any Israelite or any foreigner who is living in Israel who sacrifices any of his children as an offering to the idol Molech must die. The people of the town must kill him by throwing stones at him.
+\v 2 “Tell the Israelite people, ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner who is living in Israel who sacrifices any of his children as an offering to the idol Molech must die. The people of the town must kill him by throwing stones at him.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 I will reject such people and cause them to no longer be with my people.
-\v 4 If the people of that man's town ignore it when he kills any of his children to offer him to Molech, and if they do not execute that person,
+\v 4 If the people of that man’s town ignore it when he kills any of his children to offer him to Molech, and if they do not execute that person,
 \v 5 I myself will punish that person and his clan. I will command that he must no longer be with my people. And I will do the same thing to any others who are unfaithful to me and who worship Molech.
 
 \s5
@@ -1350,9 +1350,9 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 If a man commits adultery with some other man's wife, then you must execute both of them, the man and the woman.
+\v 10 If a man commits adultery with some other man’s wife, then you must execute both of them, the man and the woman.
 \p
-\v 11 If a man sleeps with one of his father's wives, he has dishonored his father. So you must execute both that man and woman; they will be responsible for their own deaths.
+\v 11 If a man sleeps with one of his father’s wives, he has dishonored his father. So you must execute both that man and woman; they will be responsible for their own deaths.
 \p
 \v 12 If a man sleeps with his daughter-in-law, you must execute them both. They have exchanged good for evil; they both deserve to die.
 
@@ -1378,9 +1378,9 @@
 \p
 \v 19 No man must sleep with the sister of either his father or his mother, because he would be disgracing someone who is a close relative. You must punish such a man, as well as the woman.
 \p
-\v 20 If a man sleeps with his uncle's wife, he has dishonored his uncle. What for they have done, they must be responsible for their actions. And when they die, their children would be stripped of the rights to any inheritance they would have received from their parents.
+\v 20 If a man sleeps with his uncle’s wife, he has dishonored his uncle. What for they have done, they must be responsible for their actions. And when they die, their children would be stripped of the rights to any inheritance they would have received from their parents.
 \p
-\v 21 If a man marries his brother's wife, it is a sin because he has dishonored his brother's marriage. The rights of inheritance would be stripped away from any children they would have received from from their parents.
+\v 21 If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is a sin because he has dishonored his brother’s marriage. The rights of inheritance would be stripped away from any children they would have received from from their parents.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1388,7 +1388,7 @@
 \v 23 Do not imitate the customs of the people of the land from which I am going to drive them out, as you advance into it. I hate them because they have done all those things.
 
 \s5
-\v 24 But I said to you, "You will take their land from them. I will give it to you to be yours, a land that is very fertile. I am Yahweh your God, who has set you apart from the people of other nations."
+\v 24 But I said to you, “You will take their land from them. I will give it to you to be yours, a land that is very fertile. I am Yahweh your God, who has set you apart from the people of other nations.”
 \p
 \v 25 So you must distinguish between birds and animals that are unacceptable to me and those that are acceptable to me. Do not defile yourselves by eating birds or animals, or anything that crawls along on the ground, things that I have said are unacceptable for you.
 
@@ -1397,14 +1397,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 27 You must execute any man or woman among you who consults the spirits of dead people or other spirits. Kill them by throwing stones at them; they will be responsible for their own deaths.'"
+\v 27 You must execute any man or woman among you who consults the spirits of dead people or other spirits. Kill them by throwing stones at them; they will be responsible for their own deaths.’”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 21
 \p
-\v 1 Yahweh also said to Moses, "Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them,
-\v 2 'You priests must not cause yourselves to become unfit to do my work by touching any dead body. You are permitted to touch only the corpses of close relatives, such as your mother, father, son, daughter or your brother.
+\v 1 Yahweh also said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them,
+\v 2 ‘You priests must not cause yourselves to become unfit to do my work by touching any dead body. You are permitted to touch only the corpses of close relatives, such as your mother, father, son, daughter or your brother.
 \v 3 You may also touch the corpse of a sister if she is not married and has been living in your house, because she has no husband to bury her.
 
 \s5
@@ -1418,7 +1418,7 @@
 \v 7 You priests must not marry women who have been prostitutes or who have been divorced from their husbands, because you priests are set apart for God.
 \v 8 You must remember that I have set you apart to worship me. It is as though you were offering food to me, your God. Regard yourselves as belonging to me, because I, Yahweh, am the one who made you to be priests, and I have nothing to do with any evil—I am holy.
 \p
-\v 9 If a priest's daughter becomes a prostitute, she disgraces her father, and you must burn her in a fire.
+\v 9 If a priest’s daughter becomes a prostitute, she disgraces her father, and you must burn her in a fire.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1429,12 +1429,12 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 13 Women whom you priests marry must be virgins.
-\v 14-15 You priests must not marry widows or prostitutes or divorced women, because if you do that, and if you later have sons, they will not be acceptable to be priests among your people. You must marry only virgins from among your own people. I am Yahweh, who sets priests apart for my honor and for those who worship me.'"
+\v 14-15 You priests must not marry widows or prostitutes or divorced women, because if you do that, and if you later have sons, they will not be acceptable to be priests among your people. You must marry only virgins from among your own people. I am Yahweh, who sets priests apart for my honor and for those who worship me.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 16 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 17 "Say this to Aaron: 'For all future time, none of your descendants who has any defects on his body will be allowed to come near the altar to offer sacrifices to me which will be like my food.
+\v 17 “Say this to Aaron: ‘For all future time, none of your descendants who has any defects on his body will be allowed to come near the altar to offer sacrifices to me which will be like my food.
 \s5
 \v 18 No one who is blind or lame or deformed, or whose face is disfigured,
 \v 19 no man with a crippled foot or a crippled hand,
@@ -1443,7 +1443,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 22 Priests who have defects are permitted to eat the various kinds of holy food offered to me.
-\v 23 But because of their defects, they must not go near the curtain in the sacred tent or near the altar, because if they did that, they would desecrate my sacred tent. I am Yahweh, the one who sets those places apart for myself and for my honor.'"
+\v 23 But because of their defects, they must not go near the curtain in the sacred tent or near the altar, because if they did that, they would desecrate my sacred tent. I am Yahweh, the one who sets those places apart for myself and for my honor.’”
 \p
 \v 24 So Moses told this to Aaron and to his sons and to all the Israelite people.
 
@@ -1452,7 +1452,7 @@
 \c 22
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 2 "Explain to Aaron and his sons about when they should not touch or eat any food that the people have dedicated to me by giving it as a sacrifice. They must not dishonor me or my name. I am Yahweh.
+\v 2 “Explain to Aaron and his sons about when they should not touch or eat any food that the people have dedicated to me by giving it as a sacrifice. They must not dishonor me or my name. I am Yahweh.
 \p
 \v 3 Tell them that for all future time, if they or any of their descendants become unfit for any reason to do the work that priests must do, they must not go near anything the people of Israel have dedicated to me as an offering. Anyone who violates this rule will no longer be part of my people. I am Yahweh.
 
@@ -1470,24 +1470,24 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 No one who does not belong to a priest's family is permitted to eat from the sacred offering. No one who is visiting the priest, or one that has been hired by the priest, none of them is permitted to eat it.
+\v 10 No one who does not belong to a priest’s family is permitted to eat from the sacred offering. No one who is visiting the priest, or one that has been hired by the priest, none of them is permitted to eat it.
 \v 11 But if a priest buys a slave, or if a slave is born in his house, that slave is permitted to eat such food.
 
 \s5
-\v 12 If a priest's daughter marries a man who is not a priest, she is no longer permitted to eat the sacred foods that were given to Yahweh as gifts or offerings.
-\v 13 But suppose that a priest's daughter who has no children becomes a widow or becomes divorced, and suppose also that she returns to her father's house to live there as she did when she was young. In that case, she may eat the same food that her father eats. But no other person is permitted to eat any of it.
+\v 12 If a priest’s daughter marries a man who is not a priest, she is no longer permitted to eat the sacred foods that were given to Yahweh as gifts or offerings.
+\v 13 But suppose that a priest’s daughter who has no children becomes a widow or becomes divorced, and suppose also that she returns to her father’s house to live there as she did when she was young. In that case, she may eat the same food that her father eats. But no other person is permitted to eat any of it.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 14 If anyone who is not permitted to eat a sacred offering eats it without realizing that it is sacred, he must pay the priest for the food and add an extra one-fifth to it.
 \v 15 When the priests bring offerings to me, the sacred offerings that the Israelite people bring to them, they must not treat those offerings as though they were not special to me;
-\v 16 the people must not allow anyone who is not a priest to eat any of those offerings. If they did that, they would become guilty. I am Yahweh, the one who sets the Israelite people apart from other people and makes them holy for my honor."
+\v 16 the people must not allow anyone who is not a priest to eat any of those offerings. If they did that, they would become guilty. I am Yahweh, the one who sets the Israelite people apart from other people and makes them holy for my honor.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 18 "Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelite people and tell them that I say this to them, 'If any of you Israelites or foreigners who live in Israel brings to me an animal that will be completely burned on the altar, either as a result of a solemn promise that you made to me or to be an offering that is given voluntarily,
+\v 18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelite people and tell them that I say this to them, ‘If any of you Israelites or foreigners who live in Israel brings to me an animal that will be completely burned on the altar, either as a result of a solemn promise that you made to me or to be an offering that is given voluntarily,
 \v 19 you must bring from your cattle or sheep or goats an animal that has no defects, in order that I may accept it.
 
 \s5
@@ -1500,12 +1500,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 24 You must not offer to me animals whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut. You must not present these kind of damaged animals as offerings to Yahweh anywhere in the land where you live,
-\v 25 and you must not accept such animals that are sold to you by a foreigner. You must not offer them to me as food for me. Such animals will not be accepted by me, because they are deformed or have defects.'"
+\v 25 and you must not accept such animals that are sold to you by a foreigner. You must not offer them to me as food for me. Such animals will not be accepted by me, because they are deformed or have defects.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 26 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 27 "When a calf or lamb or goat is born, it must remain with its mother for seven days. After that, it can be accepted to be an offering to me that will be burned.
+\v 27 “When a calf or lamb or goat is born, it must remain with its mother for seven days. After that, it can be accepted to be an offering to me that will be burned.
 
 \s5
 \v 28 Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its newborn young on the same day.
@@ -1517,7 +1517,7 @@
 \p
 \v 31 Obey all my commands. I, Yahweh, am commanding them.
 \v 32 Do not dishonor me by disobeying them. You Israelite people must acknowledge that I, Yahweh, am holy, and I am the one who causes you to be holy.
-\v 33 And I am the one who brought you out of Egypt in order that I, Yahweh, will be your God."
+\v 33 And I am the one who brought you out of Egypt in order that I, Yahweh, will be your God.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1525,7 +1525,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 2 "Tell the Israelites about the festivals for Yahweh, the days when you all must gather together in holy assemblies on set times each year, as festivals in which you worship me.
+\v 2 “Tell the Israelites about the festivals for Yahweh, the days when you all must gather together in holy assemblies on set times each year, as festivals in which you worship me.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1539,12 +1539,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 7 On the first day of that festival, all of you must stop your regular work and gather together to worship me.
-\v 8 On each of the seven days, you must present to me several animals as an offering to be completely burned on the altar. On the seventh day, all of you must again stop your regular work and gather to worship me."
+\v 8 On each of the seven days, you must present to me several animals as an offering to be completely burned on the altar. On the seventh day, all of you must again stop your regular work and gather to worship me.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 9 Yahweh also told Moses
-\v 10 to tell the Israelite people about other festivals. He said, "After you arrive in the land which I am giving to you, and when you harvest your crops for the first time there, bring to the priest some of the first grain that you harvest.
+\v 10 to tell the Israelite people about other festivals. He said, “After you arrive in the land which I am giving to you, and when you harvest your crops for the first time there, bring to the priest some of the first grain that you harvest.
 \v 11 On the day after the next Sabbath day, the priest will lift it up high to dedicate it to me, in order that I may accept it as your gift.
 
 \s5
@@ -1570,18 +1570,18 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 When you harvest the grain in your fields, do not harvest what is along the edges of the fields, and do not pick up the grain that the harvesters drop. Leave it for the poor people and for the foreigners who are living among you. Do not forget that it is I, Yahweh your God, who am commanding those things!"
+\v 22 When you harvest the grain in your fields, do not harvest what is along the edges of the fields, and do not pick up the grain that the harvesters drop. Leave it for the poor people and for the foreigners who are living among you. Do not forget that it is I, Yahweh your God, who am commanding those things!”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 23 Yahweh also told Moses
-\v 24 to give these instructions to the Israelite people: "Each year in the seventh month, on the first day of that month, all of you must celebrate that day, on which you will completely rest. You must not do any work on that day. When the priests blow their trumpets loudly, you all must gather together as a holy assembly, to worship me.
-\v 25 All of you must not do any regular work on that day. Instead, you must present offerings to me that will be burned on the altar."
+\v 24 to give these instructions to the Israelite people: “Each year in the seventh month, on the first day of that month, all of you must celebrate that day, on which you will completely rest. You must not do any work on that day. When the priests blow their trumpets loudly, you all must gather together as a holy assembly, to worship me.
+\v 25 All of you must not do any regular work on that day. Instead, you must present offerings to me that will be burned on the altar.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 26 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 27 "You must celebrate a day on which you request that I forgive you for the sins that you have committed. That day will be nine days after the festival when the priests blow the trumpets. On that day you must not eat. You must gather together to worship me and present offerings to me that will be burned on the altar.
+\v 27 “You must celebrate a day on which you request that I forgive you for the sins that you have committed. That day will be nine days after the festival when the priests blow the trumpets. On that day you must not eat. You must gather together to worship me and present offerings to me that will be burned on the altar.
 
 \s5
 \v 28 You must not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when the priests will offer sacrifices to me to atone for your sins.
@@ -1590,12 +1590,12 @@
 \s5
 \v 30 I will get rid of anyone who does any kind of work on that day.
 \v 31 You must not work at all! You and all your descendants must always obey these commands, wherever you live.
-\v 32 That day will be a day of complete rest for all of you, and on that day you must fast to show that you are sorry for having sinned. That day of rest and going without food will begin on the evening before the day in which you ask me to forgive you for your sins, and it will end on the evening of the following day."
+\v 32 That day will be a day of complete rest for all of you, and on that day you must fast to show that you are sorry for having sinned. That day of rest and going without food will begin on the evening before the day in which you ask me to forgive you for your sins, and it will end on the evening of the following day.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 33 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 34 "Tell the Israelite people that each year they must also celebrate the Festival of Shelters. That festival will begin five days after the Day of Atonement. This festival will last for seven days.
+\v 34 “Tell the Israelite people that each year they must also celebrate the Festival of Shelters. That festival will begin five days after the Day of Atonement. This festival will last for seven days.
 
 \s5
 \v 35 On the first day of that festival, the people must gather together to worship me, and they must not do any regular work.
@@ -1616,7 +1616,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 42 During the seven days of that festival, all of you people who have been Israelites all of your lives must live in shelters.
-\v 43 This festival will always remind your descendants that their ancestors lived in shelters for many years after I rescued them from Egypt. Do not forget that I, Yahweh your God, am the one who is commanding this."
+\v 43 This festival will always remind your descendants that their ancestors lived in shelters for many years after I rescued them from Egypt. Do not forget that I, Yahweh your God, am the one who is commanding this.”
 \p
 \v 44 So Moses gave to the Israelite people all these instructions concerning the festivals that Yahweh wanted them to celebrate each year.
 
@@ -1626,7 +1626,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 2 "Command the Israelite people to constantly bring you clear oil made from pressed olives to burn in the lamps in the sacred tent, in order that those lamps will burn all the time.
+\v 2 “Command the Israelite people to constantly bring you clear oil made from pressed olives to burn in the lamps in the sacred tent, in order that those lamps will burn all the time.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 Outside the curtain of the very holy place, Aaron must take care of the lamps in my presence continually, in order that they will burn all during the night. That regulation must be obeyed forever.
@@ -1640,35 +1640,35 @@
 \s5
 \v 7 Along each row, place on the gold table some pure incense to be burned as an offering to me instead of the bread.
 \v 8 The priests must put new loaves of bread on the table each Sabbath day, to signify the covenant that will never end, which I have made with you Israelites.
-\v 9 When the loaves are removed from the table, they will belong to Aaron and his sons. They must eat them in a place set aside for this purpose, because they are part of the offerings—the offerings that belong only to me—that are given to me by being burned."
+\v 9 When the loaves are removed from the table, they will belong to Aaron and his sons. They must eat them in a place set aside for this purpose, because they are part of the offerings—the offerings that belong only to me—that are given to me by being burned.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10-11 There was a man whose mother's name was Shelomith. She was an Israelite whose father was Dibri from the tribe of Dan. Her son's father was from Egypt. One day this man and another Israelite man started to fight inside the camp. And while they were fighting, that man cursed Yahweh.
+\v 10-11 There was a man whose mother’s name was Shelomith. She was an Israelite whose father was Dibri from the tribe of Dan. Her son’s father was from Egypt. One day this man and another Israelite man started to fight inside the camp. And while they were fighting, that man cursed Yahweh.
 \v 12 So the Israelite people seized him and guarded him until they could find out what Yahweh would reveal to them what they should do to that man.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 13 Then Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 14 "Tie up and take outside the camp the man who has cursed me. There all those who heard what he said must put their hands on his head to indicate that he is guilty, and then all the people must kill him by throwing stones at him.
+\v 14 “Tie up and take outside the camp the man who has cursed me. There all those who heard what he said must put their hands on his head to indicate that he is guilty, and then all the people must kill him by throwing stones at him.
 
 \s5
-\v 15 Tell the Israelites, 'If anyone curses me, he must endure the consequences.
+\v 15 Tell the Israelites, ‘If anyone curses me, he must endure the consequences.
 \v 16 So anyone who curses me must be executed. All the people must throw stones at him. It does not matter if he is a foreigner or an Israelite from birth. Anyone who curses me must be executed.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 Also, if anyone murders another person, the people must execute him.
-\v 18 And anyone who kills another person's animal must give that person a live animal to replace the one that he killed.
+\v 18 And anyone who kills another person’s animal must give that person a live animal to replace the one that he killed.
 
 \s5
 \v 19 And if one person injures another person, the injured person is allowed to injure the person who injured him in the same way.
-\v 20 If someone breaks one of another person's bones, that person is allowed to break one of the bones of the person who injured him. If someone gouges out an eye of another person, that person is allowed to gouge out the eye of the person who injured him. If someone knocks out the tooth of another person, that person is allowed to knock out one of his teeth. What is done to the offender must be the same as what he did to the other person.
-\v 21 Whoever kills another person's animal must give that person a live animal to replace the one that he killed, but the people must execute anyone who murders another person.
+\v 20 If someone breaks one of another person’s bones, that person is allowed to break one of the bones of the person who injured him. If someone gouges out an eye of another person, that person is allowed to gouge out the eye of the person who injured him. If someone knocks out the tooth of another person, that person is allowed to knock out one of his teeth. What is done to the offender must be the same as what he did to the other person.
+\v 21 Whoever kills another person’s animal must give that person a live animal to replace the one that he killed, but the people must execute anyone who murders another person.
 
 \s5
-\v 22 You Israelites and foreigners who live among must all have that same law. I, Yahweh your God, am the one who has commanded it."
+\v 22 You Israelites and foreigners who live among must all have that same law. I, Yahweh your God, am the one who has commanded it.”
 \p
 \v 23 Then Moses told the Israelites what they must do to the man who cursed Yahweh, so they took the man outside the camp and killed him by throwing stones at him. They did what Yahweh commanded Moses to tell them to do.
 
@@ -1678,7 +1678,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh said to Moses on Mount Sinai,
-\v 2 "Tell the Israelites that Yahweh is giving these commands to them: When you enter the land that he is about to give you, every seventh year you must honor him by not planting any crops. You must allow the ground to rest.
+\v 2 “Tell the Israelites that Yahweh is giving these commands to them: When you enter the land that he is about to give you, every seventh year you must honor him by not planting any crops. You must allow the ground to rest.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 During six years, you are to plant crops in your fields, prune your grapevines, and harvest your crops.
@@ -1695,9 +1695,9 @@
 \v 8-9 After every forty-nine years has ended, you must do this for the celebration of Jubilee. On the tenth day of the seventh month of the next year, blow trumpets throughout the country, to announce the Day of Atonement.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 Set apart that year in order to honor Yahweh. You must proclaim everywhere, to all the people, that this year will be the time for giving the land back to the families that first owned it when Yahweh brought you into your land. It will also be the time for setting free any of Yahweh's people who are slaves.
+\v 10 Set apart that year in order to honor Yahweh. You must proclaim everywhere, to all the people, that this year will be the time for giving the land back to the families that first owned it when Yahweh brought you into your land. It will also be the time for setting free any of Yahweh’s people who are slaves.
 \s5
-\v 11 This year of Jubilee, the fiftieth year, will be a year in which you must rejoice and obey Yahweh's special instructions. During that year do not plant anything, and do not harvest in your usual manner the crops or grapes that have grown by themselves.
+\v 11 This year of Jubilee, the fiftieth year, will be a year in which you must rejoice and obey Yahweh’s special instructions. During that year do not plant anything, and do not harvest in your usual manner the crops or grapes that have grown by themselves.
 \v 12 It will be a year for you to rejoice in, the year of Jubilee. You will treat it as special, and eat only what has grown by itself.
 
 \s5
@@ -1717,7 +1717,7 @@
 \v 19 The crops will grow well on the land, and you will have plenty to eat.
 
 \s5
-\v 20 But you may ask, "If we do not plant or harvest our crops during the seventh year, what will we have to eat?"
+\v 20 But you may ask, “If we do not plant or harvest our crops during the seventh year, what will we have to eat?”
 \v 21 Yahweh answers you that he will bless you very much during the sixth year, with the result that during that year there will be enough crops to provide food for you for three years.
 \v 22 Then, after you plant seed during the eighth year and wait for the crops to grow, you will eat the food grown in the sixth year; you will continue to eat it until you harvest your crops in the ninth year.
 
@@ -1736,7 +1736,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 29 If someone sells a house in a city that has a wall around it, during the next year he will be permitted to buy it back from the man who bought it.
-\v 30 If he does not buy it during that year, it will belong permanently to the man who bought it, and to that man's descendants. He does not need to return it to the original owner in the year of celebration of Jubilee.
+\v 30 If he does not buy it during that year, it will belong permanently to the man who bought it, and to that man’s descendants. He does not need to return it to the original owner in the year of celebration of Jubilee.
 
 \s5
 \v 31 But houses that are in villages without walls are considered to be as though they were in a field. So if someone sells one of those houses, he is permitted to buy it back at any time. And even if he does not buy it, he will take possession of it again at the year of the celebration of Jubilee.
@@ -1761,7 +1761,7 @@
 \v 41 During that year, you must free him, and he may go back to his family and to the property that his ancestors owned.
 
 \s5
-\v 42 It is as though we Israelites are all Yahweh's slaves, whom he freed from being slaves in Egypt. So none of you should buy each other and make each other into slaves.
+\v 42 It is as though we Israelites are all Yahweh’s slaves, whom he freed from being slaves in Egypt. So none of you should buy each other and make each other into slaves.
 \v 43 And do not treat the Israelites whom you buy cruelly. Instead, honor Yahweh, our God.
 \p
 \v 44 If you want to have slaves, you are permitted to buy them from nearby people groups.
@@ -1787,14 +1787,14 @@
 \v 53 During those years that he is working for the man who bought him, the man who bought him must treat him like he would treat a hired worker, and all of you must make sure that his owner does not treat him cruelly.
 \p
 \v 54 And even if a fellow Israelite who has sold himself to a rich man is not able to pay for himself to be freed by any of these ways, he and his children must be freed in the year of the celebration of Jubilee,
-\v 55 because it is as though you Israelites are my slaves, whom I, Yahweh your God, freed from being slaves in Egypt.'"
+\v 55 because it is as though you Israelites are my slaves, whom I, Yahweh your God, freed from being slaves in Egypt.’”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 26
 
 \p
-\v 1 Yahweh also said this to Moses on Mount Sinai, "Do not make idols or set up carved figures or sacred stones to worship as if they were God. And do not put on your property a stone that you have carved so you can bow down to it. You must worship only me, Yahweh, your God.
+\v 1 Yahweh also said this to Moses on Mount Sinai, “Do not make idols or set up carved figures or sacred stones to worship as if they were God. And do not put on your property a stone that you have carved so you can bow down to it. You must worship only me, Yahweh, your God.
 \p
 \v 2 Honor the Sabbath days and revere my sacred tent, because I, Yahweh, live there.
 
@@ -1867,18 +1867,18 @@
 \v 33 I will enable your enemies to kill you with their swords, and I will cause them to scatter the rest of you among other people groups. I will make sure that they ruin your country and destroy your cities.
 
 \s5
-\v 34 After that happens, as long as you are living in your enemies' countries, I will allow your land to rest, as you should have done every seven years.
+\v 34 After that happens, as long as you are living in your enemies’ countries, I will allow your land to rest, as you should have done every seven years.
 \v 35 During all the time that no one is in your land, it will be able to rest. This will be unlike you, who never allowed it to rest while you were there.
 \p
 \v 36 As for you people who will remain alive in the countries to which your enemies will have taken you, I will make you very afraid, so when you hear the wind blowing leaves, you will run away.
 \s5
 \v 37 You will run as if a man with a sword were chasing you, and you will fall down, even though no one is coming behind you. You will stumble over each other trying to flee. You will not be able to stand and fight your enemies.
-\v 38 Many of you will die in your enemies' countries.
+\v 38 Many of you will die in your enemies’ countries.
 \v 39 And those of you who remain alive will slowly die and rot there because of your sins and the sins of your ancestors.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 40-41 But your descendants must confess their sins and the sins that their ancestors committed. Their ancestors acted unfaithfully toward me and were hostile to me, so I forced them to go to their enemies' countries. But when your descendants humble themselves and stop being very stubborn and accept being punished for their sins,
+\v 40-41 But your descendants must confess their sins and the sins that their ancestors committed. Their ancestors acted unfaithfully toward me and were hostile to me, so I forced them to go to their enemies’ countries. But when your descendants humble themselves and stop being very stubborn and accept being punished for their sins,
 \v 42 I will keep in mind the covenant that I made with your ancestors Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and what I promised to them about the land of Canaan.
 
 \s5
@@ -1886,7 +1886,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 44 But I will still not reject them or hate them and destroy them completely. I will not cancel the covenant that I made with them. I will still be Yahweh, the God whom they should worship.
-\v 45 I will keep in mind the covenant that I made with your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, something that the people of all nations heard about. I did this so that I, Yahweh, would be your God."
+\v 45 I will keep in mind the covenant that I made with your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, something that the people of all nations heard about. I did this so that I, Yahweh, would be your God.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1897,7 +1897,7 @@
 \c 27
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 2 "Tell the Israelite people these things for me: 'If a man solemnly promises to set apart another person to belong only to Yahweh, Yahweh will be willing to set that person free from having to do that if the responsible man pays the priest an amount of money. The priest must calculate the amount of money in terms of the silver pieces that they use in Yahweh's sacred tent.
+\v 2 “Tell the Israelite people these things for me: ‘If a man solemnly promises to set apart another person to belong only to Yahweh, Yahweh will be willing to set that person free from having to do that if the responsible man pays the priest an amount of money. The priest must calculate the amount of money in terms of the silver pieces that they use in Yahweh’s sacred tent.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 These are the amounts that Yahweh has set for this kind of transaction:
@@ -1926,12 +1926,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 11 If the animal that he wishes to give to Yahweh is a kind that is unacceptable to be an offering, he must take the animal to the priest.
-\v 12 The priest then will decide what its value is, according to the animal's quality. Whatever value the priests sets will be the value, and that is the price of the animal.
+\v 12 The priest then will decide what its value is, according to the animal’s quality. Whatever value the priests sets will be the value, and that is the price of the animal.
 \v 13 If the man who gave the animal later decides that he wants to buy it back, he must pay to the priest that price plus an added one-fifth.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Similarly, if someone dedicates his house, and to set it apart for the honor of Yahweh, the priest will decide how much it is worth, which will depend on the house's condition. Whatever the priest says that it is worth, that will be its value.
+\v 14 Similarly, if someone dedicates his house, and to set it apart for the honor of Yahweh, the priest will decide how much it is worth, which will depend on the house’s condition. Whatever the priest says that it is worth, that will be its value.
 \v 15 If a man set apart his house for the honor of Yahweh, but later he wants to buy it back, he must pay that price plus an added one-fifth, and then the house will belong to him again.
 
 \s5
@@ -1969,12 +1969,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 30 One tenth of all the crops and grain or fruit that is produced on anyone's land is sacred and belongs to Yahweh.
+\v 30 One tenth of all the crops and grain or fruit that is produced on anyone’s land is sacred and belongs to Yahweh.
 \v 31 If anyone wants to buy back any of that tenth, he must pay to the priest what it is worth plus an added one-fifth.
 
 \s5
 \v 32 And every ten domestic animals belongs to Yahweh. When a shepherd counts them as they pass under his walking stick, to decide which ones he will give to me, he must mark every tenth one as belonging to Yahweh.
-\v 33 When he does that, he must not pick out the good ones or leave the bad ones, or substitute bad ones for good ones. If he substitutes one animal for another, both animals will belong to Yahweh, and the shepherd will not be permitted to buy them back."
+\v 33 When he does that, he must not pick out the good ones or leave the bad ones, or substitute bad ones for good ones. If he substitutes one animal for another, both animals will belong to Yahweh, and the shepherd will not be permitted to buy them back.”
 
 \s5
 \p

04-NUM.usfm

@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 In the second month of the year after the Israelite people had left Egypt, Yahweh spoke to Moses while he was in the sacred tent, in the wilderness of Sinai. Yahweh said to him,
-\v 2 "Count how many Israelite men, from each family in Israel, and count them by name.
+\v 2 “Count how many Israelite men, from each family in Israel, and count them by name.
 \v 3 You and Aaron must count the men who are at least twenty years old, those who can serve as soldiers in the army. Write down the number of the men, along with the names of their clans and families.
 
 \s5
@@ -27,8 +27,8 @@
 \q1 Eliab son of Helon, from the tribe of Zebulun;
 
 \s5
-\v 10-11 Elishama son of Ammihud, from the tribe of Joseph's son Ephraim;
-\q1 Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, from the tribe of Joseph's son Manasseh;
+\v 10-11 Elishama son of Ammihud, from the tribe of Joseph’s son Ephraim;
+\q1 Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, from the tribe of Joseph’s son Manasseh;
 \q1 Abidan son of Gideoni, from the tribe of Benjamin;
 
 \s5
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
 \v 12-15 Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, from the tribe of Dan;
 \q Pagiel son of Ocran, from the tribe of Asher;
 \q Eliasaph son of Deuel, from the tribe of Gad;
-\q Ahira son of Enan, from the tribe of Naphtali."
+\q Ahira son of Enan, from the tribe of Naphtali.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 20-21 There were 46,500 men from the tribe of Reuben (who was Jacob's oldest son) who were at least twenty years old and were able to fight in battles. They were listed by their names, their clans, and their family groups.
+\v 20-21 There were 46,500 men from the tribe of Reuben (who was Jacob’s oldest son) who were at least twenty years old and were able to fight in battles. They were listed by their names, their clans, and their family groups.
 
 \s5
 \q
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@
 \p
 \v 47 But this number did not include the names of the men of the tribe of Levi,
 \v 48 because Yahweh had said to Moses,
-\v 49 "When you count the men of the tribes of Israel, do not count the men in the tribe of Levi.
+\v 49 “When you count the men of the tribes of Israel, do not count the men in the tribe of Levi.
 
 \s5
 \v 50 Appoint the male descendants of Levi to take care of the sacred tent and the chest inside it that contains the tablets on which are written the Ten Commandments. They must also take care of the other things that are inside the tent. When you travel, they are the ones who must carry the sacred tent and all the things that are inside it, and they must take care of it and set up their tents around it.
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@
 \v 52 The people of each Israelite tribe must set up their tents in their own area, and they must set up a flag that represents their tribe.
 
 \s5
-\v 53 But the male descendants of Levi must set up their tents around the sacred tent in order to protect the other Israelite people from being punished by Yahweh for coming close to the sacred tent. The descendants of Levi are the ones who must stand around the sacred tent to guard it."
+\v 53 But the male descendants of Levi must set up their tents around the sacred tent in order to protect the other Israelite people from being punished by Yahweh for coming close to the sacred tent. The descendants of Levi are the ones who must stand around the sacred tent to guard it.”
 \p
 \v 54 So the Israelite people did everything just like Yahweh had commanded Moses.
 
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@
 \c 2
 \p
 \v 1 Then Yahweh said this to Aaron and Moses,
-\v 2 "When the Israelites set up their tents, they are to set them up in areas that surround the sacred tent, but not close to it. The people of each tribe must set up their tents in a different area. Each tribe must put up a flag in that area that identifies their tribe.
+\v 2 “When the Israelites set up their tents, they are to set them up in areas that surround the sacred tent, but not close to it. The people of each tribe must set up their tents in a different area. Each tribe must put up a flag in that area that identifies their tribe.
 
 \s5
 \li
@@ -191,11 +191,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 31 So there will be 157,600 troops on the north side of the sacred tent. Those three tribes will be last. They must carry their own flags when the Israelites travel."
+\v 31 So there will be 157,600 troops on the north side of the sacred tent. Those three tribes will be last. They must carry their own flags when the Israelites travel.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 32 So there were 603,550 Israelite men who were able to fight who were listed according to their families' ancestors.
+\v 32 So there were 603,550 Israelite men who were able to fight who were listed according to their families’ ancestors.
 \v 33 But just as Yahweh had commanded, the names of the descendants of Levi were not included.
 
 \s5
@@ -212,13 +212,13 @@
 \v 2 Aaron had four sons. They were Nadab the oldest, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 These are the names of Aaron's sons who were anointed priests and set apart as priests and whom he ordained to serve as priests.
+\v 3 These are the names of Aaron’s sons who were anointed priests and set apart as priests and whom he ordained to serve as priests.
 \v 4 But, while Yahweh was watching, Nadab and Abihu died in the wilderness of Sinai because they burned incense in a manner that was disobedient to what Yahweh had commanded. They had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar were the only sons of Aaron who were left to be priests, along with their father Aaron.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 5 Then Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 6 "Bring the men of the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron, in order that they may assist him.
+\v 6 “Bring the men of the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron, in order that they may assist him.
 
 \s5
 \v 7 They will serve Aaron and all the other Israelite people, while they do their work inside the sacred tent and outside it.
@@ -226,18 +226,18 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 9 Appoint them to help Aaron and his two sons. I have chosen them from all the Israelite people to do that.
-\v 10 Appoint Aaron and his two sons to do the work that priests do. But anyone else who comes close to the sacred tent to do that work must be executed."
+\v 10 Appoint Aaron and his two sons to do the work that priests do. But anyone else who comes close to the sacred tent to do that work must be executed.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 11 Yahweh also told Moses,
-\v 12 "Note that from all the Israelites I have chosen the men of the tribe of Levi to take the places of all the firstborn sons of the Israelite people. The male descendants of Levi belong to me,
-\v 13 because truly all the firstborn males belong to me. That is because on the day that I killed all the firstborn sons of the people of Egypt, I spared all the firstborn sons of the Israelites and set them apart for myself. I also set apart the firstborn males of your domestic animals. They belong to me, Yahweh."
+\v 12 “Note that from all the Israelites I have chosen the men of the tribe of Levi to take the places of all the firstborn sons of the Israelite people. The male descendants of Levi belong to me,
+\v 13 because truly all the firstborn males belong to me. That is because on the day that I killed all the firstborn sons of the people of Egypt, I spared all the firstborn sons of the Israelites and set them apart for myself. I also set apart the firstborn males of your domestic animals. They belong to me, Yahweh.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 14 Yahweh spoke to Moses again in the wilderness of Sinai. He said,
-\v 15 "Count the male members of the tribe of Levi. Write down their names and the names of their clans and family groups. Count all the males who are at least one month old."
+\v 15 “Count the male members of the tribe of Levi. Write down their names and the names of their clans and family groups. Count all the males who are at least one month old.”
 \v 16 So Moses counted them, just as Yahweh commanded.
 \q
 
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@
 \v 30 The leader of those four clans was Elizaphan son of Uzziel.
 \v 31 The work of the men of those clans was to take care of the sacred chest, the table on which the priest put the sacred bread, the lampstand, the altars, all the items that the priest used in the sacred tent, and the curtain that is inside the tent. Their work was also to take care of the things inside the tent.
 \p
-\v 32 Aaron's son Eleazar was the leader of all the male descendants of Levi. He supervised all the work that was done at the sacred tent.
+\v 32 Aaron’s son Eleazar was the leader of all the male descendants of Levi. He supervised all the work that was done at the sacred tent.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -286,14 +286,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 38 Aaron and Moses and Aaron's sons were told to set up their tents in the area in front of the sacred tent, on the east side. Their work was to supervise the work that would be done in and around the sacred tent, for the benefit of the Israelite people. Only the priests were permitted to do that. Yahweh declared that anyone else who went near the tent to do the work that the priests do must be executed.
+\v 38 Aaron and Moses and Aaron’s sons were told to set up their tents in the area in front of the sacred tent, on the east side. Their work was to supervise the work that would be done in and around the sacred tent, for the benefit of the Israelite people. Only the priests were permitted to do that. Yahweh declared that anyone else who went near the tent to do the work that the priests do must be executed.
 \p
 \v 39 When Aaron and Moses counted all the males who were at least one month old, who belonged to the clans descended from Levi, the total was twenty-two thousand.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 40 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Now count all the other firstborn males in Israel who are at least one month old, and write down their names.
-\v 41 Also, set apart for me the descendants of Levi to be substitutes for the firstborn males of the other Israelites. And set apart for me the livestock of the descendants of Levi to be substitutes for the firstborn livestock of the other Israelite people."
+\v 40 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Now count all the other firstborn males in Israel who are at least one month old, and write down their names.
+\v 41 Also, set apart for me the descendants of Levi to be substitutes for the firstborn males of the other Israelites. And set apart for me the livestock of the descendants of Levi to be substitutes for the firstborn livestock of the other Israelite people.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -303,11 +303,11 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 44 Then Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 45 "Set apart the descendants of Levi to be substitutes for the firstborn males of the other Israelite people. The descendants of Levi belong to me, Yahweh.
+\v 45 “Set apart the descendants of Levi to be substitutes for the firstborn males of the other Israelite people. The descendants of Levi belong to me, Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \v 46 There are 273 more firstborn males of the other Israelite people than of the descendants of Levi.
-\v 47-48 To pay for these 273 males, collect five pieces of silver for each of them. Each of those pieces of silver must weigh the same as each of the silver pieces that are stored in the sacred tent. Give this silver to Aaron and his sons."
+\v 47-48 To pay for these 273 males, collect five pieces of silver for each of them. Each of those pieces of silver must weigh the same as each of the silver pieces that are stored in the sacred tent. Give this silver to Aaron and his sons.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Then Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 2 "Write down the names of the men who belong to the clans descended from Kohath.
+\v 2 “Write down the names of the men who belong to the clans descended from Kohath.
 \v 3 Write the names of the men who are between 30 and 50 years old. These will be men who will do work at the sacred tent.
 \p
 \v 4 The work of these descendants of Kohath will be to take care of the sacred items that are used when the people worship at the sacred tent.
@@ -353,18 +353,18 @@
 \p
 \v 15 When Aaron and his sons have finished covering all these sacred things, the Israelite people will be ready to move to a new location. The descendants of Kohath must come and carry all the sacred things to the next place where the Israelites will set up their tents. But the descendants of Kohath must not touch any of these sacred items, because they will immediately die if they touch them. They are the ones who will carry these things, but they must not touch them.
 \p
-\v 16 Aaron's son Eleazar will have the work of taking care of the olive oil for the lamps, the sweet smelling incense, the flour that will be burned on the altar each day, and the olive oil for anointing the priests. Eleazar is the one who will supervise the work that is done at the sacred tent and the men who take care of everything that is in it."
+\v 16 Aaron’s son Eleazar will have the work of taking care of the olive oil for the lamps, the sweet smelling incense, the flour that will be burned on the altar each day, and the olive oil for anointing the priests. Eleazar is the one who will supervise the work that is done at the sacred tent and the men who take care of everything that is in it.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 Then Yahweh said to Aaron and Moses,
-\v 18-20 "When the descendants of Kohath approach the sacred items in the sacred tent to take them to another location, Aaron and his sons must always go in with them and show each of them what work to do and what things to carry. But the descendants of Kohath must not enter the sacred tent at any other time and look at the things that are in it. If they do that, I will get rid of all the descendants of Kohath."
+\v 18-20 “When the descendants of Kohath approach the sacred items in the sacred tent to take them to another location, Aaron and his sons must always go in with them and show each of them what work to do and what things to carry. But the descendants of Kohath must not enter the sacred tent at any other time and look at the things that are in it. If they do that, I will get rid of all the descendants of Kohath.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 21 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 22 "Write down the names of all the men who belong to the clans descended from Gershon.
+\v 22 “Write down the names of all the men who belong to the clans descended from Gershon.
 \v 23 Write the names of the men who are between thirty and fifty years old. They will be men who will also do work at the sacred tent.
 
 \s5
@@ -375,7 +375,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 27 Aaron and his sons will supervise the work of all the descendants of Gershom. That work includes carrying those things and doing other work that is necessary for moving them. They must tell each of the descendants of Gershom what things they must carry.
-\v 28 Those are the tasks that you must give to the men who belong to the clans descended from Gershom. Aaron's son Ithamar is the one who will supervise their work.
+\v 28 Those are the tasks that you must give to the men who belong to the clans descended from Gershom. Aaron’s son Ithamar is the one who will supervise their work.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -388,7 +388,7 @@
 \v 32 They must also carry the posts for the curtains that form the walls of the courtyard and the bases for the posts, the tent pegs, and the ropes to fasten the curtains. Tell each man what things he must carry.
 
 \s5
-\v 33 Those are the tasks that the descendants of Merari must do at the sacred tent. Aaron's son Ithamar is the one who will supervise them."
+\v 33 Those are the tasks that the descendants of Merari must do at the sacred tent. Aaron’s son Ithamar is the one who will supervise them.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -433,29 +433,29 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 2 "Tell this to the Israelite people: 'You must send away from your camp where you have your tents any man or woman who has leprosy and anyone who has a discharge of some fluid from his body, and anyone who has become unacceptable to God because of having touched a corpse.
-\v 3 Send them away in order that they will not touch people in the camp area where I live among you and cause them to become unacceptable to me.'"
+\v 2 “Tell this to the Israelite people: ‘You must send away from your camp where you have your tents any man or woman who has leprosy and anyone who has a discharge of some fluid from his body, and anyone who has become unacceptable to God because of having touched a corpse.
+\v 3 Send them away in order that they will not touch people in the camp area where I live among you and cause them to become unacceptable to me.’”
 \v 4 So the Israelite people obeyed what Yahweh commanded Moses.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 5 Yahweh also told Moses,
-\v 6 "Tell this to the Israelite people: 'If someone commits a crime against another person, I consider that that person has done wrong to me.
+\v 6 “Tell this to the Israelite people: ‘If someone commits a crime against another person, I consider that that person has done wrong to me.
 \v 7 That person must confess that he or she is guilty, and he or she must pay to the person to whom wrong was done what others consider to be a suitable payment for what he has done, and he must pay an extra 20 percent.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 If the person against whom the wrong was done has died and there is no relative to whom the money can be paid, then the money belongs to me, and it must be paid to the priest. In addition, the one who did the wrong must give a male sheep to the priest to sacrifice in order that that person's sin may be forgiven.
+\v 8 If the person against whom the wrong was done has died and there is no relative to whom the money can be paid, then the money belongs to me, and it must be paid to the priest. In addition, the one who did the wrong must give a male sheep to the priest to sacrifice in order that that person’s sin may be forgiven.
 \v 9 All the sacred offerings that the Israelites present to me by bringing them to the priest will belong to the priest.
-\v 10 The priest can keep those gifts.'"
+\v 10 The priest can keep those gifts.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 11 Yahweh also said this to Moses:
-\v 12 "Tell this to the Israelite people: 'Suppose a man thinks that his wife has not always slept faithfully only with him.
+\v 12 “Tell this to the Israelite people: ‘Suppose a man thinks that his wife has not always slept faithfully only with him.
 
 \s5
 \v 13 Suppose he thinks that she has slept with another man, but he does not know if this is true or not, because he did not see her do it. She was not caught in the act and the fact that she broke her vow to her husband could not be proved because no one saw her doing that.
-\v 14 But if the woman's husband is jealous, and if he suspects that she has committed adultery, and he would want to know whether that is true or not, and so there is a test whether she had been impure. 
+\v 14 But if the woman’s husband is jealous, and if he suspects that she has committed adultery, and he would want to know whether that is true or not, and so there is a test whether she had been impure. 
 
 \s5
 \v 15 To test whether she had committed adultery he should take his wife to the priest. He must take along as an offering two liters of barley flour. The priest must not pour olive oil or incense on it, because this is an offering that the man has brought because he is jealous. It is an offering to find out if she is guilty or not.
@@ -466,12 +466,12 @@
 \v 17 He must put some sacred water in a clay jar, and then he must put some dirt from the floor of the sacred tent into the water.
 
 \s5
-\v 18 He must untie the woman's hair. Then he must put in her hands the flour offering that her jealous husband is offering to determine whether she has committed adultery or not. The priest must hold the bowl that contains bitter water that will cause the woman to be cursed if she is guilty.
-\v 19 The priest must require her to solemnly declare that she will tell the truth. He must say to her, "Has another man slept with you? Have you faithfully slept only with your husband or not? If you have not slept with another man, nothing bad will happen to you if you drink the water.
+\v 18 He must untie the woman’s hair. Then he must put in her hands the flour offering that her jealous husband is offering to determine whether she has committed adultery or not. The priest must hold the bowl that contains bitter water that will cause the woman to be cursed if she is guilty.
+\v 19 The priest must require her to solemnly declare that she will tell the truth. He must say to her, “Has another man slept with you? Have you faithfully slept only with your husband or not? If you have not slept with another man, nothing bad will happen to you if you drink the water.
 
 \s5
 \v 20 But if you have slept with another man, Yahweh will curse you.
-\v 21-22 Your womb will shrivel up and your stomach will swell up. You will never be able to give birth to children, and as a result, everyone will curse you and avoid you. If you have committed adultery, when you drink this water, that is what will happen to you." Then the woman must answer, "If I am guilty, I will not object if that happens."
+\v 21-22 Your womb will shrivel up and your stomach will swell up. You will never be able to give birth to children, and as a result, everyone will curse you and avoid you. If you have committed adultery, when you drink this water, that is what will happen to you.” Then the woman must answer, “If I am guilty, I will not object if that happens.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -491,7 +491,7 @@
 \v 30 or when a man is jealous and suspects that his wife has slept with another man. The priest must tell that woman to stand at the altar in my presence and obey these instructions.
 
 \s5
-\v 31 Even if the woman has not done what the husband suspected, he will not be punished for doing something wrong by bringing his wife to the priest. But if his wife is guilty, she will suffer as a result.'"
+\v 31 Even if the woman has not done what the husband suspected, he will not be punished for doing something wrong by bringing his wife to the priest. But if his wife is guilty, she will suffer as a result.’”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -499,7 +499,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh also said this to Moses:
-\v 2 "Tell this to the Israelite people: If any of you wants to make a solemn promise to dedicate himself to belong to me in a special way, after you obey these instructions, you will be called a Nazir, which means 'a dedicated person.'
+\v 2 “Tell this to the Israelite people: If any of you wants to make a solemn promise to dedicate himself to belong to me in a special way, after you obey these instructions, you will be called a Nazir, which means ‘a dedicated person.’
 \v 3 You must not drink any wine or other alcoholic drink. You must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins.
 \v 4 You must not eat anything that comes from grapevines, not even the skins or seeds of grapes, during the time that you are a Nazir.
 
@@ -541,20 +541,20 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 The meat from the ram's shoulder must be boiled. After it is cooked, the priest will take it along with one of the loaves of bread and one wafer which has been brushed with olive oil, and he will put them in your hands.
-\v 20 Then the priest will take them back and lift them up high to dedicate them to me. They now belong to the priest, and he is permitted to eat some of the meat from the ram's shoulder and from its ribs and from one of its thighs, because that meat is his share of the sacrifice. After that, you will no longer be a Nazir, and you will again be permitted to drink wine.
+\v 19 The meat from the ram’s shoulder must be boiled. After it is cooked, the priest will take it along with one of the loaves of bread and one wafer which has been brushed with olive oil, and he will put them in your hands.
+\v 20 Then the priest will take them back and lift them up high to dedicate them to me. They now belong to the priest, and he is permitted to eat some of the meat from the ram’s shoulder and from its ribs and from one of its thighs, because that meat is his share of the sacrifice. After that, you will no longer be a Nazir, and you will again be permitted to drink wine.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 Those are the regulations about the offerings that Nazir solemnly promise to bring to me to end their time of being dedicated to me. They must bring these offerings, but if they want to, they may bring additional offerings. And they must do everything that they solemnly promised to do when they dedicated themselves to me."
+\v 21 Those are the regulations about the offerings that Nazir solemnly promise to bring to me to end their time of being dedicated to me. They must bring these offerings, but if they want to, they may bring additional offerings. And they must do everything that they solemnly promised to do when they dedicated themselves to me.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 22 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 23 "Tell Aaron and his sons that when they ask me to bless the people, they must say,
+\v 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons that when they ask me to bless the people, they must say,
 \q1
-\v 24 'Yahweh bless you
+\v 24 ‘Yahweh bless you
 \q2 and protect you.
 \q1
 
@@ -563,9 +563,9 @@
 \q2 and act kindly toward you.
 \q1
 \v 26 May he be good to you
-\q2 and cause things to go well for you.'"
+\q2 and cause things to go well for you.’”
 \p
-\v 27 Then Yahweh said, "If Aaron and his sons ask me to bless the Israelite people, truly I will bless them."
+\v 27 Then Yahweh said, “If Aaron and his sons ask me to bless the Israelite people, truly I will bless them.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -579,13 +579,13 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 Then Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 5 "Accept these gifts, in order that the descendants of Levi can use them for carrying the sacred items that are here at the sacred tent."
+\v 5 “Accept these gifts, in order that the descendants of Levi can use them for carrying the sacred items that are here at the sacred tent.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 So Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the descendants of Levi.
 \v 7 He gave two carts and four oxen to the descendants of Gershon for their work,
-\v 8 and he gave four carts and eight oxen to the descendants of Merari for their work. Aaron's son Ithamar was the supervisor of all their work.
+\v 8 and he gave four carts and eight oxen to the descendants of Merari for their work. Aaron’s son Ithamar was the supervisor of all their work.
 
 \s5
 \v 9 But he did not give any carts or oxen to the descendants of Kohath, because they took care of the sacred items that were to be carried on their shoulders, not on carts.
@@ -593,7 +593,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 10 On the day that the altar was dedicated, the twelve leaders brought other gifts to be dedicated and put them in front of the altar.
-\v 11 Yahweh said to Moses, "On each of the next twelve days one leader should bring his gifts for the dedication of the altar."
+\v 11 Yahweh said to Moses, “On each of the next twelve days one leader should bring his gifts for the dedication of the altar.”
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -604,8 +604,8 @@
 \s5
 \li
 \v 15-17 They also brought the gifts of a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb, to be sacrificed completely by being burned on the altar,
-\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people's guilt for their sins,
-\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people's fellowship with Yahweh.
+\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people’s guilt for their sins,
+\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people’s fellowship with Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -616,8 +616,8 @@
 \s5
 \li
 \v 20-23 Nethanel also brought the gifts of a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb, to be sacrificed completely by being burned on the altar,
-\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people's guilt for their sins,
-\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people's fellowship with Yahweh.
+\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people’s guilt for their sins,
+\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people’s fellowship with Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -628,8 +628,8 @@
 \s5
 \li
 \v 27-29 Eliab also brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb, to be sacrificed completely by being burned on the altar,
-\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people's guilt for their sins,
-\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people's fellowship with Yahweh.
+\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people’s guilt for their sins,
+\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people’s fellowship with Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -640,8 +640,8 @@
 \s5
 \li
 \v 33-35 Elizur also brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb, to be sacrificed completely by being burned on the altar,
-\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people's guilt for their sins,
-\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people's fellowship with Yahweh.
+\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people’s guilt for their sins,
+\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people’s fellowship with Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -652,8 +652,8 @@
 \s5
 \li
 \v 39-41 Shelumiel also brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb, to be sacrificed completely by being burned on the altar,
-\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people's guilt for their sins,
-\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people's fellowship with Yahweh.
+\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people’s guilt for their sins,
+\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people’s fellowship with Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -664,8 +664,8 @@
 \s5
 \li
 \v 45-47 Eliasaph also brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb, to be sacrificed completely by being burned on the altar,
-\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people's guilt for their sins,
-\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people's fellowship with Yahweh.
+\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people’s guilt for their sins,
+\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people’s fellowship with Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -676,8 +676,8 @@
 \s5
 \li
 \v 51-53 Elishama also brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb, to be sacrificed completely by being burned on the altar,
-\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people's guilt for their sins,
-\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people's fellowship with Yahweh.
+\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people’s guilt for their sins,
+\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people’s fellowship with Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -688,8 +688,8 @@
 \s5
 \li
 \v 57-59 Gamaliel also brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb, to be sacrificed completely by being burned on the altar,
-\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people's guilt for their sins,
-\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people's fellowship with Yahweh.
+\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people’s guilt for their sins,
+\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people’s fellowship with Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -700,8 +700,8 @@
 \s5
 \li
 \v 63-65 Adiban also brought a young bull, a ram, and a one year-old male lamb, to be sacrificed completely by being burned on the altar,
-\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people's guilt for their sins,
-\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people's fellowship with Yahweh.
+\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people’s guilt for their sins,
+\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people’s fellowship with Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -712,8 +712,8 @@
 \s5
 \li
 \v 69-71 Ahiezer also brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb, to be sacrificed completely by being burned on the altar,
-\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people's guilt for their sins,
-\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people's fellowship with Yahweh.
+\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people’s guilt for their sins,
+\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people’s fellowship with Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -724,8 +724,8 @@
 \s5
 \li
 \v 75-77 Pagiel also brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb, to be sacrificed completely by being burned on the altar,
-\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people's guilt for their sins,
-\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people's fellowship with Yahweh.
+\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people’s guilt for their sins,
+\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people’s fellowship with Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -736,8 +736,8 @@
 \s5
 \li
 \v 81-83 Ahira also brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb, to be sacrificed completely by being burned on the altar,
-\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people's guilt for their sins,
-\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people's fellowship with Yahweh.
+\li a goat to be sacrificed to remove people’s guilt for their sins,
+\li and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people’s fellowship with Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -748,12 +748,12 @@
 \s5
 \li
 \v 87-88 The twelve leaders also brought twelve bulls, twelve rams, and twelve one-year-old male lambs to be sacrificed completely by being burned along with the flour offerings,
-\li twelve goats to be sacrificed to take away the guilt of the people's sins,
-\li and twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty goats, and sixty male lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people's fellowship with Yahweh.
+\li twelve goats to be sacrificed to take away the guilt of the people’s sins,
+\li and twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty goats, and sixty male lambs that were one year old, to be sacrifices to restore the people’s fellowship with Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 89 Whenever Moses entered the sacred tent to talk with Yahweh, he heard Yahweh's voice speaking between the two images of creatures with wings that were above the lid of the sacred chest.
+\v 89 Whenever Moses entered the sacred tent to talk with Yahweh, he heard Yahweh’s voice speaking between the two images of creatures with wings that were above the lid of the sacred chest.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -761,7 +761,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 2 "Tell Aaron to put the seven lamps on the lampstand and place them in such a way that they shine toward the front of the lampstand."
+\v 2 “Tell Aaron to put the seven lamps on the lampstand and place them in such a way that they shine toward the front of the lampstand.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -772,7 +772,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 5 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 6 "You must cause the descendants of Levi to be acceptable to me by setting them apart from the other Israelite people.
+\v 6 “You must cause the descendants of Levi to be acceptable to me by setting them apart from the other Israelite people.
 
 \s5
 \v 7 Do that by sprinkling them with water which will symbolize their being freed from the guilt of their sins. Then they must shave off all the hair of their bodies and wash their clothes.
@@ -798,7 +798,7 @@
 \v 17 All the firstborn males in Israel, both the people and the animals, are mine. When I caused all the firstborn sons of the people of Egypt to die, I set them apart for myself. But I spared the firstborn of all males of the Israelites, of people and animals, because they are mine.
 \s5
 \v 18 But now I have chosen the descendants of Levi to take the places of the firsborn male sons of the other Israelites.
-\v 19 I have appointed the descendants of Levi to help Aaron and his sons at the sacred tent, as Aaron and his sons offer the sacrifices to take away the guilt of the Israelite people's sins, and to prevent the Israelites from coming close to the tent with the result that a plague would cause many of them to become sick and die."
+\v 19 I have appointed the descendants of Levi to help Aaron and his sons at the sacred tent, as Aaron and his sons offer the sacrifices to take away the guilt of the Israelite people’s sins, and to prevent the Israelites from coming close to the tent with the result that a plague would cause many of them to become sick and die.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -811,11 +811,11 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 23 Yahweh also said this to Moses:
-\v 24 "The descendants of Levi who are between twenty-five years and fifty years old will work at the sacred tent.
+\v 24 “The descendants of Levi who are between twenty-five years and fifty years old will work at the sacred tent.
 
 \s5
 \v 25 But after they become fifty years old, they must retire.
-\v 26 They may help their fellow descendants of Levi do their work at the sacred tent, but they must not do the work themselves. That is what you must tell them about the work they will do."
+\v 26 They may help their fellow descendants of Levi do their work at the sacred tent, but they must not do the work themselves. That is what you must tell them about the work they will do.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -823,8 +823,8 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 One year after the Israelites left Egypt, on the first month of the second year, while they were in the wilderness of Sinai, Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 2 "Tell the Israelite people that they must celebrate the Passover festival again.
-\v 3 They must do it on the fourteenth day of this month, early in the evening, and they must obey all the instructions about it that I gave you previously."
+\v 2 “Tell the Israelite people that they must celebrate the Passover festival again.
+\v 3 They must do it on the fourteenth day of this month, early in the evening, and they must obey all the instructions about it that I gave you previously.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -834,23 +834,23 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 But some of the Israelite people had touched a corpse, and as a result they had become unfit to celebrate the Passover. So they asked Aaron and Moses,
-\v 7 "It is true that we have touched a corpse. But why should that prevent us from celebrating the Passover festival and offering sacrifices to Yahweh like everyone else?"
+\v 7 “It is true that we have touched a corpse. But why should that prevent us from celebrating the Passover festival and offering sacrifices to Yahweh like everyone else?”
 \p
-\v 8 Moses replied, "Wait here until I go into the sacred tent and find out what Yahweh says about it."
+\v 8 Moses replied, “Wait here until I go into the sacred tent and find out what Yahweh says about it.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 9 So Moses went into the tent and asked Yahweh what he should tell the people, and this is what Yahweh said:
-\v 10 "Tell this to the Israelite people: 'If any of you or your descendants touch a corpse and as a result become unacceptable to me, or if you are away from home on a long trip at the time to celebrate the Passover, you will still be permitted to celebrate it.
+\v 10 “Tell this to the Israelite people: ‘If any of you or your descendants touch a corpse and as a result become unacceptable to me, or if you are away from home on a long trip at the time to celebrate the Passover, you will still be permitted to celebrate it.
 
 \s5
 \v 11 But you must celebrate it exactly one month later, early in the evening of the fourteenth day of that month. Eat the meat of the lamb for the Passover festival with bread that is baked without yeast, and eat bitter herbs.
-\v 12 Do not leave any of it until the next morning. And do not break any of the lamb's bones. Obey all the regulations about celebrating the Passover.
+\v 12 Do not leave any of it until the next morning. And do not break any of the lamb’s bones. Obey all the regulations about celebrating the Passover.
 
 \s5
 \v 13 But if any of you has not done anything that would make you unfit to celebrate the Passover festival, and you are not away from home on a long trip, and you do not sacrifice to me at the proper time, you will no longer belong to my people. You will be punished.
 \p
-\v 14 Settled foreigners who live among you must also celebrate the Passover festival and obey all my commands concerning it.'"
+\v 14 Settled foreigners who live among you must also celebrate the Passover festival and obey all my commands concerning it.’”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -876,7 +876,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh also told Moses,
-\v 2 "Tell someone to make two trumpets by hammering each one from one lump of silver. Blow the trumpets to summon the people to come together and also to signal that they must move their tents to a new location.
+\v 2 “Tell someone to make two trumpets by hammering each one from one lump of silver. Blow the trumpets to summon the people to come together and also to signal that they must move their tents to a new location.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 If both trumpets are blown, it means that everyone must gather together at the entrance of the sacred tent.
@@ -893,7 +893,7 @@
 \v 9 When you fight against enemies who attack you in your own land, tell the priests to blow the trumpets loudly. I, Yahweh, your God, will hear that, and I will rescue you from your enemies.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 Also tell the priests to blow the trumpets when the people are happy, and at the festivals each year, and at the times when they celebrate the new moon each month. Tell them to blow the trumpets when the people bring offerings that will be completely burned, and when they bring offerings to restore fellowship with me. If they do that, it will help you to think about me. You must do that, because I am Yahweh your God."
+\v 10 Also tell the priests to blow the trumpets when the people are happy, and at the festivals each year, and at the times when they celebrate the new moon each month. Tell them to blow the trumpets when the people bring offerings that will be completely burned, and when they bring offerings to restore fellowship with me. If they do that, it will help you to think about me. You must do that, because I am Yahweh your God.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -931,14 +931,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 29 One day Moses said to his brother-in-law Hobab son of Reuel from the Midian people group, "We are on the way to the place that Yahweh promised to give to us. Come with us, and we will take good care of you, because Yahweh has promised to do good things for us Israelite people."
+\v 29 One day Moses said to his brother-in-law Hobab son of Reuel from the Midian people group, “We are on the way to the place that Yahweh promised to give to us. Come with us, and we will take good care of you, because Yahweh has promised to do good things for us Israelite people.”
 \p
-\v 30 But Hobab replied, "No, I will not go with you. I want to return to my own land and to my own family."
+\v 30 But Hobab replied, “No, I will not go with you. I want to return to my own land and to my own family.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 31 But Moses said, "Please do not leave us. You know the places where we can set up our tents in this desert, and you can guide us.
-\v 32 Come with us. We will share with you all the good things that Yahweh gives to us."
+\v 31 But Moses said, “Please do not leave us. You know the places where we can set up our tents in this desert, and you can guide us.
+\v 32 Come with us. We will share with you all the good things that Yahweh gives to us.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -948,12 +948,12 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 35 Each morning when the men who were carrying the sacred chest started to walk, Moses said,
-\q1 "Yahweh, arise!
+\q1 “Yahweh, arise!
 \q2 Scatter your enemies!
-\q2 Cause those who hate you to run away from you!"
+\q2 Cause those who hate you to run away from you!”
 \p
 \v 36 And each time the men stopped to set down the sacred chest, Moses said,
-\q1 "Yahweh, stay close to the multiplied thousands of us Israelites!"
+\q1 “Yahweh, stay close to the multiplied thousands of us Israelites!”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -961,14 +961,14 @@
 \p
 \v 1 One day the people complained to Yahweh about their troubles. When Yahweh heard what they were saying, he became angry. So he sent a fire which burned among the people at the edge of their camp.
 \v 2 Then the people cried out to Moses, and he prayed to Yahweh. Then the fire stopped burning.
-\v 3 So they called that place Taberah, which means 'Burning,' because the fire from Yahweh had burned among them.
+\v 3 So they called that place Taberah, which means ‘Burning,’ because the fire from Yahweh had burned among them.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 Then some troublemakers from other people groups who were traveling with the Israelites began to want better food. And when they started complaining the Israelite people also started to complain. They said, "We wish we had some meat to eat!
+\v 4 Then some troublemakers from other people groups who were traveling with the Israelites began to want better food. And when they started complaining the Israelite people also started to complain. They said, “We wish we had some meat to eat!
 \v 5 We remember the fish that we ate while we were in Egypt, fish that was given to us without cost. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we could eat.
-\v 6 But now we have lost our appetite, because all we have to eat is this manna!"
+\v 6 But now we have lost our appetite, because all we have to eat is this manna!”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -981,30 +981,30 @@
 \v 10 Moses heard all the Israelite people complaining as they were standing in the entrances of their tents. Yahweh became very angry, and Moses was also very perturbed.
 
 \s5
-\v 11 He went into the sacred tent and asked Yahweh, "Why have you brought this trouble on me, your servant? Act mercifully to me! What wrong have I done, with the result that you have appointed me to take care of all of these people?
+\v 11 He went into the sacred tent and asked Yahweh, “Why have you brought this trouble on me, your servant? Act mercifully to me! What wrong have I done, with the result that you have appointed me to take care of all of these people?
 \v 12 I am not their father. Why have you told me to take care of them like a woman carries around her baby and nurses it? How can I take them to the land that you promised to give to our ancestors?
 
 \s5
-\v 13 Where can I get meat to feed to all these people? They keep complaining to me, saying, 'Give us some meat to eat!'
-\v 14 I cannot carry all these people's burdens by myself! They are like a heavy load to me, and I cannot carry this very heavy load anymore.
-\v 15 If you intend to act like this toward me, kill me now. If you are really concerned about me, be kind to me and kill me to end my misery of trying to take care of them!"
+\v 13 Where can I get meat to feed to all these people? They keep complaining to me, saying, ‘Give us some meat to eat!’
+\v 14 I cannot carry all these people’s burdens by myself! They are like a heavy load to me, and I cannot carry this very heavy load anymore.
+\v 15 If you intend to act like this toward me, kill me now. If you are really concerned about me, be kind to me and kill me to end my misery of trying to take care of them!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Summon seventy men whom you know are leaders among the Israelite people. Tell them to stand with you in front of the sacred tent.
+\v 16 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Summon seventy men whom you know are leaders among the Israelite people. Tell them to stand with you in front of the sacred tent.
 \v 17 I will come down and talk with you there. Then I will take some of the power of my Spirit that you have, and I will put that power on them also. They will help you to take care of some of the things that the people are concerned about, in order that you will not need to do it alone.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 Furthermore, say to the people, 'Make yourselves acceptable to me, and tomorrow you will have meat to eat. You were complaining, and Yahweh heard you when you were saying, "We want some meat to eat. We had better food in Egypt!" Now Yahweh will give you some meat, and you will eat it.
+\v 18 Furthermore, say to the people, ‘Make yourselves acceptable to me, and tomorrow you will have meat to eat. You were complaining, and Yahweh heard you when you were saying, “We want some meat to eat. We had better food in Egypt!” Now Yahweh will give you some meat, and you will eat it.
 \v 19 You will eat meat not only for one or two days, or only for five or ten or twenty days.
-\v 20 You will eat meat every day for one month, and then you will loathe it, and it will cause you to want to vomit. This will happen because you have rejected Yahweh who is here among you, and you have wailed in his presence, saying "We would have had better food to eat if we had not left Egypt."'"
+\v 20 You will eat meat every day for one month, and then you will loathe it, and it will cause you to want to vomit. This will happen because you have rejected Yahweh who is here among you, and you have wailed in his presence, saying “We would have had better food to eat if we had not left Egypt.”’”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 But Moses replied to Yahweh, "There are six hundred thousand men plus women and children here with me, so why do you say 'I will give them plenty of meat every day for a month!'?
-\v 22 Even if we killed all the sheep and cattle, that would not be enough to provide meat for all of them! Even if we caught all the fish in the sea and gave it to them, that would not be enough!"
-\v 23 But Yahweh said to Moses, "Do you think that I have no power? You will now see if I can do what I say I will do."
+\v 21 But Moses replied to Yahweh, “There are six hundred thousand men plus women and children here with me, so why do you say ‘I will give them plenty of meat every day for a month!’?
+\v 22 Even if we killed all the sheep and cattle, that would not be enough to provide meat for all of them! Even if we caught all the fish in the sea and gave it to them, that would not be enough!”
+\v 23 But Yahweh said to Moses, “Do you think that I have no power? You will now see if I can do what I say I will do.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1014,14 +1014,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 26 Two of the leaders whom Moses appointed, Eldad and Medad, were not there when the rest of them gathered together. They had not left their tents to go and stand around the sacred tent. But Yahweh's Spirit came on them also, and they started to prophesy.
-\v 27 So a young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying where all their tents are!"
+\v 26 Two of the leaders whom Moses appointed, Eldad and Medad, were not there when the rest of them gathered together. They had not left their tents to go and stand around the sacred tent. But Yahweh’s Spirit came on them also, and they started to prophesy.
+\v 27 So a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying where all their tents are!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 28 Joshua, who had helped Moses since he was a young man, said, "Sir, tell them to stop doing that!"
+\v 28 Joshua, who had helped Moses since he was a young man, said, “Sir, tell them to stop doing that!”
 \p
-\v 29 But Moses replied, "Are you worried that they might injure my reputation? I wish that all Yahweh's people could prophesy. I wish that Yahweh would give the power of his Spirit to all of them!"
+\v 29 But Moses replied, “Are you worried that they might injure my reputation? I wish that all Yahweh’s people could prophesy. I wish that Yahweh would give the power of his Spirit to all of them!”
 \v 30 Then Moses and all the leaders went back to their tents.
 
 \s5
@@ -1031,7 +1031,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 33 Then they cooked them and started to eat them. But while they were still eating the meat, Yahweh showed that he was very angry with them. He sent a severe plague on them, and many people died.
-\v 34 The people who died and were buried were the ones who had said they wanted to eat meat like they had formerly eaten in Egypt. So they called that place Kibroth Hattaavah, which means 'graves of those who craved.'
+\v 34 The people who died and were buried were the ones who had said they wanted to eat meat like they had formerly eaten in Egypt. So they called that place Kibroth Hattaavah, which means ‘graves of those who craved.’
 \p
 \v 35 From there, the Israelites continued walking east until they arrived at Hazeroth, where they stopped and stayed for a long time.
 
@@ -1040,18 +1040,18 @@
 \c 12
 
 \p
-\v 1-2 Moses' older sister Miriam and his older brother Aaron were jealous of Moses and said, "Is Moses the only one to whom Yahweh has spoken messages to tell to us? Does Yahweh not speak messages through us two also?" They also criticized Moses because he had married a woman who was a descendant of the Cush people group. And Yahweh heard Miriam and Aaron complaining about Moses.
+\v 1-2 Moses’ older sister Miriam and his older brother Aaron were jealous of Moses and said, “Is Moses the only one to whom Yahweh has spoken messages to tell to us? Does Yahweh not speak messages through us two also?” They also criticized Moses because he had married a woman who was a descendant of the Cush people group. And Yahweh heard Miriam and Aaron complaining about Moses.
 \p
 \v 3 The truth was that Moses was a very humble person. He was more humble than anyone else on the earth.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 So immediately Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam. He said, "All three of you must go and stand at the sacred tent." So they did that.
+\v 4 So immediately Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam. He said, “All three of you must go and stand at the sacred tent.” So they did that.
 \v 5 Then Yahweh descended to the entrance of the tent in a cloud that resembled a huge white pillar. He told Aaron and Miriam to step forward, so they did.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 Then he said to them,
-\q1 "Listen to me!
+\q1 “Listen to me!
 \q1 When a prophet is among you,
 \q1 I usually reveal myself to him by allowing him to see visions,
 \q1 and I speak to him in dreams.
@@ -1062,7 +1062,7 @@
 \v 8 So I talk to him face to face.
 \q2 I speak to him clearly, not using parables.
 \q2 He has even seen what I look like.
-\q2 So you should be afraid to criticize my servant Moses!"
+\q2 So you should be afraid to criticize my servant Moses!”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1071,14 +1071,14 @@
 \v 10 When the cloud rose up from the sacred tent, Aaron looked at Miriam, and he saw that her skin was as white as snow, because she now had leprosy.
 
 \s5
-\v 11 Aaron said to Moses, "My master, please do not punish us for this sin that we have foolishly committed.
-\v 12 Do not allow Miriam to be like a baby that is already dead when it is born, whose flesh is already half decayed!"
+\v 11 Aaron said to Moses, “My master, please do not punish us for this sin that we have foolishly committed.
+\v 12 Do not allow Miriam to be like a baby that is already dead when it is born, whose flesh is already half decayed!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 So Moses cried out to Yahweh, saying, "God, I plead with you to heal her!"
+\v 13 So Moses cried out to Yahweh, saying, “God, I plead with you to heal her!”
 \p
-\v 14 But Yahweh replied, "If her father had rebuked her for doing something wrong by spitting in her face, she would have been ashamed for seven days. She should be ashamed because of what she has done. So send her outside the camp for seven days. Then she will not have leprosy anymore, and she may return to the camp."
+\v 14 But Yahweh replied, “If her father had rebuked her for doing something wrong by spitting in her face, she would have been ashamed for seven days. She should be ashamed because of what she has done. So send her outside the camp for seven days. Then she will not have leprosy anymore, and she may return to the camp.”
 \v 15 So they sent her outside the camp for seven days. The people did not move to another location until she returned.
 
 \s5
@@ -1091,7 +1091,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 2 "Send some men to Canaan to explore it. That is the land that I will give to you Israelites. Send men who are leaders in their tribes."
+\v 2 “Send some men to Canaan to explore it. That is the land that I will give to you Israelites. Send men who are leaders in their tribes.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1115,7 +1115,7 @@
 \q
 \v 10 Gaddiel son of Sodi, from the tribe of Zebulun;
 \q
-\v 11 Gaddi son of Susi, from the tribe of Joseph's descendent Manasseh;
+\v 11 Gaddi son of Susi, from the tribe of Joseph’s descendent Manasseh;
 \q
 \v 12 Ammiel the son of Gemalli, from the tribe of Dan;
 \q
@@ -1127,14 +1127,14 @@
 \q
 \v 15 and Geuel son of Maki, from the tribe of Gad.
 \m
-\v 16 Those are the names of the men whom Moses sent out to explore Canaan. Before they left, Moses gave Hoshea a new name, Joshua, which means 'Yahweh is the one who saves.'
+\v 16 Those are the names of the men whom Moses sent out to explore Canaan. Before they left, Moses gave Hoshea a new name, Joshua, which means ‘Yahweh is the one who saves.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 Before Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said to them, "Go through the southern Judean wilderness, and then go north into the hill country.
+\v 17 Before Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said to them, “Go through the southern Judean wilderness, and then go north into the hill country.
 \v 18 See what the land is like. See if the people who live there are strong or weak. See if there are many people or only a few people.
 \v 19 Find out what kind of land they live in. Is it good or bad? Find out about the towns in which they live. Do they have walls around them or not?
-\v 20 Find out about the soil. Is it fertile or not? Find out if there are trees there. Try to bring back some of the fruit that grows in that land." He said that because it was the beginning of the time to harvest grapes.
+\v 20 Find out about the soil. Is it fertile or not? Find out if there are trees there. Try to bring back some of the fruit that grows in that land.” He said that because it was the beginning of the time to harvest grapes.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1143,7 +1143,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 23 In one valley, they cut from a grapevine one cluster of grapes. Because it was very large, they needed two men to carry it on a pole. They also picked some pomegranates and some figs to carry back to their camp.
-\v 24 They called that place Eshcol which means 'cluster' because they had cut that huge cluster of grapes there.
+\v 24 They called that place Eshcol which means ‘cluster’ because they had cut that huge cluster of grapes there.
 
 \s5
 \v 25 After they explored the land for forty days, they returned to their camp.
@@ -1152,80 +1152,80 @@
 \v 26 They came to Aaron and Moses and the rest of the Israelite people in the wilderness at Paran. They reported to everyone what they had seen. They also showed them the fruit that they had brought back.
 
 \s5
-\v 27 But this is what they reported to Moses: "We arrived in the land that you sent us to explore. It is truly a beautiful land. It is a very fertile land. Here is some of the fruit.
+\v 27 But this is what they reported to Moses: “We arrived in the land that you sent us to explore. It is truly a beautiful land. It is a very fertile land. Here is some of the fruit.
 \v 28 But the people who live there are very strong. Their cities are large and are surrounded by walls. We even saw some of the huge descendants of Anak there.
-\v 29 The descendants of Amalek live in the southern part of the land, and the descendants of Heth, Jebus, and Amor live in the hill country to the north. The descendants of Canaan live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan River."
+\v 29 The descendants of Amalek live in the southern part of the land, and the descendants of Heth, Jebus, and Amor live in the hill country to the north. The descendants of Canaan live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan River.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 30 Caleb told the people who were standing near Moses to be quiet. Then he said, "We should go there and take the land, because we are certainly able to conquer it!"
+\v 30 Caleb told the people who were standing near Moses to be quiet. Then he said, “We should go there and take the land, because we are certainly able to conquer it!”
 \p
-\v 31 But the men who had gone with him said, "No, we cannot attack and defeat those people. They are much stronger than we are!"
+\v 31 But the men who had gone with him said, “No, we cannot attack and defeat those people. They are much stronger than we are!”
 
 \s5
-\v 32 So those men gave to the Israelite people a bad report about the land that they had explored. They said, "The land that we explored destroys the life those who try to attack it. And all the people living there are very tall.
-\v 33 We also saw giants there. They are the descendants of Anak (who come from the Nephilim, those giant people). When we saw these giants we felt as small as grasshoppers and they thought that we looked like grasshoppers too."
+\v 32 So those men gave to the Israelite people a bad report about the land that they had explored. They said, “The land that we explored destroys the life those who try to attack it. And all the people living there are very tall.
+\v 33 We also saw giants there. They are the descendants of Anak (who come from the Nephilim, those giant people). When we saw these giants we felt as small as grasshoppers and they thought that we looked like grasshoppers too.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 14
 \p
 \v 1 That night, all the Israelite people cried loudly.
-\v 2 The next day they all complained against Aaron and Moses. All the men said, "We wish that we had died in Egypt, or in this wilderness!
-\v 3 Why is Yahweh bringing us to this land, where we men will be killed with swords? And they will take away our wives and children to be their slaves. Instead of going to Canaan, it would be better for us to return to Egypt!"
+\v 2 The next day they all complained against Aaron and Moses. All the men said, “We wish that we had died in Egypt, or in this wilderness!
+\v 3 Why is Yahweh bringing us to this land, where we men will be killed with swords? And they will take away our wives and children to be their slaves. Instead of going to Canaan, it would be better for us to return to Egypt!”
 
 \s5
-\v 4 Then some of them said to each other, "We should choose a leader who will take us back to Egypt!"
+\v 4 Then some of them said to each other, “We should choose a leader who will take us back to Egypt!”
 \p
 \v 5 Then Aaron and Moses bowed down to pray in front of all the Israelite people who had gathered there.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 Joshua and Caleb, two of the men who had explored the land, tore their clothes because they were very dismayed.
-\v 7 They said to the Israelite people, "The land that we explored is very good.
+\v 7 They said to the Israelite people, “The land that we explored is very good.
 \v 8 If Yahweh is pleased with us, he will lead us into that very fertile land, and he will give it to us.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 So do not rebel against Yahweh! And do not be afraid of the people in that land! We will gobble them up! They do not have anyone who will protect them, but Yahweh will be with us and help us. So do not be afraid of them!"
+\v 9 So do not rebel against Yahweh! And do not be afraid of the people in that land! We will gobble them up! They do not have anyone who will protect them, but Yahweh will be with us and help us. So do not be afraid of them!”
 \p
-\v 10 Then all the Israelite people talked about killing Caleb and Joshua by throwing stones at them. But suddenly Yahweh's glory appeared to them at the sacred tent.
+\v 10 Then all the Israelite people talked about killing Caleb and Joshua by throwing stones at them. But suddenly Yahweh’s glory appeared to them at the sacred tent.
 
 \s5
-\v 11 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "How long will these people reject me? I am tired of them not believing in what I can do, in spite of all the miracles I have performed among them.
-\v 12 So I will send a plague among them and get rid of them. But I will cause your descendants to become a great nation. They will be a nation that is much greater and stronger than these people are."
+\v 11 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “How long will these people reject me? I am tired of them not believing in what I can do, in spite of all the miracles I have performed among them.
+\v 12 So I will send a plague among them and get rid of them. But I will cause your descendants to become a great nation. They will be a nation that is much greater and stronger than these people are.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 But Moses replied to Yahweh, "Please do not do that, because the people of Egypt will hear about it! You brought these Israelite people from Egypt by your great power,
+\v 13 But Moses replied to Yahweh, “Please do not do that, because the people of Egypt will hear about it! You brought these Israelite people from Egypt by your great power,
 \v 14 and the people of Egypt will tell that to the descendants of Canaan who live in this land. Yahweh, they have already heard about you. They know that you have been with these people and that they have seen you face to face. They have heard that your cloud is like a huge pillar that stays over them, and by that cloud you lead them during the day, and that the cloud becomes like a fire at night to give them light.
 
 \s5
 \v 15 If you kill these people all at one time, the people groups who have heard about your power will say,
-\v 16 'Yahweh was not able to bring them into the land that he promised to give to them, so he killed them in the wilderness.'
+\v 16 ‘Yahweh was not able to bring them into the land that he promised to give to them, so he killed them in the wilderness.’
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 So Yahweh, now show that you are very powerful. You said,
-\v 18 'I do not quickly become angry. Instead, I love people greatly, and I forgive people for having sinned and having disobeyed my laws. But I will always punish people who are guilty of doing what is wrong. When parents sin, I will punish them, but I will also punish their children and their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren and their great-great-grandchildren.'
-\v 19 So, because you love your people with a great covenant loyalty, forgive these people for the sins that they have committed, just like you have continued to forgive them ever since they left Egypt."
+\v 18 ‘I do not quickly become angry. Instead, I love people greatly, and I forgive people for having sinned and having disobeyed my laws. But I will always punish people who are guilty of doing what is wrong. When parents sin, I will punish them, but I will also punish their children and their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren and their great-great-grandchildren.’
+\v 19 So, because you love your people with a great covenant loyalty, forgive these people for the sins that they have committed, just like you have continued to forgive them ever since they left Egypt.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Then Yahweh replied, "I have forgiven them, as you requested me to.
+\v 20 Then Yahweh replied, “I have forgiven them, as you requested me to.
 \v 21 But, just as certainly as I live and that people all over the world can see my glory, I solemnly declare that
 \v 22 all these people saw my glory and all the miracles that I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, but they disobeyed me, and many times they tested whether they could continue to do evil things without my punishing them.
 
 \s5
 \v 23 Because of that, not one of them will see the land that I promised their ancestors that I would give to them. No one who rejected me will see that land.
 \v 24 But Caleb, who serves me well, is different from the others. He obeys me completely. So I will bring him into that land that he has already seen, and his descendants will inherit some of it.
-\v 25 So, since the descendants of Amalek and Canaan who are living in the valleys in Canaan are very strong, when you leave here tomorrow, instead of traveling toward Canaan, go back along the road through the wilderness toward the Sea of Reeds."
+\v 25 So, since the descendants of Amalek and Canaan who are living in the valleys in Canaan are very strong, when you leave here tomorrow, instead of traveling toward Canaan, go back along the road through the wilderness toward the Sea of Reeds.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 26 Then Yahweh said to Aaron and Moses,
-\v 27 "How long will the wicked people of this nation keep complaining about me? I have heard everything that they have grumbled against me.
+\v 27 “How long will the wicked people of this nation keep complaining about me? I have heard everything that they have grumbled against me.
 
 \s5
-\v 28 So now tell them this: 'Just as certainly as I, Yahweh, live, I will do exactly what you said would happen.
+\v 28 So now tell them this: ‘Just as certainly as I, Yahweh, live, I will do exactly what you said would happen.
 \v 29 I will cause all of you to die here in this wilderness! Because you grumbled against me, none of you who are more than twenty years old and who were counted when Moses counted everyone
 \v 30 will enter the land that I solemnly promised to give to you. Only Caleb and Joshua will enter that land.
 
@@ -1236,7 +1236,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 34 You will suffer for your sins for forty years. That will be one year for each of the forty days that the twelve men explored Canaan land. And I will be like an enemy to you.
-\v 35 This will certainly happen because I, Yahweh, have said it! I will do these things to every one in this group that has plotted against me. They will all die right here in this wilderness!'"
+\v 35 This will certainly happen because I, Yahweh, have said it! I will do these things to every one in this group that has plotted against me. They will all die right here in this wilderness!’”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1246,13 +1246,13 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 39 When Moses reported to the Israelite people what Yahweh had said, many of them were very sad.
-\v 40 So the people got up early the next morning and started to go toward the hill country in Canaan. They said, "We know that we have sinned, but now we are ready to enter the land that Yahweh promised to give to us."
+\v 40 So the people got up early the next morning and started to go toward the hill country in Canaan. They said, “We know that we have sinned, but now we are ready to enter the land that Yahweh promised to give to us.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 41 But Moses said, "Yahweh commanded you to return to the desert, so why are you now disobeying him? It will not succeed.
+\v 41 But Moses said, “Yahweh commanded you to return to the desert, so why are you now disobeying him? It will not succeed.
 \v 42 Do not try to enter the land now! If you try, your enemies will defeat you, because Yahweh will not be with you.
-\v 43 When you begin to fight the descendants of Amalek and Canaan, they will slaughter you! Yahweh will abandon you, because you have abandoned him."
+\v 43 When you begin to fight the descendants of Amalek and Canaan, they will slaughter you! Yahweh will abandon you, because you have abandoned him.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1265,7 +1265,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Then Yahweh told Moses,
-\v 2 "Tell this to the Israelite people, 'When you arrive in the land that I am giving to you,
+\v 2 “Tell this to the Israelite people, ‘When you arrive in the land that I am giving to you,
 \v 3 you must offer to me special sacrifices which will be pleasing to me when the priest burns them on the altar. Some of them may be offerings that will be completely burned on the altar. Some of them may be to indicate that you have made a solemn promise to me. Some of them may be offerings that you yourselves have decided to make. Some of them may be offerings at one of the festivals that you celebrate each year. These offerings may be taken from your herds of cattle or from your flocks of sheep and goats.
 
 \s5
@@ -1292,12 +1292,12 @@
 \s5
 \v 14 If any foreigners visit you or live among you, if they also want to bring a sacrifice that will be pleasing to me when it is burned on the altar, they must obey these same instructions.
 \v 15 I consider that those who have always been Israelites and those who are foreigners are equal, and so they must all obey the same instructions. All of your descendants must also continue to obey these instructions of mine.
-\v 16 You Israelites and the foreigners who live among you must all obey the same instructions.'"
+\v 16 You Israelites and the foreigners who live among you must all obey the same instructions.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 18 "Tell these instructions to the Israelite people, 'When you arrive in the land to which I am taking you,
+\v 18 “Tell these instructions to the Israelite people, ‘When you arrive in the land to which I am taking you,
 \v 19 and you eat the crops that are growing there, you must set some of them aside to be a sacred offering to me, and present them to me.
 
 \s5
@@ -1317,14 +1317,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 27 If one person commits a sin without realizing that he was sinning, that person must bring to me a female goat to be an offering to take away that person's guilt for that sin.
-\v 28 The priest will offer it to be a sacrifice to remove the guilt of that person's sin, and that person will be forgiven.
+\v 27 If one person commits a sin without realizing that he was sinning, that person must bring to me a female goat to be an offering to take away that person’s guilt for that sin.
+\v 28 The priest will offer it to be a sacrifice to remove the guilt of that person’s sin, and that person will be forgiven.
 \v 29 You Israelites and all the foreigners who live among you must obey these same instructions.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 30 But those who disobey my commands deliberately, both Israelites and the foreigners who live among you, have sinned against me by doing that. So they must be expelled from your camp.
-\v 31 They have despised my commands and deliberately disobeyed them, so they must be punished for their sin by never being allowed to live among you again.'"
+\v 31 They have despised my commands and deliberately disobeyed them, so they must be punished for their sin by never being allowed to live among you again.’”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1334,56 +1334,56 @@
 \v 34 They guarded him carefully, because they did not know what to do to punish him.
 
 \s5
-\v 35 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "The man must be executed. All of you must kill him by throwing stones at him outside the camp."
+\v 35 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “The man must be executed. All of you must kill him by throwing stones at him outside the camp.”
 \v 36 So they all took the man outside the camp and killed him by throwing stones at him, as Yahweh had commanded Moses that they should do.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 37 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 38 "Tell this to the Israelite people: 'You and all your descendants must twist threads together to make tassels, and then attach them with blue cords to the bottom edges of your clothes.
+\v 38 “Tell this to the Israelite people: ‘You and all your descendants must twist threads together to make tassels, and then attach them with blue cords to the bottom edges of your clothes.
 \v 39 When you look at the tassels, you will remember all the instructions that I gave to you, and you will obey them. In that way, you will not be unfaithful to me. You will not be like an unfaithful prostitute who does the shameful things that she looks at and desires to do.
 
 \s5
 \v 40 Seeing those tassels will help you to remember that you must obey all my commands and that you must be my holy people.
-\v 41 Do not forget that I am Yahweh, your God. I am the one who brought you out of Egypt in order that you might belong to me. I am Yahweh, your God.'"
+\v 41 Do not forget that I am Yahweh, your God. I am the one who brought you out of Egypt in order that you might belong to me. I am Yahweh, your God.’”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 16
 \p
-\v 1 One day Korah son of Izhar and a descendant of Levi's son Kohath, conspired with Dathan and Abiram, who were the sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth. They were all from the tribe of Reuben.
+\v 1 One day Korah son of Izhar and a descendant of Levi’s son Kohath, conspired with Dathan and Abiram, who were the sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth. They were all from the tribe of Reuben.
 \v 2 Those four men incited 250 other people who were leaders among the Israelite people to join them in rebelling against Moses.
-\v 3 They came together to criticize Aaron and Moses. They said to them, "You two are using more authority than you should! Yahweh has set apart all of us Israelite people, and he is with all of us. So why do you act as though you were more important than the rest of us people who belong to Yahweh?"
+\v 3 They came together to criticize Aaron and Moses. They said to them, “You two are using more authority than you should! Yahweh has set apart all of us Israelite people, and he is with all of us. So why do you act as though you were more important than the rest of us people who belong to Yahweh?”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 When Moses heard what they were saying, he prostrated himself on the ground.
-\v 5 Then he said to Korah and those who were with Korah, "Tomorrow morning Yahweh will show to us whom he has chosen to be his priest, and who is holy and allowed to come near to him. Yahweh will permit only those whom he chooses to come into his presence.
+\v 5 Then he said to Korah and those who were with Korah, “Tomorrow morning Yahweh will show to us whom he has chosen to be his priest, and who is holy and allowed to come near to him. Yahweh will permit only those whom he chooses to come into his presence.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 So Korah, tomorrow you and those who are with you must prepare your pans to burn incense.
-\v 7 Then you must light a fire in them and burn the incense in the presence of Yahweh. Then we will see which one of us Yahweh has chosen to be his holy servant. It is you men who are descendants of Levi who are trying to use more authority than you should!"
+\v 7 Then you must light a fire in them and burn the incense in the presence of Yahweh. Then we will see which one of us Yahweh has chosen to be his holy servant. It is you men who are descendants of Levi who are trying to use more authority than you should!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 Then Moses spoke again to Korah. He said, "You men who are descendants of Levi, listen to me!
+\v 8 Then Moses spoke again to Korah. He said, “You men who are descendants of Levi, listen to me!
 \v 9 You know that Yahweh, the God of Israel has chosen you Levites from the community of Israel so you can work for him at his sacred tent and serve the people. Does that seem to you like a small thing for you to do?
 \v 10 Yahweh has brought you, Korah, and your fellow descendants of Levi, near to himself. Now are you demanding to become priests also?
-\v 11 It is really Yahweh against whom you and your fellow descendants of Levi are rebelling. Aaron is not the one about whom you are really complaining."
+\v 11 It is really Yahweh against whom you and your fellow descendants of Levi are rebelling. Aaron is not the one about whom you are really complaining.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, but they refused to come. They sent a message saying, "We will not come to you!
+\v 12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, but they refused to come. They sent a message saying, “We will not come to you!
 \v 13 You brought us out of Egypt, which was a very fertile land, in order to cause us to die here in this desert. That was bad. But now you are also trying to boss us, and that is worse.
-\v 14 You have not given us a new land to live in, a land that has good fields and vineyards. You are only trying to blind these people. So we will not come to you."
+\v 14 You have not given us a new land to live in, a land that has good fields and vineyards. You are only trying to blind these people. So we will not come to you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 Then Moses became very angry. He said to Yahweh, "Do not accept the grain offerings that they have brought. I have not taken anything from them, not even one donkey, and I have never done anything wrong to them, so they have no reason to complain against me."
+\v 15 Then Moses became very angry. He said to Yahweh, “Do not accept the grain offerings that they have brought. I have not taken anything from them, not even one donkey, and I have never done anything wrong to them, so they have no reason to complain against me.”
 \p
-\v 16 Then Moses said to Korah, "You and all those who are with you must come here tomorrow and stand in front of Yahweh. Aaron will also be here.
-\v 17 You and all the 250 men who are with you must each take a pan in which to burn incense, and put incense in it, to burn it to be an offering to Yahweh. Aaron will do the same thing."
+\v 16 Then Moses said to Korah, “You and all those who are with you must come here tomorrow and stand in front of Yahweh. Aaron will also be here.
+\v 17 You and all the 250 men who are with you must each take a pan in which to burn incense, and put incense in it, to burn it to be an offering to Yahweh. Aaron will do the same thing.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1392,26 +1392,26 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 20 Yahweh said to Aaron and Moses,
-\v 21 "Get away from all these people, in order that I can get rid of them immediately!"
+\v 21 “Get away from all these people, in order that I can get rid of them immediately!”
 \p
-\v 22 But Aaron and Moses prostrated themselves on the ground. They pleaded with Yahweh, saying, "God, you are the one who caused all these people to live. Only one of these men has sinned. So, is it right for you to be angry with all the people?"
+\v 22 But Aaron and Moses prostrated themselves on the ground. They pleaded with Yahweh, saying, “God, you are the one who caused all these people to live. Only one of these men has sinned. So, is it right for you to be angry with all the people?”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 23 Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 24 "Okay, but tell all the people to get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram."
+\v 24 “Okay, but tell all the people to get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 25 So Moses stood up and went to the tents of Dathan and Abiram. The Israelite leaders followed him.
-\v 26 He told the people, "Get away from the tents of these wicked men, and do not touch anything that belongs to them! If you touch anything, you will die because of their sins!"
+\v 26 He told the people, “Get away from the tents of these wicked men, and do not touch anything that belongs to them! If you touch anything, you will die because of their sins!”
 \v 27 So all the people moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram came out of their tents with their wives and children and babies, and stood at the entrance of their tents.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 28 Then Moses said, "I was not the one who decided to do all these things that I have done. It was Yahweh who chose me and sent me to do them. And now he will prove that to you.
+\v 28 Then Moses said, “I was not the one who decided to do all these things that I have done. It was Yahweh who chose me and sent me to do them. And now he will prove that to you.
 \v 29 If these men die in a normal way, then it will be clear that Yahweh did not choose me.
-\v 30 But if Yahweh does something that has never happened before, if he causes the ground that is under their feet to open up and swallow these men and their families and all their possessions, and they fall into the opening and are buried while they are still alive, then you will know that these men have insulted Yahweh."
+\v 30 But if Yahweh does something that has never happened before, if he causes the ground that is under their feet to open up and swallow these men and their families and all their possessions, and they fall into the opening and are buried while they are still alive, then you will know that these men have insulted Yahweh.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1420,15 +1420,15 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 33 They fell into the opening in the ground while they were still alive, and all their possessions fell into the opening also. They disappeared, and the ground closed back up again.
-\v 34 They screamed as they fell, and all the people who were standing nearby heard them scream. The people were terrified and cried out as they ran away, saying, "We do not want the ground to swallow us, also!"
+\v 34 They screamed as they fell, and all the people who were standing nearby heard them scream. The people were terrified and cried out as they ran away, saying, “We do not want the ground to swallow us, also!”
 \p
 \v 35 And then a fire from Yahweh came down from the sky and burned up the 250 men who were burning the incense!
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 36 Then Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 37 "Tell Aaron's son Eleazar to take the pans that had incense in them away from the fire and to scatter the burning coals. The pans that those men were carrying are holy because they burned incense to me in them.
-\v 38 Those men have now died because of their sin. So Eleazar must take their pans and hammer the metal to make it become very thin. He must make a covering for the altar with that metal. Those pans were used to offer incense to me, so they are holy. What happened to those pans will now warn the Israelite people."
+\v 37 “Tell Aaron’s son Eleazar to take the pans that had incense in them away from the fire and to scatter the burning coals. The pans that those men were carrying are holy because they burned incense to me in them.
+\v 38 Those men have now died because of their sin. So Eleazar must take their pans and hammer the metal to make it become very thin. He must make a covering for the altar with that metal. Those pans were used to offer incense to me, so they are holy. What happened to those pans will now warn the Israelite people.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1436,16 +1436,16 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 41 But the following morning, all the Israelite people started to complain against Aaron and Moses saying "You have killed many people who belonged to Yahweh!"
+\v 41 But the following morning, all the Israelite people started to complain against Aaron and Moses saying “You have killed many people who belonged to Yahweh!”
 \p
 \v 42 When all the people gathered together to protest about what Aaron and Moses had done, they looked at the sacred tent and saw that the sacred cloud had covered it, and the glory of Yahweh had appeared.
 \v 43 Aaron and Moses went and stood in front of the sacred tent.
 
 \s5
 \v 44 Then Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 45 "Get away from these people, in order that I can get rid of them immediately without injuring you two!" But Aaron and Moses prostrated themselves on the ground and prayed.
+\v 45 “Get away from these people, in order that I can get rid of them immediately without injuring you two!” But Aaron and Moses prostrated themselves on the ground and prayed.
 \p
-\v 46 Moses said to Aaron, "Quickly take another pan and put in it some burning coals from the altar. Put incense in the pan, and carry it out among the people to atone for the sins of the people. Yahweh is very angry with them, and I know that a severe plague has already started among them."
+\v 46 Moses said to Aaron, “Quickly take another pan and put in it some burning coals from the altar. Put incense in the pan, and carry it out among the people to atone for the sins of the people. Yahweh is very angry with them, and I know that a severe plague has already started among them.”
 
 \s5
 \v 47 So Aaron did what Moses told him. He took the burning incense out among the people. The plague had already started to strike the people, but Aaron continued to burn the incense to make atonement for the sins of the people.
@@ -1461,12 +1461,12 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Then Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 2 "Tell the Israelite people to bring to you twelve walking sticks. They should bring one from each of the leaders of the twelve tribes. You should carve each leader's name on his stick.
+\v 2 “Tell the Israelite people to bring to you twelve walking sticks. They should bring one from each of the leaders of the twelve tribes. You should carve each leader’s name on his stick.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 There must be one stick for the leader of each tribe, so you must carve Aaron's name on the stick for the tribe of Levi.
+\v 3 There must be one stick for the leader of each tribe, so you must carve Aaron’s name on the stick for the tribe of Levi.
 \v 4 Put those walking sticks inside the sacred tent, in front of the sacred chest that has in it the tablets on which the Ten Commandments are written. That is the place where I always talk with you.
-\v 5 Buds will sprout on the stick of the man whom I have chosen to be the priest. When the people see that, they will stop their constantly complaining about you because they will realize that he is the one whom I have chosen."
+\v 5 Buds will sprout on the stick of the man whom I have chosen to be the priest. When the people see that, they will stop their constantly complaining about you because they will realize that he is the one whom I have chosen.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1475,25 +1475,25 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 The following morning, when he went into the tent, he saw that Aaron's stick, which represented the tribe of Levi, had sprouted. It had produced leaves and blossoms, and it had also produced almonds that were ripe!
+\v 8 The following morning, when he went into the tent, he saw that Aaron’s stick, which represented the tribe of Levi, had sprouted. It had produced leaves and blossoms, and it had also produced almonds that were ripe!
 \v 9 Moses brought all the sticks out of the sacred tent and showed them to the people. Each of the twelve leaders took back his own stick.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Put Aaron's stick in front of the sacred chest, and let it stay there permanently. That will be a warning to people who want to rebel against me. Then no more people will die because of complaining against me."
+\v 10 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Put Aaron’s stick in front of the sacred chest, and let it stay there permanently. That will be a warning to people who want to rebel against me. Then no more people will die because of complaining against me.”
 \v 11 So Moses did what Yahweh had commanded.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Then the Israelite people said to Moses, "We are going to die! All of us are surely going to die!
-\v 13 Everyone who comes close to Yahweh's sacred tent dies. Are the rest of us going to die, also?"
+\v 12 Then the Israelite people said to Moses, “We are going to die! All of us are surely going to die!
+\v 13 Everyone who comes close to Yahweh’s sacred tent dies. Are the rest of us going to die, also?”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 18
 
 \p
-\v 1 Yahweh said to Aaron, "You and your sons and the other members of your father's family are the ones who will be punished if anything bad happens to the things inside the sacred tent. And you and your sons will be punished if any priest does something bad.
+\v 1 Yahweh said to Aaron, “You and your sons and the other members of your father’s family are the ones who will be punished if anything bad happens to the things inside the sacred tent. And you and your sons will be punished if any priest does something bad.
 \v 2 Require that those who belong to your tribe, the tribe of Levi, must assist you and your sons while you perform your work at the sacred tent.
 
 \s5
@@ -1504,12 +1504,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 6 I myself have chosen the descendants of Levi from the other Israelites in order that they may be your special helpers. They are like a gift that I have given you to work at the sacred tent.
-\v 7 But it is you and your sons, who are the priests, who must perform all the details I have commanded concerning the altar and with what happens inside the Very Holy Place. I am giving to you this work of serving as priests. So anyone else who tries to do that work must be executed."
+\v 7 But it is you and your sons, who are the priests, who must perform all the details I have commanded concerning the altar and with what happens inside the Very Holy Place. I am giving to you this work of serving as priests. So anyone else who tries to do that work must be executed.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 Yahweh also said to Aaron, "I myself have appointed you to take care of all the sacred offerings that the Israelite people bring to me. I have given all these sacred offerings to you and to your sons. You and your descendants will get a share of these offerings permanently.
+\v 8 Yahweh also said to Aaron, “I myself have appointed you to take care of all the sacred offerings that the Israelite people bring to me. I have given all these sacred offerings to you and to your sons. You and your descendants will get a share of these offerings permanently.
 \v 9 The parts of the offerings that are not completely burned on the altar belong to you. Those parts of the sacred offerings, including the flour offerings, the offerings to make atonement for sins and to remove the guilt of sins, are set apart, and are to be given to you and your sons.
 
 \s5
@@ -1534,9 +1534,9 @@
 \v 18 The meat from those offerings will be yours, just like the breast and right thigh of animals that are presented to me to restore fellowship with me, as the priest lifts them up high in front of the altar, are yours.
 
 \s5
-\v 19 Anything that the Israelite people present to me as holy gifts, I am giving to you. They are for you and your sons and daughters to eat. They will always be your share. This is an agreement that I am making with you, an agreement that will last forever. I am also making this agreement with your descendants."
+\v 19 Anything that the Israelite people present to me as holy gifts, I am giving to you. They are for you and your sons and daughters to eat. They will always be your share. This is an agreement that I am making with you, an agreement that will last forever. I am also making this agreement with your descendants.”
 \p
-\v 20 Yahweh also said to Aaron, "You priests will not receive any of the land or the property like the other Israelite people will receive. I am what you will receive.
+\v 20 Yahweh also said to Aaron, “You priests will not receive any of the land or the property like the other Israelite people will receive. I am what you will receive.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1550,18 +1550,18 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 25 Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 26 "Tell this to the descendants of Levi, 'When you receive one tenth of all the crops and animals from the Israelite people, you must present one tenth of all that to me to be a sacred offering,
+\v 26 “Tell this to the descendants of Levi, ‘When you receive one tenth of all the crops and animals from the Israelite people, you must present one tenth of all that to me to be a sacred offering,
 \v 27 just like the other Israelites present one tenth of the grain and wine that they produce.
 
 \s5
 \v 28 You must present to me one tenth of all that you receive from the Israelite people. That will be your sacred offering to me. You must present it to Aaron.
-\v 29 Select the best parts of the things that are given to you to present them to me.'
+\v 29 Select the best parts of the things that are given to you to present them to me.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 30 Also, tell this to the descendants of Levi, 'When you present those best portions of grain and wine as your offering to me, I will consider that those gifts are as though they came from your own grain and wine.
+\v 30 Also, tell this to the descendants of Levi, ‘When you present those best portions of grain and wine as your offering to me, I will consider that those gifts are as though they came from your own grain and wine.
 \v 31 You descendants of Levi and your families are permitted to eat the rest of that food, and you may eat it wherever you want to, because it is your payment for the work that you do at the sacred tent.
-\v 32 If you give to the priests the best portions of what you receive, you will not be punished by me for accepting one tenth of the gifts that the people bring to me. But you must consider those gifts to be sacred. If you sin by eating those things in ways that are contrary to these regulations that I have given to you, you will be executed.'"
+\v 32 If you give to the priests the best portions of what you receive, you will not be punished by me for accepting one tenth of the gifts that the people bring to me. But you must consider those gifts to be sacred. If you sin by eating those things in ways that are contrary to these regulations that I have given to you, you will be executed.’”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1569,7 +1569,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh said to Aaron and Moses,
-\v 2 "I am now giving to you another regulation. Tell the Israelite people to bring to you one reddish brown cow that has no defects. It must be an animal that has never been used for plowing ground.
+\v 2 “I am now giving to you another regulation. Tell the Israelite people to bring to you one reddish brown cow that has no defects. It must be an animal that has never been used for plowing ground.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 Give it to Eleazar the priest. He must take it outside the camp and someone will slaughter it.
@@ -1591,7 +1591,7 @@
 \p
 \v 11 All those who touch a corpse will be unacceptable to me for seven days.
 \v 12 On the third day and on the seventh day after touching a corpse, in order to become acceptable to me again, they must sprinkle on themselves some of that water for removing the guilt of their sin. If they do not do that on both of those days, they will continue to be unacceptable to me.
-\v 13 All those who touch a corpse, and do not perform in the correct way the ritual to become acceptable to me again, defile Yahweh's sacred tent. They will no longer be permitted to live among the Israelite people. The water to remove the guilt of sin was not sprinkled on them, so they continue to be unacceptable to me.
+\v 13 All those who touch a corpse, and do not perform in the correct way the ritual to become acceptable to me again, defile Yahweh’s sacred tent. They will no longer be permitted to live among the Israelite people. The water to remove the guilt of sin was not sprinkled on them, so they continue to be unacceptable to me.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1610,23 +1610,23 @@
 \v 20 If those who have become unacceptable to me do not become acceptable to me again by doing this, they will no longer be permitted to live among to the Israelite people, because they have defiled my sacred tent. They did not sprinkle on themselves the water that removes the guilt of their sins, so they remain unacceptable to me.
 \v 21 That is a law for the Israelite people that will never be changed. Those who sprinkle that water on themselves must then wash their clothes. And anyone who touches that water which removes guilt for sins will remain unacceptable to God until that evening.
 \p
-\v 22 Anything and any person that someone who has become unacceptable to me has touched will remain unacceptable to me until that evening."
+\v 22 Anything and any person that someone who has become unacceptable to me has touched will remain unacceptable to me until that evening.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 20
 
 \p
-\v 1 In the first month of the next year, the Israelite people traveled to the wilderness of Zin and camped near Kadesh. While they were there, Moses' sister Miriam died and was buried there.
+\v 1 In the first month of the next year, the Israelite people traveled to the wilderness of Zin and camped near Kadesh. While they were there, Moses’ sister Miriam died and was buried there.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 2 There was no water for the people to drink there, so they came to Aaron and Moses.
-\v 3 They complained and said, "We wish that we had died in front of Yahweh's sacred tent when our fellow Israelites died!
+\v 3 They complained and said, “We wish that we had died in front of Yahweh’s sacred tent when our fellow Israelites died!
 
 \s5
-\v 4 Did you bring us, who are Yahweh's people, into this desert to die along with our livestock?
-\v 5 Why did you bring us from Egypt to this miserable place? There is no grain, there are no figs, no grapes, and no pomegranates here. And there is no water for us to drink!"
+\v 4 Did you bring us, who are Yahweh’s people, into this desert to die along with our livestock?
+\v 5 Why did you bring us from Egypt to this miserable place? There is no grain, there are no figs, no grapes, and no pomegranates here. And there is no water for us to drink!”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1634,41 +1634,41 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 7 When Yahweh appeared in glory, he said,
-\v 8 "You and Aaron must take Aaron's walking stick with you and gather all the people together. While the people are watching, command that large rock over there to pour out water. Water for the people will flow from it. All they and all their livestock will have enough water to drink."
+\v 8 “You and Aaron must take Aaron’s walking stick with you and gather all the people together. While the people are watching, command that large rock over there to pour out water. Water for the people will flow from it. All they and all their livestock will have enough water to drink.”
 \p
-\v 9 So Moses did what Yahweh told him to do. He took Aaron's walking stick from the place in the sacred tent where it was kept.
+\v 9 So Moses did what Yahweh told him to do. He took Aaron’s walking stick from the place in the sacred tent where it was kept.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 Then Moses and Aaron summoned all the people to gather at the rock. Then Moses shouted to them, "All you rebellious people, listen! Is it necessary for us to bring to you water from this rock?"
+\v 10 Then Moses and Aaron summoned all the people to gather at the rock. Then Moses shouted to them, “All you rebellious people, listen! Is it necessary for us to bring to you water from this rock?”
 \v 11 Then Moses raised his hand and instead of speaking to the rock, he struck the rock two times with the walking stick. And water gushed out. So all the people and their livestock drank all the water that they wanted.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 But Yahweh said to Aaron and Moses, "You did not trust me or honor me before the people of Israel, and so you will not lead them into the land I have given to them!"
+\v 12 But Yahweh said to Aaron and Moses, “You did not trust me or honor me before the people of Israel, and so you will not lead them into the land I have given to them!”
 \p
-\v 13 Later this place was called the Meribah, which means 'arguing', because there the Israelite people argued against Yahweh, and there he showed his honor and holiness to them by giving them water.
+\v 13 Later this place was called the Meribah, which means ‘arguing’, because there the Israelite people argued against Yahweh, and there he showed his honor and holiness to them by giving them water.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 14 While the people were at Kadesh, Moses sent messengers to the king of Edom to tell him this,
-\pi "Your relatives, the Israelite people, are sending you this message. You know the many troubles that have happened to us.
+\pi “Your relatives, the Israelite people, are sending you this message. You know the many troubles that have happened to us.
 \v 15 You know that our ancestors went down to Egypt. You know that they stayed there for many years. They suffered because the rulers of Egypt caused them to become their slaves and to work very hard.
 \pi
 \v 16 But when they called out to Yahweh, he heard them and sent an angel who brought them out of Egypt. Now we have set up our tents here at Kadesh, a town on the border of your land.
 
 \s5
-\v 17 Please allow us to travel through your country. We will be careful to not walk through your fields and your vineyards. We will not even drink water from your wells. As we travel, we will stay on the king's highway, the main road that goes from the south to the north, and we will not leave that road until we have crossed the border of your country in the north."
+\v 17 Please allow us to travel through your country. We will be careful to not walk through your fields and your vineyards. We will not even drink water from your wells. As we travel, we will stay on the king’s highway, the main road that goes from the south to the north, and we will not leave that road until we have crossed the border of your country in the north.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 But the king of Edom refused. He replied, "Stay out of my country! If you try to enter it, I will send my army to attack you!"
+\v 18 But the king of Edom refused. He replied, “Stay out of my country! If you try to enter it, I will send my army to attack you!”
 \p
-\v 19 The Israelite messengers replied, "If we travel through your country, we will stay on the main road. If we and any of our livestock drink any of your water, we will pay for it. We want only to travel through your country. We do not want anything else."
+\v 19 The Israelite messengers replied, “If we travel through your country, we will stay on the main road. If we and any of our livestock drink any of your water, we will pay for it. We want only to travel through your country. We do not want anything else.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 But the king replied, "No! Stay out of our country! We will not allow you to travel through our land!" Then he sent the strongest soldiers in his army to prevent the Israelites from entering his country.
+\v 20 But the king replied, “No! Stay out of our country! We will not allow you to travel through our land!” Then he sent the strongest soldiers in his army to prevent the Israelites from entering his country.
 \p
 \v 21 So, because the king of Edom refused to allow the Israelites to travel through his country, the Israelites turned and traveled a different way.
 
@@ -1677,11 +1677,11 @@
 \p
 \v 22 The Israelite people left Kadesh. They went to Mount Hor,
 \v 23 which is at the border of Edom. While they were there, Yahweh said to Aaron and Moses,
-\v 24 "It is time for Aaron to die. He will not enter the land that I am giving to you Israelites, because the two of you disobeyed me when I told you to speak to the rock to cause the water to flow at Meribah.
+\v 24 “It is time for Aaron to die. He will not enter the land that I am giving to you Israelites, because the two of you disobeyed me when I told you to speak to the rock to cause the water to flow at Meribah.
 
 \s5
 \v 25 Now you, Moses, take Aaron and his son Eleazar up on Mount Hor.
-\v 26 There you must remove Aaron's clothes that he wears when he does the works of a priest, and put them on his son, Eleazar. Aaron will die up there."
+\v 26 There you must remove Aaron’s clothes that he wears when he does the works of a priest, and put them on his son, Eleazar. Aaron will die up there.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1694,22 +1694,22 @@
 \c 21
 \p
 \v 1 The king of the city of Arad lived in the area where the Canaanites lived, in the southern Judean wilderness. He heard a report that the Israelites were approaching on the road to Atharim village. So his army attacked the Israelites and captured some of them.
-\v 2 Then the Israelites declared this solemnly, "Yahweh, if you will help us to defeat these people, we will completely destroy all their towns."
-\v 3 Yahweh heard what they requested, and he enabled them to defeat the army of this Canaan people group. The Israelite soldiers killed all the people and destroyed their towns. Ever since that time, that place has been called Hormah which means "destruction."
+\v 2 Then the Israelites declared this solemnly, “Yahweh, if you will help us to defeat these people, we will completely destroy all their towns.”
+\v 3 Yahweh heard what they requested, and he enabled them to defeat the army of this Canaan people group. The Israelite soldiers killed all the people and destroyed their towns. Ever since that time, that place has been called Hormah which means “destruction.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 Then the Israelites left Mount Hor and traveled on the road toward the Sea of Reeds, in order to go around the land of Edom. But the people became impatient along the way,
-\v 5 and they began to grumble against God and against Moses. They said, "Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in this desert? There is nothing to eat here, and nothing to drink. And we detest this lousy manna food!"
+\v 5 and they began to grumble against God and against Moses. They said, “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in this desert? There is nothing to eat here, and nothing to drink. And we detest this lousy manna food!”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 So Yahweh sent poisonous snakes among them. Many of the people were bitten by the snakes and died.
-\v 7 Then the people came to Moses and cried out, saying, "We now know that we have sinned against Yahweh and against you. Pray to Yahweh, asking that he will take away the snakes!" So Moses prayed for the people.
+\v 7 Then the people came to Moses and cried out, saying, “We now know that we have sinned against Yahweh and against you. Pray to Yahweh, asking that he will take away the snakes!” So Moses prayed for the people.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 Then Yahweh told him, "Make a model of a poisonous snake, and attach it to the top of a pole. If those who are bitten by the snakes look at that model, they will recover."
+\v 8 Then Yahweh told him, “Make a model of a poisonous snake, and attach it to the top of a pole. If those who are bitten by the snakes look at that model, they will recover.”
 \v 9 So Moses made a snake from bronze and attached it to the top of a pole. Then, when those who had been bitten by a snake looked at the bronze snake, they recovered!
 
 \s5
@@ -1723,24 +1723,24 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 14 That is why it is written down in the book of the book of the wars of Yahweh,
-\q1 "Waheb in Suphah, and the ravines there,
+\q1 “Waheb in Suphah, and the ravines there,
 \q2 and the Arnon River
 \q1
 \v 15 and the ravines there,
-\q2 which extend as far as Ar village on the border of Moab."
+\q2 which extend as far as Ar village on the border of Moab.”
 \m
 
 \s5
-\v 16 From there the Israelites traveled to Beer. There was a well there where Yahweh previously had said to Moses, "Gather the people together, and I will give them water."
+\v 16 From there the Israelites traveled to Beer. There was a well there where Yahweh previously had said to Moses, “Gather the people together, and I will give them water.”
 
 \s5
 \v 17 There the Israelites sang this song:
-\q1 "O well, give us water!
+\q1 “O well, give us water!
 \q1 Sing about this well!
 \q1
 \v 18 Sing about this well
 \q2 which our leaders dug;
-\q2 they dug out the dirt with their royal scepters and their walking sticks."
+\q2 they dug out the dirt with their royal scepters and their walking sticks.”
 \m Then the Israelites left that wilderness and went through Mattanah.
 
 \s5
@@ -1751,7 +1751,7 @@
 \p
 \v 21 Then the Israelites sent messengers to Sihon, the king of the Amor people group. This was the message that they gave him,
 \pi
-\v 22 "Allow us to travel through your country. We will stay on the king's highway, the main road that goes from the south to the north, until we have finished traveling through your land. We will not walk through any field or vineyard, or drink water from your wells."
+\v 22 “Allow us to travel through your country. We will stay on the king’s highway, the main road that goes from the south to the north, until we have finished traveling through your land. We will not walk through any field or vineyard, or drink water from your wells.”
 \p
 \v 23 But King Sihon refused. He would not allow them to walk through his land. Instead, he sent his whole army to attack the Israelites in the desert. They attacked the Israelites at Jahaz village.
 
@@ -1763,7 +1763,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 27 For that reason, one of the poets wrote long ago,
-\q1 "Come to Heshbon, the city where King Sihon ruled.
+\q1 “Come to Heshbon, the city where King Sihon ruled.
 \q2 We want the city to be restored.
 \q1
 \v 28 A fire blazed from Heshbon.
@@ -1779,7 +1779,7 @@
 \q1
 \v 30 But we have defeated those descendants of Amor,
 \q2 all the way from Heshbon in the north to the city of Dibon in the south.
-\q1 We have completely obliterated them as far as the cities of Nophah and Medeba."
+\q1 We have completely obliterated them as far as the cities of Nophah and Medeba.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1790,9 +1790,9 @@
 \s5
 \v 33 Then they turned north toward the region of Bashan, but King Og of Bashan and all his army attacked them at the city of Edrei.
 \p
-\v 34 Yahweh said to Moses, "Do not be afraid of Og, because I am going to enable your men to defeat him and his army, and to take possession of all his land. You will do to him what you did to Sihon, the king of the Amor people group, who ruled in Heshbon."
+\v 34 Yahweh said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of Og, because I am going to enable your men to defeat him and his army, and to take possession of all his land. You will do to him what you did to Sihon, the king of the Amor people group, who ruled in Heshbon.”
 \p
-\v 35 And that is what happened. The Israelites defeated Og's army, and killed King Og and his sons and all his people. Not a person survived! And then the Israelites began to live in their land.
+\v 35 And that is what happened. The Israelites defeated Og’s army, and killed King Og and his sons and all his people. Not a person survived! And then the Israelites began to live in their land.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1805,60 +1805,60 @@
 \v 2 But King Balak son of Zippor, who ruled Moab, found out what the Israelites had done to the Amor people group.
 \v 3 When he saw that the Israelites were very numerous, he and his people became terrified.
 \p
-\v 4 So the king of Moab went to the leaders of the Midian people group and said to them, "This huge group of Israelites will wipe out everything around them, like an ox devours grass!"
+\v 4 So the king of Moab went to the leaders of the Midian people group and said to them, “This huge group of Israelites will wipe out everything around them, like an ox devours grass!”
 \p Balak was the king of Moab.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 He sent messengers to a prophet named Balaam, who was living in his own area, in Pethor, near the Euphrates River. He sent this message to request that Balaam would come to help him,
-\pi "A huge group of people has arrived here from Egypt. It looks like they are covering the entire land! And they have begun to live close to us.
-\v 6 Because they are very powerful, we are afraid of them. So please come and curse them for me. Then my army may be able to defeat them and expel them from the land where they are now living. I know that good things will happen to the people whom you bless, and disasters will happen to the people whom you curse."
+\pi “A huge group of people has arrived here from Egypt. It looks like they are covering the entire land! And they have begun to live close to us.
+\v 6 Because they are very powerful, we are afraid of them. So please come and curse them for me. Then my army may be able to defeat them and expel them from the land where they are now living. I know that good things will happen to the people whom you bless, and disasters will happen to the people whom you curse.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 Balak's messengers, who were leaders of both the Moab and Midian people groups, took money with them to pay Balaam in order that he would come and curse the Israelites. They went to Balaam and told him what Balak had said.
+\v 7 Balak’s messengers, who were leaders of both the Moab and Midian people groups, took money with them to pay Balaam in order that he would come and curse the Israelites. They went to Balaam and told him what Balak had said.
 \p
-\v 8 Balaam said, "Stay here tonight. Tomorrow morning I will tell you whatever Yahweh tells me that I should say to you."
+\v 8 Balaam said, “Stay here tonight. Tomorrow morning I will tell you whatever Yahweh tells me that I should say to you.”
 \p So the leaders from Moab stayed there that night.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 During the night, God appeared to Balaam and asked him, "Who are these men who are staying with you?"
+\v 9 During the night, God appeared to Balaam and asked him, “Who are these men who are staying with you?”
 \p
-\v 10 Balaam replied, "Balak, the king of Moab, sent these men to tell me this message,
-\v 11 'A huge group of people has come from Egypt, and they have spread all over this area. Please come immediately to curse them. Then I may be able to defeat them and expel them from this area.'"
+\v 10 Balaam replied, “Balak, the king of Moab, sent these men to tell me this message,
+\v 11 ‘A huge group of people has come from Egypt, and they have spread all over this area. Please come immediately to curse them. Then I may be able to defeat them and expel them from this area.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 God replied to Balaam, "Do not go with them! I have blessed those people, so you must not curse them!"
+\v 12 God replied to Balaam, “Do not go with them! I have blessed those people, so you must not curse them!”
 \p
-\v 13 The next morning, Balaam got up and told Balak's men, "Go back home. But go by yourselves, because Yahweh is not allowing me to go with you."
+\v 13 The next morning, Balaam got up and told Balak’s men, “Go back home. But go by yourselves, because Yahweh is not allowing me to go with you.”
 \p
-\v 14 So the men from Moab returned to King Balak and they reported to him, "Balaam refused to come with us."
+\v 14 So the men from Moab returned to King Balak and they reported to him, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 But Balak sent another group of leaders to Balaam. It was a group that was larger and they were more important than the men in the first group.
 \v 16 They went to Balaam and told him this,
-\pi "This is what King Balak says, 'Please do not allow anything to hinder you from coming here.
-\v 17 I will pay you a lot of money if you come, and I will do anything that you ask me to do. Just come and curse these Israelite people for me!'"
+\pi “This is what King Balak says, ‘Please do not allow anything to hinder you from coming here.
+\v 17 I will pay you a lot of money if you come, and I will do anything that you ask me to do. Just come and curse these Israelite people for me!’”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 But Balaam answered them, "Even if Balak would give me a palace filled with silver and gold, I would not do anything to disobey Yahweh, my God.
-\v 19 But stay here one more night, like the other messengers did, and I will find out if Yahweh has anything more to say to me."
+\v 18 But Balaam answered them, “Even if Balak would give me a palace filled with silver and gold, I would not do anything to disobey Yahweh, my God.
+\v 19 But stay here one more night, like the other messengers did, and I will find out if Yahweh has anything more to say to me.”
 \p
-\v 20 That night God appeared to Balaam again and said to him, "These men have come to request that you go back with them, so you may go with them, but do only what I tell you to do!"
+\v 20 That night God appeared to Balaam again and said to him, “These men have come to request that you go back with them, so you may go with them, but do only what I tell you to do!”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 21 So the next morning, Balaam put a saddle on his donkey and he departed with two of his servants along with the men from Moab.
-\v 22 Even though God had given Balaam permission to go, he was still angry. So he sent one of his angels to Balaam. This angel stood in the road to block Balaam's path. As Balaam and the two servants were riding on their donkeys,
-\v 23 Balaam's donkey saw the angel. The angel was standing in the road and was holding a sword in his hand, but Balaam did not see him.
-\p Balaam's donkey turned off the road into a field. So Balaam struck the donkey and forced it to go back onto the road.
+\v 22 Even though God had given Balaam permission to go, he was still angry. So he sent one of his angels to Balaam. This angel stood in the road to block Balaam’s path. As Balaam and the two servants were riding on their donkeys,
+\v 23 Balaam’s donkey saw the angel. The angel was standing in the road and was holding a sword in his hand, but Balaam did not see him.
+\p Balaam’s donkey turned off the road into a field. So Balaam struck the donkey and forced it to go back onto the road.
 
 \s5
 \v 24 Then the angel stood in a place where the road was very narrow, between two vineyards, with walls on each side of the road.
-\v 25 When the donkey saw the angel standing there, it walked very close to the wall to try to get past the angel. As a result, it bashed Balaam's foot against the wall. So Balaam struck the donkey again.
+\v 25 When the donkey saw the angel standing there, it walked very close to the wall to try to get past the angel. As a result, it bashed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam struck the donkey again.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1866,35 +1866,35 @@
 \v 27 This time, when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down on the ground with Balaam sitting on top of it. Balaam became extremely angry, and he struck the donkey again with his walking stick.
 
 \s5
-\v 28 Then Yahweh enabled the donkey to speak! It said to Balaam, "What bad thing have I done to you that caused you to strike me three times?"
+\v 28 Then Yahweh enabled the donkey to speak! It said to Balaam, “What bad thing have I done to you that caused you to strike me three times?”
 \p
-\v 29 Balaam shouted, "I struck you because you have caused me to appear to be foolish! If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!"
+\v 29 Balaam shouted, “I struck you because you have caused me to appear to be foolish! If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!”
 \p
-\v 30 But the donkey answered, "I am your own donkey, the one that you have always ridden! Have I ever done anything like this previously?"
-\p Balaam said, "No."
+\v 30 But the donkey answered, “I am your own donkey, the one that you have always ridden! Have I ever done anything like this previously?”
+\p Balaam said, “No.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 31 Then Yahweh enabled Balaam to see the angel standing on the road, holding a sword in his hand. Balaam realized that it was an angel and prostrated himself on the ground in front of the angel.
 \p
-\v 32 The angel asked him, "Why did you strike your donkey three times? I have come to block your path because what you are planning to do is wrong.
-\v 33 Three times your donkey saw me and turned away from me. If it had not done that, I would certainly have killed you already, but I would have allowed the donkey to live."
+\v 32 The angel asked him, “Why did you strike your donkey three times? I have come to block your path because what you are planning to do is wrong.
+\v 33 Three times your donkey saw me and turned away from me. If it had not done that, I would certainly have killed you already, but I would have allowed the donkey to live.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 34 Then Balaam said to the angel, "I have sinned. But I did not realize that you were standing there, trying to block my path. So if you do not want me to continue going, I will return home."
+\v 34 Then Balaam said to the angel, “I have sinned. But I did not realize that you were standing there, trying to block my path. So if you do not want me to continue going, I will return home.”
 \p
-\v 35 But the angel replied, "I will allow you to go with these men, but you must say only what I tell you to say!"
+\v 35 But the angel replied, “I will allow you to go with these men, but you must say only what I tell you to say!”
 \p So Balaam went on with the leaders whom Balak had sent.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 36 When King Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went to meet him at a city in Moab that is located alongside the Arnon River, near the border of his own land.
-\v 37 When he arrived where Balaam was, he said to him, "I sent you a message saying that you should come immediately! Why did you not come? Did you think that I was not able to pay you a lot of money for coming?"
+\v 37 When he arrived where Balaam was, he said to him, “I sent you a message saying that you should come immediately! Why did you not come? Did you think that I was not able to pay you a lot of money for coming?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 38 Balaam replied, "I have come here now, but I am not able to say anything that I want to. I will say only the words that God tells me to say."
+\v 38 Balaam replied, “I have come here now, but I am not able to say anything that I want to. I will say only the words that God tells me to say.”
 \p
 \v 39 Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth.
 \v 40 There Balak killed some cattle and sheep as sacrifices, and offered parts of the meat to Balaam and the leaders who were with him.
@@ -1907,25 +1907,25 @@
 \c 23
 
 \p
-\v 1 Balaam said to King Balak, "Build here seven altars for me. Then kill seven young bulls and seven rams for a sacrifice."
+\v 1 Balaam said to King Balak, “Build here seven altars for me. Then kill seven young bulls and seven rams for a sacrifice.”
 \v 2 So Balak did that. And then he and Balaam each burned a young bull and a ram as a sacrifice on each altar.
 \p
-\v 3 Then Balaam said to Balak, "You stand here close to your burned offerings, and I will go and ask Yahweh if he has something else to tell me. Then I will tell you what he says to me."
+\v 3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “You stand here close to your burned offerings, and I will go and ask Yahweh if he has something else to tell me. Then I will tell you what he says to me.”
 \p Then Balaam went by himself to the top of a hill.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 While he was on the top of the hill, God appeared to him there. Balaam said to him, "We have built seven altars, and I have killed and burned a young bull and a ram as a sacrifice to you on each altar."
+\v 4 While he was on the top of the hill, God appeared to him there. Balaam said to him, “We have built seven altars, and I have killed and burned a young bull and a ram as a sacrifice to you on each altar.”
 \p
-\v 5 Then Yahweh gave Balaam a message to give to King Balak. Then he said, "Go back and tell him what I told you."
+\v 5 Then Yahweh gave Balaam a message to give to King Balak. Then he said, “Go back and tell him what I told you.”
 \p
 \v 6 When Balaam returned to Balak, Balak was standing with the leaders from Moab beside the offerings he had burned on the altar.
 
 \s5
 \v 7 This is the message that Balaam told them,
-\q1 "Balak summoned me to come here from Aram;
+\q1 “Balak summoned me to come here from Aram;
 \q2 the king of Moab brought me here from the hills at the eastern side of Aram.
-\q1 He said, 'Come and curse the descendants of Jacob for me!
-\q2 Come and say that bad things will happen to these Israelite people!'
+\q1 He said, ‘Come and curse the descendants of Jacob for me!
+\q2 Come and say that bad things will happen to these Israelite people!’
 \q1
 \v 8 But how can I curse people whom God has not cursed?
 \q2 How can I fight against people against whom Yahweh does not fight?
@@ -1942,30 +1942,30 @@
 \v 10 Who can count the descendants of Jacob, as numerous as particles of dust!
 \q2 Who can count even a fourth of the number of the Israelite people?
 \q1 I wish that I will die like righteous people die.
-\q2 I hope that I will die peacefully like they will die."
+\q2 I hope that I will die peacefully like they will die.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 Then Balak said, "What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, but instead you have blessed them!"
+\v 11 Then Balak said, “What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, but instead you have blessed them!”
 \p
-\v 12 But Balaam replied, "I can say only what Yahweh tells me to say. I cannot say anything else."
+\v 12 But Balaam replied, “I can say only what Yahweh tells me to say. I cannot say anything else.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 Then King Balak told Balaam, "Come with me to another place. There you will see only part of the Israelite people, and you will be able to curse those people for me."
+\v 13 Then King Balak told Balaam, “Come with me to another place. There you will see only part of the Israelite people, and you will be able to curse those people for me.”
 \v 14 So Balak took Balaam to a field on the top of Mount Pisgah. There, again he built seven altars and offered a young bull and a ram as a sacrifice on each altar.
 \p
-\v 15 Then Balaam said to the king, "Stand here close to your burned offerings, while I go and talk with Yahweh."
+\v 15 Then Balaam said to the king, “Stand here close to your burned offerings, while I go and talk with Yahweh.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 So Balaam did that, and Yahweh appeared to Balaam again and gave him another message. Then he said, "Go back to Balak and tell him that message."
+\v 16 So Balaam did that, and Yahweh appeared to Balaam again and gave him another message. Then he said, “Go back to Balak and tell him that message.”
 \p
-\v 17 So Balaam returned to where the king and the leaders from Moab were standing, next to the altar where Balak had burned the sacrifices. Balak asked him, "What did Yahweh say?"
+\v 17 So Balaam returned to where the king and the leaders from Moab were standing, next to the altar where Balak had burned the sacrifices. Balak asked him, “What did Yahweh say?”
 \p
 \v 18 Then Balaam told him this message,
-\q1 "Balak, listen carefully,
+\q1 “Balak, listen carefully,
 \q2 hear what I have to say, you son of Zippor!
 \q1
 
@@ -1994,28 +1994,28 @@
 \v 23 When people curse the descendants of Jacob, they will not be harmed,
 \q2 when people work sorcery on them, it will have no power.
 \q1 So now people will say about the descendants of Jacob,
-\q2 'God has done wonderful things for the Israelites!'
+\q2 ‘God has done wonderful things for the Israelites!’
 \q1
 
 \s5
 \v 24 They are very strong, like lionesses that are ready to attack other animals.
 \q2 They stand firm like lions.
 \q1 The lions refuse to rest until they have killed and eaten their prey
-\q2 and drunk the blood of the animals they slaughtered."
+\q2 and drunk the blood of the animals they slaughtered.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 25 Then Balak said to Balaam, "If you will not curse them, then I certainly do not want you to bless them!"
+\v 25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “If you will not curse them, then I certainly do not want you to bless them!”
 \p
-\v 26 But Balaam replied, "I told you that I must do only what Yahweh tells me to do!"
+\v 26 But Balaam replied, “I told you that I must do only what Yahweh tells me to do!”
 
 \p
-\v 27 Then King Balak said to Balaam, "Come with me; I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to allow you to curse them from that place."
+\v 27 Then King Balak said to Balaam, “Come with me; I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to allow you to curse them from that place.”
 
 \s5
 \v 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor where they could look down and see the Israelites in the desert.
 \p
-\v 29 Balaam again told Balak, "Build me seven altars again and kill seven young bulls and seven rams for a sacrifice."
+\v 29 Balaam again told Balak, “Build me seven altars again and kill seven young bulls and seven rams for a sacrifice.”
 \v 30 So Balak did what Balaam told him to do. He burned a young bull and a ram on each altar as sacrifices.
 
 
@@ -2027,7 +2027,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 2 He saw the Israelite people camped there in their tents, with each tribe gathered in one group. Then the Spirit of God came upon him,
 \v 3 and this is the prophetic message that he gave to Balak:
-\q1 "I, Balaam son of Beor, am giving this prophecy.
+\q1 “I, Balaam son of Beor, am giving this prophecy.
 \q2 This prophecy that I speak is as a man who sees what will happen in the future clearly speaks.
 \q1
 
@@ -2050,7 +2050,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 7 Your water buckets will always be full.
 \q2 The seeds that you plant will always have plenty of water to make them grow.
-\q1 The Israelites' king will be greater than King Agag.
+\q1 The Israelites’ king will be greater than King Agag.
 \q2 The kingdom that he rules will be honored.
 \q1
 
@@ -2058,7 +2058,7 @@
 \v 8 God brought them out of Egypt,
 \q2 leading them along with his great power that is like a wild ox.
 \q1 God devastates all the nations that oppose him.
-\q2 He breaks all those people's bones into pieces,
+\q2 He breaks all those people’s bones into pieces,
 \q2 and shoots them with his arrows.
 \q1
 
@@ -2067,24 +2067,24 @@
 \q1 like lionesses that are resting.
 \q2 No one would dare to arouse them!
 \p God will bless everyone who blesses you Israelites,
-\q1 and he will curse everyone who curses you."
+\q1 and he will curse everyone who curses you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 Then King Balak was extremely angry with Balaam. He showed with his hands that he was very angry, and he shouted, saying, "I summoned you here to curse my enemies! Instead, you have blessed them three times!
-\v 11 So now, get out of here! Go back home! I said that I would pay you a lot of money if you cursed them, but Yahweh has prevented you from getting any pay!"
+\v 10 Then King Balak was extremely angry with Balaam. He showed with his hands that he was very angry, and he shouted, saying, “I summoned you here to curse my enemies! Instead, you have blessed them three times!
+\v 11 So now, get out of here! Go back home! I said that I would pay you a lot of money if you cursed them, but Yahweh has prevented you from getting any pay!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Balaam said to Balak, "Do you not remember what I told the messengers that you sent to me? I said,
-\v 13 'Even if Balak would give me a palace filled with silver and gold, I would not disobey Yahweh. I cannot do anything bad or anything that is good that he does not approve of.' And I told you that I could say only what Yahweh says to me.
-\v 14 So yes, I will return to my people, but first, allow me to tell you what will happen to you Moab people in the future."
+\v 12 Balaam said to Balak, “Do you not remember what I told the messengers that you sent to me? I said,
+\v 13 ‘Even if Balak would give me a palace filled with silver and gold, I would not disobey Yahweh. I cannot do anything bad or anything that is good that he does not approve of.’ And I told you that I could say only what Yahweh says to me.
+\v 14 So yes, I will return to my people, but first, allow me to tell you what will happen to you Moab people in the future.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 Then Balaam said this to Balak:
-\q1 "I, Balaam, son of Beor, am again giving a prophecy.
+\q1 “I, Balaam, son of Beor, am again giving a prophecy.
 \q2 This prophecy that I speak is again as a man who sees what will happen in the future clearly speaks.
 \q1
 \v 16 I hear a message from God;
@@ -2108,32 +2108,32 @@
 \q2 The Israelite people will be victorious.
 \q1
 \v 19 A ruler will come who is a descendant of Jacob.
-\q2 He will get rid of the people who still live in the city where Balaam first met Balak."
+\q2 He will get rid of the people who still live in the city where Balaam first met Balak.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 Then Balaam looked out over where the Amalek people group lived, and he prophesied this,
-\q1 "The Amalek people group were the greatest nation,
-\q2 but they will be wiped out."
+\q1 “The Amalek people group were the greatest nation,
+\q2 but they will be wiped out.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 21 Then he looked out over the area where the Kenite people group lived, and he prophesied this,
-\q1 "You think that the place where you live is secure
+\q1 “You think that the place where you live is secure
 \q2 like a nest that is made in the cliffs,
 \q1
 \v 22 but you will be wiped out
-\q2 when the army of Assyria conquers you."
+\q2 when the army of Assyria conquers you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 23 Balaam ended his prophecies by saying,
-\q1 "Also, who can survive when God does all these things?
+\q1 “Also, who can survive when God does all these things?
 \q1
 \v 24 Ships will come from the Island of Cyprus ,
 \q2 and the men in those ships will defeat the armies of Assyria and Eber.
-\q2 But God will get rid of those men, too."
+\q2 But God will get rid of those men, too.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2150,9 +2150,9 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 Yahweh said this to Moses: "Seize all the leaders of those who are doing this and execute them while I am watching. Do that in the daytime. After you do that, I will no longer be angry with the Israelite people."
+\v 4 Yahweh said this to Moses: “Seize all the leaders of those who are doing this and execute them while I am watching. Do that in the daytime. After you do that, I will no longer be angry with the Israelite people.”
 \p
-\v 5 So Moses said to the other Israelite leaders, "Each of you must execute your men who have joined others in worshiping Baal."
+\v 5 So Moses said to the other Israelite leaders, “Each of you must execute your men who have joined others in worshiping Baal.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2160,28 +2160,28 @@
 \v 7 When Phinehas, who was a grandson of Aaron, heard this, he grabbed a spear.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 Then he rushed into the man's tent. He thrust the spear completely through the man's body and into the woman's belly and killed both of them. When he did that, the plague that had started to strike the Israelites stopped.
+\v 8 Then he rushed into the man’s tent. He thrust the spear completely through the man’s body and into the woman’s belly and killed both of them. When he did that, the plague that had started to strike the Israelites stopped.
 \v 9 But twenty-four thousand people had already died from that plague.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 10 Then Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 11 "Phinehas has caused me to stop being angry with the Israelite people, by being as eager as I am to stop this sinful behavior. I was ready to get rid of all the Israelite people because I was extremely angry, but Phinehas has prevented me from doing that.
+\v 11 “Phinehas has caused me to stop being angry with the Israelite people, by being as eager as I am to stop this sinful behavior. I was ready to get rid of all the Israelite people because I was extremely angry, but Phinehas has prevented me from doing that.
 
 \s5
 \v 12 Now tell him that I am making a special peace agreement with him.
-\v 13 In this agreement, I am promising to give to him and to his descendants the right to be priests. I am doing this because he showed that he was very eager to honor me, his God, by stopping this sinful behavior. He has satisfied my holy righteousness against the sinfulness of Israel by causing me to forgive them for their sin."
+\v 13 In this agreement, I am promising to give to him and to his descendants the right to be priests. I am doing this because he showed that he was very eager to honor me, his God, by stopping this sinful behavior. He has satisfied my holy righteousness against the sinfulness of Israel by causing me to forgive them for their sin.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 14 The Israelite man who was killed with the woman of the Moab people group was named Zimri son of Salu, who was the leader of a family from the tribe of Simeon.
-\v 15 The woman's name was Kozbi. She was the daughter of Zur, who was the leader of one of the clans of the Midian people group.
+\v 15 The woman’s name was Kozbi. She was the daughter of Zur, who was the leader of one of the clans of the Midian people group.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 16 Then Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 17 "Take your men and attack the Midian people group and kill them.
-\v 18 They have become your enemies, because they tricked you Israelite people and induced many of you to worship Baal, and because one of your men slept with Kozbi, who was the daughter of a leader of the Midian people group. She was killed at the time the plague started because of the people who sinned at Mount Peor."
+\v 17 “Take your men and attack the Midian people group and kill them.
+\v 18 They have become your enemies, because they tricked you Israelite people and induced many of you to worship Baal, and because one of your men slept with Kozbi, who was the daughter of a leader of the Midian people group. She was killed at the time the plague started because of the people who sinned at Mount Peor.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -2189,23 +2189,23 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 After the plague ended, Yahweh said to Eleazar and Moses,
-\v 2 "Count all the people of Israel again. Write down the names of all the men who are at least 20 years old who are able to fight in battles, along with their family names."
+\v 2 “Count all the people of Israel again. Write down the names of all the men who are at least 20 years old who are able to fight in battles, along with their family names.”
 
 \s5
 \v 3 So while the Israelites were on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho, Eleazar and Moses told this to the Israelite leaders,
-\v 4 "Write down the names of all the Israelite men who are at least 20 years old, as Yahweh has commanded us."
+\v 4 “Write down the names of all the Israelite men who are at least 20 years old, as Yahweh has commanded us.”
 \p So they did that, and this is a record of all the descendants of Jacob who came out of Egypt who were still alive.
 
 \s5
 \pi
-\v 5-7 These are the descendants of Reuben, Jacob's oldest son:
+\v 5-7 These are the descendants of Reuben, Jacob’s oldest son:
 \li the Hanokites descended from his son Hanok,
 \li the Palluites descended from his son Pallu,
 \li the Hezronites descended from his son Hezron,
 \li the Carmites descended from his son Carmi.
 \pi The Israelite leaders counted 43,730 men from the tribe of Reuben.
 \s5
-\v 8 Pallu's son was Eliab
+\v 8 Pallu’s son was Eliab
 \v 9 and his grandsons were Nemuel, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram were the leaders who joined with Korah to conspire against Aaron and Moses and rebelled against Yahweh.
 
 \s5
@@ -2236,7 +2236,7 @@
 \pi The Israelite leaders counted 40,500 men from the tribe of Gad.
 \s5
 \pi
-\v 19-22 Judah's sons, Er and Onan, died in Canaan before they had any children. These are the descendants of Judah:
+\v 19-22 Judah’s sons, Er and Onan, died in Canaan before they had any children. These are the descendants of Judah:
 \li the Shelanites descended from his son Shelah,
 \li the Perezites descended from his son Perez,
 \li the Zerahites descended from his son Zerah.
@@ -2281,7 +2281,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \pi
-\v 33-34 Hepher's son Zelophehad did not have any sons, but he had five daughters—Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah.
+\v 33-34 Hepher’s son Zelophehad did not have any sons, but he had five daughters—Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah.
 \pi The Israelite leaders counted 52,700 men from the tribe of Manasseh, who was one of the sons of Joseph.
 
 \s5
@@ -2292,7 +2292,7 @@
 \li the Tahanites descended from his son Tahan,
 \pi These are the descendents of Shuthelah:
 \li the Eranites descended from his son Eran,
-\pi The Israelite leaders counted 32,500 men from the tribe of Ephraim, who was Joseph's other son.
+\pi The Israelite leaders counted 32,500 men from the tribe of Ephraim, who was Joseph’s other son.
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -2341,10 +2341,10 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 52 Then Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 53 "Divide Canaan land among the tribes. Distribute the land according to the number of people in each tribe that are on your lists.
+\v 53 “Divide Canaan land among the tribes. Distribute the land according to the number of people in each tribe that are on your lists.
 
 \s5
-\v 54-56 Decide by casting lots to determine which group will get which area, but give the largest areas to the groups with the most people."
+\v 54-56 Decide by casting lots to determine which group will get which area, but give the largest areas to the groups with the most people.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2353,7 +2353,7 @@
 \v 59 whose wife was Jochebed. She also was a descendant of Levi, but she was born in Egypt. She and Amram had two sons, Aaron and Moses, and their older sister Miriam.
 
 \s5
-\v 60 Aaron's sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
+\v 60 Aaron’s sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
 \v 61 But Nadab and Abihu died when they burned incense for a sacrifice to Yahweh in a way that disobeyed what Yahweh had commanded.
 \p
 \v 62 The leaders counted twenty-three thousand men from the descendants of Levi who were at least one month old. But these men were not counted when the rest of the Israelite people were counted, because were not given any land at that time.
@@ -2364,7 +2364,7 @@
 \v 64 None of the men whom they counted were on the lists that were made by Aaron and Moses when the Israelites were in the wilderness of Sinai.
 
 \s5
-\v 65 They were told what Yahweh had said. He said, "They will all die in this desert," and that is what happened. The only ones who were still alive were Jephunneh's son Caleb and Nun's son Joshua.
+\v 65 They were told what Yahweh had said. He said, “They will all die in this desert,” and that is what happened. The only ones who were still alive were Jephunneh’s son Caleb and Nun’s son Joshua.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -2375,43 +2375,43 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 2 They came to the entrance of the sacred tent and stood in front of Eleazar, Moses, the tribal leaders, and many other Israelite people.
-\v 3 They said, "Our father died during the time that we were in the desert, and he did not have any sons. But he was not among those who supported Korah, who rebelled against Yahweh, and he died because of his own sin. He did not have any sons. 
+\v 3 They said, “Our father died during the time that we were in the desert, and he did not have any sons. But he was not among those who supported Korah, who rebelled against Yahweh, and he died because of his own sin. He did not have any sons. 
 \s5
-\v 4 Why should the name of his clan disappear because our father had no sons? So give us some land like our father's relatives will be getting!"
+\v 4 Why should the name of his clan disappear because our father had no sons? So give us some land like our father’s relatives will be getting!”
 \p
 \v 5 So Moses asked Yahweh what to do about their case.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 And Yahweh replied,
-\v 7 "What the daughters of Zelophehad are requesting is right. You must give them some land, just as you are giving to their father's relatives. Give to each of them some of the land that would have been given to their brothers if they had any.
+\v 7 “What the daughters of Zelophehad are requesting is right. You must give them some land, just as you are giving to their father’s relatives. Give to each of them some of the land that would have been given to their brothers if they had any.
 \p
-\v 8 Also tell this to the Israelite people: 'If a man who has no sons dies, give the things that his sons would have inherited to his daughters.
+\v 8 Also tell this to the Israelite people: ‘If a man who has no sons dies, give the things that his sons would have inherited to his daughters.
 
 \s5
 \v 9 If the man has no sons or daughters, give to his brothers the things that his sons and daughters would have inherited.
-\v 10 If the man had no brothers, give to his father's brothers the things that his sons or daughters or brothers would have inherited.
-\v 11 If the man's father has no brothers, give to his closest relative the things that the others would have inherited.' That will be a rule for the Israelite people, because I am giving this as a command to you, Moses, to tell them."
+\v 10 If the man had no brothers, give to his father’s brothers the things that his sons or daughters or brothers would have inherited.
+\v 11 If the man’s father has no brothers, give to his closest relative the things that the others would have inherited.’ That will be a rule for the Israelite people, because I am giving this as a command to you, Moses, to tell them.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 One day, Yahweh said to Moses, "Climb to the top of the Abarim mountains east of the Jordan River. Then look out over the land that I am giving to the Israelite people.
+\v 12 One day, Yahweh said to Moses, “Climb to the top of the Abarim mountains east of the Jordan River. Then look out over the land that I am giving to the Israelite people.
 \v 13 After you have seen it, you will die just like your older brother Aaron did.
-\v 14 The reason that you will die and not enter that land is that you both disobeyed my instructions in the wilderness of Zin. When the Israelite people rebelled against me there at Meribah, near Kadesh, I told you to speak to the rock to cause water to flow out of it. But because you struck the rock instead of speaking to it, you did not show the people my holy power."
+\v 14 The reason that you will die and not enter that land is that you both disobeyed my instructions in the wilderness of Zin. When the Israelite people rebelled against me there at Meribah, near Kadesh, I told you to speak to the rock to cause water to flow out of it. But because you struck the rock instead of speaking to it, you did not show the people my holy power.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 Then Moses said this to Yahweh,
-\v 16 "Yahweh, you are the God who directs the spirits of all people. So please appoint a new leader for the Israelite people.
-\v 17 Appoint someone who will lead your people when they go to fight a battle, so that they will not just wander around like sheep that do not have a shepherd."
+\v 16 “Yahweh, you are the God who directs the spirits of all people. So please appoint a new leader for the Israelite people.
+\v 17 Appoint someone who will lead your people when they go to fight a battle, so that they will not just wander around like sheep that do not have a shepherd.”
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 Yahweh replied, "Get Joshua son of Nun, who has my Spirit within him. Lay your hands on him to appoint him.
+\v 18 Yahweh replied, “Get Joshua son of Nun, who has my Spirit within him. Lay your hands on him to appoint him.
 \v 19 Cause him to stand in front of Eleazar the priest, as all the people are watching, and commission him to be the new leader of the Israelite people.
 
 \s5
 \v 20 Give to him some of the authority that you now have, in order that all the Israelite people will know that they must obey him.
-\v 21 When you all need me to guide you, Joshua will stand in front of Eleazar. Then by casting lots Eleazar will determine what they should do. At Joshua's command all people of Israel will mobilize themselves together."
+\v 21 When you all need me to guide you, Joshua will stand in front of Eleazar. Then by casting lots Eleazar will determine what they should do. At Joshua’s command all people of Israel will mobilize themselves together.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2424,7 +2424,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh said this to Moses,
-\v 2 "Tell this to the Israelite people, 'Bring to me the offerings that will be burned on the altar. When they are burned, the smell will be very pleasing to me. And tell them that they must bring them at the proper time.
+\v 2 “Tell this to the Israelite people, ‘Bring to me the offerings that will be burned on the altar. When they are burned, the smell will be very pleasing to me. And tell them that they must bring them at the proper time.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 Tell them that what they must bring to me each day are two male lambs that are one year old. They must have no defects. They must be completely burned on the altar.
@@ -2480,14 +2480,14 @@
 \s5
 \v 29 For each of the lambs bring two liters.
 \v 30 Also sacrifice one male goat to make atonement for your sins.
-\v 31 Bring these offerings and the offering of wine in addition to the animals and flour that you burn on the altar each day. And remember that the animals that you sacrifice must have no defects.'"
+\v 31 Bring these offerings and the offering of wine in addition to the animals and flour that you burn on the altar each day. And remember that the animals that you sacrifice must have no defects.’”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 29
 
 \p
-\v 1 "Each year, gather together to worship me on the first day of your seventh month, and do not do any regular work that you would normally do on that day. On that day the priests must blow their trumpets.
+\v 1 “Each year, gather together to worship me on the first day of your seventh month, and do not do any regular work that you would normally do on that day. On that day the priests must blow their trumpets.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2504,7 +2504,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 "Each year, on the tenth day of your seventh month, you must gather together to worship me. Do not eat any food or do any work on that day.
+\v 7 “Each year, on the tenth day of your seventh month, you must gather together to worship me. Do not eat any food or do any work on that day.
 \v 8 When you burn offerings on the altar on that day, the smell will be very pleasing to me. The animals that you must bring are one young bull, one male sheep, and seven male lambs that are one year old. They must have no defects.
 
 \s5
@@ -2569,7 +2569,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 39 At your festivals, these are the offerings that you must bring to me: The offerings that will be completely burned on the altar, the grain offerings, the wine offerings, and the offerings to restore fellowship with me. Those are in addition to the offerings that you give to me because you promised to do something, and other special offerings that you want to give to me."
+\v 39 At your festivals, these are the offerings that you must bring to me: The offerings that will be completely burned on the altar, the grain offerings, the wine offerings, and the offerings to restore fellowship with me. Those are in addition to the offerings that you give to me because you promised to do something, and other special offerings that you want to give to me.”
 \p
 \v 40 Then Moses told to the Israelite people all the things that Yahweh had commanded him.
 
@@ -2580,7 +2580,7 @@
 \p
 \v 1 Moses spoke with the leaders of the Israelite tribes. He told them these commands that Yahweh had given to him:
 \p
-\v 2 "If a man solemnly promises Yahweh that he will do something, he must do what he promised.
+\v 2 “If a man solemnly promises Yahweh that he will do something, he must do what he promised.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2609,11 +2609,11 @@
 \v 12 But if he hears about it and does not allow her to do that, she does not need to do what she promised, and Yahweh will forgive her for not doing it.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 A woman's husband may require her to do what she has promised, or he may not allow her to do what she has promised.
+\v 13 A woman’s husband may require her to do what she has promised, or he may not allow her to do what she has promised.
 \v 14 If he does not object for several days after he hears about it, she must do what she promised.
 
 \s5
-\v 15 But if he waits a long time after she has promised to do something and then he tells her that he will not permit her to do it, if she does not do what she promised, she will not be punished. Her husband is the one whom Yahweh will punish."
+\v 15 But if he waits a long time after she has promised to do something and then he tells her that he will not permit her to do it, if she does not do what she promised, she will not be punished. Her husband is the one whom Yahweh will punish.”
 \p
 \v 16 Those are the rules that Yahweh gave to Moses for husbands and wives, and for young women who are still living with their parents.
 
@@ -2623,12 +2623,12 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,
-\v 2 "Tell the Israelite people that they should pay back the Midian people group for what they did to you. After that happens, you will die."
+\v 2 “Tell the Israelite people that they should pay back the Midian people group for what they did to you. After that happens, you will die.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 So Moses said to the people, "Get some men prepared for battle. Yahweh will enable them to pay back the Midian people group for what they did to us.
-\v 4 Select a thousand men from each tribe to fight."
+\v 3 So Moses said to the people, “Get some men prepared for battle. Yahweh will enable them to pay back the Midian people group for what they did to us.
+\v 4 Select a thousand men from each tribe to fight.”
 \v 5 So twelve thousand men prepared for fighting in the battle, one thousand from each tribe.
 
 \s5
@@ -2649,7 +2649,7 @@
 \v 13 Eleazar and all the leaders of the people and Moses went outside the camp to greet them.
 \p
 \v 14 But Moses was angry with some of the men who had returned from the battle. He was angry with the army officers, those men who were commanders over thousands of men and those who were commanders over hundreds of men.
-\v 15 He asked them, "Why did you allow the women to live?
+\v 15 He asked them, “Why did you allow the women to live?
 
 \s5
 \v 16 They are the ones who did what Balaam suggested and urged our people to worship Baal instead of Yahweh. As a result, Yahweh caused a plague to strike his people while they were at Peor.
@@ -2659,20 +2659,20 @@
 \v 18 Spare only the girls who are virgins. You can keep them to be your wives or your slaves.
 \p
 \v 19 All of you who have killed someone or touched the corpse of someone who was killed in the battle must stay outside the camp for seven days. On the third day and on the seventh day, you must perform the ritual to enable you to become acceptable to God again.
-\v 20 You must also wash your clothes and anything that you took to the battle that is made of leather or goat's hair or wood."
+\v 20 You must also wash your clothes and anything that you took to the battle that is made of leather or goat’s hair or wood.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 Then Eleazar said to the soldiers who had returned from the battle, "This is what Yahweh has instructed Moses.
+\v 21 Then Eleazar said to the soldiers who had returned from the battle, “This is what Yahweh has instructed Moses.
 \v 22 You must put into a fire any gold or silver or bronze or iron or tin or lead things that you brought back from the battle.
 \v 23 Put everything that will not burn into the fire, and then they will be acceptable for you to use. But also sprinkle those things with the water that causes things and people to become acceptable to God. The things that would burn if you put them in a fire, sprinkle them with that water.
-\v 24 On the seventh day, wash your clothes, and then you will become acceptable to God again. After you do that, you may return to the camp."
+\v 24 On the seventh day, wash your clothes, and then you will become acceptable to God again. After you do that, you may return to the camp.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 25 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 26 "Write down a list of all the goods, the women, and the animals that were captured in the battle.
+\v 26 “Write down a list of all the goods, the women, and the animals that were captured in the battle.
 \v 27 Then tell Eleazar and the leaders of the family groups that they must they must divide all those things between the men who fought in the battle and the rest of the people.
 
 \s5
@@ -2680,7 +2680,7 @@
 \v 29 Take these things to Eleazar to be my share as the offering presented to me.
 
 \s5
-\v 30 And from the other things, take one item from every fifty. That includes people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, and other animals. Give those things to the descendants of Levi who take care of my sacred tent."
+\v 30 And from the other things, take one item from every fifty. That includes people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, and other animals. Give those things to the descendants of Levi who take care of my sacred tent.”
 \v 31 So Eleazar and Moses did what Yahweh commanded.
 
 \s5
@@ -2709,10 +2709,10 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 48 Then the army officers, those who were commanders over thousands of men and those who were commanders over hundreds of men, they came to Moses.
-\v 49 They said, "We, who are your servants, have counted the soldiers whom we command, and we found that none of them is missing.
+\v 49 They said, “We, who are your servants, have counted the soldiers whom we command, and we found that none of them is missing.
 
 \s5
-\v 50 So to thank Yahweh for that, we have brought to him a gift of the gold items that we found after the battle, gold arm bands and bracelets and rings, earrings and necklaces. We hope that this will atone for our sins."
+\v 50 So to thank Yahweh for that, we have brought to him a gift of the gold items that we found after the battle, gold arm bands and bracelets and rings, earrings and necklaces. We hope that this will atone for our sins.”
 \p
 \v 51 So Eleazar and Moses accepted the gold items that they brought.
 
@@ -2728,70 +2728,70 @@
 \p
 \v 1 The people of the tribes of Reuben and Gad had a lot of livestock. They saw that the land near the city of Jazer and the region of Gilead east of the Jordan River had good grass for the animals to graze on.
 \v 2 So their leaders came to Eleazar and the leaders of the people and Moses. They said,
-\v 3 "We have a great amount of livestock.
+\v 3 “We have a great amount of livestock.
 
 \s5
 \v 4 Yahweh has enabled us Israelites to capture some land that is very good for animals to graze on—the land near the towns of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon.
-\v 5 If it pleases you, we would like this land to be ours, instead of land on the other side of the Jordan River."
+\v 5 If it pleases you, we would like this land to be ours, instead of land on the other side of the Jordan River.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Moses replied to the leaders of the tribes of Gad and Reuben, "It is not right for your fellow Israelites to go to fight in wars and you stay here!
+\v 6 Moses replied to the leaders of the tribes of Gad and Reuben, “It is not right for your fellow Israelites to go to fight in wars and you stay here!
 \v 7 If you do that, you will cause the other Israelites to be discouraged, with the result that they will not cross the Jordan River to the land that Yahweh is giving to them.
 
 \s5
 \v 8 Our ancestors did the same kind of thing. I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see what the land of Canaan was like.
-\v 9 They went as far as Eshcol Valley, but when they saw the huge people in the land, they returned and caused the Israelite people to be discouraged saying, 'We should not try to enter the land that Yahweh said that he is giving to us.'
+\v 9 They went as far as Eshcol Valley, but when they saw the huge people in the land, they returned and caused the Israelite people to be discouraged saying, ‘We should not try to enter the land that Yahweh said that he is giving to us.’
 
 \s5
 \v 10 So Yahweh became very angry with them, and he solemnly declared this,
-\v 11-12 'From all the people who came out of Egypt, the only ones who are at least twenty years old who will see the land that I promised to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, are Jephunneh's son Caleb and Nun's son Joshua, because they trusted me completely. None of the other people who came out of Egypt will even see that land, because they have not completely believed in my power.'
+\v 11-12 ‘From all the people who came out of Egypt, the only ones who are at least twenty years old who will see the land that I promised to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, are Jephunneh’s son Caleb and Nun’s son Joshua, because they trusted me completely. None of the other people who came out of Egypt will even see that land, because they have not completely believed in my power.’
 
 \s5
 \v 13 So Yahweh was angry with the Israelite people, and as a result he has caused us to wander in this desert for forty years. Finally, all the people who had sinned against Yahweh by refusing to trust him died, one by one.
 \v 14 And you are acting like your ancestors did! You sinful Israelite people are going to cause Yahweh to be more angry with you than he was with our ancestors!
-\v 15 If you stop trusting him, he will cause you and all your fellow Israelites to stay longer in the desert, and he will get rid of all of you!"
+\v 15 If you stop trusting him, he will cause you and all your fellow Israelites to stay longer in the desert, and he will get rid of all of you!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 Then the leaders of the tribes of Reuben and Gad said to Moses, "First we will build pens for our animals and build cities for our families here.
+\v 16 Then the leaders of the tribes of Reuben and Gad said to Moses, “First we will build pens for our animals and build cities for our families here.
 \v 17 Then our families will live in strong cities with walls around them, and they will be safe from the people who live in this land. Then we will get ready to fight battles. We will help the other Israelites to get land on the other side of the river.
 
 \s5
 \v 18 We will not return to our homes until every Israelite has received some land.
-\v 19 We will not take any land on the west side of the Jordan River, because our land will be here on the east side."
+\v 19 We will not take any land on the west side of the Jordan River, because our land will be here on the east side.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 So Moses told them, "I will tell you what you must do. You must get ready to fight battles for Yahweh.
+\v 20 So Moses told them, “I will tell you what you must do. You must get ready to fight battles for Yahweh.
 \v 21 You must cross the Jordan River carrying your weapons.
 \v 22 After Yahweh helps us to take that land from the people who live there, you will be permitted to return to your homes. You will have done what you have promised Yahweh and the Israelite people that you would do, and you may keep this land to be your own, given to you by Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 23 But if you do not do these things, you will be sinning against Yahweh, and he will punish you for that sin.
-\v 24 Now you can build cities for your families and pens for your animals, but after doing that, you must do what you have promised."
+\v 24 Now you can build cities for your families and pens for your animals, but after doing that, you must do what you have promised.”
 \p
-\v 25 The leaders of the tribes of Gad and Reuben replied, "We will do what you have asked us to do, because you are our leader.
+\v 25 The leaders of the tribes of Gad and Reuben replied, “We will do what you have asked us to do, because you are our leader.
 
 \s5
 \v 26 Our wives and children and our cattle and sheep and goats will stay here in the cities of the Gilead area,
-\v 27 but we will prepare to go to battle. We will take our weapons and go across the Jordan River and fight for Yahweh, just as you, our leader, have said."
+\v 27 but we will prepare to go to battle. We will take our weapons and go across the Jordan River and fight for Yahweh, just as you, our leader, have said.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 28 So Moses gave instructions about them to Eleazar, Joshua, and the leaders of the Israelite tribes.
-\v 29 Moses said to them, "If the men from the tribes of Gad and Reuben prepare for battle and cross the Jordan River with you, in order to do what Yahweh desires and help you to take that land, give them the Gilead area to belong to them.
-\v 30 But if they do not take their weapons and go with you prepared to fight, they will not receive this land. They will need to accept some land in Canaan, like the rest of you will do."
+\v 29 Moses said to them, “If the men from the tribes of Gad and Reuben prepare for battle and cross the Jordan River with you, in order to do what Yahweh desires and help you to take that land, give them the Gilead area to belong to them.
+\v 30 But if they do not take their weapons and go with you prepared to fight, they will not receive this land. They will need to accept some land in Canaan, like the rest of you will do.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 31 The leaders of the tribes of Gad and Reuben replied, "We will do what you have said and what Yahweh has said.
-\v 32 We will cross the river into Canaan land, and we will do what Yahweh desires and be prepared for battle. But our land will be here on the east side of the Jordan River."
+\v 31 The leaders of the tribes of Gad and Reuben replied, “We will do what you have said and what Yahweh has said.
+\v 32 We will cross the river into Canaan land, and we will do what Yahweh desires and be prepared for battle. But our land will be here on the east side of the Jordan River.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 33 So Moses agreed to give that land to the tribes of Gad and Reuben and to half of the tribe of Joseph's son Manasseh. That land was previously the land where Sihon, the king of the Amor people group, ruled, and the land where Og, the king of Bashan region, ruled, including its cities and surrounding land.
+\v 33 So Moses agreed to give that land to the tribes of Gad and Reuben and to half of the tribe of Joseph’s son Manasseh. That land was previously the land where Sihon, the king of the Amor people group, ruled, and the land where Og, the king of Bashan region, ruled, including its cities and surrounding land.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2804,7 +2804,7 @@
 \v 37 The people of the tribe of Reuben rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,
 \v 38 Nebo, Baal Meon, and Sibmah cities. When they rebuilt Nebo and Baal Meon, they gave new names to those cities.
 \p
-\v 39 The descendants of Manasseh's son Makir went to the region of Gilead and took it away from the Amor people group.
+\v 39 The descendants of Manasseh’s son Makir went to the region of Gilead and took it away from the Amor people group.
 
 \s5
 \v 40 So Moses gave Gilead to the family of Makir, and they started to live there.
@@ -2941,7 +2941,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 50 While we were there on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River, across from Jericho, Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said,
-\v 51 "Tell this to the Israelite people, 'When you cross the Jordan River and enter the region of Canaan,
+\v 51 “Tell this to the Israelite people, ‘When you cross the Jordan River and enter the region of Canaan,
 \v 52 you must force all the people who live there to leave. Destroy all their carved figures and all cast figures made of metal. Wreck all the places where they worship their idols.
 
 \s5
@@ -2951,7 +2951,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 55 If you do not force the people who live there to leave, they will cause you to have much trouble. They will be like sharp hooks in your eyes, and like thorns in your sides. And they will bring trouble to you, in that land where you will be living.
-\v 56 And then I will punish you, as I had planned to punish them.'"
+\v 56 And then I will punish you, as I had planned to punish them.’”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -2959,7 +2959,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 2 "Tell this to the Israelite people, 'You will soon enter Canaan land, and it will become yours. The following will be the borders of the land.
+\v 2 “Tell this to the Israelite people, ‘You will soon enter Canaan land, and it will become yours. The following will be the borders of the land.
 \v 3 On the south you will receive part of the wilderness of Zin, near the border of the region of Edom. On the east side, the border will start at the south end of the Dead Sea.
 
 \s5
@@ -2982,48 +2982,48 @@
 \v 10 The border on the east will start at Hazar Enan and extend south to Shepham.
 \v 11 From there it will extend east of Ain to Riblah and then along the hills that are east of Galilee Lake.
 \v 12 Then the border will extend south along the Jordan River and end at the Dead Sea.
-\p Those will be the borders around your country.'"
+\p Those will be the borders around your country.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 So Moses told all that to the Israelite people. Then he said to them, "That is the land that you will receive. You must cast lots to decide which area will go to each of the nine and a half tribes, because Yahweh has commanded that it should be divided among them.
+\v 13 So Moses told all that to the Israelite people. Then he said to them, “That is the land that you will receive. You must cast lots to decide which area will go to each of the nine and a half tribes, because Yahweh has commanded that it should be divided among them.
 \v 14 The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh have already received the land in which they will live.
-\v 15 They have received land on the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho."
+\v 15 They have received land on the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 16 Then Yahweh said to Moses,
 \q1
-\v 17 "These are the men who will divide the land. First, Eleazar and Joshua,
+\v 17 “These are the men who will divide the land. First, Eleazar and Joshua,
 \v 18 but other leaders from each of the twelve tribes will help them divide the land.
 
 \s5
 \li
-\v 19 From the tribe of Judah, appoint Jephunneh's son Caleb.
+\v 19 From the tribe of Judah, appoint Jephunneh’s son Caleb.
 \q
-\v 20 From the tribe of Simeon appoint Ammihud's son Shemuel.
+\v 20 From the tribe of Simeon appoint Ammihud’s son Shemuel.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 21 From the tribe of Benjamin appoint Kislon's son Elidad.
+\v 21 From the tribe of Benjamin appoint Kislon’s son Elidad.
 \q
-\v 22 From the tribe of Dan appoint Jogli's son Bukki.
+\v 22 From the tribe of Dan appoint Jogli’s son Bukki.
 \q
-\v 23 From the tribe of Manasseh appoint Ephod's son Hanniel.
+\v 23 From the tribe of Manasseh appoint Ephod’s son Hanniel.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 24 From the tribe of Ephraim appoint Shiphtan's son Kemuel.
+\v 24 From the tribe of Ephraim appoint Shiphtan’s son Kemuel.
 \q
-\v 25 From the tribe of Zebulun appoint Parnak's son Elizaphan.
+\v 25 From the tribe of Zebulun appoint Parnak’s son Elizaphan.
 \q
-\v 26 From the tribe of Issachar appoint Azzan's son Paltiel.
+\v 26 From the tribe of Issachar appoint Azzan’s son Paltiel.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 27 From the tribe of Asher appoint Shelomi's son Ahihud.
+\v 27 From the tribe of Asher appoint Shelomi’s son Ahihud.
 \q
-\v 28 From the tribe of Naphtali appoint Ammihud's son Pedahel."
+\v 28 From the tribe of Naphtali appoint Ammihud’s son Pedahel.”
 \p
 \v 29 Yahweh commanded that all those were the men who should divide the region of Canaan among the Israelite people.
 
@@ -3032,7 +3032,7 @@
 \c 35
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh told this to Moses while the Israelites were on the plain in Moab near the Jordan River, across from Jericho,
-\v 2 "Tell the Israelite people that from the land that they will receive, they must give to the descendants of Levi some cities in which they can live. They must also give them some land around these cities.
+\v 2 “Tell the Israelite people that from the land that they will receive, they must give to the descendants of Levi some cities in which they can live. They must also give them some land around these cities.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 These cities will be for the descendants of Levi to live in, and around the cities will be land for their cattle and flocks of sheep and goats and other animals.
@@ -3049,16 +3049,16 @@
 \v 7 You must also give to the descendants of Levi forty-two other cities and the land around those cities for their animals.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 The Israelite tribes who have the most people must give them more cities than the tribes who have fewer people give. Each tribe must give some of its cities to the descendants of Levi, but the tribes that have more land must give more cities, and the tribes that have fewer cities will give fewer cities."
+\v 8 The Israelite tribes who have the most people must give them more cities than the tribes who have fewer people give. Each tribe must give some of its cities to the descendants of Levi, but the tribes that have more land must give more cities, and the tribes that have fewer cities will give fewer cities.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 9 Yahweh also said to Moses,
-\v 10 "Tell this to the Israelite people, 'When you cross the Jordan River and enter the region of Canaan,
+\v 10 “Tell this to the Israelite people, ‘When you cross the Jordan River and enter the region of Canaan,
 \v 11 you must choose some cities to which people can run to be safe. If someone kills another person, the one who killed that person may run to one of those cities and be safe.
 
 \s5
-\v 12 One of the relatives of the person who was killed may think he must avenge his relative's death by killing the murderer. But in that city, the killer will be safe because the people in that city would kill those relatives if they tried to get revenge there. The man who killed someone accidentally must be put on trial in a court.
+\v 12 One of the relatives of the person who was killed may think he must avenge his relative’s death by killing the murderer. But in that city, the killer will be safe because the people in that city would kill those relatives if they tried to get revenge there. The man who killed someone accidentally must be put on trial in a court.
 \v 13 You must set apart six cities to be cities to which someone who killed another person accidentally may run and be safe.
 
 \s5
@@ -3081,7 +3081,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 24 That law is that the people of that city must decide whether the relative of the dead person has the right to get revenge, or whether the one who killed the other person truly did it accidentally.
-\v 25 If they decide that the killer planned to kill the other person, they must not allow him to stay in their city. But if they decide that it was done accidentally, they must protect the killer from being killed by the dead person's relative. They must send the killer to one of the cities where he will be safe, and allow him to stay there until the high priest dies. After that, the killer may go back to his home, because the dead person's relative no longer has the right to get revenge.
+\v 25 If they decide that the killer planned to kill the other person, they must not allow him to stay in their city. But if they decide that it was done accidentally, they must protect the killer from being killed by the dead person’s relative. They must send the killer to one of the cities where he will be safe, and allow him to stay there until the high priest dies. After that, the killer may go back to his home, because the dead person’s relative no longer has the right to get revenge.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -3104,7 +3104,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 33 You must execute people who truly murder others. If you did not do that, you would be causing the people who live in the land to become unacceptable to me. Anyone who deliberately kills an innocent person must be executed.
-\v 34 I am Yahweh, and I live among you Israelites, so do not spoil the land by allowing people to murder others without being punished.'"
+\v 34 I am Yahweh, and I live among you Israelites, so do not spoil the land by allowing people to murder others without being punished.’”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -3112,29 +3112,29 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 The family leaders of the clan of Gilead of the tribe of Manasseh went to Moses and the other family leaders of the Israelite people.
-\v 2 They said to Moses, "Yahweh commanded you, our leader, to apportion the land to the Israelite tribes by casting lots to decide which group would get which area. Yahweh also commanded you to give the land that belonged to our fellow Israelite Zelophehad to his daughters.
+\v 2 They said to Moses, “Yahweh commanded you, our leader, to apportion the land to the Israelite tribes by casting lots to decide which group would get which area. Yahweh also commanded you to give the land that belonged to our fellow Israelite Zelophehad to his daughters.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 But if his daughters marry men from the other Israelite tribes, that land will no longer belong to our tribe. People of other tribes will get it. So some of our land will no longer belong to us.
-\v 4 When the year of the celebration of Jubilee comes, when all the land that has been bought by someone is returned to its original owners, the land that belonged to Zelophehad will belong to the tribes of the men that his daughters marry. So some of our land, the land that we received from our fathers, will be taken from us, and we will never own it again."
+\v 4 When the year of the celebration of Jubilee comes, when all the land that has been bought by someone is returned to its original owners, the land that belonged to Zelophehad will belong to the tribes of the men that his daughters marry. So some of our land, the land that we received from our fathers, will be taken from us, and we will never own it again.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 Yahweh told Moses what to reply to them, so Moses said this to them, "These men from the tribe of Manasseh are right.
-\v 6 This is what Yahweh is saying to the daughters of Zelophehad, 'Each of you may marry anyone you want to, but you must marry only someone from your own tribe.'
+\v 5 Yahweh told Moses what to reply to them, so Moses said this to them, “These men from the tribe of Manasseh are right.
+\v 6 This is what Yahweh is saying to the daughters of Zelophehad, ‘Each of you may marry anyone you want to, but you must marry only someone from your own tribe.’
 
 \s5
 \v 7 In that way, the land that belongs to Israelites will not be passed from one tribe to another tribe. Each Israelite will keep the land in the tribe that belonged to his ancestors.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 A woman who inherits her father's land may get married, but she must marry someone from her own tribe. In that way, every Israelite will keep the land that belonged to his ancestors.
-\v 9 The land must not be passed from one tribe to another tribe. Each Israelite tribe must keep the land that it received from its ancestors."
+\v 8 A woman who inherits her father’s land may get married, but she must marry someone from her own tribe. In that way, every Israelite will keep the land that belonged to his ancestors.
+\v 9 The land must not be passed from one tribe to another tribe. Each Israelite tribe must keep the land that it received from its ancestors.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 Zelophehad's daughters obeyed what Yahweh told Moses.
-\v 11 The five daughters—Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milkah and Noah—married their cousins, their father's relatives.
-\v 12 The men whom they married were from the tribe of Manasseh, so their land continued to belong to their father's family and tribe.
+\v 10 Zelophehad’s daughters obeyed what Yahweh told Moses.
+\v 11 The five daughters—Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milkah and Noah—married their cousins, their father’s relatives.
+\v 12 The men whom they married were from the tribe of Manasseh, so their land continued to belong to their father’s family and tribe.
 
 \s5
 \p

05-DEU.usfm

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 \toc1 The Book of Deuteronomy
 \toc2 Deuteronomy
 \toc3 Deu
-\mt1 Moses' second speech
+\mt1 Moses’ second speech
 
 \s5
 \c 1
@@ -20,64 +20,64 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 Moses told them these things while the people were in Moab, on the east side of the Jordan River. He explained to them God's instructions. This is what he said to them:
+\v 5 Moses told them these things while the people were in Moab, on the east side of the Jordan River. He explained to them God’s instructions. This is what he said to them:
 \p
-\v 6 "Yahweh our God said to us when we were at Mount Sinai, 'You have stayed for a very long time at the foot of this mountain.
+\v 6 “Yahweh our God said to us when we were at Mount Sinai, ‘You have stayed for a very long time at the foot of this mountain.
 
 \s5
 \v 7 So now continue traveling. Go to the hill country where the Amorites live and to the nearby areas—to the plain along the Jordan, to the hill country, to the western foothills, to the southern Judean wilderness, to the Mediterranean seacoast, to all the land of Canaan, to the Lebanon mountains, and northeast to the great Euphrates River.
-\v 8 I will give that land to you. I, Yahweh, promised to your ancestors Abraham and Isaac and Jacob that I would give it to them and to their descendants. So now go and occupy it.'"
+\v 8 I will give that land to you. I, Yahweh, promised to your ancestors Abraham and Isaac and Jacob that I would give it to them and to their descendants. So now go and occupy it.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 Moses also said to the people, "When we were still at Mount Sinai, I said to your ancestors, 'It is a very big task for me to govern all of you. I cannot do it by myself.
+\v 9 Moses also said to the people, “When we were still at Mount Sinai, I said to your ancestors, ‘It is a very big task for me to govern all of you. I cannot do it by myself.
 \v 10 Yahweh our God has caused us Israelites to become as numerous as the stars in the sky.
 \v 11 And I hope that Yahweh, the God whom our ancestors worshiped, will cause us to become a thousand times as numerous as we are now and that he will bless us just like he promised to do.
 
 \s5
 \v 12 But I certainly cannot deal with all of your complaints and disputes.
-\v 13 So choose some men from your tribes who are wise and who have good sense and who are respected. Then I will appoint them to be your leaders.'
+\v 13 So choose some men from your tribes who are wise and who have good sense and who are respected. Then I will appoint them to be your leaders.’
 \p
-\v 14 Your ancestors replied, 'What you have suggested is good for us to do.'
+\v 14 Your ancestors replied, ‘What you have suggested is good for us to do.’
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 So I took the wise and respected men that your ancestors chose from your tribes, and I appointed them to be your leaders. I appointed some to rule over one thousand people, some to have authority over one hundred people, some to have authority over fifty people, and some to have authority over ten people. I also appointed other officers from throughout your tribes.
-\v 16 I instructed your leaders, 'Listen to the disputes that occur among your people. Judge each dispute, including disputes between close relatives and quarrels between your people and people from other countries who live among you.
+\v 16 I instructed your leaders, ‘Listen to the disputes that occur among your people. Judge each dispute, including disputes between close relatives and quarrels between your people and people from other countries who live among you.
 
 \s5
-\v 17 You must not play favorites. You must treat poor people and important people equally. You must not worry about what anyone will think, because you will decide matters as God wants you to. If any dispute is very difficult and you are unable to decide it, bring it to me, and I will decide.'
-\v 18 At that time I also told to you many other things."
+\v 17 You must not play favorites. You must treat poor people and important people equally. You must not worry about what anyone will think, because you will decide matters as God wants you to. If any dispute is very difficult and you are unable to decide it, bring it to me, and I will decide.’
+\v 18 At that time I also told to you many other things.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 "Then, just like Yahweh our God commanded us, we left Mount Sinai and went through that huge desert that is very dangerous, on the road to the hill country where the Amor people group live. We arrived at Kadesh Barnea.
+\v 19 “Then, just like Yahweh our God commanded us, we left Mount Sinai and went through that huge desert that is very dangerous, on the road to the hill country where the Amor people group live. We arrived at Kadesh Barnea.
 
 \s5
-\v 20 I said to your ancestors, 'We have now come to the hill country where the Amor people group live. This is part of the area that Yahweh our God, the one whom our ancestors worshiped, is giving to us.
-\v 21 Note that Yahweh our God is giving this land to us. So go and occupy it as he commanded. Do not be at all afraid.'
+\v 20 I said to your ancestors, ‘We have now come to the hill country where the Amor people group live. This is part of the area that Yahweh our God, the one whom our ancestors worshiped, is giving to us.
+\v 21 Note that Yahweh our God is giving this land to us. So go and occupy it as he commanded. Do not be at all afraid.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 But your ancestors all came to me and said, 'Before we go, we should first send some men there to explore the land, in order that they can return and tell us which will be the best road to go there and what kind of towns are there.'
+\v 22 But your ancestors all came to me and said, ‘Before we go, we should first send some men there to explore the land, in order that they can return and tell us which will be the best road to go there and what kind of towns are there.’
 \p
 \v 23 I thought that it would be good to do that, so I chose twelve men, one man from each tribe.
 \v 24 They went up into the hill country as far as Eshcol Valley, and they explored all that area.
 
 \s5
-\v 25 They picked some of the fruit that they found there and brought it to us. They reported that the land that Yahweh our God was giving to us is very good."
+\v 25 They picked some of the fruit that they found there and brought it to us. They reported that the land that Yahweh our God was giving to us is very good.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 26 "But your ancestors refused to go and conquer that land. They rebelled against what Yahweh our God had commanded them to do, and they would not go into that land.
-\v 27 Your ancestors stayed in their tents and complained. They said, 'Yahweh hates us. So he has brought us here from Egypt just to allow the Amor people group to destroy us.
-\v 28 We do not want to go there. The men whom we sent there have made us very discouraged. They have told us that the people there are much stronger and taller than we are, and that there are very high walls around their towns. Also they reported that they had seen giants there that are descendants of Anak.'
+\v 26 “But your ancestors refused to go and conquer that land. They rebelled against what Yahweh our God had commanded them to do, and they would not go into that land.
+\v 27 Your ancestors stayed in their tents and complained. They said, ‘Yahweh hates us. So he has brought us here from Egypt just to allow the Amor people group to destroy us.
+\v 28 We do not want to go there. The men whom we sent there have made us very discouraged. They have told us that the people there are much stronger and taller than we are, and that there are very high walls around their towns. Also they reported that they had seen giants there that are descendants of Anak.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 29 Then I said to your ancestors, 'Do not be afraid at all of those people!
+\v 29 Then I said to your ancestors, ‘Do not be afraid at all of those people!
 \v 30 Yahweh our God will go ahead of you, and he will fight for you, just like you saw him do for you in Egypt
-\v 31 and in the desert. You saw how he brought you safely here, like a man would carry his son. '
+\v 31 and in the desert. You saw how he brought you safely here, like a man would carry his son. ‘
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -86,48 +86,48 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 34 Yahweh heard what they said, and he became angry. He solemnly declared,
-\v 35-36 'Caleb son of Jephunneh, will enter the land. He has obeyed me completely. So I will give to him and to his descendants some of the land that he explored. He is the only one of all you people who will enter that land. None of these evil people will ever see that good land which I solemnly promised to give to your ancestors.'
+\v 35-36 ‘Caleb son of Jephunneh, will enter the land. He has obeyed me completely. So I will give to him and to his descendants some of the land that he explored. He is the only one of all you people who will enter that land. None of these evil people will ever see that good land which I solemnly promised to give to your ancestors.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 37 But because of what your ancestors did, Yahweh was also angry with me. He said to me, 'You also will not go enter that land.
-\v 38 Joshua son of Nun, who is your helper, will enter it. Encourage him, because he is the one who will enable you Israelite people to occupy that land.'
+\v 37 But because of what your ancestors did, Yahweh was also angry with me. He said to me, ‘You also will not go enter that land.
+\v 38 Joshua son of Nun, who is your helper, will enter it. Encourage him, because he is the one who will enable you Israelite people to occupy that land.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 39 Then Yahweh said to all of us, 'You said that your children would be captured by your enemies. Because they are very young, they do not yet know what is good and what is evil. But they are the ones to whom I will give that land, and they will enter it and occupy it.
-\v 40 But as for you, turn around and go back into the desert, toward the Sea of Reeds.'
+\v 39 Then Yahweh said to all of us, ‘You said that your children would be captured by your enemies. Because they are very young, they do not yet know what is good and what is evil. But they are the ones to whom I will give that land, and they will enter it and occupy it.
+\v 40 But as for you, turn around and go back into the desert, toward the Sea of Reeds.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 41 Then your ancestors replied, 'We have sinned; we have disobeyed Yahweh. So we will go and attack the people who live in that land, just as Yahweh our God has commanded us to do.' And each of their men put on his weapons, and they thought that it would be easy to invade the hill country.
+\v 41 Then your ancestors replied, ‘We have sinned; we have disobeyed Yahweh. So we will go and attack the people who live in that land, just as Yahweh our God has commanded us to do.’ And each of their men put on his weapons, and they thought that it would be easy to invade the hill country.
 \p
-\v 42 But Yahweh said to me, 'Tell them, "Do not go there and attack those people, because I will not go with you, and if you go, you can be sure that your enemy will defeat you."'
+\v 42 But Yahweh said to me, ‘Tell them, “Do not go there and attack those people, because I will not go with you, and if you go, you can be sure that your enemy will defeat you.”’
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 43 So I said that to your ancestors, but they did not want to listen to what I said. They again rebelled against what Yahweh commanded them to do. Their soldiers proudly marched up into that hill country.
-\v 44 Then the men of the Amor people group who lived in that region came out of their towns and attacked those soldiers. They chased your ancestors' soldiers like a swarm of bees would chase a person, and they pursued their men south from Edom and defeated them at the city of Hormah.
+\v 44 Then the men of the Amor people group who lived in that region came out of their towns and attacked those soldiers. They chased your ancestors’ soldiers like a swarm of bees would chase a person, and they pursued their men south from Edom and defeated them at the city of Hormah.
 
 \s5
 \v 45 So your ancestors went back to Kadesh Barnea and cried out to request Yahweh to help them, but he did not listen to them. He did not pay any attention to them.
-\v 46 So we stayed there at Kadesh Barnea for a long time."
+\v 46 So we stayed there at Kadesh Barnea for a long time.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 2
 \p
-\v 1 "Then we turned around and went through the desert toward the Sea of Reeds as Yahweh told us to do, and we wandered in Edom for many years.
+\v 1 “Then we turned around and went through the desert toward the Sea of Reeds as Yahweh told us to do, and we wandered in Edom for many years.
 \p
 \v 2 Then Yahweh said to me,
-\v 3 'You have been wandering around this hill country for a long enough time. Now turn and travel toward the north.
+\v 3 ‘You have been wandering around this hill country for a long enough time. Now turn and travel toward the north.
 
 \s5
 \v 4 And tell the people that they are about to travel near the land that belongs to the descendants of Esau, who are also descendants of Isaac. They live in the hill country of Edom. They will be afraid of you,
 \v 5 but do not start to fight against them, because I am not going to give you even a tiny bit of their land. I have given that land to the descendants of Esau.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 When you travel near their land, buy food and water from them.'
+\v 6 When you travel near their land, buy food and water from them.’
 \p
 \v 7 Do not forget that Yahweh our God has blessed you in everything that you have done. He knows what has happened to you while you have wandered in this huge desert. But he has been with you during those forty years, and as a result you have had everything that you needed.
 \s5
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 Yahweh said to me, 'Do not bother the people of Moab, and do not start to fight against them, because I am not going to give you any of their land. Do not forget that they are descendants of Abraham's nephew Lot, and I have given to them the city of Ar.'"
+\v 9 Yahweh said to me, ‘Do not bother the people of Moab, and do not start to fight against them, because I am not going to give you any of their land. Do not forget that they are descendants of Abraham’s nephew Lot, and I have given to them the city of Ar.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 Moses also said to the Israelite people, "Then we crossed the Zered Gorge, as Yahweh told us to do.
+\v 13 Moses also said to the Israelite people, “Then we crossed the Zered Gorge, as Yahweh told us to do.
 \v 14 It had been thirty-eight years from the time we first left Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the Zered Gorge. During those years, all the Israelite fighting men of that generation died, as Yahweh had solemnly said would happen.
 \v 15 They died because Yahweh opposed them until he had gotten rid of all of them.
 
@@ -156,8 +156,8 @@
 \p
 \v 16 After all the men who had been old enough to fight in wars had died,
 \v 17 Yahweh said to me,
-\v 18 'Today you all must travel through the region of Moab, near Ar, their city.
-\v 19 When you come near the border of the land where the Ammon people group live, do not bother them or start to fight against them. They are also descendants of Lot, so I am not going to give you any of the land that I have given to them.'"
+\v 18 ‘Today you all must travel through the region of Moab, near Ar, their city.
+\v 19 When you come near the border of the land where the Ammon people group live, do not bother them or start to fight against them. They are also descendants of Lot, so I am not going to give you any of the land that I have given to them.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -170,22 +170,22 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 24 "After we had gone through the region of Moab, Yahweh said to us, 'Now cross the Arnon River. I will help you to defeat the army of Sihon, the king of the Amor people group, who lives in the city of Heshbon. So attack their army and start to take their land from them.
-\v 25 Today I will begin to cause everyone, everywhere, to be afraid of you. Everyone who hears about you will tremble and be terrified.'
+\v 24 “After we had gone through the region of Moab, Yahweh said to us, ‘Now cross the Arnon River. I will help you to defeat the army of Sihon, the king of the Amor people group, who lives in the city of Heshbon. So attack their army and start to take their land from them.
+\v 25 Today I will begin to cause everyone, everywhere, to be afraid of you. Everyone who hears about you will tremble and be terrified.’
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 26 Then I sent messengers to go from the desert, where we were, to King Sihon at Heshbon. I told them to give this peaceful message to the king:
-\v 27 'Please allow us to travel through your land. We promise that we will stay on the road; we will not turn off to the right or to the left.
+\v 27 ‘Please allow us to travel through your land. We promise that we will stay on the road; we will not turn off to the right or to the left.
 
 \s5
 \v 28 We will pay for any food or water that you allow us to buy. We want only to walk through your country
-\v 29 until we cross the Jordan River into the land that Yahweh our God is giving to us. Do for us just as the descendants of Esau who live in the Edom area and the Moab people group did for us when they allowed us to go through their areas.'
+\v 29 until we cross the Jordan River into the land that Yahweh our God is giving to us. Do for us just as the descendants of Esau who live in the Edom area and the Moab people group did for us when they allowed us to go through their areas.’
 
 \s5
 \v 30 But King Sihon would not allow us to go through his country. That was because Yahweh our God caused him to be stubborn. The result was that Yahweh enabled us to defeat his army and take his land, which we still live in.
 \p
-\v 31 Yahweh said to me, 'Listen! I am about to allow you to defeat Sihon's army and to take the people's land from them. So start to occupy it!'
+\v 31 Yahweh said to me, ‘Listen! I am about to allow you to defeat Sihon’s army and to take the people’s land from them. So start to occupy it!’
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -198,19 +198,19 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 36 Yahweh our God enabled us to capture all their towns from Aroer in the south, which is at the edge of the Arnon River Valley, to the region of Gilead in the north. Some of their cities had walls around them, but we were still able to capture them.
-\v 37 But we did not go near the area where the Ammon people group live, or the banks of the Jabbok River, or the towns of the hill country, or any other place where Yahweh our God told us not to go."
+\v 37 But we did not go near the area where the Ammon people group live, or the banks of the Jabbok River, or the towns of the hill country, or any other place where Yahweh our God told us not to go.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 3
 \p
-\v 1 "Then we turned north and went toward the region of Bashan. Og, the king of that area, and all his soldiers marched south to fight against us at the city of Edrei.
-\v 2 Yahweh said to me, 'Do not be afraid of him, because I will enable your army to defeat him and all his army and to capture all their land. Do to him what you did to Sihon, the king of the Amor people group, who ruled in Heshbon.'
+\v 1 “Then we turned north and went toward the region of Bashan. Og, the king of that area, and all his soldiers marched south to fight against us at the city of Edrei.
+\v 2 Yahweh said to me, ‘Do not be afraid of him, because I will enable your army to defeat him and all his army and to capture all their land. Do to him what you did to Sihon, the king of the Amor people group, who ruled in Heshbon.’
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 3 So Yahweh enabled us to defeat King Og and all his army. We killed them all; we did not allow any of them to remain alive.
-\v 4 There were sixty cities in that region of Argob, in King Og's kingdom of Bashan. But we captured all of them.
+\v 4 There were sixty cities in that region of Argob, in King Og’s kingdom of Bashan. But we captured all of them.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 All those cities had high walls around them with gates and bars. We also captured many villages that did not have walls around them.
@@ -219,20 +219,20 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 So at that time we took from those two kings of the Amor people group all the land east of the Jordan River, from the Arnon River gorge in the south to Mount Hermon in the north."
+\v 8 So at that time we took from those two kings of the Amor people group all the land east of the Jordan River, from the Arnon River gorge in the south to Mount Hermon in the north.”
 \v 9 (That mountain is called Sirion by the people of the city of Sidon and is called Senir by the Amor people group.)
-\v 10 "We captured all the towns on the plateau, and all the region of Gilead, and all of Bashan as far east as the cities of Edrei and Salekah, which also belonged to Og's kingdom."
+\v 10 “We captured all the towns on the plateau, and all the region of Gilead, and all of Bashan as far east as the cities of Edrei and Salekah, which also belonged to Og’s kingdom.”
 
 \s5
 \v 11 (Og was the last king who was a descendant of the Repha giants. His bed was made of iron. It was four meters long and two meters wide. It was in the city of Rabbah in the region of Ammon.)
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 "From the land that we captured at that time, I allotted to the tribes of Reuben and Gad the land north of the city of Aroer near the Arnon River, and some of the hill country of Gilead, along with the nearby cities.
-\v 13 The other part of Gilead and all of Bashan, which was the region of Argob that King Og had ruled, I allotted to half of the tribe of Manasseh." (The entire region of Bashan is called the land of the Repha giants.)
+\v 12 “From the land that we captured at that time, I allotted to the tribes of Reuben and Gad the land north of the city of Aroer near the Arnon River, and some of the hill country of Gilead, along with the nearby cities.
+\v 13 The other part of Gilead and all of Bashan, which was the region of Argob that King Og had ruled, I allotted to half of the tribe of Manasseh.” (The entire region of Bashan is called the land of the Repha giants.)
 
 \s5
-\v 14 "Jair, a man from the tribe of Manasseh, conquered all of Bashan as far north as the border of the Geshur and Maacath territories. He gave his own name to the villages there, and they are still called the villages of Jair.
+\v 14 “Jair, a man from the tribe of Manasseh, conquered all of Bashan as far north as the border of the Geshur and Maacath territories. He gave his own name to the villages there, and they are still called the villages of Jair.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -244,39 +244,39 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 At that time, I told you three tribes, 'Yahweh our God is giving you this land east of the Jordan River, for you to occupy. So now, your soldiers must take their weapons and go across the Jordan River ahead of the men from the other Israelite tribes to help them to conquer the land that God is going to give to them.
+\v 18 At that time, I told you three tribes, ‘Yahweh our God is giving you this land east of the Jordan River, for you to occupy. So now, your soldiers must take their weapons and go across the Jordan River ahead of the men from the other Israelite tribes to help them to conquer the land that God is going to give to them.
 
 \s5
 \v 19 But your wives and children and your very numerous cattle must stay in the towns that I have allotted to you.
-\v 20 Your men must help your fellow Israelites until Yahweh enables them to live there peacefully after they capture all the land that Yahweh our God is giving to them on the west side of the Jordan River, just like he did for you here on the east side of the river. After that, you all may return to this land that I have allotted to you.'
+\v 20 Your men must help your fellow Israelites until Yahweh enables them to live there peacefully after they capture all the land that Yahweh our God is giving to them on the west side of the Jordan River, just like he did for you here on the east side of the river. After that, you all may return to this land that I have allotted to you.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 And I told Joshua, 'You have seen everything that Yahweh our God did to those two kings, Sihon and Og. He will do the same thing to the people who are now in the land that you will be entering.
-\v 22 Do not be afraid of those people, because Yahweh our God is the one who will fight for you all.'"
+\v 21 And I told Joshua, ‘You have seen everything that Yahweh our God did to those two kings, Sihon and Og. He will do the same thing to the people who are now in the land that you will be entering.
+\v 22 Do not be afraid of those people, because Yahweh our God is the one who will fight for you all.’”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 "At that time, I earnestly prayed, saying
-\v 24 'Yahweh our Lord, you have merely begun to show me that you are very great and to show me the powerful things that you can do. There is certainly no god in heaven or on earth who can do the powerful things that you have done.
-\v 25 So please allow me to cross the Jordan River and to see the good land on the east side, the beautiful hill country and the mountains in Lebanon.'
+\v 23 “At that time, I earnestly prayed, saying
+\v 24 ‘Yahweh our Lord, you have merely begun to show me that you are very great and to show me the powerful things that you can do. There is certainly no god in heaven or on earth who can do the powerful things that you have done.
+\v 25 So please allow me to cross the Jordan River and to see the good land on the east side, the beautiful hill country and the mountains in Lebanon.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 26 But Yahweh was angry with me because of what your ancestors had done, so he would not pay attention to me. Instead, he said, 'That is enough talk from you! Do not talk to me about that again!
+\v 26 But Yahweh was angry with me because of what your ancestors had done, so he would not pay attention to me. Instead, he said, ‘That is enough talk from you! Do not talk to me about that again!
 \v 27 You will climb up to the top of Mount Pisgah and look toward the west and to the east, toward the north and to the south. You must look at it all carefully, because you will not cross the Jordan River to see the land from there.
 
 \s5
-\v 28 But tell Joshua what he must do; encourage him to be strong, because he is the one who will lead the people across the river so they can occupy the land that you will see from the top of the mountain.'
+\v 28 But tell Joshua what he must do; encourage him to be strong, because he is the one who will lead the people across the river so they can occupy the land that you will see from the top of the mountain.’
 \p
-\v 29 So we remained in the Jordan River valley close to the town of Beth Peor."
+\v 29 So we remained in the Jordan River valley close to the town of Beth Peor.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 4
 \p
-\v 1 "Now, you Israelite people, obey all the rules and regulations that I will teach you. If you do that, you will remain alive and you will enter and occupy the land that Yahweh, the God whom your ancestors worshiped, is giving to you.
+\v 1 “Now, you Israelite people, obey all the rules and regulations that I will teach you. If you do that, you will remain alive and you will enter and occupy the land that Yahweh, the God whom your ancestors worshiped, is giving to you.
 \v 2 Do not add anything to what I command you, and do not take anything away from what I tell you. Obey all the commands of Yahweh our God that I am giving to you.
 
 \s5
@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 5 Note that I have taught you all the rules and regulations, just like Yahweh our God told me to do. He wants you to obey them when you are living in the land that you are about to enter and occupy.
-\v 6 Obey them faithfully because, if you do that, you will show the people of other nations that you are very wise. When they hear about all these laws, they will say, 'The people of this great nation of Israel are certainly very wise!'
+\v 6 Obey them faithfully because, if you do that, you will show the people of other nations that you are very wise. When they hear about all these laws, they will say, ‘The people of this great nation of Israel are certainly very wise!’
 
 \s5
 \v 7 Even if other nations are great, there is none of them that has a god who is as near to them as Yahweh our God is to us!
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 9 But be very careful! Do not forget what you have seen God do. Remember those things as long as you are alive. Tell them to your children and your grandchildren.
-\v 10 Tell them about the day that your ancestors stood in the presence of Yahweh our God at Mount Sinai, when he said to me, 'Gather the people together, in order that they can hear what I say. I want them to learn to respect me and honor me for me as long as they are alive, and I want them to teach their children to do that also.'
+\v 10 Tell them about the day that your ancestors stood in the presence of Yahweh our God at Mount Sinai, when he said to me, ‘Gather the people together, in order that they can hear what I say. I want them to learn to respect me and honor me for me as long as they are alive, and I want them to teach their children to do that also.’
 
 \s5
 \v 11 Tell your children that your ancestors came near to the foot of the mountain, while the mountain burned with a fire that went up to the sky, and the mountain was covered with dark clouds and black smoke.
@@ -341,12 +341,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 30 In the future, when you are being mistreated there and all those bad things happen to you, you will again worship only Yahweh and obey him.
-\v 31 Yahweh is a God who acts mercifully. If you continue to obey him, he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the agreement that he solemnly made with your ancestors."
+\v 31 Yahweh is a God who acts mercifully. If you continue to obey him, he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the agreement that he solemnly made with your ancestors.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 32 "Now think about the past, about the time before you were born, about all the time since God first created people here on the earth. You could search everywhere, in heaven and on the earth. Has anything like this ever happened that is as great as what Yahweh did for us Israelite people?
+\v 32 “Now think about the past, about the time before you were born, about all the time since God first created people here on the earth. You could search everywhere, in heaven and on the earth. Has anything like this ever happened that is as great as what Yahweh did for us Israelite people?
 \v 33 Has any group ever remained alive after they heard a god speak to them from the middle of a fire, like we did?
 
 \s5
@@ -364,7 +364,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 39 So today you should think about the fact that Yahweh is God, that he rules in heaven and also on the earth, and that there is no other god.
-\v 40 Obey all the rules and regulations that I am giving to you today, in order that things will go well for you and for your descendants, and that you will live a long time in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, for it to belong to you forever."
+\v 40 Obey all the rules and regulations that I am giving to you today, in order that things will go well for you and for your descendants, and that you will live a long time in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, for it to belong to you forever.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -376,12 +376,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 44 Moses gave God's laws to the Israelite people.
+\v 44 Moses gave God’s laws to the Israelite people.
 \v 45 They included all the solemn commands, instructions and laws that Moses spoke to the people of Israel after they had come out of Egypt,
 \v 46 when they were in the valley east of the Jordan River. They were across from the town of Beth Peor, in the land that previously was ruled by Sihon, the king of the Amor people group, who lived in Heshbon. Moses and the other Israelites had defeated his army when they came out of Egypt.
 
 \s5
-\v 47 They captured Sihon's land and the land that Og, the king of the region of Bashan, had ruled. Those were the two kings who ruled the Amor people group in the area east of the Jordan River.
+\v 47 They captured Sihon’s land and the land that Og, the king of the region of Bashan, had ruled. Those were the two kings who ruled the Amor people group in the area east of the Jordan River.
 \v 48 Their land extended from the city of Aroer in the south along the Arnon River, as far north as Mount Sirion, which most people call Mount Hermon.
 \v 49 It also included all the area in the plain east of the Jordan River valley, extending to the Sea of Arabah (known as the Dead Sea) and east to the slopes of Mount Pisgah.
 
@@ -391,7 +391,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Moses summoned all the people of Israel and said to them,
-\p "You Israelite people, listen to all the rules and decrees that I am giving to you today. Learn them and be sure to obey them.
+\p “You Israelite people, listen to all the rules and decrees that I am giving to you today. Learn them and be sure to obey them.
 \v 2 When we were at Mount Sinai, Yahweh our God made a covenant with us.
 \v 3 But this covenant was not only for our ancestors. He made it also for us, who are alive now.
 
@@ -399,7 +399,7 @@
 \v 4 Yahweh spoke with us face to face on that mountain, from the middle of the fire.
 \v 5 On that day, I stood between your ancestors and Yahweh to tell them what he said, because they were afraid of the fire, and they did not want to climb up the mountain. This is what Yahweh said:
 \mi
-\v 6 'I am Yahweh your God, the one you worship. I am the one who brought you out of the land of Egypt. I am the one who freed you from being slaves there.
+\v 6 ‘I am Yahweh your God, the one you worship. I am the one who brought you out of the land of Egypt. I am the one who freed you from being slaves there.
 
 \s5
 \q
@@ -441,7 +441,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 21 Do not covet someone else's wife, someone else's house, someone else's fields, someone else's male slave or female slave, someone else's livestock, someone else's donkeys, or anything else that another person owns.'
+\v 21 Do not covet someone else’s wife, someone else’s house, someone else’s fields, someone else’s male slave or female slave, someone else’s livestock, someone else’s donkeys, or anything else that another person owns.’
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -449,35 +449,35 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 After your ancestors heard Yahweh's voice when he spoke to them out of the darkness, while there was a big fire burning on the mountain, their leaders and elders came to me,
-\v 24 and one of them said, 'Listen to us! Yahweh our God showed us that he is very great and glorious when we heard him speak from the fire. Today we have realized that it is possible for us human beings to continue to live even though God has spoken to us.
+\v 23 After your ancestors heard Yahweh’s voice when he spoke to them out of the darkness, while there was a big fire burning on the mountain, their leaders and elders came to me,
+\v 24 and one of them said, ‘Listen to us! Yahweh our God showed us that he is very great and glorious when we heard him speak from the fire. Today we have realized that it is possible for us human beings to continue to live even though God has spoken to us.
 
 \s5
-\v 25 But we are afraid that we will die. We are afraid that this immense fire will burn us all up, if we go on hearing Yahweh's voice.
+\v 25 But we are afraid that we will die. We are afraid that this immense fire will burn us all up, if we go on hearing Yahweh’s voice.
 \v 26 We are the only people on earth who have remained alive after hearing the all-powerful God speak to them from a fire!
-\v 27 So Moses, you go up the mountain and listen to everything that Yahweh our God says. Then come back and tell us everything that he has said, and we will listen to what he has said and obey it.'
+\v 27 So Moses, you go up the mountain and listen to everything that Yahweh our God says. Then come back and tell us everything that he has said, and we will listen to what he has said and obey it.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 28 Yahweh heard your leaders say that, so when I went back up the mountain, Yahweh said to me, 'I have heard what your leaders have said, and what they have said is right.
+\v 28 Yahweh heard your leaders say that, so when I went back up the mountain, Yahweh said to me, ‘I have heard what your leaders have said, and what they have said is right.
 \v 29 I surely wish that they would always think like that and have an awesome respect for me and obey all my commandments, in order that things may go well for them and for their descendants forever.
 \p
 \v 30 So go down and tell them to return to their tents.
 
 \s5
-\v 31 But then you come back up here and stand near me, and I will give to you all the rules and decrees that I want them to obey. Then you can teach them to the people, in order that they will obey them when they are in the land that I am giving to them.'
+\v 31 But then you come back up here and stand near me, and I will give to you all the rules and decrees that I want them to obey. Then you can teach them to the people, in order that they will obey them when they are in the land that I am giving to them.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 32 So I went back down to the people and said to them, 'Be sure that you do everything that Yahweh our God has commanded us to do. Do not disobey any of his laws.
-\v 33 Conduct your lives as Yahweh our God has commanded us to do, in order that you may live a long time, and in order that things will go well for you when you are living in the land that you will occupy.'"
+\v 32 So I went back down to the people and said to them, ‘Be sure that you do everything that Yahweh our God has commanded us to do. Do not disobey any of his laws.
+\v 33 Conduct your lives as Yahweh our God has commanded us to do, in order that you may live a long time, and in order that things will go well for you when you are living in the land that you will occupy.’”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 6
 
 \p
-\v 1 "These are the commandments and rules and decrees that Yahweh our God commanded me to teach to you. He wants you to obey them in the land that you are about to enter and occupy.
+\v 1 “These are the commandments and rules and decrees that Yahweh our God commanded me to teach to you. He wants you to obey them in the land that you are about to enter and occupy.
 \v 2 He wants you to honor him, and he wants you and your descendants to always obey all these rules and regulations that I am giving to you, in order that you may live for a long time.
 
 \s5
@@ -518,21 +518,21 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 In the future, your children will ask you, 'Why did Yahweh our God command us to obey all these rules and decrees?'
-\v 21 Then you will tell them, 'Our ancestors were slaves of the king in Egypt, but Yahweh brought them out of Egypt by his great power.
+\v 20 In the future, your children will ask you, ‘Why did Yahweh our God command us to obey all these rules and decrees?’
+\v 21 Then you will tell them, ‘Our ancestors were slaves of the king in Egypt, but Yahweh brought them out of Egypt by his great power.
 \v 22 They saw him do many kinds of miracles and terrifying things to the people of Egypt and to the king and his officials.
 \v 23 He rescued our ancestors from Egypt and brought them here to give them this land, just as he solemnly promised our ancestors that he would do.
 
 \s5
 \v 24 And he commanded us to obey all these laws and to honor him, so that things would go well with us, and so that he would protect our nation and enable us to prosper, as he is doing now.
-\v 25 Yahweh our God will approve of us if we carefully obey everything that he has commanded us to do.'"
+\v 25 Yahweh our God will approve of us if we carefully obey everything that he has commanded us to do.’”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 7
 
 \p
-\v 1 "Yahweh our God will bring you to the land that you will soon enter and occupy. As you advance, he will drive out from that land seven people groups that are more powerful and more numerous than you are. These are the Heth, the Girgash, the Amor, the Canaan, the Periz, the Hiv, and the Jebus people groups.
+\v 1 “Yahweh our God will bring you to the land that you will soon enter and occupy. As you advance, he will drive out from that land seven people groups that are more powerful and more numerous than you are. These are the Heth, the Girgash, the Amor, the Canaan, the Periz, the Hiv, and the Jebus people groups.
 
 \s5
 \v 2 When Yahweh our God enables you to defeat them, you must kill them all. You must make no agreement with them, and you must not act mercifully toward them.
@@ -569,7 +569,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 Do not think to yourselves, 'These people groups are more numerous than we are. We will never be able to drive them out.'
+\v 17 Do not think to yourselves, ‘These people groups are more numerous than we are. We will never be able to drive them out.’
 \v 18 Do not be afraid of them. Instead, think about what Yahweh our God did to the king of Egypt and to all the people whom he ruled.
 \v 19 Do not forget the terrible plagues that your ancestors saw him inflict on the people of Egypt, and the various kinds of miracles that God did in order to bring your ancestors out of Egypt. Yahweh our God will do the same kind of things to the people groups that you are afraid of now.
 
@@ -584,14 +584,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 25 You must burn the carved figures that represent their gods. Do not desire to take the silver or gold decorations that are on those idols, because if you take them for yourselves, they will be like a trap to catch you. Yahweh hates every part of those idols.
-\v 26 You must not bring any of those disgusting idols into your houses, because if you do that, God will curse you like he curses them. You must hate and despise those idols, because they are things that Yahweh has cursed and he promises to destroy them."
+\v 26 You must not bring any of those disgusting idols into your houses, because if you do that, God will curse you like he curses them. You must hate and despise those idols, because they are things that Yahweh has cursed and he promises to destroy them.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 8
 
 \p
-\v 1 "You must faithfully obey all the commandments that I am giving you today. If you do that, you will live a long time, you will become very numerous, and your people will occupy the land that Yahweh solemnly promised your ancestors that he would give to you.
+\v 1 “You must faithfully obey all the commandments that I am giving you today. If you do that, you will live a long time, you will become very numerous, and your people will occupy the land that Yahweh solemnly promised your ancestors that he would give to you.
 \v 2 And do not forget how Yahweh our God led us as we traveled through the desert during these past forty years. He caused you to have many problems, because he wanted to cause you to realize that you needed to trust him and not yourselves. And he wanted to test you, to find out what you intended to do, whether you would obey his commandments or not.
 
 \s5
@@ -613,7 +613,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 11 But when that happens, be sure not to forget Yahweh our God by disobeying his commandments and rules and regulations that I am giving to you today.
-\v 12 Your stomachs will be full every day, and you will build good houses and live in them. But you might forget Yahweh's commandments.
+\v 12 Your stomachs will be full every day, and you will build good houses and live in them. But you might forget Yahweh’s commandments.
 
 \s5
 \v 13 Indeed, when the number of your cattle and sheep has greatly increased, and when you have accumulated a large amount of silver and gold, and the amount of all your other possessions has greatly increased,
@@ -622,7 +622,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 15 Do not forget that he led them while they traveled through that huge and terrible desert, where there were poisonous snakes and scorpions. And do not forget that where the ground was very dry and there was no water, he caused water to flow for them out of solid rock.
 \v 16 Do not forget that in that desert he gave your ancestors manna to eat, food that they had never eaten. He caused them to have, because he wanted to cause them to realize that they needed to trust him and not themselves. And he wanted to test them, to find out what they intended to do, in order that when those difficulties ended, he would do many good things for them.
-\v 17 Be sure that you do not think to yourselves, 'I have acquired all these things by my own power and ability.'
+\v 17 Be sure that you do not think to yourselves, ‘I have acquired all these things by my own power and ability.’
 
 \s5
 \v 18 Do not forget that it is Yahweh our God who has enabled you to become rich. He does this because he faithfully does what he solemnly promised our ancestors that he would do.
@@ -642,18 +642,18 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 After Yahweh our God has expelled them for you, do not say to yourselves, 'It is because we are righteous that Yahweh has enabled us to capture this land.' The truth is that it is because the people in that land are wicked that Yahweh will drive out them as you advance.
+\v 4 After Yahweh our God has expelled them for you, do not say to yourselves, ‘It is because we are righteous that Yahweh has enabled us to capture this land.’ The truth is that it is because the people in that land are wicked that Yahweh will drive out them as you advance.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 I say again that it is not because you are righteous within yourselves or because you do things that are righteous that you will enter and capture that land. It is because those people groups are very wicked that Yahweh our God will expel them as you advance, and because he intends to do what he solemnly promised to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would do.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 I want you to know that it is not because you are righteous that Yahweh our God is giving you this good land. I say that because you are not righteous; you are a very stubborn people."
+\v 6 I want you to know that it is not because you are righteous that Yahweh our God is giving you this good land. I say that because you are not righteous; you are a very stubborn people.”
 
 \s5
 
 \p
-\v 7 "Never forget what your ancestors did in the desert that caused Yahweh our God to become angry. From the day that we left Egypt until the day that we arrived here, you also have continually rebelled against him.
+\v 7 “Never forget what your ancestors did in the desert that caused Yahweh our God to become angry. From the day that we left Egypt until the day that we arrived here, you also have continually rebelled against him.
 \v 8 Even at Mount Sinai your ancestors caused Yahweh to become angry. Because he was very angry, he was ready to get rid of all of them.
 
 \s5
@@ -663,12 +663,12 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 11 At the end of those forty days and nights, Yahweh gave me those two stone tablets on which he had written those commandments.
-\v 12 But then he said to me, 'Go down the mountain immediately, because the people whom you are leading, the people whom you led out of Egypt, have committed a terrible sin! They have very quickly done what I commanded them not to do. They have made for themselves a cast figure of a calf to worship.'
+\v 12 But then he said to me, ‘Go down the mountain immediately, because the people whom you are leading, the people whom you led out of Egypt, have committed a terrible sin! They have very quickly done what I commanded them not to do. They have made for themselves a cast figure of a calf to worship.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 Then Yahweh said to me, 'I have been watching these people, and I see that they are very stubborn.
-\v 14 So do not try to stop me. I am going to destroy all of them, with the result that no one anywhere will remember their names. Then I will enable you to become the ancestor of a nation that will be more numerous and more powerful than they are.'
+\v 13 Then Yahweh said to me, ‘I have been watching these people, and I see that they are very stubborn.
+\v 14 So do not try to stop me. I am going to destroy all of them, with the result that no one anywhere will remember their names. Then I will enable you to become the ancestor of a nation that will be more numerous and more powerful than they are.’
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -678,7 +678,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 17 So while they were watching, I lifted up those two stone tablets and threw them on the ground, and they broke into pieces.
 \p
-\v 18 Then I prostrated myself on the ground in Yahweh's presence as I had done before, and I did not eat or drink anything for forty days and nights. I did that because your ancestors had sinned against Yahweh and caused him to become very angry.
+\v 18 Then I prostrated myself on the ground in Yahweh’s presence as I had done before, and I did not eat or drink anything for forty days and nights. I did that because your ancestors had sinned against Yahweh and caused him to become very angry.
 
 \s5
 \v 19 I was afraid that because Yahweh was very angry with them, he would get rid of all of them. But again I prayed that he would not do that, and again he listened to me and answered my prayer.
@@ -691,25 +691,25 @@
 \p
 \v 22 Your ancestors also caused Yahweh to become very angry by what they did at places that they named Taberah, Massah, and Kibroth Hattaavah.
 \p
-\v 23 And when we were at Kadesh Barnea, Yahweh said to your ancestors, 'Go up and capture the land that I am about to give to you!' But they rebelled against him. They did not trust him, and they did not obey what he told them to do.
+\v 23 And when we were at Kadesh Barnea, Yahweh said to your ancestors, ‘Go up and capture the land that I am about to give to you!’ But they rebelled against him. They did not trust him, and they did not obey what he told them to do.
 \v 24 Your ancestors rebelled against Yahweh from the first day that I knew them, in Egypt, and you have been exactly the same as your ancestors.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 25 So, as I said, I lay on the ground in Yahweh's presence for forty days and nights, because Yahweh had said that he would destroy your ancestors.
-\v 26 And I prayed to Yahweh, saying, 'Lord Yahweh, these people belong to you; do not destroy them. They are people whom you rescued and brought out of Egypt by your very great power.
+\v 25 So, as I said, I lay on the ground in Yahweh’s presence for forty days and nights, because Yahweh had said that he would destroy your ancestors.
+\v 26 And I prayed to Yahweh, saying, ‘Lord Yahweh, these people belong to you; do not destroy them. They are people whom you rescued and brought out of Egypt by your very great power.
 \s5
 \v 27 Do not forget what you promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Ignore how stubborn and wicked these people have been, and the sin that they have committed.
 \v 28 If you do not do that, and if you destroy them, the people of Egypt will hear about it and say that you were not able to bring them into the land that you promised to give to them. They will say that you took them into the desert only to kill them there because you hated them.
-\v 29 Do not forget that they are your people. You chose them to belong to you. You brought them out from Egypt by your very great power.'"
+\v 29 Do not forget that they are your people. You chose them to belong to you. You brought them out from Egypt by your very great power.’”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 10
 
 \p
-\v 1 "Then Yahweh said to me, 'Cut two stone tablets like the first ones. And make a wooden chest to put them in. Then bring the tablets up to me on this mountain.
-\v 2 I will write on those tablets the same words that I wrote on the first tablets, the ones that you broke. Then you can put them in the chest.'
+\v 1 “Then Yahweh said to me, ‘Cut two stone tablets like the first ones. And make a wooden chest to put them in. Then bring the tablets up to me on this mountain.
+\v 2 I will write on those tablets the same words that I wrote on the first tablets, the ones that you broke. Then you can put them in the chest.’
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -717,7 +717,7 @@
 \v 4 There Yahweh wrote on the tablets the same Ten Commandments that he had written on the first tablet. They are the commandments that he had spoken to your ancestors from the midst of the fire on the mountain, when they had gathered at the bottom of the mountain. Then Yahweh gave the tablets to me.
 
 \s5
-\v 5 Carrying the tablets, I turned and went down the mountain. Then, just as he had commanded, I put them in the chest that I had made. And they are still there."
+\v 5 Carrying the tablets, I turned and went down the mountain. Then, just as he had commanded, I put them in the chest that I had made. And they are still there.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -725,18 +725,18 @@
 \v 7 From there, the Israelites traveled to Gudgodah, and from there to Jotbathah, which was a place that had many streams.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 At that time, Yahweh chose the tribe of Levi to carry the chest that contained the tablets on which were written the Ten Commandments, and to stand in Yahweh's presence in the sacred tent, to offer sacrifices, and to pray for Yahweh to bless the people. They are still doing those things at the present time.
-\v 9 That is the reason that the tribe of Levi did not receive any land like the other tribes did. What they received was the honor of being Yahweh's priests, which is what he said that they should do.)
+\v 8 At that time, Yahweh chose the tribe of Levi to carry the chest that contained the tablets on which were written the Ten Commandments, and to stand in Yahweh’s presence in the sacred tent, to offer sacrifices, and to pray for Yahweh to bless the people. They are still doing those things at the present time.
+\v 9 That is the reason that the tribe of Levi did not receive any land like the other tribes did. What they received was the honor of being Yahweh’s priests, which is what he said that they should do.)
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 Moses continued to speak: "I stayed on the mountain forty days and nights, just like I did the first time. I prayed to Yahweh, and he answered my prayers again and said that he would not destroy your ancestors.
-\v 11 Then Yahweh said to me, 'Continue your journey, going in front of the people, to occupy the land that I solemnly promised your ancestors that I would give to you.'"
+\v 10 Moses continued to speak: “I stayed on the mountain forty days and nights, just like I did the first time. I prayed to Yahweh, and he answered my prayers again and said that he would not destroy your ancestors.
+\v 11 Then Yahweh said to me, ‘Continue your journey, going in front of the people, to occupy the land that I solemnly promised your ancestors that I would give to you.’”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 "Now, you Israelite people, I will tell you what Yahweh our God says that you do. He requires you to honor him, to conduct your lives as he wants you to, to love him, and to serve him with all that you desire and all that you feel,
+\v 12 “Now, you Israelite people, I will tell you what Yahweh our God says that you do. He requires you to honor him, to conduct your lives as he wants you to, to love him, and to serve him with all that you desire and all that you feel,
 \v 13 and to obey all of his commandments which I am giving to you today, so they will help you.
 
 \s5
@@ -757,20 +757,20 @@
 \v 21 He is the one whom you must praise. He is our God, and we have seen the great and awesome things that he has done for us.
 
 \s5
-\v 22 When our ancestors, Jacob and his family, went down to Egypt, there were only seventy of them. But now Yahweh our God has caused us to be as numerous as the stars in the sky."
+\v 22 When our ancestors, Jacob and his family, went down to Egypt, there were only seventy of them. But now Yahweh our God has caused us to be as numerous as the stars in the sky.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 11
 \p
-\v 1 "Because of all that Yahweh your God has done for you, you must love and continually obey all his rules and decrees and commandments.
+\v 1 “Because of all that Yahweh your God has done for you, you must love and continually obey all his rules and decrees and commandments.
 
 \s5
 \v 2 It was you and your ancestors, not your children, whom he punished because you disobeyed him, putting you through many difficulties to teach and train you. So starting today, continue to think about how his punishment, his mighty power, and his great strength to do whatever he wants to do to you.
 \v 3 Remember the many different miracles that he performed in Egypt, miracles that showed how powerful and great he is. Think about what he did to the king of Egypt and to all the land that he ruled.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 Your children did not see the army of Egypt, or their horses and their chariots destroyed by Yahweh's power. Your children did not see how Yahweh caused the Sea of Reeds to flood and sweep away the army of Egypt as they were coming after their ancestors. Your children did not understand that Yahweh continues to make Egypt's army weak even to this day.
+\v 4 Your children did not see the army of Egypt, or their horses and their chariots destroyed by Yahweh’s power. Your children did not see how Yahweh caused the Sea of Reeds to flood and sweep away the army of Egypt as they were coming after their ancestors. Your children did not understand that Yahweh continues to make Egypt’s army weak even to this day.
 \v 5 Your children do not know how Yahweh took care of their ancestors in the desert before they all came to this place.
 
 \s5
@@ -822,19 +822,19 @@
 \v 28 But if you do not obey them, and if you stop worshiping him and start worshiping other gods to whom you were never faithful before, he will curse you.
 
 \s5
-\v 29 And when Yahweh brings you into the land that you are about to enter and occupy, some of you must stand on top of Mount Gerizim and proclaim what will cause Yahweh to bless you, and the others must stand on top of Mount Ebal and proclaim what will cause Yahweh to curse you."
+\v 29 And when Yahweh brings you into the land that you are about to enter and occupy, some of you must stand on top of Mount Gerizim and proclaim what will cause Yahweh to bless you, and the others must stand on top of Mount Ebal and proclaim what will cause Yahweh to curse you.”
 \v 30 (Those two mountains are west of the Jordan River, west of the plain along the Jordan, in the land where the Canaanites live. They live close to the sacred trees near Gilgal.)
 
 \s5
-\v 31 "You will soon cross the Jordan River to occupy the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you. When you enter that land and start to live there,
-\v 32 be sure to obey all the rules and decrees that I am giving to you today."
+\v 31 “You will soon cross the Jordan River to occupy the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you. When you enter that land and start to live there,
+\v 32 be sure to obey all the rules and decrees that I am giving to you today.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 12
 
 \p
-\v 1 "I will now tell you the rules and decrees that you must faithfully obey in the land that Yahweh, the God whom our ancestors worshiped, is giving to you to occupy. You must obey these laws all the time that you are alive.
+\v 1 “I will now tell you the rules and decrees that you must faithfully obey in the land that Yahweh, the God whom our ancestors worshiped, is giving to you to occupy. You must obey these laws all the time that you are alive.
 \v 2 When you drive out those people groups whose land you will take, you must destroy all the places where they worshiped their gods, places on the tops of mountains and hills and beside large trees.
 
 \s5
@@ -843,7 +843,7 @@
 \v 4 Do not worship Yahweh like the people in Canaan worship their gods.
 
 \s5
-\v 5 Instead, you must go to the place that Yahweh will choose. It will be in the area where one of your tribes will live. That is where you must enter Yahweh's presence and worship him.
+\v 5 Instead, you must go to the place that Yahweh will choose. It will be in the area where one of your tribes will live. That is where you must enter Yahweh’s presence and worship him.
 \v 6 That is the place where you must bring your sacrifices that the priests will burn whole on the altar, and your other sacrifices that your yourselves present to me, your tithes, other offerings that you promise to give me, the firstborn animals from your cattle and sheep, or any other kind of offering.
 
 \s5
@@ -880,7 +880,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 When Yahweh our God gives you much more land than you will have at first—and he has promised to do this, and when you say, 'I would like some meat to eat,' you are permitted to eat meat whenever you want to.
+\v 20 When Yahweh our God gives you much more land than you will have at first—and he has promised to do this, and when you say, ‘I would like some meat to eat,’ you are permitted to eat meat whenever you want to.
 
 \s5
 \v 21 If the place that Yahweh our God chooses to be the place for you to worship him is far from where you live, you are permitted to kill some of your cattle or sheep that Yahweh has given to you, and you may eat that meat in the town where you live, just like I have told you to do.
@@ -894,7 +894,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 26 But the offerings that Yahweh has told you to set aside for him, and the other offerings that you yourselves decide to give, you must take to the place that he will choose.
-\v 27 There the priest will burn those offerings on Yahweh's altar. He will kill the animals, drain out the blood, and throw some of it onto the sides of the altar. And you may eat some of that meat.
+\v 27 There the priest will burn those offerings on Yahweh’s altar. He will kill the animals, drain out the blood, and throw some of it onto the sides of the altar. And you may eat some of that meat.
 
 \s5
 \v 28 Faithfully obey all these things that I have commanded you. If you do that, things will go well forever for you and your descendants, because you will be doing what Yahweh our God says is right for you to do and what pleases him.
@@ -902,7 +902,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 29 When you enter the land that you will occupy, as you advance, Yahweh our God will destroy the people groups that live there.
-\v 30 After he does that, be sure that you do not worship the gods that they have been worshiping, because if you do that, it will be like a trap that will catch you. Do not ask anyone about those gods, saying, 'Tell me how they worshiped their gods, in order that I can worship Yahweh in the same way.'
+\v 30 After he does that, be sure that you do not worship the gods that they have been worshiping, because if you do that, it will be like a trap that will catch you. Do not ask anyone about those gods, saying, ‘Tell me how they worshiped their gods, in order that I can worship Yahweh in the same way.’
 
 \s5
 \v 31 Do not try to worship Yahweh our God like they have worshiped their gods, because when they worship them, they do disgusting things, things that Yahweh hates. The worst thing that they do is that they sacrifice their own children and burn them on their altars.
@@ -924,7 +924,7 @@
 \v 5 But you must execute anyone who falsely says that he is a prophet, or someone who falsely says that he can interpret dreams, or who tells you to rebel against Yahweh our God, who rescued your ancestors from being slaves in Egypt. People like that are only wanting to cause you to stop living as Yahweh has commanded you to do. Execute them to get rid of this evil among you.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 It does not matter if even your brother or your daughter or your wife or some close friend secretly urges you and says 'Let us worship other gods, gods that neither you nor your ancestors have never known about.'
+\v 6 It does not matter if even your brother or your daughter or your wife or some close friend secretly urges you and says ‘Let us worship other gods, gods that neither you nor your ancestors have never known about.’
 \v 7 Some of them may encourage you to worship gods that people groups that live near you worship, or gods that groups who live far away worship.
 
 \s5
@@ -938,7 +938,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 When you are living in one of the towns in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, you may hear
-\v 13 that some worthless people among you are deceiving the people of their town, saying, 'Let us go and worship other gods.'
+\v 13 that some worthless people among you are deceiving the people of their town, saying, ‘Let us go and worship other gods.’
 \v 14 Examine the facts about it thoroughly. Suppose you find out that it is true that such a disgraceful thing has happened.
 
 \s5
@@ -995,12 +995,12 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 21 Do not eat any animal that has died naturally. You may allow foreigners who live among you to eat those things, or you may sell them to other foreigners. But you belong to Yahweh our God; those who belong to him are not permitted to eat the flesh of animals whose blood has not been drained out.
-\p You must not cook a young sheep or goat in its mother's milk."
+\p You must not cook a young sheep or goat in its mother’s milk.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 "Once each year you must set apart a tenth of all the crops that are produced in your fields.
+\v 22 “Once each year you must set apart a tenth of all the crops that are produced in your fields.
 \v 23 Take them to the place that Yahweh our God will choose for you to worship him. There you must eat the tenth of your grain, your wine, your olive oil, and the meat of the firstborn male animals of your cattle and your sheep. Do this in order that you may learn to always honor Yahweh, the one who has blessed you by giving you these things.
 
 \s5
@@ -1035,7 +1035,7 @@
 \v 8 Instead, be generous and lend them the money that they need.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 Be sure that you do not say to yourself, 'The year when debts will be canceled is near, so I do not want to lend anyone any money now, because he will not need to pay it back when that year comes.' It would be evil to even think that. If you act in an unfriendly way toward a needy fellow Israelite, and give him nothing, he will cry out to Yahweh against you, and Yahweh will say that you have sinned by not helping that person.
+\v 9 Be sure that you do not say to yourself, ‘The year when debts will be canceled is near, so I do not want to lend anyone any money now, because he will not need to pay it back when that year comes.’ It would be evil to even think that. If you act in an unfriendly way toward a needy fellow Israelite, and give him nothing, he will cry out to Yahweh against you, and Yahweh will say that you have sinned by not helping that person.
 \v 10 Give freely to poor people and give generously. If you do that, Yahweh will bless you in everything that you do.
 \s5
 \v 11 There will always be some poor people in your land, so I command you to give generously to poor people, to your fellow Israelites.
@@ -1050,7 +1050,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 15 Do not forget that your ancestors were once slaves in Egypt and that Yahweh our God freed them. That is the reason that I am now commanding you to do this.
 \p
-\v 16 But one of your slaves may say, 'I do not want to leave you.' Perhaps he loves you and your family because you have treated him well.
+\v 16 But one of your slaves may say, ‘I do not want to leave you.’ Perhaps he loves you and your family because you have treated him well.
 \v 17 If he says that, take him to the door of your house and, while he is standing against the doorway, pierce one of his earlobes with an awl. That will indicate that he will be your slave for the rest of his life. Do the same thing to any female slave who does not want to leave you.
 
 \s5
@@ -1162,11 +1162,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 I know that after you have occupied the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, and you are living there, you will say, 'We should have a king to rule over us, like the kings that other nations around us have.'
+\v 14 I know that after you have occupied the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, and you are living there, you will say, ‘We should have a king to rule over us, like the kings that other nations around us have.’
 \v 15 Yahweh our God will permit you to have a king, but be sure that you appoint someone whom he has chosen. That man must be an Israelite; you must not appoint someone who is a foreigner to be your king.
 
 \s5
-\v 16 After he becomes the king, he should not acquire a large number of horses for himself. He should not send people to Egypt to buy horses for him, because Yahweh said to you, 'Never return to Egypt for anything!'
+\v 16 After he becomes the king, he should not acquire a large number of horses for himself. He should not send people to Egypt to buy horses for him, because Yahweh said to you, ‘Never return to Egypt for anything!’
 \v 17 And he must not have a lot of wives, because if he did that, they would turn him away from worshiping only Yahweh. And he must not acquire a lot of silver and gold.
 
 \s5
@@ -1175,15 +1175,15 @@
 \v 19 He must keep this new scroll near him and read from it every day of his life, in order that he may learn to have an awesome respect for Yahweh, and to faithfully obey all the rules and regulations that are written in these laws.
  
 \s5
-\v 20 If he does that, he will not think that he is more important than his fellow Israelites, and he will completely obey Yahweh's commands. As a result, he and his descendants will rule as kings in Israel for many years."
+\v 20 If he does that, he will not think that he is more important than his fellow Israelites, and he will completely obey Yahweh’s commands. As a result, he and his descendants will rule as kings in Israel for many years.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 18
 
 \p
-\v 1 "The priests, who are all from the tribe of Levi, will not receive any land in Israel. Instead, they will receive some of the food that other people offer to be burned on the altar to be sacrificed to Yahweh and some of the other sacrifices that will be offered to Yahweh.
-\v 2 They will not be allotted any land like the other tribes will be. What they will receive is the honor of being Yahweh's priests, which is what he said that they should have.
+\v 1 “The priests, who are all from the tribe of Levi, will not receive any land in Israel. Instead, they will receive some of the food that other people offer to be burned on the altar to be sacrificed to Yahweh and some of the other sacrifices that will be offered to Yahweh.
+\v 2 They will not be allotted any land like the other tribes will be. What they will receive is the honor of being Yahweh’s priests, which is what he said that they should have.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1213,18 +1213,18 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 15 Some day he will send from among you a prophet like me. He will tell you what will happen in the future, and you must obey him.
-\v 16 On the day that your ancestors were gathered at the bottom of Mount Sinai, they pleaded with me saying, 'We do not want Yahweh to speak to us again, and we do not want to see this huge fire that is burning on the mountain!' Your ancestors said that because they were afraid that they would die if Yahweh spoke to them again.
+\v 16 On the day that your ancestors were gathered at the bottom of Mount Sinai, they pleaded with me saying, ‘We do not want Yahweh to speak to us again, and we do not want to see this huge fire that is burning on the mountain!’ Your ancestors said that because they were afraid that they would die if Yahweh spoke to them again.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 Then Yahweh said to me, 'What they have said is true.
+\v 17 Then Yahweh said to me, ‘What they have said is true.
 \v 18 So I will send from among them a prophet like you. I will tell him what to say, and then he will tell people everything that I tell him to say.
 \v 19 He will speak for me. And I will punish anyone who does not heed what he says.
 
 \s5
-\v 20 But if any person says that he is a prophet and dares to speak a message which he falsely says comes from me but which I did not tell him to speak, or anyone who speaks a message that he says other gods have revealed to him, he must be executed for doing that.'
+\v 20 But if any person says that he is a prophet and dares to speak a message which he falsely says comes from me but which I did not tell him to speak, or anyone who speaks a message that he says other gods have revealed to him, he must be executed for doing that.’
 \p
-\v 21 But perhaps you will say to yourself, 'How can we know if a message that someone tells us does not come from Yahweh?'
+\v 21 But perhaps you will say to yourself, ‘How can we know if a message that someone tells us does not come from Yahweh?’
 
 \s5
 \v 22 The answer is that when someone speaks a message about what will happen in the future, a message that he says was revealed by Yahweh, if what he says does not happen, you will know that the message did not come from Yahweh. That person has wrongly claimed that it was revealed to him by Yahweh. So you do not need to be afraid of anything that he says.
@@ -1259,12 +1259,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 When you are living in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, do not move the markers of your neighbors' property boundaries that were placed there long ago.
+\v 14 When you are living in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, do not move the markers of your neighbors’ property boundaries that were placed there long ago.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 If someone is accused of committing a crime, one person who says, 'I saw him do it' is not enough to find him guilty. There must be at least two people who say, 'We saw him do it.' If there is only one witness, the judge must not believe that what he says is true.
+\v 15 If someone is accused of committing a crime, one person who says, ‘I saw him do it’ is not enough to find him guilty. There must be at least two people who say, ‘We saw him do it.’ If there is only one witness, the judge must not believe that what he says is true.
 \p
 \v 16 Or suppose that someone tries to do wrong to another person by falsely accusing him.
 
@@ -1275,7 +1275,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 20 And when that person is punished, everyone will hear what has happened, and they will be afraid, and no one will dare to act that way anymore.
-\v 21 You must not pity people who are punished like that. The rule should be that a person who has murdered someone else must be executed; one of a person's eyes must be gouged out if he has gouged out someone else's eye, one tooth of a person who has knocked out the tooth of another person must be knocked out; one hand of a person who has cut off the hand of another person must likewise be cut off; one foot of a person who has cut off the foot of another person must also be cut off.
+\v 21 You must not pity people who are punished like that. The rule should be that a person who has murdered someone else must be executed; one of a person’s eyes must be gouged out if he has gouged out someone else’s eye, one tooth of a person who has knocked out the tooth of another person must be knocked out; one hand of a person who has cut off the hand of another person must likewise be cut off; one foot of a person who has cut off the foot of another person must also be cut off.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1286,20 +1286,20 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 2 When you are ready to start the battle, the high priest must stand in front of the troops.
-\v 3 He must say to them, 'You Israelite men, listen to me! Today you are going to fight against your enemies. Do not be timid or afraid,
-\v 4 because Yahweh our God will go with you. He will fight your enemies for you, and he will enable you to defeat them.'
+\v 3 He must say to them, ‘You Israelite men, listen to me! Today you are going to fight against your enemies. Do not be timid or afraid,
+\v 4 because Yahweh our God will go with you. He will fight your enemies for you, and he will enable you to defeat them.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 Then the army officers must say to the troops, 'If anyone among you has just built a new house and has not dedicated it to God, he should go home and dedicate the house. If he does not do that, if he dies in the battle, someone else will dedicate the house and live in it.
+\v 5 Then the army officers must say to the troops, ‘If anyone among you has just built a new house and has not dedicated it to God, he should go home and dedicate the house. If he does not do that, if he dies in the battle, someone else will dedicate the house and live in it.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 If anyone among you has planted a vineyard and has not yet harvested any grapes from it, he should go home. If he stays here and dies in the battle, someone else will harvest the grapes and enjoy the wine made from them.
-\v 7 If anyone among you has become engaged to marry a woman but has not married her yet, he should go home. If he stays here and dies in the battle, someone else will marry her.'
+\v 7 If anyone among you has become engaged to marry a woman but has not married her yet, he should go home. If he stays here and dies in the battle, someone else will marry her.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 Then the officers must also say, 'If anyone among you is afraid or timid, he should go home, in order that he does not cause his fellow soldiers to also stop being courageous.'
+\v 8 Then the officers must also say, ‘If anyone among you is afraid or timid, he should go home, in order that he does not cause his fellow soldiers to also stop being courageous.’
 \v 9 When the officers have finished speaking to the troops, they must appoint commanders over them.
 
 \s5
@@ -1324,15 +1324,15 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 19 When you surround a city for a long time, trying to capture it, do not cut down the fruit trees outside the city. You are allowed to eat the fruit from the trees, but do not destroy the trees, because they certainly are not your enemies.
-\v 20 You are permitted to cut down the other trees and use the wood to make ladders and towers to enable you to go over the walls and capture the city."
+\v 20 You are permitted to cut down the other trees and use the wood to make ladders and towers to enable you to go over the walls and capture the city.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 21
 
 \p
-\v 1 "Suppose someone has been murdered in a field in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, and you do not know who killed that person.
-\v 2 If that happens, your elders and judges must go out to where that person's corpse was found and measure the distance from there to each of the nearby towns.
+\v 1 “Suppose someone has been murdered in a field in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, and you do not know who killed that person.
+\v 2 If that happens, your elders and judges must go out to where that person’s corpse was found and measure the distance from there to each of the nearby towns.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 Then the elders in the closest town must select a young cow that has never been used for doing work.
@@ -1343,10 +1343,10 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 6 The elders from the closest town must wash their hands over the young cow whose neck was broken, there in the valley,
-\v 7 and they must say, 'We did not murder this person, and we did not see who did it.
+\v 7 and they must say, ‘We did not murder this person, and we did not see who did it.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 Yahweh, forgive us, your Israelite people whom you rescued from Egypt. Do not consider us to be guilty. Instead, forgive us.'
+\v 8 Yahweh, forgive us, your Israelite people whom you rescued from Egypt. Do not consider us to be guilty. Instead, forgive us.’
 \v 9 By doing that, you will be doing what Yahweh considers to be right, and you will not be considered to be guilty for murdering that person.
 
 
@@ -1357,7 +1357,7 @@
 \v 12 He should take her to his home, and there she must shave all the hair off her head and cut her fingernails to signify that now she does not belong to her people group anymore, but now she is becoming an Israelite.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 She must take off the clothes that she was wearing when she was captured, and put on Israelite clothes. She must stay in that man's house and mourn for a month because of leaving her parents. After that, he will be allowed to marry her.
+\v 13 She must take off the clothes that she was wearing when she was captured, and put on Israelite clothes. She must stay in that man’s house and mourn for a month because of leaving her parents. After that, he will be allowed to marry her.
 \v 14 Later, if he no longer is pleased with her, he will be permitted to allow her to leave him. But because she was shamed and was forced to sleep with him, he will not be allowed to treat her like a slave and sell her to anyone else.
 
 
@@ -1374,7 +1374,7 @@
 \v 19 If that happens, his parents must take him to the gate of the city where they live and have him stand in front of the elders of the city.
 
 \s5
-\v 20 Then the parents must say to the elders of that city, 'This son of ours is stubborn and always rebelling against us. He will not pay attention to what we tell him. He eats too much, and he gets drunk.'
+\v 20 Then the parents must say to the elders of that city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and always rebelling against us. He will not pay attention to what we tell him. He eats too much, and he gets drunk.’
 \v 21 Then all the elders of that city must execute him by throwing stones at him. By doing that, you will get rid of this evil practice from among you. And everyone in Israel will hear about what happened and they will be afraid to do what he did.
 
 
@@ -1388,30 +1388,30 @@
 \c 22
 
 \p
-\v 1 If you see an Israelite's ox or sheep that has strayed away, do not act as though you did not see it. Take it back to its owner.
+\v 1 If you see an Israelite’s ox or sheep that has strayed away, do not act as though you did not see it. Take it back to its owner.
 \v 2 But if the owner does not live near you, or if you do not know who he is, take the animal to your house. It can stay with you until the owner comes, searching for it. Then you must give the animal to him.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 You must do that same thing if you see a donkey, a piece of clothing, or anything else that someone has lost. Do not refuse to do what you should do. Do not pretend to know nothing about the matter.
 \p
-\v 4 And if you see a fellow Israelite's donkey or cow that has fallen down on the road, do not act as though you did not see it. Help the owner to lift the animal up so that it can stand on its feet again.
+\v 4 And if you see a fellow Israelite’s donkey or cow that has fallen down on the road, do not act as though you did not see it. Help the owner to lift the animal up so that it can stand on its feet again.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 Women must not wear men's clothes, and men must not wear women's clothes. Yahweh our God hates people who do things like that.
+\v 5 Women must not wear men’s clothes, and men must not wear women’s clothes. Yahweh our God hates people who do things like that.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 If you happen to find a bird's nest in a tree or on the ground, and the mother bird is sitting in the nest on its eggs or with the baby birds, do not take the mother bird and kill it.
+\v 6 If you happen to find a bird’s nest in a tree or on the ground, and the mother bird is sitting in the nest on its eggs or with the baby birds, do not take the mother bird and kill it.
 \v 7 You are permitted to take the baby birds, but you must allow the mother bird to fly away. Do this in order that things will go well for you and that you will live for a long time.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 If you build a new house, you must put a railing around the roof. In this way, you will not be guilty of having caused someone's death if a person falls from it and dies.
+\v 8 If you build a new house, you must put a railing around the roof. In this way, you will not be guilty of having caused someone’s death if a person falls from it and dies.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 Do not plant any crop in the area where your grapevines are growing. If you do, the priests in Yahweh's sanctuary will seize both the seed and the harvest of that vineyard.
+\v 9 Do not plant any crop in the area where your grapevines are growing. If you do, the priests in Yahweh’s sanctuary will seize both the seed and the harvest of that vineyard.
 \p
 \v 10 Do not hitch together an ox and a donkey for plowing your fields.
 \p
@@ -1428,11 +1428,11 @@
 \v 14 and suppose that he says false things about her, and claims that she was not a virgin when he married her.
 
 \s5
-\v 15 If that happens, the young woman's parents must take the sheet that was on the bed when the man and their daughter were married, which still has bloodstains on it, and show it to the elders of the city at the gate of the city.
+\v 15 If that happens, the young woman’s parents must take the sheet that was on the bed when the man and their daughter were married, which still has bloodstains on it, and show it to the elders of the city at the gate of the city.
 
 \s5
-\v 16 Then the father of the young woman must say to the elders, 'I gave my daughter to this man to be his wife. But now he says that he does not want her anymore.
-\v 17 And he has falsely said that she was not a virgin when he married her. But look! Here is what proves that my daughter was a virgin! Look at the bloodstains on the sheet where they slept the night that they were married!' And he will show the sheet to the elders.
+\v 16 Then the father of the young woman must say to the elders, ‘I gave my daughter to this man to be his wife. But now he says that he does not want her anymore.
+\v 17 And he has falsely said that she was not a virgin when he married her. But look! Here is what proves that my daughter was a virgin! Look at the bloodstains on the sheet where they slept the night that they were married!’ And he will show the sheet to the elders.
 
 \s5
 \v 18 Then the elders of that city must take that man and whip him.
@@ -1441,11 +1441,11 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 But if what the man said is true, and there is nothing to prove that she was a virgin when he married her,
-\v 21 they must take that young woman to the door of her father's house. Then the men of that city must execute her by throwing stones at her. They must do that because she has done something in Israel that is very disgraceful, by sleeping with some man while she was still living in her father's house. By executing her like that, you will get rid of this evil practice from among you.
+\v 21 they must take that young woman to the door of her father’s house. Then the men of that city must execute her by throwing stones at her. They must do that because she has done something in Israel that is very disgraceful, by sleeping with some man while she was still living in her father’s house. By executing her like that, you will get rid of this evil practice from among you.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 If a man is caught while he is sleeping with another man's wife, both of them must be executed. By doing that, you will get rid of this evil practice from Israel.
+\v 22 If a man is caught while he is sleeping with another man’s wife, both of them must be executed. By doing that, you will get rid of this evil practice from Israel.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1461,24 +1461,24 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 28 If a man forces a young woman who is not engaged to be married to sleep with him, and if someone sees him while he is doing that,
-\v 29 that man must pay fifty pieces of silver to the young woman's father, and he must marry her, because he shamed her by forcing her to sleep with him. He is not allowed to divorce her during the rest of his life.
+\v 29 that man must pay fifty pieces of silver to the young woman’s father, and he must marry her, because he shamed her by forcing her to sleep with him. He is not allowed to divorce her during the rest of his life.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 30 A man must not take what belongs to his father by sleeping with any of his father's wives.
+\v 30 A man must not take what belongs to his father by sleeping with any of his father’s wives.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 23
 
 \p
-\v 1 Any male person whose reproductive organs have been destroyed may not be included as one of Yahweh's people.
+\v 1 Any male person whose reproductive organs have been destroyed may not be included as one of Yahweh’s people.
 \p
-\v 2 No illegitimate person or descendant of an illegitimate person, extending to the tenth generation, shall be included as one of Yahweh's people.
+\v 2 No illegitimate person or descendant of an illegitimate person, extending to the tenth generation, shall be included as one of Yahweh’s people.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 No one from the Ammon or Moab people groups shall be included as one of Yahweh's people, extending to the tenth generation.
+\v 3 No one from the Ammon or Moab people groups shall be included as one of Yahweh’s people, extending to the tenth generation.
 \v 4 One reason for this is that their leaders refused to give your ancestors food and water when they were traveling from Egypt to Canaan. Another reason is that they paid Balaam son of Beor from the town of Pethor in Mesopotamia, to curse you Israelites.
 
 \s5
@@ -1488,7 +1488,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 But do not despise anyone from the Edom people group, because they are descendants of your ancestor Isaac, just like you are. And do not despise people from Egypt, because they treated your ancestors well when they first lived in Egypt.
-\v 8 The grandchildren of people from Edom and Egypt who live among you now may be included among Yahweh's people.
+\v 8 The grandchildren of people from Edom and Egypt who live among you now may be included among Yahweh’s people.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1527,8 +1527,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 24 When you walk through someone else's vineyard, you are allowed to pick and eat as many grapes as you want, but you must not put any in a container and take them away.
-\v 25 When you walk along a path in someone else's field of grain, you are allowed to pluck some of the grain and eat it, but you must not cut any grain with a sickle and take it with you.
+\v 24 When you walk through someone else’s vineyard, you are allowed to pick and eat as many grapes as you want, but you must not put any in a container and take them away.
+\v 25 When you walk along a path in someone else’s field of grain, you are allowed to pluck some of the grain and eat it, but you must not cut any grain with a sickle and take it with you.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1553,7 +1553,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 If someone kidnaps a fellow Israelite to make that person his slave or to sell him to become someone else's slave, you must execute the person who did that. By doing that, you will get rid of this evil from among you.
+\v 7 If someone kidnaps a fellow Israelite to make that person his slave or to sell him to become someone else’s slave, you must execute the person who did that. By doing that, you will get rid of this evil from among you.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1590,14 +1590,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 21 Similarly, when you pick the grapes in your vineyard, do not go back a second time to try to find more. Leave them for the foreigners, orphans, and widows among you.
-\v 22 Do not forget that Yahweh acted kindly toward you when you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I am commanding you to be kind to those who are needy."
+\v 22 Do not forget that Yahweh acted kindly toward you when you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I am commanding you to be kind to those who are needy.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 25
 
 \p
-\v 1 "If two Israelites have a dispute and they go to a court, the judge will probably decide that one is innocent and that the other one is guilty.
+\v 1 “If two Israelites have a dispute and they go to a court, the judge will probably decide that one is innocent and that the other one is guilty.
 \v 2 If the judge says that the guilty person must be punished, he shall command him to lie with his face on the ground and be whipped. The number of times he is struck with a whip will depend on what kind of crime he committed.
 
 \s5
@@ -1611,21 +1611,21 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 If two brothers live on the same property, and one of them who has no son dies, the man's widow should not marry someone who is not a member of his family. The dead man's brother must marry her and sleep with her. It is his duty to do that.
-\v 6 If she later gives birth to a son, that son is to be considered the son of the man who died, in order that the dead man's name will not disappear from Israel.
+\v 5 If two brothers live on the same property, and one of them who has no son dies, the man’s widow should not marry someone who is not a member of his family. The dead man’s brother must marry her and sleep with her. It is his duty to do that.
+\v 6 If she later gives birth to a son, that son is to be considered the son of the man who died, in order that the dead man’s name will not disappear from Israel.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 But if the dead man's brother does not want to marry that woman, she must stand at the city gate. She must say to the city leaders, 'My husband's brother refuses to marry me in order that I may give birth to a son who will prevent the dead man's name from disappearing in Israel.'
+\v 7 But if the dead man’s brother does not want to marry that woman, she must stand at the city gate. She must say to the city leaders, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to marry me in order that I may give birth to a son who will prevent the dead man’s name from disappearing in Israel.’
 \v 8 Then the elders must summon that man and talk to him. Perhaps he will still refuse to marry that widow.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 In that case, she must go up to him while the elders are watching, and take off one of his sandals to symbolize that he would not receive any of her property, spit in his face, and say to him, 'This is what happens to the man who refuses to do what is needed to allow his dead brother to have a son in order that our family name does not disappear.'
-\v 10 After that happens, that man's family will be known as 'the family of the man whose sandal was pulled off.'
+\v 9 In that case, she must go up to him while the elders are watching, and take off one of his sandals to symbolize that he would not receive any of her property, spit in his face, and say to him, ‘This is what happens to the man who refuses to do what is needed to allow his dead brother to have a son in order that our family name does not disappear.’
+\v 10 After that happens, that man’s family will be known as ‘the family of the man whose sandal was pulled off.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 When two men are fighting with each other, and the one man's wife comes up to help her husband by grabbing hold of the other man's private parts,
+\v 11 When two men are fighting with each other, and the one man’s wife comes up to help her husband by grabbing hold of the other man’s private parts,
 \v 12 do not act mercifully toward her; cut off her hand.
 
 \s5
@@ -1652,11 +1652,11 @@
 \v 2 each of you must take some of the first crops that you harvest, put it in a basket, and take it to the place that Yahweh will have chosen for you to worship there.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 Go to the high priest who is serving at that time and say to him, 'By giving you this first part of my harvest today, I am declaring to Yahweh our God that I have picked it in the land that he solemnly promised to our ancestors to give to us.'
+\v 3 Go to the high priest who is serving at that time and say to him, ‘By giving you this first part of my harvest today, I am declaring to Yahweh our God that I have picked it in the land that he solemnly promised to our ancestors to give to us.’
 \v 4 Then the priest must take the basket of food from your hand and put it on the altar where sacrifices are offered to Yahweh our God.
 
 \s5
-\v 5 Then in Yahweh's presence you must say this: 'My ancestor Jacob was a man from Aram and powerful nation. He took his family to Egypt. They were a small group when they went there, but they lived there and their descendants became a very large and powerful nation.
+\v 5 Then in Yahweh’s presence you must say this: ‘My ancestor Jacob was a man from Aram and powerful nation. He took his family to Egypt. They were a small group when they went there, but they lived there and their descendants became a very large and powerful nation.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 Then the people of Egypt acted very harshly toward them, and they forced them to become their slaves and to work very hard.
@@ -1667,18 +1667,18 @@
 \v 9 You brought us to this land and gave it to us, a land that is very fertile.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 So now, Yahweh, I have brought to you the first part of the harvest from the land that I received.' Then you must set the basket down in Yahweh's presence and worship him there.
+\v 10 So now, Yahweh, I have brought to you the first part of the harvest from the land that I received.’ Then you must set the basket down in Yahweh’s presence and worship him there.
 \v 11 And you must celebrate by eating a meal together to thank Yahweh our God for all the good things that he has given to you and to your family. And you must invite the descendants of Levi and the foreigners who are living among you to also rejoice and eat with you.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 Every third year, you must bring to the descendants of Levi and to the foreigners who are living among you and the orphans and the widows a tithe of your crops, in order that in every town they will have plenty to eat.
-\v 13 Then you must say to Yahweh, 'I have brought to you, from my house, all of the tenth from my harvest this year, the tenth that I have set aside for you. I am giving it to the descendants of Levi, to the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows, as you commanded us to do. I have not disobeyed any of your commands about the tenth portion, and I have not forgotten any of your commands about it.
+\v 13 Then you must say to Yahweh, ‘I have brought to you, from my house, all of the tenth from my harvest this year, the tenth that I have set aside for you. I am giving it to the descendants of Levi, to the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows, as you commanded us to do. I have not disobeyed any of your commands about the tenth portion, and I have not forgotten any of your commands about it.
 
 \s5
 \v 14 I declare that I have not eaten any food from the tenth portion while I was mourning for someone who died. And I have not taken any of it out of my house while I was in any condition unacceptable to you; I have not offered any of it to spirits of dead people. Yahweh, I have obeyed you and done everything that you have commanded us concerning the tenth portion.
-\v 15 So please look down from your holy place in heaven, and bless us, your Israelite people. Also bless this very fertile land which you have given to us, which is what you promised our ancestors that you would do.'
+\v 15 So please look down from your holy place in heaven, and bless us, your Israelite people. Also bless this very fertile land which you have given to us, which is what you promised our ancestors that you would do.’
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1688,14 +1688,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 18 And today Yahweh has declared that you are his people, which is what he promised that you would be, and he commands you to obey all his commands.
-\v 19 If you do that, he will cause you to become greater than any other nation that he has established, and he will enable you to praise him and honor him. You are a special people to Yahweh, set apart and holy to him, just as he promised."
+\v 19 If you do that, he will cause you to become greater than any other nation that he has established, and he will enable you to praise him and honor him. You are a special people to Yahweh, set apart and holy to him, just as he promised.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 27
 
 \p
-\v 1 Moses, along with the other Israelite leaders, said this to the people: "Obey all the commandments that I am giving to you today.
+\v 1 Moses, along with the other Israelite leaders, said this to the people: “Obey all the commandments that I am giving to you today.
 \v 2 Soon you will cross the Jordan River and enter the land that Yahweh, your God, promised to give to you. There, set up some large stones and cover them with plaster.
 \v 3 Write on those stones all these laws and teachings, when you enter that very fertile land that Yahweh, the God whom our ancestors worshiped, promised to give to you.
 
@@ -1706,18 +1706,18 @@
 \s5
 \v 6 The altar that you make to burn sacrifices to Yahweh our God must be made with uncut stones.
 \v 7 And there you must sacrifice offerings to restore fellowship with Yahweh, and you must eat your share of those offerings and rejoice in the presence of Yahweh.
-\v 8 And, when you write these laws on those stones, you must write them very clearly."
+\v 8 And, when you write these laws on those stones, you must write them very clearly.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 Then Moses, along with the priests, said to all the Israelite people, "You Israelite people, be quiet and listen to what I am saying. Today you have become the people who belong to Yahweh, our God.
-\v 10 So you must do what he tells you, and obey all the rules and regulations that I am giving to you today."
+\v 9 Then Moses, along with the priests, said to all the Israelite people, “You Israelite people, be quiet and listen to what I am saying. Today you have become the people who belong to Yahweh, our God.
+\v 10 So you must do what he tells you, and obey all the rules and regulations that I am giving to you today.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 11 On that same day Moses said to the Israelite people,
-\v 12 "After you have crossed over the Jordan River, the tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin must stand on Mount Gerizim and request Yahweh to bless the people.
+\v 12 “After you have crossed over the Jordan River, the tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin must stand on Mount Gerizim and request Yahweh to bless the people.
 
 \s5
 \v 13 And the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali must stand on Mount Ebal and listen to the things that Yahweh will do when he curses the people.
@@ -1726,62 +1726,62 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 15 'Yahweh will curse anyone who carves a figure from wood or stone or casts a figure from metal, and secretly sets it up and worships it.
-\q2 Yahweh considers that those things are detestable.'
-\q2 And all the people must reply, 'Amen.'
+\v 15 ‘Yahweh will curse anyone who carves a figure from wood or stone or casts a figure from metal, and secretly sets it up and worships it.
+\q2 Yahweh considers that those things are detestable.’
+\q2 And all the people must reply, ‘Amen.’
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 16 'Yahweh will curse anyone who dishonors his father or his mother.'
-\q2 And all the people must reply, 'Amen.'
+\v 16 ‘Yahweh will curse anyone who dishonors his father or his mother.’
+\q2 And all the people must reply, ‘Amen.’
 \q1
-\v 17 'Yahweh will curse anyone who removes someone else's markers of property boundaries.'
-\q2 And all the people must reply, 'Amen.'
+\v 17 ‘Yahweh will curse anyone who removes someone else’s markers of property boundaries.’
+\q2 And all the people must reply, ‘Amen.’
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 18 'Yahweh will curse anyone who leads a blind person to go in the wrong direction.'
-\q2 And all the people must reply, 'Amen.'
+\v 18 ‘Yahweh will curse anyone who leads a blind person to go in the wrong direction.’
+\q2 And all the people must reply, ‘Amen.’
 \q1
-\v 19 'Yahweh will curse anyone who deprives foreigners or orphans or widow of the things that the laws state must be done for them.'
-\q2 And all the people must reply, 'Amen.'
+\v 19 ‘Yahweh will curse anyone who deprives foreigners or orphans or widow of the things that the laws state must be done for them.’
+\q2 And all the people must reply, ‘Amen.’
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 20 'Yahweh will curse anyone who shows no respect for his father
-\q2 by sleeping with any of his father's wives.'
-\q2 And all the people must reply, 'Amen.'
+\v 20 ‘Yahweh will curse anyone who shows no respect for his father
+\q2 by sleeping with any of his father’s wives.’
+\q2 And all the people must reply, ‘Amen.’
 \q1
-\v 21 'Yahweh will curse anyone who sleeps with any animal.'
-\q2 And all the people must reply, 'Amen.'
+\v 21 ‘Yahweh will curse anyone who sleeps with any animal.’
+\q2 And all the people must reply, ‘Amen.’
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 22 'Yahweh will curse anyone who sleeps with his sister or with his half-sister.'
-\q2 And all the people must reply, 'Amen.'
+\v 22 ‘Yahweh will curse anyone who sleeps with his sister or with his half-sister.’
+\q2 And all the people must reply, ‘Amen.’
 \q1
-\v 23 'Yahweh will curse anyone who sleeps with his mother-in-law.'
-\q2 And all the people must reply, 'Amen.'
+\v 23 ‘Yahweh will curse anyone who sleeps with his mother-in-law.’
+\q2 And all the people must reply, ‘Amen.’
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 24 'Yahweh will curse anyone who secretly murders someone else.'
-\q2 And all the people must reply, 'Amen.'
+\v 24 ‘Yahweh will curse anyone who secretly murders someone else.’
+\q2 And all the people must reply, ‘Amen.’
 \q1
-\v 25 'Yahweh will curse anyone who, because someone else has given him a bribe, murders someone who is innocent.'
-\q2 And all the people must reply, 'Amen.'
+\v 25 ‘Yahweh will curse anyone who, because someone else has given him a bribe, murders someone who is innocent.’
+\q2 And all the people must reply, ‘Amen.’
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 26 'Yahweh will curse anyone who by disobeying these laws refuses to declare that those laws are good.'
-\q2 And all the people must reply, 'Amen.'"
+\v 26 ‘Yahweh will curse anyone who by disobeying these laws refuses to declare that those laws are good.’
+\q2 And all the people must reply, ‘Amen.’”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 28
 
 \p
-\v 1 "If you do what Yahweh our God tells you to do and faithfully obey everything that I am today commanding you to do, he will cause you to become greater than any other nation on the earth.
+\v 1 “If you do what Yahweh our God tells you to do and faithfully obey everything that I am today commanding you to do, he will cause you to become greater than any other nation on the earth.
 \v 2 If you obey Yahweh, all these blessings will come to you.
 
 \s5
@@ -1985,8 +1985,8 @@
 \v 66 You will always be afraid that your enemies will kill you. You will be very fearful, all day and all night.
 
 \s5
-\v 67 Because you will be very fearful and because you will very distressed because of the terrible things that you see, each morning you will say 'I wish it were evening already!' and each evening you will say 'I wish it were morning already!'
-\v 68 Yahweh will send some of you back to Egypt in ships, even though he promised that you would never be forced to go there again. There in Egypt you will try to sell yourselves to become slaves of your enemies in order to have food to eat, but no one will buy you."
+\v 67 Because you will be very fearful and because you will very distressed because of the terrible things that you see, each morning you will say ‘I wish it were evening already!’ and each evening you will say ‘I wish it were morning already!’
+\v 68 Yahweh will send some of you back to Egypt in ships, even though he promised that you would never be forced to go there again. There in Egypt you will try to sell yourselves to become slaves of your enemies in order to have food to eat, but no one will buy you.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1997,7 +1997,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 2 Moses summoned all the Israelite people and said to them, "You saw for yourselves what Yahweh did to the king of Egypt and to his officials and to his entire country.
+\v 2 Moses summoned all the Israelite people and said to them, “You saw for yourselves what Yahweh did to the king of Egypt and to his officials and to his entire country.
 \v 3 You saw all the plagues that Yahweh sent on them, and all the various miracles that he performed.
 \v 4 But to this day, Yahweh has not enabled you to understand the meaning of all that you have seen and heard.
 
@@ -2030,7 +2030,7 @@
 \v 17 In those countries they saw those disgusting idols made of wood and stone and decorated with silver and gold.
 \v 18 So be sure that no man or woman or family or tribe that is here today turns away from Yahweh our God, to worship any of the gods of those people groups. If you do that, you will bring disaster on yourselves.
 \p
-\v 19 Be sure that no one here today who hears the words of this covenant says to himself, 'Everything will go well with me, even if I stubbornly do what I want to.' If you do that, the result will be that Yahweh will eventually destroy all of you, both good people and evil people.
+\v 19 Be sure that no one here today who hears the words of this covenant says to himself, ‘Everything will go well with me, even if I stubbornly do what I want to.’ If you do that, the result will be that Yahweh will eventually destroy all of you, both good people and evil people.
 \s5
 \v 20 Yahweh will not forgive anyone who is stubborn like that. Instead, he will be extremely angry with that person, and all the curses that I have told you about will happen to that person, until Yahweh destroys that person and his family forever.
 \v 21 From all the tribes of Israel, Yahweh will choose that individual to suffer all the disasters that I have listed in the covenant—all the bad things that will happen to anyone whom Yahweh curses for disobeying the laws that I have written in this scroll.
@@ -2039,16 +2039,16 @@
 \p
 \v 22 In future years, your descendants and people from other countries will see the disasters and the illnesses that Yahweh has caused to happen to you.
 \v 23 They will see that all your land has been ruined by burning sulfur and salt. Nothing will have been planted. Not even weeds will be there. Your land will resemble the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities of Admah and Zeboyim, which Yahweh destroyed when he was very angry with those people.
-\v 24 And the people from those other nations will ask, 'Why did Yahweh do this to this land? Why was he so angry with the people who lived here?'
+\v 24 And the people from those other nations will ask, ‘Why did Yahweh do this to this land? Why was he so angry with the people who lived here?’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 25 Then other people will reply, 'It is because they refused to obey the covenant that they had made with Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors worshiped, when he brought them out of Egypt.
+\v 25 Then other people will reply, ‘It is because they refused to obey the covenant that they had made with Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors worshiped, when he brought them out of Egypt.
 \v 26 Instead, they wroshiped other gods that they had never worshiped before, gods that Yahweh had not told them to worship.
 
 \s5
 \v 27 So Yahweh became very angry with the people of this land, and he has caused to happen to them all the disasters that their leader warned them about.
-\v 28 Yahweh became extremely angry with them and took them out of their land, and threw them into another land, and they are still there.'
+\v 28 Yahweh became extremely angry with them and took them out of their land, and threw them into another land, and they are still there.’
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2080,10 +2080,10 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 11 The commands that I am giving to you today are not very difficult for you to obey, and they are not difficult to know.
-\v 12 They are not hidden in heaven. You do not need to say, 'Who can go up to heaven for us to bring them down here to us so we can learn them?'
+\v 12 They are not hidden in heaven. You do not need to say, ‘Who can go up to heaven for us to bring them down here to us so we can learn them?’
 
 \s5
-\v 13 And they are not on the other side of the sea. You do not need to say, 'Who will cross the sea for us and bring them back to us, so we can learn them?'
+\v 13 And they are not on the other side of the sea. You do not need to say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us and bring them back to us, so we can learn them?’
 \v 14 No, his commands are here with you. You know them, and you can say them again and again. So you can easily obey them.
 
 \s5
@@ -2099,7 +2099,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 19 I am requesting everyone in heaven and on the earth to testify to you, that today I am allowing you to choose whether you want to live for a long time or to soon die, whether you want Yahweh to bless you or to curse you. So choose to live.
-\v 20 Decide to love Yahweh our God and to obey him. If you do that, you and your descendants will live for a long time in the land that Yahweh solemnly promised to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that he would give to them."
+\v 20 Decide to love Yahweh our God and to obey him. If you do that, you and your descendants will live for a long time in the land that Yahweh solemnly promised to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that he would give to them.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -2107,43 +2107,43 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 When Moses finished saying all that to the Israelite people,
-\v 2 "I am 120 years old. I am no longer able to go everywhere that you need to go, so I cannot be your leader any longer. Furthermore, Yahweh has told me that I will not cross the Jordan River.
+\v 2 “I am 120 years old. I am no longer able to go everywhere that you need to go, so I cannot be your leader any longer. Furthermore, Yahweh has told me that I will not cross the Jordan River.
 \v 3 But Yahweh our God will go ahead of you. He will enable you to destroy the nations that are living there, in order that you can occupy their land. Joshua will be your leader, which is what Yahweh has already told me.
 
 \s5
 \v 4 Yahweh will do to those nations what he did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amor people group when he destroyed their armies and their people groups.
 \v 5 Yahweh will enable you to conquer those people groups, but you must kill all of those people, which is what I have commanded you to do.
-\v 6 Be brave and confident. Do not be afraid of those people. Do not forget that it is Yahweh our God who will go with you. He will always help you and never abandon you."
+\v 6 Be brave and confident. Do not be afraid of those people. Do not forget that it is Yahweh our God who will go with you. He will always help you and never abandon you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 Then Moses called Joshua to his side and said to him, "Be brave and confident. You are the one who will lead these people into the land that Yahweh promised to our ancestors that he would give to them, and you will enable them to occupy it.
-\v 8 It is Yahweh who will go ahead of you. He will be with you. He will always help you. He will never abandon you. So do not be afraid or dismayed."
+\v 7 Then Moses called Joshua to his side and said to him, “Be brave and confident. You are the one who will lead these people into the land that Yahweh promised to our ancestors that he would give to them, and you will enable them to occupy it.
+\v 8 It is Yahweh who will go ahead of you. He will be with you. He will always help you. He will never abandon you. So do not be afraid or dismayed.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 9 Moses wrote down all these laws and gave the scroll to the priests, who carried the sacred chest. He also gave the scroll to all the Israelite elders.
-\v 10 Moses told them, "At the end of every seven years, at the time that all debts are canceled, read this to the people during the Festival of Shelters.
+\v 10 Moses told them, “At the end of every seven years, at the time that all debts are canceled, read this to the people during the Festival of Shelters.
 \v 11 Read it to all the Israelite people when they gather at the place that Yahweh chooses for them to worship him.
 
 \s5
 \v 12 Gather together everyone—men, women, children, even the foreigners who are living in your towns—in order that they may hear these laws and learn to have an awesome respect for Yahweh our God, and to faithfully obey everything that is written in these laws.
-\v 13 If they do that, your descendants, who have never known these laws, will hear them and will also learn to have an awesome respect for Yahweh our God, during all the years that they live in the land that you are about to cross the Jordan River to occupy."
+\v 13 If they do that, your descendants, who have never known these laws, will hear them and will also learn to have an awesome respect for Yahweh our God, during all the years that they live in the land that you are about to cross the Jordan River to occupy.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Listen carefully. You will soon die. Summon Joshua, and you will go to the sacred tent with him, in order that I may appoint him to be the new leader." So Joshua and Moses went to the sacred tent.
+\v 14 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Listen carefully. You will soon die. Summon Joshua, and you will go to the sacred tent with him, in order that I may appoint him to be the new leader.” So Joshua and Moses went to the sacred tent.
 
 \p
 \v 15 There Yahweh appeared to them in a pillar of cloud, and that cloud was over the entrance to the tent.
 
 \s5
-\v 16 Yahweh said to Moses, "You will soon die. Then these people will become unfaithful to me. They will stop obeying the covenant that I made with them. They will begin to worship the foreign gods that are worshiped by the people of the land that they will enter.
+\v 16 Yahweh said to Moses, “You will soon die. Then these people will become unfaithful to me. They will stop obeying the covenant that I made with them. They will begin to worship the foreign gods that are worshiped by the people of the land that they will enter.
 
 \s5
-\v 17 When that happens, I will become very angry with them. I will abandon them and refuse to help them any longer. Many bad things will happen to them, and they will be destroyed. Then they will say among themselves, 'These things are happening to us because our God is no longer with us.'
+\v 17 When that happens, I will become very angry with them. I will abandon them and refuse to help them any longer. Many bad things will happen to them, and they will be destroyed. Then they will say among themselves, ‘These things are happening to us because our God is no longer with us.’
 \v 18 And because of all the evil things that they will have done, and especially because they will have started to worship other gods, I will refuse to help them.
 
 \s5
@@ -2152,23 +2152,23 @@
 \v 20 I am about to take them into a very fertile land, a land that I solemnly promised their ancestors that I would give to them. There they will have plenty to eat, with the result that their stomachs will always be full and they will become fat. But then they will turn to other gods and start to worship them, and they will despise me and break the covenant that I have made with them.
 
 \s5
-\v 21 And many terrible disasters will happen to them. After that happens, their descendants will remember this song, and it will be like a witness that says, 'Now you know why Yahweh punished your ancestors.' I will soon take them into the land that I solemnly promised that I would give to them; but even now, before I do that, I know what they are thinking that they will do when they are living there."
+\v 21 And many terrible disasters will happen to them. After that happens, their descendants will remember this song, and it will be like a witness that says, ‘Now you know why Yahweh punished your ancestors.’ I will soon take them into the land that I solemnly promised that I would give to them; but even now, before I do that, I know what they are thinking that they will do when they are living there.”
 
 \s5
 \v 22 So on the very day that Yahweh gave Moses that song, Moses also taught it to the Israelite people.
 \p
-\v 23 Then Yahweh appointed Joshua as leader and said to him, "Be brave and confident, because you will lead the Israelite people into the land that I solemnly promised that I would give to them. And I will be with you."
+\v 23 Then Yahweh appointed Joshua as leader and said to him, “Be brave and confident, because you will lead the Israelite people into the land that I solemnly promised that I would give to them. And I will be with you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 24 Moses finished writing all the law onto a scroll.
 \v 25 Then he told the descendants of Levi, who were carrying the Sacred Chest that contained the Ten Commandments,
-\v 26 "Take this scroll on which these laws are written, and place it beside the Sacred Chest that contains the covenant that Yahweh our God made with you, in order that it may remain there to testify about what Yahweh will do to the people if they disobey him.
+\v 26 “Take this scroll on which these laws are written, and place it beside the Sacred Chest that contains the covenant that Yahweh our God made with you, in order that it may remain there to testify about what Yahweh will do to the people if they disobey him.
 
 \s5
 \v 27 I say this because I know that these people are very stubborn. They have rebelled against Yahweh all during the time that I have been with them, and they will rebel much more after I die!
 \v 28 So gather all the elders of the tribes and your officials, in order that I can teach them the words of this song, and so that I can request all those who are in heaven and on the earth to be witnesses to testify against these people.
-\v 29 I say this, because I know that after I die, the people will become very wicked. They will stop doing everything that I have commanded them to do. And in the future, because of all the evil things that they will do, they will cause Yahweh to become angry with them. Then he will cause them to experience disasters."
+\v 29 I say this, because I know that after I die, the people will become very wicked. They will stop doing everything that I have commanded them to do. And in the future, because of all the evil things that they will do, they will cause Yahweh to become angry with them. Then he will cause them to experience disasters.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -2179,7 +2179,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 32
 \q
-\v 1 "Listen to me, all you who are in the heavens,
+\v 1 “Listen to me, all you who are in the heavens,
 \q and all you who are on the earth, listen to what I say.
 \q
 \v 2 I wish that my song may help you like the rain helps you,
@@ -2280,7 +2280,7 @@
 \v 19 When Yahweh saw that they had abandoned him, he became angry,
 \q so he rejected the Israelite people who were like his sons and daughters.
 \q
-\v 20 He said, 'They are very wicked people,
+\v 20 He said, ‘They are very wicked people,
 \q very unfaithful;
 \q so I will no longer help them,
 \q and then I will watch and see what happens to them.
@@ -2323,8 +2323,8 @@
 \q
 \v 27 But if I did that, their enemies would wrongly boast
 \q that they were the ones who had gotten rid of my people;
-\q they would say, "We are the ones who defeated them;
-\q it was not Yahweh who has done all these things."'
+\q they would say, “We are the ones who defeated them;
+\q it was not Yahweh who has done all these things.”’
 
 \s5
 \q
@@ -2353,7 +2353,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 33 The wine from those grapes is like the poison of snakes.
 \q
-\v 34 Yahweh says, 'I know what I have planned to do to the Israelite people and to their enemies,
+\v 34 Yahweh says, ‘I know what I have planned to do to the Israelite people and to their enemies,
 \q and I have locked up those plans as someone would lock up his valuable possessions.
 
 \s5
@@ -2361,7 +2361,7 @@
 \v 35 I am the one who will get revenge and pay those enemies back for what they have done to my people,
 \q at the right time for them to be punished;
 \q they will soon experience disasters,
-\q and I will punish them quickly.'
+\q and I will punish them quickly.’
 
 \s5
 \q
@@ -2372,7 +2372,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 37 Then Yahweh will ask you, 'Where are the gods
+\v 37 Then Yahweh will ask you, ‘Where are the gods
 \q2 that you thought would protect you?
 \q
 \v 38 You gave to those gods the best parts of the animals that you sacrificed,
@@ -2403,14 +2403,14 @@
 \v 42 I will kill all of my enemies with a sword;
 \q it will be as though I had arrows that were covered with their blood.
 \q I will kill all those whom I capture
-\q and cut off their heads.'
+\q and cut off their heads.’
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 43 You people of all nations, you should praise Yahweh's people,
+\v 43 You people of all nations, you should praise Yahweh’s people,
 \q because Yahweh gets revenge on those who kill the people who serve him,
-\q and he cleanses his people's land
-\q which has become defiled because of their sins."
+\q and he cleanses his people’s land
+\q which has become defiled because of their sins.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2418,28 +2418,28 @@
 \v 45 Then they finished singing to them this song.
 
 \s5
-\v 46 Moses said, "Never forget all these commands that I have been giving you today. Teach these laws to your children, in order that they will faithfully obey all of them.
-\v 47 These instructions are very important. If you obey them, you will live a long time in the land that you are about to cross the Jordan River to occupy."
+\v 46 Moses said, “Never forget all these commands that I have been giving you today. Teach these laws to your children, in order that they will faithfully obey all of them.
+\v 47 These instructions are very important. If you obey them, you will live a long time in the land that you are about to cross the Jordan River to occupy.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 48 On that same day, Yahweh said to Moses,
-\v 49 "Go to the Abarim mountain range here in the region of Moab, across from Jericho. Climb Mount Nebo and look toward the west to see Canaan, the land that I am about to give to the Israelite people.
+\v 49 “Go to the Abarim mountain range here in the region of Moab, across from Jericho. Climb Mount Nebo and look toward the west to see Canaan, the land that I am about to give to the Israelite people.
 
 \s5
 \v 50 You will die on that mountain, like your older brother Aaron died on Mount Hor.
 \v 51 You will die because both of you disobeyed me in the presence of the Israelite people, when you all were at the springs of Meribah near Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin. You did not honor and respect me in the presence of the Israelite people in the way that I deserve because I am God.
-\v 52 When you are on that mountain where I told you to go, you will see in the distance in front of you the land that I am about to give to the Israelite people, but you will not enter it."
+\v 52 When you are on that mountain where I told you to go, you will see in the distance in front of you the land that I am about to give to the Israelite people, but you will not enter it.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 33
 
 \p
-\v 1 Before God's prophet Moses died, he asked God to bless the Israelite people.
+\v 1 Before God’s prophet Moses died, he asked God to bless the Israelite people.
 \v 2 This is what he said:
-\q "Yahweh came and spoke to us at Mount Sinai;
+\q “Yahweh came and spoke to us at Mount Sinai;
 \q he came like the sun rises in the region of Edom
 \q and like his light shone on us when we were in the desert near Mount Paran after we left Mount Sinai.
 \q He came with ten thousand angels,
@@ -2610,7 +2610,7 @@
 \q He will be like a shield to protect you
 \q and like a sword to enable you to defeat your enemies.
 \q Your enemies will come to you begging for you to act mercifully toward them,
-\q but you will trample on their backs."
+\q but you will trample on their backs.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -2622,10 +2622,10 @@
 \v 3 the desert area in the south part of Judah; and the Valley of the Jordan that extends from Jericho in the north to the city of Zoar in the south.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 Then Yahweh said to him, "You have now seen this land that I solemnly promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying 'I will give it to your descendants.' I have allowed you to see it from a distance, but you will not go there."
+\v 4 Then Yahweh said to him, “You have now seen this land that I solemnly promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have allowed you to see it from a distance, but you will not go there.”
 \p
 \v 5 So Moses, who always served Yahweh faithfully, died there in the land of in Moab, which is what Yahweh said would happen.
-\v 6 Yahweh buried Moses' body in the valley in the land of Moab, across from the town of Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where he is buried.
+\v 6 Yahweh buried Moses’ body in the valley in the land of Moab, across from the town of Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where he is buried.
 
 \s5
 \v 7 Moses was 120 years old when he died, but he was still very strong, and he could still see very well.

09-1SA.usfm

@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 7 This happened every year. When they went up to the temple of Yahweh at Shiloh, Peninnah always ridiculed Hannah so much that Hannah cried and would not eat.
-\v 8 Then Elkanah would say to her, "Hannah, why are you crying? Why are you eating nothing? You are so sad! Surely it is better for you to have me as your husband than to have even ten sons!"
+\v 8 Then Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you crying? Why are you eating nothing? You are so sad! Surely it is better for you to have me as your husband than to have even ten sons!”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -32,37 +32,37 @@
 \v 10 Hannah was very distressed, and she cried very sorrowfully as she prayed to Yahweh.
 
 \s5
-\v 11 She made a solemn promise, saying, "O Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, if you will look at me and see how I miserable I am, and think kindly about me and allow me to give birth to a son, then I will dedicate him to you for the rest of his life. And to show that he is dedicated to you, no one will ever be allowed to cut his hair."
+\v 11 She made a solemn promise, saying, “O Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, if you will look at me and see how I miserable I am, and think kindly about me and allow me to give birth to a son, then I will dedicate him to you for the rest of his life. And to show that he is dedicated to you, no one will ever be allowed to cut his hair.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 As she was praying like that to Yahweh, Eli the priest saw Hannah's lips moving as she was praying.
+\v 12 As she was praying like that to Yahweh, Eli the priest saw Hannah’s lips moving as she was praying.
 \v 13 But Hannah was only praying silently; she was not making any sound. So Eli thought that she was drunk.
-\v 14 He said to her, "How long will you continue to get drunk? Get rid of your wine!"
+\v 14 He said to her, “How long will you continue to get drunk? Get rid of your wine!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 Hannah replied, "Sir, I am not drunk! I have not been drinking wine or any other alcoholic drink. I feel very miserable and I have been telling Yahweh about how I feel.
-\v 16 Do not think that I am a worthless woman. I have been praying like this because I am so ashamed and upset."
+\v 15 Hannah replied, “Sir, I am not drunk! I have not been drinking wine or any other alcoholic drink. I feel very miserable and I have been telling Yahweh about how I feel.
+\v 16 Do not think that I am a worthless woman. I have been praying like this because I am so ashamed and upset.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 Eli replied, "I wish that things may go well for you. I desire that God, the one we Israelite people worship, may give you what you asked of him."
+\v 17 Eli replied, “I wish that things may go well for you. I desire that God, the one we Israelite people worship, may give you what you asked of him.”
 \p
-\v 18 She replied, "I want you to think highly about me." Then she returned to her family and after she ate something, she was sad no more.
+\v 18 She replied, “I want you to think highly about me.” Then she returned to her family and after she ate something, she was sad no more.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 19 Early the next morning, Elkanah and his family got up and worshiped Yahweh again, and then they returned to their home at Ramah. Then Elkanah slept with Hannah, and Yahweh answered her prayer.
-\v 20 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, which sounds like the words in the Hebrew language that mean "heard by God," because she said, "Yahweh heard me when I requested a son from him."
+\v 20 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, which sounds like the words in the Hebrew language that mean “heard by God,” because she said, “Yahweh heard me when I requested a son from him.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 21 The following year, Elkanah went up to Shiloh with his family to make the kind of sacrifice he made each year, and also to give a special offering to God that he had promised to give him previously.
-\v 22 But Hannah did not go with them. She said to her husband, "After I have weaned the baby, I will take him to Shiloh and present him to Yahweh, and he will stay there for the rest of his life."
+\v 22 But Hannah did not go with them. She said to her husband, “After I have weaned the baby, I will take him to Shiloh and present him to Yahweh, and he will stay there for the rest of his life.”
 \p
-\v 23 Elkanah said, "Do what you think is best. Stay here until you have weaned him. What I desire is that Yahweh may enable you to do what you have promised." So Hannah stayed at home and nursed her son until she weaned him.
+\v 23 Elkanah said, “Do what you think is best. Stay here until you have weaned him. What I desire is that Yahweh may enable you to do what you have promised.” So Hannah stayed at home and nursed her son until she weaned him.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -70,16 +70,16 @@
 \v 25 After Hannah and Elkanah had slaughtered the bull and offered it to Yahweh on the altar, they brought the boy to Eli.
 
 \s5
-\v 26 Then Hannah said to him, "Sir, do you remember me? I am the woman who prayed as I stood here beside you several years ago.
+\v 26 Then Hannah said to him, “Sir, do you remember me? I am the woman who prayed as I stood here beside you several years ago.
 \v 27 I prayed that Yahweh would enable me to give birth to a child, and this is that child!
-\v 28 So now I am presenting him to Yahweh. He will belong to Yahweh as long as he lives." Then Elkanah and his family worshiped Yahweh there.
+\v 28 So now I am presenting him to Yahweh. He will belong to Yahweh as long as he lives.” Then Elkanah and his family worshiped Yahweh there.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 2
 \p
 \v 1 Then Hannah prayed, saying,
-\q1 "In my inner being I rejoice in what you, Yahweh, have done.
+\q1 “In my inner being I rejoice in what you, Yahweh, have done.
 \q2 I am strong because I belong to you.
 \q1 I laugh at my enemies
 \q2 because you, Yahweh has rescued me from being mocked by them.
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@
 \q1
 \v 3 You people who oppose God, stop boasting!
 \q2 Yahweh is a God who knows everything,
-\q1 and he will evaluate everyone's actions.
+\q1 and he will evaluate everyone’s actions.
 \q2 So do not speak so arrogantly!
 \q1
 \v 4 Yahweh, you break the bows of mighty soldiers,
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@
 \v 10 Yahweh, you will break into pieces those who oppose you.
 \q2 You will cause thunder in the sky to show that you oppose them.
 \q1 Yahweh, you will judge people everywhere, even those who live in the most remote places on the earth.
-\q2 You will give strength to the king whom you will appoint, and give him great power over his enemies."
+\q2 You will give strength to the king whom you will appoint, and give him great power over his enemies.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -145,14 +145,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Eli's two sons, who were also priests, were very wicked. They were not faithful to Yahweh.
+\v 12 Eli’s two sons, who were also priests, were very wicked. They were not faithful to Yahweh.
 \v 13 The custom was that while the people were boiling the meat from their sacrifices in the huge pot at the temple, a priest would send his servant, who would come with a large three-pronged fork in his hand.
 \v 14 He would stick the fork into the meat in the pot, and whatever meat fastened onto the fork, he would take and give it to the priest who sent him.
 
 \s5
-\v 15 However, before the fat on the meat was cut off and burned as a sacrifice to Yahweh, the servant of Eli's sons would come to the man who was making the sacrifice and say to him, "Give me some meat now to take to the priest for him to roast! He wants raw meat; he does not want boiled meat."
+\v 15 However, before the fat on the meat was cut off and burned as a sacrifice to Yahweh, the servant of Eli’s sons would come to the man who was making the sacrifice and say to him, “Give me some meat now to take to the priest for him to roast! He wants raw meat; he does not want boiled meat.”
 \p
-\v 16 If the man said to the servant, "Let the priests cut off and burn the fat first; then you can take what you want," the servant would reply, "No, give it to me now; if you do not give it to me, I will take it forcefully!"
+\v 16 If the man said to the servant, “Let the priests cut off and burn the fat first; then you can take what you want,” the servant would reply, “No, give it to me now; if you do not give it to me, I will take it forcefully!”
 \p
 \v 17 Yahweh considered that the young sons of Eli were committing a very great sin, because they were treating very disrespectfully the offerings that were being given to Yahweh.
 
@@ -162,30 +162,30 @@
 \v 19 Each year his mother made a new little robe for him and took it to him when she went up to Shiloh with her husband to offer a sacrifice.
 
 \s5
-\v 20 Then Eli would ask God to bless Elkanah and his wife, and he would say to Elkanah, "I hope that Yahweh will enable your wife to give birth to other children, to take the place of the one whom she dedicated to Yahweh." Then Elkanah and his family would return home.
+\v 20 Then Eli would ask God to bless Elkanah and his wife, and he would say to Elkanah, “I hope that Yahweh will enable your wife to give birth to other children, to take the place of the one whom she dedicated to Yahweh.” Then Elkanah and his family would return home.
 \v 21 Yahweh was indeed very kind to Hannah, for he enabled her to give birth to three other sons and two daughters. Their son Samuel grew up while he was doing work for Yahweh in his temple.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 22 Now Eli became very old. He often heard about all the evil things that his sons were doing to the Israelite people. He heard that they sometimes slept with the women who worked at the entrance to the tent where God spoke to his people.
-\v 23 He said to them, "It is terrible that you do such things! Many people keep telling me about the evil things that you do.
+\v 23 He said to them, “It is terrible that you do such things! Many people keep telling me about the evil things that you do.
 \v 24 My sons, stop it! The reports about you that the people who belong to Yahweh tell others are terrible!
 
 \s5
-\v 25 If one person sins against another person, God can intercede between them. But if someone sins against Yahweh, who will speak up for him?" But Eli's sons would not listen to what their father said. This was because Yahweh had decided that someone needed to kill them.
+\v 25 If one person sins against another person, God can intercede between them. But if someone sins against Yahweh, who will speak up for him?” But Eli’s sons would not listen to what their father said. This was because Yahweh had decided that someone needed to kill them.
 
 \p
 \v 26 The boy Samuel continued to grow up, and the things that he did pleased Yahweh and the people.
 
 \s5
-\v 27 One day, a prophet came to Eli and told him, "This is what Yahweh has told me: 'When your ancestors were slaves of the king of Egypt, I appeared to Aaron.
+\v 27 One day, a prophet came to Eli and told him, “This is what Yahweh has told me: ‘When your ancestors were slaves of the king of Egypt, I appeared to Aaron.
 \v 28 From all the tribes of the Israelite people, I chose him and his male descendants to be priests for me. I appointed them to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear a sacred apron as they worked for me. And I declared that they could take and eat some of the meat that the Israelite people burned on the altar.
 
 \s5
-\v 29 So why do you show disrespect for the sacrifices and offerings that I commanded the people to bring to me? You are honoring your sons more than you are honoring me, by allowing them to get fat from eating the best parts of all the sacrifices that the Israelite people bring to me!'
+\v 29 So why do you show disrespect for the sacrifices and offerings that I commanded the people to bring to me? You are honoring your sons more than you are honoring me, by allowing them to get fat from eating the best parts of all the sacrifices that the Israelite people bring to me!’
 \p
-\v 30 Therefore, this is what Yahweh, the God whom we Israelites worship, declares: 'I definitely promised that Aaron and his descendants would continue to serve me forever. But now I declare this: It will not continue like that! I will honor those who honor me, but I will despise those who despise me.
+\v 30 Therefore, this is what Yahweh, the God whom we Israelites worship, declares: ‘I definitely promised that Aaron and his descendants would continue to serve me forever. But now I declare this: It will not continue like that! I will honor those who honor me, but I will despise those who despise me.
 
 \s5
 \v 31 Listen carefully! There will soon be a time when I will cause all the strong young men in your family to die. The result will be that no men in your family will live long enough to become old men.
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@
 \v 35 I have chosen another man to be my priest. He is one who will serve me faithfully: He will do everything I want. I will make sure that his descendants will be priests and will always serve me by helping the king whom I will choose.
 
 \s5
-\v 36 All of your descendants who remain alive will have to go to that priest and ask him to give them money and food, and they will each have to say, "Please allow me to help the other priests, in order that I may earn some money to buy some food."'"
+\v 36 All of your descendants who remain alive will have to go to that priest and ask him to give them money and food, and they will each have to say, “Please allow me to help the other priests, in order that I may earn some money to buy some food.”’”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -207,46 +207,46 @@
 \p
 \v 1 While he was still a boy, Samuel was serving Yahweh while Eli supervised him. At that time there were very few messages that anyone received from Yahweh, and very few people saw visions that Yahweh gave them.
 \p
-\v 2 By that time Eli's eyes were very weak; he was almost blind. One night he was sleeping in his room,
+\v 2 By that time Eli’s eyes were very weak; he was almost blind. One night he was sleeping in his room,
 \v 3 and Samuel was sleeping in the temple of Yahweh, where the sacred chest was kept. There was a lamp there that represented the presence of God, and it was still burning.
-\v 4 Just then Yahweh called, "Samuel! Samuel!" Samuel replied, "I am here!"
+\v 4 Just then Yahweh called, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel replied, “I am here!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 Then he got up and ran to Eli. He said to him, "I am here, because you called me!" But Eli replied, "No, I did not call you. Go back to your bed." So Samuel went and lay down again.
+\v 5 Then he got up and ran to Eli. He said to him, “I am here, because you called me!” But Eli replied, “No, I did not call you. Go back to your bed.” So Samuel went and lay down again.
 \p
-\v 6 Then Yahweh called again, "Samuel!" So Samuel got up again and went to Eli and said, "I am here, because you called me!" But Eli said, "No, my son, I did not call you. Go back and lie down."
+\v 6 Then Yahweh called again, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up again and went to Eli and said, “I am here, because you called me!” But Eli said, “No, my son, I did not call you. Go back and lie down.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 At that time Samuel had not yet known what it was like for Yahweh to speak to him, because Yahweh had not previously revealed anything to him.
 \p
-\v 8 After Samuel lay down again, Yahweh called him a third time. So again Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "I am here, because you called me!"
+\v 8 After Samuel lay down again, Yahweh called him a third time. So again Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “I am here, because you called me!”
 \p Then Eli realized that it was Yahweh who was calling the boy.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 So he said to Samuel, "Go and lie down again. If someone calls you again, say 'Speak to me, Yahweh, because I am listening!'" So Samuel went and lay down again.
+\v 9 So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again. If someone calls you again, say ‘Speak to me, Yahweh, because I am listening!’” So Samuel went and lay down again.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 Then Yahweh came and stood and called as he had done the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak to me, because I am listening!"
+\v 10 Then Yahweh came and stood and called as he had done the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak to me, because I am listening!”
 \p
-\v 11 Then Yahweh said to Samuel, "Listen carefully. I am about to do something here in Israel that will shock everyone who hears about it.
+\v 11 Then Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen carefully. I am about to do something here in Israel that will shock everyone who hears about it.
 
 \s5
 \v 12 When that happens, I will punish Eli and his family. I will do to them everything that I said that I would do.
 \v 13 His sons have shown great disrespect for me by the disgraceful things they have done, and Eli did not keep them back from doing it. So I told him that I would punish his family forever.
-\v 14 I solemnly promised to Eli's family, 'You will never be able to avoid the consequences for your sin, even if you give me sacrifices or offerings.'"
+\v 14 I solemnly promised to Eli’s family, ‘You will never be able to avoid the consequences for your sin, even if you give me sacrifices or offerings.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 Samuel lay down again until morning. Then he got up and opened the doors of the building as usual. He was afraid to tell Eli about the vision that Yahweh had given him.
-\v 16 But Eli called him and said, "Samuel, my son!" Samuel answered, "I am here!"
+\v 16 But Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son!” Samuel answered, “I am here!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 Eli asked him, "What was it that Yahweh told you? Do not conceal it! I want God to punish you severely if you do not tell me everything that he said to you."
+\v 17 Eli asked him, “What was it that Yahweh told you? Do not conceal it! I want God to punish you severely if you do not tell me everything that he said to you.”
 \p
-\v 18 So Samuel told him everything. He did not refuse to tell him anything. Then Eli said, "He is Yahweh. I am willing for him to do what he thinks is best."
+\v 18 So Samuel told him everything. He did not refuse to tell him anything. Then Eli said, “He is Yahweh. I am willing for him to do what he thinks is best.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -264,41 +264,41 @@
 \v 2 The Philistine army attacked the Israelite army, and as the battle continued, the Philistines defeated the Israelites and killed about four thousand of their soldiers.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 When the remaining Israelite soldiers returned to their camp, the Israelite elders said, "Why did Yahweh allow the Philistine army to defeat us today? We should bring the sacred chest here from Shiloh, in order that Yahweh will go with us when we go to the battle again, so that that our enemies will not defeat us again!"
+\v 3 When the remaining Israelite soldiers returned to their camp, the Israelite elders said, “Why did Yahweh allow the Philistine army to defeat us today? We should bring the sacred chest here from Shiloh, in order that Yahweh will go with us when we go to the battle again, so that that our enemies will not defeat us again!”
 \p
 \v 4 So the soldiers sent some men to Shiloh, and those men brought back the sacred chest, the chest of Yahweh, who sat on a throne between the statues of winged creatures that were on top of the chest. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, went with them.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 5 When the Israelite people saw the men bringing the sacred chest into their camp, they were so happy that they shouted loudly. They shouted so loudly that the ground shook!
-\v 6 The Philistines asked, "What are the people in the Hebrew camp shouting about?" Someone told them that they were shouting because the sacred chest of Yahweh had been brought to them.
+\v 6 The Philistines asked, “What are the people in the Hebrew camp shouting about?” Someone told them that they were shouting because the sacred chest of Yahweh had been brought to them.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 Then they became very afraid. They said, "Their God has come into their camp to help them! We are in big trouble now! Nothing like this has happened to us before!
+\v 7 Then they became very afraid. They said, “Their God has come into their camp to help them! We are in big trouble now! Nothing like this has happened to us before!
 \v 8 No one can save us now! This is the God who struck the people of Egypt with many plagues before the Israelites left Egypt and traveled through the desert.
-\v 9 You Philistine men, be courageous! Fight very hard! If you do not do that, they will defeat us, and then you will become their slaves, just as they have been our slaves previously!"
+\v 9 You Philistine men, be courageous! Fight very hard! If you do not do that, they will defeat us, and then you will become their slaves, just as they have been our slaves previously!”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 10 So the Philistine men fought very hard, and they defeated the Israelites. They killed thirty thousand Israelite soldiers, and the other Israelite soldiers fled and ran away to their tents.
-\v 11 The Philistines captured the sacred chest, and they killed Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas.
+\v 11 The Philistines captured the sacred chest, and they killed Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 On that same day, one man of the tribe descended from Benjamin ran from the place where the armies were fighting. He tore his clothes and threw soil on his head to show that he was very sad. He arrived at Shiloh late that afternoon.
-\v 13 Eli was waiting beside the road. He wanted to hear news about the battle, and he was also very anxious to know if anything bad had happened to God's sacred chest. When the messenger arrived and told people what had happened, everyone in the town started to cry loudly.
+\v 13 Eli was waiting beside the road. He wanted to hear news about the battle, and he was also very anxious to know if anything bad had happened to God’s sacred chest. When the messenger arrived and told people what had happened, everyone in the town started to cry loudly.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Eli asked, "Why are they making all that noise?" The messenger ran over to Eli and told him the news.
+\v 14 Eli asked, “Why are they making all that noise?” The messenger ran over to Eli and told him the news.
 \p
 \v 15 At that time, Eli was ninety-eight years old, and he was blind.
 
 \s5
-\v 16 The messenger said to Eli, "I have just come from where the armies were fighting. I left there earlier today." Eli asked, "What happened?"
+\v 16 The messenger said to Eli, “I have just come from where the armies were fighting. I left there earlier today.” Eli asked, “What happened?”
 \p
-\v 17 The man replied, "The Philistines defeated our army. They killed thousands of our soldiers, and the others ran away. The Philistines killed your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. They also captured God's sacred chest."
+\v 17 The man replied, “The Philistines defeated our army. They killed thousands of our soldiers, and the others ran away. The Philistines killed your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. They also captured God’s sacred chest.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -306,58 +306,58 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 The wife of Eli's son Phinehas was pregnant, and it was almost time for her to give birth to her baby. When she heard that God's sacred chest had been captured and that her husband and her father-in-law were dead, her labor pains suddenly began and were too much for her. She quickly gave birth to a boy, but she began to die.
-\v 20 As she was dying, the women who were helping her tried to encourage her by saying to her, "You have given birth to a son!" But she did not pay any attention to what they said.
+\v 19 The wife of Eli’s son Phinehas was pregnant, and it was almost time for her to give birth to her baby. When she heard that God’s sacred chest had been captured and that her husband and her father-in-law were dead, her labor pains suddenly began and were too much for her. She quickly gave birth to a boy, but she began to die.
+\v 20 As she was dying, the women who were helping her tried to encourage her by saying to her, “You have given birth to a son!” But she did not pay any attention to what they said.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 She named the boy Ichabod, which means "no glory," because she said, "God's glory has departed from Israel." She said that because God's sacred chest had been captured and because her husband and her father-in-law had died.
-\v 22 She said, "God's glory has left Israel, because God's sacred chest has been captured!" And then she died.
+\v 21 She named the boy Ichabod, which means “no glory,” because she said, “God’s glory has departed from Israel.” She said that because God’s sacred chest had been captured and because her husband and her father-in-law had died.
+\v 22 She said, “God’s glory has left Israel, because God’s sacred chest has been captured!” And then she died.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 5
 
 \p
-\v 1 After the army of the Philistia people group captured God's sacred chest in the town of Ebenezer, they took it to Ashdod, one of their largest cities.
+\v 1 After the army of the Philistia people group captured God’s sacred chest in the town of Ebenezer, they took it to Ashdod, one of their largest cities.
 \v 2 They carried it into the temple of their god Dagon and placed it alongside a statue of Dagon.
-\v 3 But early the next morning, when the people of Ashdod went to see it, they saw that the statue had fallen on its face in front of Yahweh's sacred chest! So they set the statue up in its place again.
+\v 3 But early the next morning, when the people of Ashdod went to see it, they saw that the statue had fallen on its face in front of Yahweh’s sacred chest! So they set the statue up in its place again.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 But the following morning, they saw that it had fallen down in front of the sacred chest again. But this time, it was as if someone had cut the statue's head and hands off; they were lying in the doorway. Only its body remained in one piece.
+\v 4 But the following morning, they saw that it had fallen down in front of the sacred chest again. But this time, it was as if someone had cut the statue’s head and hands off; they were lying in the doorway. Only its body remained in one piece.
 \v 5 That is the reason that ever since that time, the priests of Dagon and everyone else who enters the temple of Dagon in Ashdod do not step on the doorsill where the hands and head of Dagon had fallen.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 Then Yahweh made the people of Ashdod suffer very much with tumors. Many sickened and died, both in the city and in the surrounding region.
-\v 7 The people of Ashdod realized why this was happening, and they cried out, "The God of the Israelites is punishing us and our god Dagon. So we cannot allow the sacred chest of the God of the Israelites to remain here!"
+\v 7 The people of Ashdod realized why this was happening, and they cried out, “The God of the Israelites is punishing us and our god Dagon. So we cannot allow the sacred chest of the God of the Israelites to remain here!”
 
 \s5
-\v 8 They summoned the five kings of the Philistia people group and asked them, "What should we do with the sacred chest of the God of the Israelites?"
-\p The kings replied, "Take the sacred chest to the city of Gath." So they moved it to Gath.
+\v 8 They summoned the five kings of the Philistia people group and asked them, “What should we do with the sacred chest of the God of the Israelites?”
+\p The kings replied, “Take the sacred chest to the city of Gath.” So they moved it to Gath.
 \v 9 But after they took it to Gath, Yahweh powerfully struck the people of that city also, with the result that many men, including young men and old men, got tumors on their skins. Then the people became very afraid.
 
 \s5
 \v 10 So they took the sacred chest to the city of Ekron.
-\p But when the men carried the sacred chest into Ekron, the people there cried out, "Why are you bringing the sacred chest of the God of the Israelites into our city? By doing that you will cause us and the rest of our people to die!"
+\p But when the men carried the sacred chest into Ekron, the people there cried out, “Why are you bringing the sacred chest of the God of the Israelites into our city? By doing that you will cause us and the rest of our people to die!”
 
 \s5
-\v 11 So the people of Ekron also summoned the Philistine kings. When they came, the people said to them, "Take this sacred chest of the god of the Israelites back to its own place! If you do not do that quickly, we will all die!" The people were terrified because they knew that God was starting to punish them severely.
+\v 11 So the people of Ekron also summoned the Philistine kings. When they came, the people said to them, “Take this sacred chest of the god of the Israelites back to its own place! If you do not do that quickly, we will all die!” The people were terrified because they knew that God was starting to punish them severely.
 \v 12 Some of the people in Ekron had already died, and the rest of the people were suffering because of tumors on their skins. So they all cried out to their gods to help them.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 6
 \p
-\v 1 The people of Philistia kept the God's sacred chest in their area for seven months.
-\v 2 Then they summoned their priests and their diviners. They asked them, "What should we do with the sacred chest of Yahweh? Tell us how we should send it back to its own land."
+\v 1 The people of Philistia kept the God’s sacred chest in their area for seven months.
+\v 2 Then they summoned their priests and their diviners. They asked them, “What should we do with the sacred chest of Yahweh? Tell us how we should send it back to its own land.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 Those men replied, "Send with it an offering to show Yahweh that you know that you are guilty for capturing the chest, in order that the plague will stop. If you do that, and then if you are healed, you will know that he is the one who caused the plague to strike you. And you will know why you have been suffering until now."
+\v 3 Those men replied, “Send with it an offering to show Yahweh that you know that you are guilty for capturing the chest, in order that the plague will stop. If you do that, and then if you are healed, you will know that he is the one who caused the plague to strike you. And you will know why you have been suffering until now.”
 \p
-\v 4 The people of Philistia asked, "What kind of offering should we send?"
-\p The men replied, "Make five gold models of the tumors on your skin, and five gold models of rats. Make five of each because that will be the same number as the number of your kings, and because the plague has struck both you people and your five kings.
+\v 4 The people of Philistia asked, “What kind of offering should we send?”
+\p The men replied, “Make five gold models of the tumors on your skin, and five gold models of rats. Make five of each because that will be the same number as the number of your kings, and because the plague has struck both you people and your five kings.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 Make models that represent the rats and the tumors that are ruining your land. Make them in order to honor the god of the Israelite people. If you do that, perhaps Yahweh will stop punishing you, your gods, and your land.
@@ -366,13 +366,13 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 So you must build a new cart. Then get two cows that have very recently given birth to calves. They must be cows that have never been hitched to a cart. Hitch those cows to the new cart, and take the calves away from their mothers.
-\v 8 Put their god's sacred chest on the cart. Also put in the cart the five gold models of the tumors on your skin and the five gold models of rats. Put them in a small box alongside the sacred chest. They will be an offering to show that you know that you deserved to be punished for capturing the sacred chest. Then send the cows down the road, pulling the cart.
-\v 9 Watch the cart as the cows pull it. If they pull it to the town of Bethshemesh in Israel, we will know that it was their god who brought this plague on us. But if they do not take it there, we will know that it was not the god of the Israelites who has punished us. We will know that it happened by chance."
+\v 8 Put their god’s sacred chest on the cart. Also put in the cart the five gold models of the tumors on your skin and the five gold models of rats. Put them in a small box alongside the sacred chest. They will be an offering to show that you know that you deserved to be punished for capturing the sacred chest. Then send the cows down the road, pulling the cart.
+\v 9 Watch the cart as the cows pull it. If they pull it to the town of Bethshemesh in Israel, we will know that it was their god who brought this plague on us. But if they do not take it there, we will know that it was not the god of the Israelites who has punished us. We will know that it happened by chance.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 10 So the people did what the priests and diviners told them to do. They made a cart, and hitched two cows to it. They took the calves from their mothers.
-\v 11 They put in the cart Yahweh's sacred chest and the box with the models of the gold rats and the tumors.
+\v 11 They put in the cart Yahweh’s sacred chest and the box with the models of the gold rats and the tumors.
 \v 12 Then the cows started walking, and they went straight toward Bethshemesh. They stayed on the road, and were mooing all the time. They did not turn to the left or to the right. The five kings of the region of Philistia followed the cows until they reached the edge of Bethshemesh.
 
 \s5
@@ -392,36 +392,36 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 But some men from Bethshemesh looked into Yahweh's sacred chest, and because of that, Yahweh caused 50,070 of them to die. Then the people mourned very much because Yahweh punished those men like that.
-\v 20 They said, "Who can stand before Yahweh, our holy God? Where can we send away this sacred chest?"
+\v 19 But some men from Bethshemesh looked into Yahweh’s sacred chest, and because of that, Yahweh caused 50,070 of them to die. Then the people mourned very much because Yahweh punished those men like that.
+\v 20 They said, “Who can stand before Yahweh, our holy God? Where can we send away this sacred chest?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 They sent messengers to the people of the city of Kiriath Jearim to tell them, "The people of Philistia have returned Yahweh's sacred chest to us! Come here and take it to your city!"
+\v 21 They sent messengers to the people of the city of Kiriath Jearim to tell them, “The people of Philistia have returned Yahweh’s sacred chest to us! Come here and take it to your city!”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 7
 \p
-\v 1 When the men of Kiriath Jearim received the message, they came to Bethshemesh and took the sacred chest of Yahweh. They took it to the house of Abinadab, which was on a hillside. They set apart Abinadab's son Eleazar to take care of the chest.
+\v 1 When the men of Kiriath Jearim received the message, they came to Bethshemesh and took the sacred chest of Yahweh. They took it to the house of Abinadab, which was on a hillside. They set apart Abinadab’s son Eleazar to take care of the chest.
 \p
 \v 2 The sacred chest stayed in Kiriath Jearim for a long time. It stayed there for twenty years. During that time all the people of Israel mourned because it seemed that Yahweh had abandoned them, and they wanted to turn to him for help again.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 Then Samuel said to all the Israelite people, "If you truly want to honor Yahweh again, you must get rid of your statues of the goddess Ashtoreth and the idols the Philistine people."
+\v 3 Then Samuel said to all the Israelite people, “If you truly want to honor Yahweh again, you must get rid of your statues of the goddess Ashtoreth and the idols the Philistine people.”
 \v 4 So the Israelites got rid of all their statues of the gods Baal and Ashtoreth, and they began to worship only Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 Then Samuel told them, "All you Israelite people must gather with me at Mizpah. Then I will pray to Yahweh for you."
+\v 5 Then Samuel told them, “All you Israelite people must gather with me at Mizpah. Then I will pray to Yahweh for you.”
 \v 6 So they gathered at Mizpah, where Samuel acted as leader for the people of Israel. They had a big ceremony there. They drew water from a well, and poured the water on the ground while Yahweh watched. To show that they were sorry for having worshiped idols, they did not eat any food on that day, and they confessed that they had sinned against Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 When the kings of the region of Philistia heard that the Israelite people had gathered at Mizpah, they led their armies there to attack the Israelites. When the Israelites found out that the Philistine army was approaching them, they became very afraid.
-\v 8 They told Samuel, "Pray to Yahweh to rescue us from the Philistine army, and do not stop pleading with him!"
+\v 8 They told Samuel, “Pray to Yahweh to rescue us from the Philistine army, and do not stop pleading with him!”
 
 \s5
 \v 9 So Samuel took a very young lamb and killed it and offered it to Yahweh to be a sacrifice that was completely burned on the altar. Then he prayed and pleaded that Yahweh would help the Israelites, and Yahweh did help them.
@@ -433,7 +433,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 After that happened, Samuel took a large stone and set it up between the towns of Mizpah and Shen. He named the stone "Ebenezer," which means "stone of help," because he said "Yahweh has helped us until the present time."
+\v 12 After that happened, Samuel took a large stone and set it up between the towns of Mizpah and Shen. He named the stone “Ebenezer,” which means “stone of help,” because he said “Yahweh has helped us until the present time.”
 
 \s5
 \v 13 So the Philistine people were defeated, and for a long time they did not enter the Israelite land to attack them again. During the time that Samuel was alive, Yahweh powerfully protected the Israelite people from being attacked by the Philistine army.
@@ -444,7 +444,7 @@
 \p
 \v 15 Samuel continued to be the leader of the Israelite people until he died.
 \v 16 Every year he traveled among the cities of Bethel and Gilgal and Mizpah. In those cities he listened to disputes between people and made decisions about them.
-\v 17 After he made decisions in each of those cities, he returned to his home at Ramah, and he would listen to people's disputes there, also, and make decisions about them. He built an altar at Ramah to offer sacrifices to Yahweh.
+\v 17 After he made decisions in each of those cities, he returned to his home at Ramah, and he would listen to people’s disputes there, also, and make decisions about them. He built an altar at Ramah to offer sacrifices to Yahweh.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -452,27 +452,27 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 When Samuel became old, he appointed his two sons, Joel and Abijah, to lead the people of Israel.
-\v 2 They judged people's disputes in the town of Beersheba.
-\v 3 But they were not like their father. They wanted only to get a lot of money. They accepted bribes, and they did not make honest decisions about people's disputes.
+\v 2 They judged people’s disputes in the town of Beersheba.
+\v 3 But they were not like their father. They wanted only to get a lot of money. They accepted bribes, and they did not make honest decisions about people’s disputes.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 Finally, the Israelite leaders met in the town of Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel.
-\v 5 They said to him, "Listen! You are now old, and your sons are not like you. Appoint a king to rule over us, like the kings that other countries have!"
+\v 5 They said to him, “Listen! You are now old, and your sons are not like you. Appoint a king to rule over us, like the kings that other countries have!”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 Samuel was very unhappy with them for requesting that, so he prayed to Yahweh about it.
-\v 7 Yahweh replied, "Do what they have requested you to do. But do not think that you are the one whom they are really rejecting. I have been their king, and I am the one they are really rejecting.
+\v 7 Yahweh replied, “Do what they have requested you to do. But do not think that you are the one whom they are really rejecting. I have been their king, and I am the one they are really rejecting.
 
 \s5
 \v 8 Ever since I brought them out of Egypt, they have rejected me, and they have worshiped other gods. And now they are also rejecting you in the same way.
-\v 9 Do what they are asking you to do. But warn them about how their kings will act toward them!"
+\v 9 Do what they are asking you to do. But warn them about how their kings will act toward them!”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 10 So Samuel told those people what Yahweh had said.
-\v 11 He said, "If a king rules over you, this is what he will do to you: He will force many of your sons to join the army. He will make some of them run in front of your chariots to clear things out of the way.
+\v 11 He said, “If a king rules over you, this is what he will do to you: He will force many of your sons to join the army. He will make some of them run in front of your chariots to clear things out of the way.
 \v 12 Some of them will be commanders of his soldiers, but others will work for him like slaves. He will force some of them to plow his fields and then later harvest his crops. He will force others to make his weapons and equipment for his chariots.
 
 \s5
@@ -483,17 +483,17 @@
 \s5
 \v 16 He will take from you your male and female servants, your best cattle and donkeys, and force them to work for him.
 \v 17 He will take one tenth of your sheep and goats. And you will become his slaves!
-\v 18 When that time comes, you will complain loudly to the king, the king that you yourselves have chosen, but Yahweh will not pay attention to you."
+\v 18 When that time comes, you will complain loudly to the king, the king that you yourselves have chosen, but Yahweh will not pay attention to you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 But the people refused to pay attention to what Samuel said. They said, "We do not care about what you say! We want a king!
-\v 20 We want to be like the other nations. We want a king to rule us and to lead our soldiers when they go to fight."
+\v 19 But the people refused to pay attention to what Samuel said. They said, “We do not care about what you say! We want a king!
+\v 20 We want to be like the other nations. We want a king to rule us and to lead our soldiers when they go to fight.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 21 When Samuel told Yahweh what the people had said,
-\v 22 Yahweh replied, "Do what they are telling you to do. Give them a king!" So Samuel agreed, and then he sent the people home.
+\v 22 Yahweh replied, “Do what they are telling you to do. Give them a king!” So Samuel agreed, and then he sent the people home.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -505,27 +505,27 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 One day, some of Kish's female donkeys wandered off. So Kish told Saul, "Take one of my servants with you, and go and search for the donkeys!"
+\v 3 One day, some of Kish’s female donkeys wandered off. So Kish told Saul, “Take one of my servants with you, and go and search for the donkeys!”
 \v 4 So Saul did that. He took a servant, and they walked through the hill country where the descendants of Ephraim lived, and then they went through the regions of Shalishah and Shaalim, and then they went through all the region belonging to the tribue of Benjamin, but they could not find the donkeys.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 Finally, they came to the region of Zuph. Then Saul said to the servant, "Let us go back home. If we do not do that, my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and start worrying about us."
+\v 5 Finally, they came to the region of Zuph. Then Saul said to the servant, “Let us go back home. If we do not do that, my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and start worrying about us.”
 \p
-\v 6 But the servant said, "I have another idea. There is one of God's prophets who lives in this town. People respect him very much, because everything he predicts comes true. Let us go and talk to him. Perhaps he can tell us where we can go to find the donkeys."
+\v 6 But the servant said, “I have another idea. There is one of God’s prophets who lives in this town. People respect him very much, because everything he predicts comes true. Let us go and talk to him. Perhaps he can tell us where we can go to find the donkeys.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 Saul replied to the servant, "If we go to talk with him, we should give a gift to him, but what can we give to him? We have no more food in our sacks. Do we have anything else to give to him?"
+\v 7 Saul replied to the servant, “If we go to talk with him, we should give a gift to him, but what can we give to him? We have no more food in our sacks. Do we have anything else to give to him?”
 \p
-\v 8 The servant replied, "Look at this! I have a small piece of silver. I can give this to him, and then he will tell us where to go to find the donkeys."
+\v 8 The servant replied, “Look at this! I have a small piece of silver. I can give this to him, and then he will tell us where to go to find the donkeys.”
 
 \s5
-\v 9-11 Saul said, "Very good, let us go talk to him." So they went to the town where the prophet lived. As they were going up the hill into the town, they met some young women who were coming out of the town to get some water from a well. One of them asked the women, "Is the seer in the town today?" They said that because previously, if people in Israel wanted a message from God, they would say, "Let us go to the seer," and people who now are called prophets were at that time called seers, or "those who see visions from God."
+\v 9-11 Saul said, “Very good, let us go talk to him.” So they went to the town where the prophet lived. As they were going up the hill into the town, they met some young women who were coming out of the town to get some water from a well. One of them asked the women, “Is the seer in the town today?” They said that because previously, if people in Israel wanted a message from God, they would say, “Let us go to the seer,” and people who now are called prophets were at that time called seers, or “those who see visions from God.”
 
 \s5
-\v 12 The women replied, "Yes, he is in the town. In fact, he is walking on the road ahead of you. He arrived in the town today because the people are going to offer a sacrifice on the altar where the people gather to worship God.
-\v 13 If you go quickly, you will have time to talk to him before he goes there. The people who have been invited will not start eating until he arrives there and blesses the sacrifice."
+\v 12 The women replied, “Yes, he is in the town. In fact, he is walking on the road ahead of you. He arrived in the town today because the people are going to offer a sacrifice on the altar where the people gather to worship God.
+\v 13 If you go quickly, you will have time to talk to him before he goes there. The people who have been invited will not start eating until he arrives there and blesses the sacrifice.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -534,47 +534,47 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 On the previous day, Yahweh had told Samuel,
-\v 16 "At this time tomorrow, I will send to you a man from the land where the descendants of Benjamin live. Pour olive oil on his head to indicate that he will be the leader of my Israelite people. I have seen that my people are suffering because the Philistine people are oppressing them, and I have heard my people as they have called out to me for help. The man whom you anoint will rescue my people from the power of the Philistine people."
+\v 16 “At this time tomorrow, I will send to you a man from the land where the descendants of Benjamin live. Pour olive oil on his head to indicate that he will be the leader of my Israelite people. I have seen that my people are suffering because the Philistine people are oppressing them, and I have heard my people as they have called out to me for help. The man whom you anoint will rescue my people from the power of the Philistine people.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 When Samuel saw Saul, Yahweh said to him, "This is the man I told you about yesterday! He is the one who will rule my people!"
+\v 17 When Samuel saw Saul, Yahweh said to him, “This is the man I told you about yesterday! He is the one who will rule my people!”
 \p
-\v 18 Saul saw Samuel at the town gate, but he did not know that it was Samuel. He went over to him and asked him, "Can you tell me, where is the house of the man who sees visions from God?"
+\v 18 Saul saw Samuel at the town gate, but he did not know that it was Samuel. He went over to him and asked him, “Can you tell me, where is the house of the man who sees visions from God?”
 \p
-\v 19 Samuel replied, "I am that man. Go ahead of me with your servant to the place where the people make sacrifices. Both of you will eat with me today. Tomorrow morning I will tell you what you are wanting to know, and then I will send you home.
+\v 19 Samuel replied, “I am that man. Go ahead of me with your servant to the place where the people make sacrifices. Both of you will eat with me today. Tomorrow morning I will tell you what you are wanting to know, and then I will send you home.
 
 \s5
-\v 20 Also, do not worry anymore about those donkeys that wandered away three days ago. Someone has found them."
+\v 20 Also, do not worry anymore about those donkeys that wandered away three days ago. Someone has found them.”
 \p
-\v 21 Saul replied, "I am from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest of all tribes! And my family is the least important family in our tribe! So why are you talking to me like this, about the Israelite people wanting me and my family?"
+\v 21 Saul replied, “I am from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest of all tribes! And my family is the least important family in our tribe! So why are you talking to me like this, about the Israelite people wanting me and my family?”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 22 Then Samuel brought Saul and the servant into the big dining room, and told them to sit at the head of the table, indicating that he was honoring them more than he was honoring the thirty people who had been invited.
 
 \s5
-\v 23 Then Samuel told the cook, "Bring to me the special piece of meat that I told you to set aside."
+\v 23 Then Samuel told the cook, “Bring to me the special piece of meat that I told you to set aside.”
 \p
-\v 24 So the cook brought the leg and the meat that was on it; he set it in front of Saul. Samuel said to Saul, "Start eating it. I told the cook to save this for you, so that you could eat it at this time, when all these people whom I invited are here." So Saul and Samuel ate together.
+\v 24 So the cook brought the leg and the meat that was on it; he set it in front of Saul. Samuel said to Saul, “Start eating it. I told the cook to save this for you, so that you could eat it at this time, when all these people whom I invited are here.” So Saul and Samuel ate together.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 25 After they finished eating, they returned to the town. Then Samuel took Saul up to the flat roof of his house, and talked with him there.
 \p
-\v 26 As the sun was rising the next morning, Samuel called up to Saul, "Get up! It is time for me to send you on the road back home." So Samuel got up, and later Samuel and Saul left the house together.
+\v 26 As the sun was rising the next morning, Samuel called up to Saul, “Get up! It is time for me to send you on the road back home.” So Samuel got up, and later Samuel and Saul left the house together.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 27 When they got to the edge of the town, Samuel told Saul to send his servant ahead. After the servant left, Samuel said to Saul, "Stay here for a few minutes, in order that I can give you a message I received from God."
+\v 27 When they got to the edge of the town, Samuel told Saul to send his servant ahead. After the servant left, Samuel said to Saul, “Stay here for a few minutes, in order that I can give you a message I received from God.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 10
 
 \p
-\v 1 Then Samuel took a small jar of olive oil and poured some of it on Saul's head. Then he kissed Saul on the cheek, and told him, "I am doing this because Yahweh has chosen you to be the leader of his Israelite people.
-\v 2 When you leave me today, and when you arrive near Rachel's tomb at Zelzah, in the region of the tribe of Benjamin, you will meet two men. They will say to you, 'The donkeys have been found, but now your father is worrying about you, and he is asking people if they have seen you.'
+\v 1 Then Samuel took a small jar of olive oil and poured some of it on Saul’s head. Then he kissed Saul on the cheek, and told him, “I am doing this because Yahweh has chosen you to be the leader of his Israelite people.
+\v 2 When you leave me today, and when you arrive near Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah, in the region of the tribe of Benjamin, you will meet two men. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys have been found, but now your father is worrying about you, and he is asking people if they have seen you.’
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -589,33 +589,33 @@
 \s5
 \v 7 After those things occur, do whatever you think is right to do, because God is with you.
 \p
-\v 8 Then go ahead of me, down to the city of Gilgal, and wait for me for seven days. Then I will join you there to burn sacrifices and offer other sacrifices to enable you to continue to have fellowship with God. When I arrive there, I will tell you what other things you should do."
+\v 8 Then go ahead of me, down to the city of Gilgal, and wait for me for seven days. Then I will join you there to burn sacrifices and offer other sacrifices to enable you to continue to have fellowship with God. When I arrive there, I will tell you what other things you should do.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 As Saul started to leave there, God changed Saul's inner being. And all the things that Samuel had predicted happened on that day.
-\v 10 When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw some prophets who were speaking messages that came directly from God. As the prophets were approaching Saul and his servant, God's Spirit came upon Saul powerfully, and he also began to shout out messages from God.
+\v 9 As Saul started to leave there, God changed Saul’s inner being. And all the things that Samuel had predicted happened on that day.
+\v 10 When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw some prophets who were speaking messages that came directly from God. As the prophets were approaching Saul and his servant, God’s Spirit came upon Saul powerfully, and he also began to shout out messages from God.
 
 \s5
-\v 11 When people who had known Saul previously heard him doing what the prophets were doing, they said to each other, "What has happened to this son of Kish? Is he now really one of the prophets?"
+\v 11 When people who had known Saul previously heard him doing what the prophets were doing, they said to each other, “What has happened to this son of Kish? Is he now really one of the prophets?”
 \p
-\v 12 One of the men who lived there replied, "It does not matter who the parents of these other prophets are. What matters is that, amazingly, Saul is speaking messages from God." And that is why, when people are very skeptical about some report, they think about what happened to Saul and say, "Is Saul really one of the prophets?"
+\v 12 One of the men who lived there replied, “It does not matter who the parents of these other prophets are. What matters is that, amazingly, Saul is speaking messages from God.” And that is why, when people are very skeptical about some report, they think about what happened to Saul and say, “Is Saul really one of the prophets?”
 \v 13 When Saul finished speaking the messages that God gave him, he went to the place where the people offered sacrifices.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Later, Saul's uncle saw him there, and asked him, "Where did you go?" Saul replied, "We went to look for the donkeys. When we could not find them, we came here to ask Samuel if he could tell us where they were."
+\v 14 Later, Saul’s uncle saw him there, and asked him, “Where did you go?” Saul replied, “We went to look for the donkeys. When we could not find them, we came here to ask Samuel if he could tell us where they were.”
 \p
-\v 15 Saul's uncle replied, "What did Samuel tell you?"
+\v 15 Saul’s uncle replied, “What did Samuel tell you?”
 \p
-\v 16 Saul replied, "He assured us that someone had found the donkeys." But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about him becoming the king of Israel.
+\v 16 Saul replied, “He assured us that someone had found the donkeys.” But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about him becoming the king of Israel.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 Later Samuel summoned the people of Israel to gather at Mizpah to hear a message from Yahweh.
-\v 18 After they arrived, he said to them, "This is what Yahweh, the God we Israelite people worship, says: 'I brought you Israelite people out of Egypt. I rescued your ancestors from the power of the rulers of Egypt and from all the other kings who oppressed them.
-\v 19 I am the one who saves you from all your troubles and difficulties. But you have shown that you do not want to worship me. Instead, you have asked me to select a man to rule you as king. So now, your tribal and clan leaders must gather in my presence.'"
+\v 18 After they arrived, he said to them, “This is what Yahweh, the God we Israelite people worship, says: ‘I brought you Israelite people out of Egypt. I rescued your ancestors from the power of the rulers of Egypt and from all the other kings who oppressed them.
+\v 19 I am the one who saves you from all your troubles and difficulties. But you have shown that you do not want to worship me. Instead, you have asked me to select a man to rule you as king. So now, your tribal and clan leaders must gather in my presence.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -623,12 +623,12 @@
 \v 21 Then Samuel told representatives of the tribe of Benjamin to come forward, and God indicated that from that tribe he had chosen someone from the family of Matri, and then God indicated that from the family of Matri he had chosen Saul son of Kish. But when they looked for Saul, they could not find him.
 
 \s5
-\v 22 So they asked Yahweh, "Has someone else been chosen, perhaps?" Yahweh replied, "The man is hiding among the army equipment."
+\v 22 So they asked Yahweh, “Has someone else been chosen, perhaps?” Yahweh replied, “The man is hiding among the army equipment.”
 \p
 \v 23 So they quickly went there and found Saul, and brought him in front of all the people. They could see that truly he was a head taller than anyone else.
 
 \s5
-\v 24 Then Samuel said to all the people there, "This is the king whom Yahweh has chosen for you. Truly, there is no one else like him in all Israel!" All the people shouted, "May this king live a long time!"
+\v 24 Then Samuel said to all the people there, “This is the king whom Yahweh has chosen for you. Truly, there is no one else like him in all Israel!” All the people shouted, “May this king live a long time!”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -637,36 +637,36 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 26 When Saul returned to his home in the town of Gibeah, a group of courageous men decided to continually accompany Saul. They did that because God motivated them to do that.
-\v 27 But some worthless men said, "How can this man save us from our enemies?" They despised him and refused to give him any gifts to show that they would be loyal to him. But Saul did not say anything to rebuke them.
+\v 27 But some worthless men said, “How can this man save us from our enemies?” They despised him and refused to give him any gifts to show that they would be loyal to him. But Saul did not say anything to rebuke them.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 11
 
 \p
-\v 1 About a month later, King Nahash of Ammon led his army across the Jordan River, and they surrounded the city of Jabesh in the region of Gilead. But all the men of Jabesh appointed someone who said to Nahash, "Make an agreement with us not to kill us, and then we will let you rule us."
+\v 1 About a month later, King Nahash of Ammon led his army across the Jordan River, and they surrounded the city of Jabesh in the region of Gilead. But all the men of Jabesh appointed someone who said to Nahash, “Make an agreement with us not to kill us, and then we will let you rule us.”
 \p
-\v 2 Nahash replied, "I will do that if you do one thing. Allow us to gouge out all the right eyes of your people. By doing that we will cause the people in other countries to despise all you Israelite people."
+\v 2 Nahash replied, “I will do that if you do one thing. Allow us to gouge out all the right eyes of your people. By doing that we will cause the people in other countries to despise all you Israelite people.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 The leaders of Jabesh replied, "Do not attack us for the next seven days. During that time, we will send messengers throughout Israel to tell them what you are demanding. If no one will help us, then we will surrender to you."
+\v 3 The leaders of Jabesh replied, “Do not attack us for the next seven days. During that time, we will send messengers throughout Israel to tell them what you are demanding. If no one will help us, then we will surrender to you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 So the leaders of Jabesh sent messengers throughout Israel. When the messengers came to Gibeah, which was the city where Saul lived, and they told the people there about the situation, everyone started to cry.
-\v 5 At that time, Saul was plowing in the field. When he returned home, he asked, "Why are all the people crying?" So they told him what the messengers from Jabesh had reported.
+\v 5 At that time, Saul was plowing in the field. When he returned home, he asked, “Why are all the people crying?” So they told him what the messengers from Jabesh had reported.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Then God's Spirit came powerfully upon Saul, and he became very angry because of what Nahash wanted to do.
-\v 7 He took two of his oxen and killed them and cut them into pieces. Then he sent messengers carrying those pieces throughout Israel to tell people this message: "Saul says that he cut this ox in pieces, and that he will do the same thing to the oxen of anyone who refuses to come with him and Samuel to fight the army from Ammon!" Then Yahweh caused all the people of Israel to be afraid of what Saul might do to them if they did not go and help Saul. So the men all gathered together.
+\v 6 Then God’s Spirit came powerfully upon Saul, and he became very angry because of what Nahash wanted to do.
+\v 7 He took two of his oxen and killed them and cut them into pieces. Then he sent messengers carrying those pieces throughout Israel to tell people this message: “Saul says that he cut this ox in pieces, and that he will do the same thing to the oxen of anyone who refuses to come with him and Samuel to fight the army from Ammon!” Then Yahweh caused all the people of Israel to be afraid of what Saul might do to them if they did not go and help Saul. So the men all gathered together.
 \v 8 When Saul counted them at Bezek, he saw that there were 300,000 Israelite men there, as well as thirty thousand men from the tribe of Judah.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 So Saul sent messengers back to the people at Jabesh to tell them, "We will rescue you by the time the weather is hot tomorrow morning." The messengers went and told the people of Jabesh, who became very happy when they heard the news.
-\v 10 Then the men of Jabesh told Nahash, "Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and then you can do to us whatever you want to."
+\v 9 So Saul sent messengers back to the people at Jabesh to tell them, “We will rescue you by the time the weather is hot tomorrow morning.” The messengers went and told the people of Jabesh, who became very happy when they heard the news.
+\v 10 Then the men of Jabesh told Nahash, “Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and then you can do to us whatever you want to.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -675,13 +675,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Then the people of Jabesh said to Samuel, "Where are those men who said that they did not want Saul to be our king? Bring them here, and we will kill them!"
+\v 12 Then the people of Jabesh said to Samuel, “Where are those men who said that they did not want Saul to be our king? Bring them here, and we will kill them!”
 \p
-\v 13 But Saul replied, "No, we are not going to execute anyone today, because this is the day that Yahweh has saved us Israelite people. It is a day to rejoice, not to kill anyone."
+\v 13 But Saul replied, “No, we are not going to execute anyone today, because this is the day that Yahweh has saved us Israelite people. It is a day to rejoice, not to kill anyone.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Then Samuel said to the people, "Let us all go to Gilgal, and there we will again proclaim that Saul is our king."
+\v 14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Let us all go to Gilgal, and there we will again proclaim that Saul is our king.”
 \v 15 So they went to Gilgal. There, knowing that Yahweh was watching, they proclaimed that Saul was their king. Then they offered sacrifices to enable them to continue to have fellowship with Yahweh. And Saul and all the other Israelite people were very happy.
 
 
@@ -689,21 +689,21 @@
 \c 12
 
 \p
-\v 1 Then Samuel said this to all the Israelite people: "I have done everything that you told me to do, and I have given a king to rule you.
+\v 1 Then Samuel said this to all the Israelite people: “I have done everything that you told me to do, and I have given a king to rule you.
 \v 2 My own sons are grown up and with you now, but I have appointed Saul instead of one of them, and he is now your leader. I am now old, and my hair is gray. I have been your leader ever since I was a boy.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 Now tell me, while Yahweh is listening, and while the king whom he has chosen is listening, whose ox or donkey have I stolen during all those years? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed badly? From whom have I accepted a bribe, in order that I would ignore the evil things he had done? If I have done any of these things, tell me, and I will pay back what I owe."
+\v 3 Now tell me, while Yahweh is listening, and while the king whom he has chosen is listening, whose ox or donkey have I stolen during all those years? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed badly? From whom have I accepted a bribe, in order that I would ignore the evil things he had done? If I have done any of these things, tell me, and I will pay back what I owe.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 They replied, "No, you have never cheated anyone or oppressed anyone or accepted a bribe from anyone."
+\v 4 They replied, “No, you have never cheated anyone or oppressed anyone or accepted a bribe from anyone.”
 \p
-\v 5 Then Samuel said, "Today Yahweh can testify, and the king whom you chose can testify, that I have not taken a bribe from anyone." They replied, "Yes, Yahweh can say that he knows that is true."
+\v 5 Then Samuel said, “Today Yahweh can testify, and the king whom you chose can testify, that I have not taken a bribe from anyone.” They replied, “Yes, Yahweh can say that he knows that is true.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Samuel continued by saying, "Yahweh is the one who appointed Moses and Aaron to lead our ancestors. He is the one who brought them out of Egypt. And he is the one who will testify that what I am saying is true.
+\v 6 Samuel continued by saying, “Yahweh is the one who appointed Moses and Aaron to lead our ancestors. He is the one who brought them out of Egypt. And he is the one who will testify that what I am saying is true.
 \v 7 Now while Yahweh is listening, stand here quietly while I accuse you and tell you that your requesting a king instead of trusting Yahweh to lead you was wrong. I will do that by reminding you of all the great miracles that Yahweh performed for you and your ancestors.
 
 \s5
@@ -713,12 +713,12 @@
 \v 9 But our ancestors soon forgot about Yahweh, their God. So he allowed Sisera, the commander of the army from Hazor, to defeat them. He also allowed the Philistines and the army of the king of Moab to fight our ancestors and defeat them.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 Then our ancestors pleaded with Yahweh again to help them. They admitted, 'Yahweh, we have sinned, and we have forsaken you. We have worshiped idols that represent the god Baal and the goddess Ashtoreth. But if you rescue us from our enemies, we will worship you only.'
+\v 10 Then our ancestors pleaded with Yahweh again to help them. They admitted, ‘Yahweh, we have sinned, and we have forsaken you. We have worshiped idols that represent the god Baal and the goddess Ashtoreth. But if you rescue us from our enemies, we will worship you only.’
 \v 11 So Yahweh sent men such as Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, and me to save you. And as a result, you did not have to worry about any enemies attacking you.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 But now, when King Nahash of Ammon came with his army to attack you, you were afraid. So you came to me, and said, 'We want a king to rule us,' even though Yahweh was already your king!
+\v 12 But now, when King Nahash of Ammon came with his army to attack you, you were afraid. So you came to me, and said, ‘We want a king to rule us,’ even though Yahweh was already your king!
 \v 13 So now, look, here is the king whom you have chosen. You asked for a king, and Yahweh has now appointed a king for you.
 
 \s5
@@ -728,15 +728,15 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 16 Now stand here quietly and see the great thing that Yahweh is about to do.
-\v 17 You know that it does not rain at this time of the year, during the time when you harvest wheat. But I will ask Yahweh to send thunder and lightning and rain today. When he does that, you will realize that Yahweh considers that you have done a very wicked thing by requesting a king."
+\v 17 You know that it does not rain at this time of the year, during the time when you harvest wheat. But I will ask Yahweh to send thunder and lightning and rain today. When he does that, you will realize that Yahweh considers that you have done a very wicked thing by requesting a king.”
 \p
 \v 18 Then Samuel prayed to Yahweh, and Yahweh caused it to thunder and lightning and rain. So all the people became very afraid of Yahweh and of Samuel.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 They cried out to Samuel, "Pray for us! We have added to our previous sins by requesting a king! Pray to Yahweh, your God, in order that we will not die because of having done that!"
+\v 19 They cried out to Samuel, “Pray for us! We have added to our previous sins by requesting a king! Pray to Yahweh, your God, in order that we will not die because of having done that!”
 \p
-\v 20 Samuel replied, "Do not be afraid! You have done this evil thing, but do not stop doing the things that Yahweh wants you to do. Instead, serve Yahweh with your whole inner being.
+\v 20 Samuel replied, “Do not be afraid! You have done this evil thing, but do not stop doing the things that Yahweh wants you to do. Instead, serve Yahweh with your whole inner being.
 \v 21 Do not abandon Yahweh and worship useless idols. They cannot help you or save you from your enemies, because they are truly useless.
 
 \s5
@@ -745,7 +745,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 24 But you must honor Yahweh and serve him with your whole inner being. Never forget all the great things that he has done for you.
-\v 25 If you keep doing wicked things, he will get rid of you and your king!"
+\v 25 If you keep doing wicked things, he will get rid of you and your king!”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -754,12 +754,12 @@
 \p
 \v 1 Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign. He ruled for forty years.
 \p
-\v 2 Some years after he became king, he chose three thousand men from the Israelite army to go with him to fight the Philistines. Then he sent the other soldiers back home. Of the men he chose, two thousand stayed with Saul at Micmash and in the hill country near Bethel, and a thousand stayed with Saul's son Jonathan at Gibeah, in the area of the tribe of Benjamin.
+\v 2 Some years after he became king, he chose three thousand men from the Israelite army to go with him to fight the Philistines. Then he sent the other soldiers back home. Of the men he chose, two thousand stayed with Saul at Micmash and in the hill country near Bethel, and a thousand stayed with Saul’s son Jonathan at Gibeah, in the area of the tribe of Benjamin.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 Jonathan and the men who were with him attacked the Philistine soldiers who were camped at Geba. The other Philistines heard about that. So Saul realized that the army of Philistia would probably come to fight the Israelites again. So Saul sent messengers to blow trumpets throughout Israel to gather the people together and proclaim to them, "All you Hebrews need to hear that now the Philistines will start a war with us!"
-\v 4 The messengers told the rest of the army to gather together with Saul at Gilgal. And all the people in Israel heard the news. People were saying, "Saul's army has attacked the Philistine camp, with the result that now the Philistines hate us Israelites very much."
+\v 3 Jonathan and the men who were with him attacked the Philistine soldiers who were camped at Geba. The other Philistines heard about that. So Saul realized that the army of Philistia would probably come to fight the Israelites again. So Saul sent messengers to blow trumpets throughout Israel to gather the people together and proclaim to them, “All you Hebrews need to hear that now the Philistines will start a war with us!”
+\v 4 The messengers told the rest of the army to gather together with Saul at Gilgal. And all the people in Israel heard the news. People were saying, “Saul’s army has attacked the Philistine camp, with the result that now the Philistines hate us Israelites very much.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -771,20 +771,20 @@
 \p But Saul stayed at Gilgal. All the soldiers who were with him were shaking because they were so afraid.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 Saul waited seven days, which was the number of days that Samuel had told him to wait for him. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal during that time, so many of the men in Saul's army began to leave him and run away.
-\v 9 So Saul said to the soldiers, "Bring to me an animal to be completely burned on the altar and one for the offering to enable us to continue to have fellowship with God." So the men did that.
+\v 8 Saul waited seven days, which was the number of days that Samuel had told him to wait for him. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal during that time, so many of the men in Saul’s army began to leave him and run away.
+\v 9 So Saul said to the soldiers, “Bring to me an animal to be completely burned on the altar and one for the offering to enable us to continue to have fellowship with God.” So the men did that.
 \v 10 And just as he was finished burning these offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 Samuel saw what Saul had done, and he said to Saul, "Why have you done this?" Saul replied, "I saw that my men were leaving me and running away, and that you did not come here during the time that you said that you would come, and that the Philistine army was gathering together at Micmash.
+\v 11 Samuel saw what Saul had done, and he said to Saul, “Why have you done this?” Saul replied, “I saw that my men were leaving me and running away, and that you did not come here during the time that you said that you would come, and that the Philistine army was gathering together at Micmash.
 \p
-\v 12 So I thought, 'The Philistine army is going to attack us here at Gilgal, and I have not yet asked Yahweh to bless us.' So I felt it was necessary to offer the burnt offerings to seek God's blessings."
+\v 12 So I thought, ‘The Philistine army is going to attack us here at Gilgal, and I have not yet asked Yahweh to bless us.’ So I felt it was necessary to offer the burnt offerings to seek God’s blessings.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 Samuel replied, "What you did was very foolish! You have not obeyed what Yahweh, your God, commanded about sacrifices. If you had obeyed him, God would have allowed you and your descendants to rule Israel for a long time.
-\v 14 But now because of what you have done, you will die, and after you die, none of your descendants will continue to rule. Yahweh is seeking a man to be king who be just the kind of person that he wants him to be, so that he can appoint him to be the leader of his people. Yahweh will do this because you have not obeyed what he commanded."
+\v 13 Samuel replied, “What you did was very foolish! You have not obeyed what Yahweh, your God, commanded about sacrifices. If you had obeyed him, God would have allowed you and your descendants to rule Israel for a long time.
+\v 14 But now because of what you have done, you will die, and after you die, none of your descendants will continue to rule. Yahweh is seeking a man to be king who be just the kind of person that he wants him to be, so that he can appoint him to be the leader of his people. Yahweh will do this because you have not obeyed what he commanded.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -813,12 +813,12 @@
 \s5
 \c 14
 \p
-\v 1 One day, Jonathan said to the young man who carried his weapons, "Come with me; we will go over to where the Philistine soldiers have put up their tents." So they went, but Jonathan did not tell his father what they were going to do.
+\v 1 One day, Jonathan said to the young man who carried his weapons, “Come with me; we will go over to where the Philistine soldiers have put up their tents.” So they went, but Jonathan did not tell his father what they were going to do.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 2 On that day, Saul and the six hundred soldiers who were with him were sitting around a pomegranate tree at a place where the people threshed grain, near Gibeah.
-\v 3 Ahijah the priest was also there, one of those who wore the sacred apron. Ahijah son of Ahitub, who was a brother of Ichabod. Ichabod and Ahitub were the sons of Phinehas son of Eli, who had been Yahweh's priest at Shiloh.
+\v 3 Ahijah the priest was also there, one of those who wore the sacred apron. Ahijah son of Ahitub, who was a brother of Ichabod. Ichabod and Ahitub were the sons of Phinehas son of Eli, who had been Yahweh’s priest at Shiloh.
 \p Now no one knew that Jonathan had left the Israelite camp.
 
 \s5
@@ -828,21 +828,21 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Jonathan said to the young man who carried his weapons, "Come with me. We will go to where those pagans have set up their tents. Perhaps Yahweh will help us. It does not matter whether we are only two men or many people; nothing can stop Yahweh from enabling us to defeat them."
+\v 6 Jonathan said to the young man who carried his weapons, “Come with me. We will go to where those pagans have set up their tents. Perhaps Yahweh will help us. It does not matter whether we are only two men or many people; nothing can stop Yahweh from enabling us to defeat them.”
 \p
-\v 7 The young man who was carrying Jonathan's weapons said, "Do what you think is the best thing for us to do. I will be helping you."
+\v 7 The young man who was carrying Jonathan’s weapons said, “Do what you think is the best thing for us to do. I will be helping you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 Then Jonathan said, "Very well, come with me. We will cross the valley to where the Philistine army is, and allow them to see us.
-\v 9 If they then say to us, 'You two stay there until we come down to you,' we will stay there and not go up to them.
-\v 10 But if they say to us, 'Come up here,' that will show us that Yahweh will enable us to defeat them. Then we will go up and fight them."
+\v 8 Then Jonathan said, “Very well, come with me. We will cross the valley to where the Philistine army is, and allow them to see us.
+\v 9 If they then say to us, ‘You two stay there until we come down to you,’ we will stay there and not go up to them.
+\v 10 But if they say to us, ‘Come up here,’ that will show us that Yahweh will enable us to defeat them. Then we will go up and fight them.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 When the two of them crossed the valley, the Philistine soldiers saw them coming. They said, "Look! The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes in which they have been hiding!"
-\v 12 Then the Philistine soldiers who were closest to Jonathan and the young man who carried his weapons said, "Come up here, and we will teach you something about how to fight!"
-\p Jonathan said to the young man who was with him, "Come behind me and climb up, because Yahweh is going to help us to defeat them!"
+\v 11 When the two of them crossed the valley, the Philistine soldiers saw them coming. They said, “Look! The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes in which they have been hiding!”
+\v 12 Then the Philistine soldiers who were closest to Jonathan and the young man who carried his weapons said, “Come up here, and we will teach you something about how to fight!”
+\p Jonathan said to the young man who was with him, “Come behind me and climb up, because Yahweh is going to help us to defeat them!”
 
 \s5
 \v 13 So Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and his feet because it was very steep. The young man climbed up following him. As Jonathan climbed, he struck and killed many Philistine soldiers, and the young man who was with him killed many more as he followed behind Jonathan.
@@ -855,13 +855,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 Saul's lookouts were in the town of Gibeah in the region of the tribe of Benjamin. They saw that the soldiers of the Philistine army were running away in all directions.
-\v 17 Saul realized that some of his soldiers must have attacked the Philistine army. So he said to the soldiers who were with him, "Check to see if any of our men are not here." So they checked, and found out that Jonathan and the man who carried his weapons were gone.
+\v 16 Saul’s lookouts were in the town of Gibeah in the region of the tribe of Benjamin. They saw that the soldiers of the Philistine army were running away in all directions.
+\v 17 Saul realized that some of his soldiers must have attacked the Philistine army. So he said to the soldiers who were with him, “Check to see if any of our men are not here.” So they checked, and found out that Jonathan and the man who carried his weapons were gone.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 So Saul said to Ahijah the priest, "Bring the sacred chest here." For the Israelite people had been carrying the sacred chest with them. 
-\v 19 But while Saul was talking to the priest, he saw that the Philistine soldiers were becoming more panicked. So Saul said to Ahijah, "Do not bring the sacred chest at this time."
+\v 18 So Saul said to Ahijah the priest, “Bring the sacred chest here.” For the Israelite people had been carrying the sacred chest with them. 
+\v 19 But while Saul was talking to the priest, he saw that the Philistine soldiers were becoming more panicked. So Saul said to Ahijah, “Do not bring the sacred chest at this time.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -875,7 +875,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 24 Before Saul's soldiers went to the battle, Saul declared to them solemnly, "I do not want any of you to eat any food before this evening, before we have defeated all our enemies. If anyone eats anything, Yahweh will curse because they were very hungry.
+\v 24 Before Saul’s soldiers went to the battle, Saul declared to them solemnly, “I do not want any of you to eat any food before this evening, before we have defeated all our enemies. If anyone eats anything, Yahweh will curse because they were very hungry.
 \p
 \v 25 The Israelite army went into the forest, and they found honeycombs on the ground, but they did not eat any honey.
 \v 26 They were afraid to eat any, because they had solemnly promised that they would not eat any food.
@@ -883,11 +883,11 @@
 \s5
 \v 27 But Jonathan did not hear that his father had bound the people by a solemn promise. Jonathan had left the camp very early in the morning and when he saw a honeycomb, he dipped the end of his walking stick into it and ate some honey. After he ate the honey, he felt stronger.
 \p
-\v 28 But one of the Israelite soldiers saw him and said to him, "Your father solemnly declared to us that Yahweh would curse anyone who ate any food today. So now we are very tired and weak from being hungry because we obeyed him."
+\v 28 But one of the Israelite soldiers saw him and said to him, “Your father solemnly declared to us that Yahweh would curse anyone who ate any food today. So now we are very tired and weak from being hungry because we obeyed him.”
 
 \s5
-\v 29 Jonathan exclaimed, "My father had caused trouble for all of us! See how refreshed I am after eating a little honey!
-\v 30 If he had permitted all of us to eat from the food we took from our enemies while we were pursuing them, we would have been able to kill many more of their soldiers!"
+\v 29 Jonathan exclaimed, “My father had caused trouble for all of us! See how refreshed I am after eating a little honey!
+\v 30 If he had permitted all of us to eat from the food we took from our enemies while we were pursuing them, we would have been able to kill many more of their soldiers!”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -895,10 +895,10 @@
 \v 32 They had taken many sheep and cattle that the Philistine soldiers had abandoned. Now, because they were extremely hungry, they butchered some of those animals and ate the meat without draining the blood from the animals.
 
 \s5
-\v 33 One of the soldiers told Saul, "Look! The men are sinning against Yahweh by eating meat that still has blood in it!"
-\p Saul replied to the men who were near him, "They have disobeyed Yahweh! Roll a large stone over here!"
+\v 33 One of the soldiers told Saul, “Look! The men are sinning against Yahweh by eating meat that still has blood in it!”
+\p Saul replied to the men who were near him, “They have disobeyed Yahweh! Roll a large stone over here!”
 \p
-\v 34 After they did that, he said to those men, "Go and tell all the soldiers that each of them must bring an ox or a sheep to me, and kill it here on this stone, and drain the blood before he eats any of the meat. They should not sin against Yahweh by eating meat from some animal without draining its blood." So that night all the soldiers brought animals and slaughtered them there. Then Saul built an altar to worship Yahweh.
+\v 34 After they did that, he said to those men, “Go and tell all the soldiers that each of them must bring an ox or a sheep to me, and kill it here on this stone, and drain the blood before he eats any of the meat. They should not sin against Yahweh by eating meat from some animal without draining its blood.” So that night all the soldiers brought animals and slaughtered them there. Then Saul built an altar to worship Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \v 35 That was the first time that he built an altar for Yahweh.
@@ -906,32 +906,32 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 36 Then Saul said to the Israelite soldiers, "Let us chase the Philistine soldiers tonight. We can attack them all night. We will not allow any of them to escape alive."
-\p The Israelite soldiers answered, "We will do whatever you think is the best thing for us to do."
-\p But the priest said, "We should ask Yahweh what he thinks we should do."
-\v 37 So Saul asked God, "Should we chase the Philistine soldiers? Will you enable us to defeat them?" But God did not answer Saul that day.
+\v 36 Then Saul said to the Israelite soldiers, “Let us chase the Philistine soldiers tonight. We can attack them all night. We will not allow any of them to escape alive.”
+\p The Israelite soldiers answered, “We will do whatever you think is the best thing for us to do.”
+\p But the priest said, “We should ask Yahweh what he thinks we should do.”
+\v 37 So Saul asked God, “Should we chase the Philistine soldiers? Will you enable us to defeat them?” But God did not answer Saul that day.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 38 Then Saul summoned all the leaders of his army. He said to them, "I am sure that God has not answered me because someone has sinned. We must find out what sin someone has committed.
-\v 39 Yahweh has rescued us from the Philistine army. Just as surely as Yahweh is alive, whoever has sinned must be executed. Even if it is my son Jonathan who has sinned, he must be executed."
+\v 38 Then Saul summoned all the leaders of his army. He said to them, “I am sure that God has not answered me because someone has sinned. We must find out what sin someone has committed.
+\v 39 Yahweh has rescued us from the Philistine army. Just as surely as Yahweh is alive, whoever has sinned must be executed. Even if it is my son Jonathan who has sinned, he must be executed.”
 \p His men knew who was guilty, but none of them said anything to Saul.
 
 \s5
-\v 40 Then Saul said to all the Israelite soldiers, "You stand on one side. My son Jonathan and I will stand on the other side."
-\p His men replied, "Do whatever you think is best."
-\v 41 Then Saul prayed to Yahweh, the Israelites' God, "Tell me who is guilty and who is not guilty." Then the priest cast lots, and they indicated that it was either Jonathan or Saul who was the guilty one, and that the other men were not guilty.
-\v 42 Then Saul said to the priest, "Throw the stones again to indicate which of us two is guilty." So he did, and the stones indicated that Jonathan was the guilty one.
+\v 40 Then Saul said to all the Israelite soldiers, “You stand on one side. My son Jonathan and I will stand on the other side.”
+\p His men replied, “Do whatever you think is best.”
+\v 41 Then Saul prayed to Yahweh, the Israelites’ God, “Tell me who is guilty and who is not guilty.” Then the priest cast lots, and they indicated that it was either Jonathan or Saul who was the guilty one, and that the other men were not guilty.
+\v 42 Then Saul said to the priest, “Throw the stones again to indicate which of us two is guilty.” So he did, and the stones indicated that Jonathan was the guilty one.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have done that was wrong."
-\p Jonathan replied, "I ate a little bit of honey. It was only a little bit that was on the end of my stick. Do I deserve to be executed because of doing that?"
-\v 44 Saul replied, "Yes, you must be executed! I hope that God will strike me and kill me if you are not executed for having done that!"
+\v 43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done that was wrong.”
+\p Jonathan replied, “I ate a little bit of honey. It was only a little bit that was on the end of my stick. Do I deserve to be executed because of doing that?”
+\v 44 Saul replied, “Yes, you must be executed! I hope that God will strike me and kill me if you are not executed for having done that!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 45 But the Israelite soldiers said to Saul, "Jonathan has won a great victory for all us Israelites. Should he be executed for eating some honey ? Certainly not! Just as surely as Yahweh lives, we will not allow you to injure him in any manner, because today God helped Jonathan to kill many soldiers of the Philistine army!"
+\v 45 But the Israelite soldiers said to Saul, “Jonathan has won a great victory for all us Israelites. Should he be executed for eating some honey ? Certainly not! Just as surely as Yahweh lives, we will not allow you to injure him in any manner, because today God helped Jonathan to kill many soldiers of the Philistine army!”
 \p So by saying that the Israelite soldiers rescued Jonathan, and he was not executed.
 \v 46 Then Saul ordered his soldiers to stop pursuing the Philistine army, so the Philistine soldiers returned to their homes.
 
@@ -939,13 +939,13 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 47 After Saul became the ruler, he fought against enemies on every side. He fought against Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever the Israelite army fought, they defeated their enemies.
-\v 48 Saul's army fought bravely and defeated the very tall descendants of Amalek. His army rescued the Israelites from those who had plundered them.
+\v 48 Saul’s army fought bravely and defeated the very tall descendants of Amalek. His army rescued the Israelites from those who had plundered them.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 49 Saul's sons were Jonathan, Ishbosheth, and Malki-Shua. He also had two daughters, Merab and her younger sister Michal.
-\v 50 Saul's wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. The commander of Saul's army was Abner son of Saul's uncle Ner.
-\v 51 Saul's father Kish and Abner's father Ner were both sons of Abiel.
+\v 49 Saul’s sons were Jonathan, Ishbosheth, and Malki-Shua. He also had two daughters, Merab and her younger sister Michal.
+\v 50 Saul’s wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. The commander of Saul’s army was Abner son of Saul’s uncle Ner.
+\v 51 Saul’s father Kish and Abner’s father Ner were both sons of Abiel.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -956,9 +956,9 @@
 \c 15
 
 \p
-\v 1 One day Samuel said to Saul, "Yahweh sent me to appoint you to be the king of the Israelite people. So now listen to this message from Yahweh:
-\v 2 Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, has declared this: 'I am going to punish the descendants of Amalek for attacking the Israelite people after the Israelites left Egypt.
-\v 3 So now go with your army and attack the Amalek people group. Destroy them completely—destroy them and everything that belongs to them—the men and women, their children and infants, their cattle and sheep and camels and donkeys. Do not spare any of them!'"
+\v 1 One day Samuel said to Saul, “Yahweh sent me to appoint you to be the king of the Israelite people. So now listen to this message from Yahweh:
+\v 2 Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, has declared this: ‘I am going to punish the descendants of Amalek for attacking the Israelite people after the Israelites left Egypt.
+\v 3 So now go with your army and attack the Amalek people group. Destroy them completely—destroy them and everything that belongs to them—the men and women, their children and infants, their cattle and sheep and camels and donkeys. Do not spare any of them!’”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -966,49 +966,49 @@
 \v 5 Then Saul went with his army to a town where some of the Amalek people group lived. The army prepared to attack them suddenly by hiding in the valley.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 Then Saul sent this message to the Kenite people group who lived in that area: "You acted kindly toward all our Israelite ancestors when they left Egypt. But we are going to kill all of the Amalek people group, because they opposed our ancestors. So move away from where the Amalek people group live. If you do not move away, you will be killed when they are killed." So when the Kenite people group heard that, they immediately left that area.
+\v 6 Then Saul sent this message to the Kenite people group who lived in that area: “You acted kindly toward all our Israelite ancestors when they left Egypt. But we are going to kill all of the Amalek people group, because they opposed our ancestors. So move away from where the Amalek people group live. If you do not move away, you will be killed when they are killed.” So when the Kenite people group heard that, they immediately left that area.
 \p
-\v 7 Then Saul's army slaughtered the Amalek people group, from the town of Havilah in the east to the town of Shur in the west. Shur was at the border between Israel and Egypt.
+\v 7 Then Saul’s army slaughtered the Amalek people group, from the town of Havilah in the east to the town of Shur in the west. Shur was at the border between Israel and Egypt.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 Saul's army captured Agag, the king of the Amalek people group, but they killed everyone else.
+\v 8 Saul’s army captured Agag, the king of the Amalek people group, but they killed everyone else.
 \v 9 They not only spared Agag, but they also took the best sheep and goats and cattle. They took everything that was good. They destroyed only the animals that they considered to be worthless.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 10 Then Yahweh said to Samuel,
-\v 11 "I am sorry that I appointed Saul to be your king, because he has stopped worshiping me. He has not obeyed what I commanded him to do." Samuel was very disturbed when he heard that, and he cried out to Yahweh all that night.
+\v 11 “I am sorry that I appointed Saul to be your king, because he has stopped worshiping me. He has not obeyed what I commanded him to do.” Samuel was very disturbed when he heard that, and he cried out to Yahweh all that night.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Early the next morning, Samuel got up and went to talk with Saul. But someone told Samuel, "Saul went to the city of Carmel, where he has set up a monument to honor himself. Now he has left there and gone down to Gilgal."
+\v 12 Early the next morning, Samuel got up and went to talk with Saul. But someone told Samuel, “Saul went to the city of Carmel, where he has set up a monument to honor himself. Now he has left there and gone down to Gilgal.”
 \p
-\v 13 When Samuel arrived at Gilgal and came to Saul, Saul said, "I wish that Yahweh may bless you! I have obeyed what Yahweh told me to do."
+\v 13 When Samuel arrived at Gilgal and came to Saul, Saul said, “I wish that Yahweh may bless you! I have obeyed what Yahweh told me to do.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 But Samuel replied, "If that is true, why is it that I hear cattle mooing and I hear sheep bleating?"
+\v 14 But Samuel replied, “If that is true, why is it that I hear cattle mooing and I hear sheep bleating?”
 \p
-\v 15 Saul replied, "The soldiers took them from the Amalek people group. They saved the best sheep and cattle, in order to offer them as sacrifices to Yahweh, your God. But we have completely destroyed all the others."
+\v 15 Saul replied, “The soldiers took them from the Amalek people group. They saved the best sheep and cattle, in order to offer them as sacrifices to Yahweh, your God. But we have completely destroyed all the others.”
 \p
-\v 16 Samuel said to Saul, "Stop talking! Allow me to tell you what Yahweh said to me last night."
-\p Saul replied, "Tell me what he said."
+\v 16 Samuel said to Saul, “Stop talking! Allow me to tell you what Yahweh said to me last night.”
+\p Saul replied, “Tell me what he said.”
 
 \s5
-\v 17 Samuel said, "Previously you did not think that you were important. But now you have become the leader of the tribes of Israel. Yahweh appointed you to be their king.
-\v 18 And Yahweh sent you to do something for him. He said to you, 'Go and get rid of all those sinful people, the Amalek people group. Attack them and kill all of them.'
-\v 19 So why did you not obey Yahweh? Why did you take the plunder for yourself instead of destroying it? You have done what Yahweh says is evil, and he knows it!"
+\v 17 Samuel said, “Previously you did not think that you were important. But now you have become the leader of the tribes of Israel. Yahweh appointed you to be their king.
+\v 18 And Yahweh sent you to do something for him. He said to you, ‘Go and get rid of all those sinful people, the Amalek people group. Attack them and kill all of them.’
+\v 19 So why did you not obey Yahweh? Why did you take the plunder for yourself instead of destroying it? You have done what Yahweh says is evil, and he knows it!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Saul replied to Samuel, "I did what Yahweh sent me to do! I brought back King Agag, but we killed everyone else!
-\v 21 My men brought back only the best sheep and cattle and other things, in order to sacrifice them to Yahweh your God here at Gilgal."
+\v 20 Saul replied to Samuel, “I did what Yahweh sent me to do! I brought back King Agag, but we killed everyone else!
+\v 21 My men brought back only the best sheep and cattle and other things, in order to sacrifice them to Yahweh your God here at Gilgal.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 22 But Samuel replied,
-\q1 "Which do you think pleases Yahweh more, animals that are completely burned on the altar and other sacrifices,
+\q1 “Which do you think pleases Yahweh more, animals that are completely burned on the altar and other sacrifices,
 \q1 or people obeying him ?
 \q1 It is better to obey Yahweh than to offer sacrifices to him.
 \q1 It is better to pay attention to what he says than to burn the fat of rams, which God said should be sacrificed to him.
@@ -1016,37 +1016,37 @@
 \v 23 To rebel against God is as sinful as doing sorcery,
 \q1 and being stubborn is as sinful as worshiping idols.
 \q2 So, because you disobeyed what Yahweh told you to do,
-\q1 he has declared that you will no longer be king."
+\q1 he has declared that you will no longer be king.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 24 Then Saul said to Samuel, "Yes, I have sinned. I disobeyed what you told me to do, which is what Yahweh commanded. I did that because I was afraid of what my men would say if I did not do what they wanted. So I did what they demanded.
-\v 25 But now, please forgive me for having sinned. And come back with me to where the people are in order that I may worship Yahweh."
+\v 24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “Yes, I have sinned. I disobeyed what you told me to do, which is what Yahweh commanded. I did that because I was afraid of what my men would say if I did not do what they wanted. So I did what they demanded.
+\v 25 But now, please forgive me for having sinned. And come back with me to where the people are in order that I may worship Yahweh.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 26 But Samuel replied, "No, I will not go back with you. You have rejected what Yahweh commanded you to do. So he has rejected you, and declared that you will no longer be the king of Israel. So I do not want to talk anymore with you, either."
+\v 26 But Samuel replied, “No, I will not go back with you. You have rejected what Yahweh commanded you to do. So he has rejected you, and declared that you will no longer be the king of Israel. So I do not want to talk anymore with you, either.”
 \p
-\v 27 As Samuel turned to leave, Saul tried to stop him by grabbing the edge of Samuel's robe, and it tore.
+\v 27 As Samuel turned to leave, Saul tried to stop him by grabbing the edge of Samuel’s robe, and it tore.
 
 \s5
-\v 28 Samuel said to him, "Today Yahweh has torn away from you the kingdom of Israel. He will appoint someone else to be king, someone who is a better man than you are.
-\v 29 And since the one who is the glorious God of the Israelite people does not lie, he will not change his mind. Humans sometimes change their minds, but God does not do that, because he is not a human."
+\v 28 Samuel said to him, “Today Yahweh has torn away from you the kingdom of Israel. He will appoint someone else to be king, someone who is a better man than you are.
+\v 29 And since the one who is the glorious God of the Israelite people does not lie, he will not change his mind. Humans sometimes change their minds, but God does not do that, because he is not a human.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 30 Then Saul pleaded again. He said, "I know that I have sinned. But please honor me in front of the leaders of the Israelite people and in front of all the other Israelite people by coming back to them with me in order that I may worship Yahweh your God."
+\v 30 Then Saul pleaded again. He said, “I know that I have sinned. But please honor me in front of the leaders of the Israelite people and in front of all the other Israelite people by coming back to them with me in order that I may worship Yahweh your God.”
 \v 31 So Samuel finally agreed to do that, and they went together back to where the people were, and Saul worshiped Yahweh there.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 32 Then Samuel said, "Bring King Agag to me." So they brought Agag to him. Agag was brought before him, and he was locked in chains. He thought, "Surely the bitterness of death is past!"
+\v 32 Then Samuel said, “Bring King Agag to me.” So they brought Agag to him. Agag was brought before him, and he was locked in chains. He thought, “Surely the bitterness of death is past!”
 \p
 \v 33 But Samuel said to him,
-\q1 "You have killed the sons of many women with your sword,
-\q2 so now your mother will no longer have a son."
+\q1 “You have killed the sons of many women with your sword,
+\q2 so now your mother will no longer have a son.”
 \m And Samuel cut Agag into pieces with his sword, there at Gilgal, where the Israelites worshiped Yahweh.
 
 \s5
@@ -1059,64 +1059,64 @@
 \c 16
 
 \p
-\v 1 Finally, Yahweh said to Samuel, "I have decided that I will not allow Saul to continue to be the king. So you should not keep feeling sad about what he has done. Put some olive oil in a small container and go to Bethlehem to anoint someone with the oil, and appoint him to be king. I am sending you there to a man named Jesse, because I have chosen one of his sons to be the king of Israel."
+\v 1 Finally, Yahweh said to Samuel, “I have decided that I will not allow Saul to continue to be the king. So you should not keep feeling sad about what he has done. Put some olive oil in a small container and go to Bethlehem to anoint someone with the oil, and appoint him to be king. I am sending you there to a man named Jesse, because I have chosen one of his sons to be the king of Israel.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 2 But Samuel said, "I am afraid to go. If Saul hears that I have appointed someone else to be king, he will kill me." Yahweh answered, "Take with you a female cow that has not calved, and say to people that you have come to kill it and offer it as a sacrifice to me.
+\v 2 But Samuel said, “I am afraid to go. If Saul hears that I have appointed someone else to be king, he will kill me.” Yahweh answered, “Take with you a female cow that has not calved, and say to people that you have come to kill it and offer it as a sacrifice to me.
 \p
-\v 3 Invite Jesse to come to the sacrifice. When he comes, I will show you what you should do. And I will show you which of his sons I have chosen to be the king. Then you should anoint him with the olive oil to be the king."
+\v 3 Invite Jesse to come to the sacrifice. When he comes, I will show you what you should do. And I will show you which of his sons I have chosen to be the king. Then you should anoint him with the olive oil to be the king.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 Samuel did what Yahweh told him to do. He went to Bethlehem. When the town leaders came to him, they trembled, because they were worried that Samuel had come to rebuke them about something. One of them asked him, "Have you come to speak peacefully to us?"
+\v 4 Samuel did what Yahweh told him to do. He went to Bethlehem. When the town leaders came to him, they trembled, because they were worried that Samuel had come to rebuke them about something. One of them asked him, “Have you come to speak peacefully to us?”
 \p
-\v 5 Samuel replied, "Yes. I have come peacefully, to make a sacrifice to Yahweh. Set yourself apart for the honor of Yahweh, and then come with me to where they will offer the sacrifice." Then Samuel set apart Jesse to do what honors God, along with his sons, and then he invited them to the sacrifice.
+\v 5 Samuel replied, “Yes. I have come peacefully, to make a sacrifice to Yahweh. Set yourself apart for the honor of Yahweh, and then come with me to where they will offer the sacrifice.” Then Samuel set apart Jesse to do what honors God, along with his sons, and then he invited them to the sacrifice.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 When they arrived there, Samuel looked at Jesse's oldest son Eliab, and thought, "Surely this is the one whom Yahweh has appointed be king!"
+\v 6 When they arrived there, Samuel looked at Jesse’s oldest son Eliab, and thought, “Surely this is the one whom Yahweh has appointed be king!”
 \p
-\v 7 But Yahweh said to Samuel, "Do not think that he is the one whom I have chosen because of his being handsome and very tall, because I have not chosen him. I do not evaluate people as people do. You people evaluate people by their appearance, but I evaluate people by what is in their inner beings."
+\v 7 But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Do not think that he is the one whom I have chosen because of his being handsome and very tall, because I have not chosen him. I do not evaluate people as people do. You people evaluate people by their appearance, but I evaluate people by what is in their inner beings.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 Then Jesse told his next oldest son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. But when he did that, Samuel said, "Yahweh has not chosen this one, either."
-\v 9 Then Jesse told his next oldest son Shammah to step forward. He stepped forward, but Samuel said, "Yahweh has not chosen this one, either."
-\v 10 Similarly, Jesse told his other four sons to walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, "Yahweh has not chosen any of these sons of yours."
+\v 8 Then Jesse told his next oldest son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. But when he did that, Samuel said, “Yahweh has not chosen this one, either.”
+\v 9 Then Jesse told his next oldest son Shammah to step forward. He stepped forward, but Samuel said, “Yahweh has not chosen this one, either.”
+\v 10 Similarly, Jesse told his other four sons to walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “Yahweh has not chosen any of these sons of yours.”
 
 \s5
-\v 11 Then Samuel asked Jesse, "Do you have any other sons?" Jesse replied, "My youngest son is not here; he is out in the fields taking care of the sheep." Samuel said, "Send someone to bring him here! We will not sit down to eat until he gets here."
+\v 11 Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Do you have any other sons?” Jesse replied, “My youngest son is not here; he is out in the fields taking care of the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send someone to bring him here! We will not sit down to eat until he gets here.”
 \p
-\v 12 So Jesse sent someone to bring David there. And when David arrived, Samuel saw that he was handsome and healthy, and had bright eyes. Then Yahweh said, "This is the one whom I have chosen; anoint him to be king."
+\v 12 So Jesse sent someone to bring David there. And when David arrived, Samuel saw that he was handsome and healthy, and had bright eyes. Then Yahweh said, “This is the one whom I have chosen; anoint him to be king.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 So as David stood there in front of his older brothers, Samuel took the container of oil that he had brought and poured some of it on David's head to set him apart to serve God. After they all ate, Samuel left there and returned to Ramah. But Yahweh's Spirit came on David powerfully, and stayed with David for the rest of his life.
+\v 13 So as David stood there in front of his older brothers, Samuel took the container of oil that he had brought and poured some of it on David’s head to set him apart to serve God. After they all ate, Samuel left there and returned to Ramah. But Yahweh’s Spirit came on David powerfully, and stayed with David for the rest of his life.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 But Yahweh's Spirit left Saul. Instead of his Spirit staying with Saul, Yahweh sent an evil spirit to Saul to terrify him repeatedly.
+\v 14 But Yahweh’s Spirit left Saul. Instead of his Spirit staying with Saul, Yahweh sent an evil spirit to Saul to terrify him repeatedly.
 \p
-\v 15 One of his servants said to him, "It is evident that an evil spirit sent by God is terrifying you.
-\v 16 So we suggest that you allow us your servants here to search for a man who plays the harp well. He can play the harp whenever the evil spirit bothers you. Then you will calm down and you will be well again."
+\v 15 One of his servants said to him, “It is evident that an evil spirit sent by God is terrifying you.
+\v 16 So we suggest that you allow us your servants here to search for a man who plays the harp well. He can play the harp whenever the evil spirit bothers you. Then you will calm down and you will be well again.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 Saul replied, "Fine, find for me a man who can play the harp well, and bring him to me."
+\v 17 Saul replied, “Fine, find for me a man who can play the harp well, and bring him to me.”
 \p
-\v 18 One of his servants said to him, "A man named Jesse, in the city of Bethlehem, has a son who plays the harp very well. Furthermore, he is a brave man, and is a capable soldier. He is handsome and he always speaks wisely. And Yahweh always protects him."
+\v 18 One of his servants said to him, “A man named Jesse, in the city of Bethlehem, has a son who plays the harp very well. Furthermore, he is a brave man, and is a capable soldier. He is handsome and he always speaks wisely. And Yahweh always protects him.”
 \p
-\v 19 So Saul sent some messengers to Jesse. He told them to say to Jesse, "Send your son David to me, the one who takes care of sheep."
+\v 19 So Saul sent some messengers to Jesse. He told them to say to Jesse, “Send your son David to me, the one who takes care of sheep.”
 
 \s5
 \v 20 So after they went and told that to Jesse, he agreed and got a young goat, a container of wine, a donkey on which he put some loaves of bread and gave them to David to take to Saul as a present.
 \p
-\v 21 Then David went to Saul and started to work for him. Saul liked David very much, and he became the man who carried Saul's weapons when Saul went to fight in battles.
+\v 21 Then David went to Saul and started to work for him. Saul liked David very much, and he became the man who carried Saul’s weapons when Saul went to fight in battles.
 
 \s5
-\v 22 Then Saul sent a messenger to go to Jesse and tell him, "I am pleased with David. Please let him stay here and work for me."
+\v 22 Then Saul sent a messenger to go to Jesse and tell him, “I am pleased with David. Please let him stay here and work for me.”
 \p
 \v 23 Jesse agreed, and after that, whenever the evil spirit whom God sent tormented Saul, David played the harp. Then Saul would become calm, and the evil spirit would leave him.
 
@@ -1138,37 +1138,37 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 6 He wore bronze guards on his legs. He had a small bronze spear fastened on his back.
-\v 7 He also had a big spear. It had a cord on it to enable him to throw it better. Its iron head weighed about seven kilograms. A soldier carrying Goliath's huge shield walked in front of him.
+\v 7 He also had a big spear. It had a cord on it to enable him to throw it better. Its iron head weighed about seven kilograms. A soldier carrying Goliath’s huge shield walked in front of him.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 Goliath stood there and shouted to the Israelite army, "I can see you are lined up for battle, but you will not fight me. You can see that I am a Philistine soldier who is ready to fight, but you are just the slaves of Saul. Choose one man who can fight for all of you and send him down here to me!
+\v 8 Goliath stood there and shouted to the Israelite army, “I can see you are lined up for battle, but you will not fight me. You can see that I am a Philistine soldier who is ready to fight, but you are just the slaves of Saul. Choose one man who can fight for all of you and send him down here to me!
 \v 9 If he fights with me and kills me, then my fellow Philistines will all be your slaves. But if I defeat him and kill him, then you Israelites will all be our slaves.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 None of you Israelite men can defeat me! Send me a man who will fight with me!"
+\v 10 None of you Israelite men can defeat me! Send me a man who will fight with me!”
 \v 11 When Saul and all the Israelite soldiers heard that, they were very terrified.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 Now David son of Jesse was from the clan of Ephrath. He lived in Bethlehem, in the region of the tribe of Judah. Jesse had eight sons. When Saul was king, Jesse had already become a very old man.
-\v 13 Jesse's three oldest sons, Eliab and Abinadab and Shammah, had gone with Saul to fight the Philistines.
+\v 13 Jesse’s three oldest sons, Eliab and Abinadab and Shammah, had gone with Saul to fight the Philistines.
 
 \s5
-\v 14 David was Jesse's youngest son. While his three oldest brothers were with Saul,
-\v 15 David went back and forth. Sometimes he went to Saul's camp, and sometimes he stayed in Bethlehem to take care of his father's sheep.
+\v 14 David was Jesse’s youngest son. While his three oldest brothers were with Saul,
+\v 15 David went back and forth. Sometimes he went to Saul’s camp, and sometimes he stayed in Bethlehem to take care of his father’s sheep.
 \p
 \v 16 For forty days Goliath came out from the Philistine camp and stood there mocking the Israelite army. He kept telling the Israelites to choose one man to fight with him. He did this twice each day, in the morning and in the evening.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 One day, Jesse said to David, "Here is a sack of roasted grain and ten loaves of bread. Take these quickly to your older brothers.
+\v 17 One day, Jesse said to David, “Here is a sack of roasted grain and ten loaves of bread. Take these quickly to your older brothers.
 \v 18 And here are ten large chunks of cheese. Take them to their commander. And see how things are going with your older brothers. Then if they are safe, bring back something to show they are all right.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 Your brothers are with Saul and all the other Israelite soldiers, camped alongside Elah Valley, preparing to fight the Philistines."
+\v 19 Your brothers are with Saul and all the other Israelite soldiers, camped alongside Elah Valley, preparing to fight the Philistines.”
 \v 20 So David arranged for another shepherd to take care of the sheep. Early the next morning he took the food and went to the Israelite camp, as Jesse told him to do. He arrived there just as the Israelite soldiers were forming their ranks and going out to the battlefield. As they went, they were shouting a war cry.
 \v 21 The Philistine army and the Israelite army stood on the hillsides, facing each other, ready for the battle.
 
@@ -1178,43 +1178,43 @@
 \v 24 When all the Israelite soldiers saw Goliath, they were terrified and started to run away.
 
 \s5
-\v 25 They were saying to each other, "Look at him coming up toward us! And listen to him as he defies us Israelites! The king says that he will give a big reward to whoever kills this man. He also says that he will give his daughter to that man for him to marry her, and that he will no longer require that man's family to pay taxes."
+\v 25 They were saying to each other, “Look at him coming up toward us! And listen to him as he defies us Israelites! The king says that he will give a big reward to whoever kills this man. He also says that he will give his daughter to that man for him to marry her, and that he will no longer require that man’s family to pay taxes.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 26 David talked to some of the men who were standing near him. He said, "This Philistine—this uncircumcised man—should not be mocking the all-powerful God. What will be given to the person who kills this Philistine and stops him from shaming us Israelites?"
+\v 26 David talked to some of the men who were standing near him. He said, “This Philistine—this uncircumcised man—should not be mocking the all-powerful God. What will be given to the person who kills this Philistine and stops him from shaming us Israelites?”
 \p
 \v 27 The men told him the same thing that the other men had said, about what the king would do for anyone who killed Goliath.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 28 But when David's oldest brother Eliab heard David talking to the men, he was angry. He said to David, "Why have you come down here? Is someone taking care of those few sheep that you left in the desert? I know you are just a troublemaking boy! You just want to watch the battle!"
+\v 28 But when David’s oldest brother Eliab heard David talking to the men, he was angry. He said to David, “Why have you come down here? Is someone taking care of those few sheep that you left in the desert? I know you are just a troublemaking boy! You just want to watch the battle!”
 \p
-\v 29 David replied, "Have I done something wrong? I was merely asking a question!"
+\v 29 David replied, “Have I done something wrong? I was merely asking a question!”
 \v 30 Then he walked over to another man and asked him the same question, but the man gave him the same answer. Each time he asked someone, he received the same answer.
 
 \s5
 \v 31 Finally, someone told King Saul what David had asked, and Saul sent someone to bring David to him.
 \p
-\v 32 David told King Saul, "No one should worry because of that Philistine man. I will go and fight with him!"
+\v 32 David told King Saul, “No one should worry because of that Philistine man. I will go and fight with him!”
 \p
-\v 33 Saul said to David, "You are only a young man, and he has been a very powerful soldier all his life. So you are not able to go and fight with him!"
+\v 33 Saul said to David, “You are only a young man, and he has been a very powerful soldier all his life. So you are not able to go and fight with him!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 34 David replied, "I have been taking care of my father's sheep for many years. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried away a lamb,
-\v 35 I went after it and attacked it and rescued the lamb from the animal's mouth. Then I grabbed the animal by its jaw and struck it and killed it.
+\v 34 David replied, “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep for many years. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried away a lamb,
+\v 35 I went after it and attacked it and rescued the lamb from the animal’s mouth. Then I grabbed the animal by its jaw and struck it and killed it.
 
 \s5
 \v 36 I have killed both lions and bears. And I will do the same to this heathen Philistine, because he has defied the army of the all-powerful God!
 
 \s5
-\v 37 Yahweh has rescued me from paws of lions and bears, and he will rescue me from this Philistine!" Then Saul said to David, "All right, go and fight him, and I hope that Yahweh will help you!"
+\v 37 Yahweh has rescued me from paws of lions and bears, and he will rescue me from this Philistine!” Then Saul said to David, “All right, go and fight him, and I hope that Yahweh will help you!”
 \p
 \v 38 Then Saul gave to David his own clothes that he always wore in battles, and he gave him a bronze helmet and a coat made of metal plates.
 
 \s5
-\v 39 David put these things on. Then he fastened his sword over them and tried to walk. But he could not walk, because he was not accustomed to wearing those things. So David said to Saul, "I cannot fight wearing all these things, because I am not accustomed to wearing them!" So he took them off.
+\v 39 David put these things on. Then he fastened his sword over them and tried to walk. But he could not walk, because he was not accustomed to wearing those things. So David said to Saul, “I cannot fight wearing all these things, because I am not accustomed to wearing them!” So he took them off.
 \p
 \v 40 Then he took his walking staff; then he chose five smooth stones out of a streambed. He put them in the pouch of his shoulder bag. Then he put his sling in his hand and started walking toward Goliath.
 
@@ -1223,16 +1223,16 @@
 \p
 \v 41 Goliath walked toward David, with the soldier who was carrying his shield walking in front of him. When he got near David,
 \v 42 he looked at David closely. He saw that David had a handsome face and healthy body, but that he was only a young man. So he sneered at David.
-\v 43 He said to David, "Are you coming to me with a stick because you think that I am a dog?" Then he called out to his gods to harm David.
+\v 43 He said to David, “Are you coming to me with a stick because you think that I am a dog?” Then he called out to his gods to harm David.
 
 \s5
-\v 44 He said to David, "Come here to me, and I will kill you and give your dead body to the birds and wild animals to eat!"
+\v 44 He said to David, “Come here to me, and I will kill you and give your dead body to the birds and wild animals to eat!”
 \p
-\v 45 David replied, "You are coming to me with a sword and a spear and a small spear. But I am coming to you in the name of Yahweh, commander of the angel armies. He is the God whom the army of Israel worships, and he is the God whom you have defied.
+\v 45 David replied, “You are coming to me with a sword and a spear and a small spear. But I am coming to you in the name of Yahweh, commander of the angel armies. He is the God whom the army of Israel worships, and he is the God whom you have defied.
 
 \s5
 \v 46 Today Yahweh will enable me to defeat you. I will strike you down and cut off your head. And we Israelites will kill many Philistine soldiers and give their bodies to the birds and wild animals to eat. And everyone in the world will hear about it and know that we Israelite people worship an all-powerful God.
-\v 47 And everyone here will know that Yahweh can rescue people without a sword or a spear. Yahweh always wins his battles, and he will enable us to defeat all of you Philistines."
+\v 47 And everyone here will know that Yahweh can rescue people without a sword or a spear. Yahweh always wins his battles, and he will enable us to defeat all of you Philistines.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1241,37 +1241,37 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 50-51 Then David ran and stood over Goliath. He pulled Goliath's sword from its sheath and killed him with it, and then cut off his head. In that way David defeated the Philistine without having his own sword. He used only a sling and a stone!
+\v 50-51 Then David ran and stood over Goliath. He pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath and killed him with it, and then cut off his head. In that way David defeated the Philistine without having his own sword. He used only a sling and a stone!
 \p When the other Philistines saw that their great warrior was dead, they ran away.
 
 \s5
 \v 52 The Israelite men shouted and ran after them. They pursued them all the way to the city of Gath and to the gates of the city of Ekron. They struck them down as they went, with the result that dead Philistines were lying on the road all the way from Shaaraim to Gath and Ekron.
 \v 53 When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered the Philistine camp.
-\v 54 David later took the head of Goliath to Jerusalem, but he kept Goliath's weapons in his own tent.
+\v 54 David later took the head of Goliath to Jerusalem, but he kept Goliath’s weapons in his own tent.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 55 As Saul watched David going toward Goliath, he said to Abner, the commander of his army, "Abner, whose son is that young man?" Abner replied, "As sure as you are alive, I do not know."
+\v 55 As Saul watched David going toward Goliath, he said to Abner, the commander of his army, “Abner, whose son is that young man?” Abner replied, “As sure as you are alive, I do not know.”
 \p
-\v 56 Then the king said, "Find out whose son he is!"
+\v 56 Then the king said, “Find out whose son he is!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 57 Later, as David returned from killing Goliath, Abner took him to Saul. David was carrying Goliath's head.
+\v 57 Later, as David returned from killing Goliath, Abner took him to Saul. David was carrying Goliath’s head.
 \p
-\v 58 Saul asked him, "Young man, whose son are you?" David replied, "Sir, I am the son of your servant Jesse, who lives in Bethlehem."
+\v 58 Saul asked him, “Young man, whose son are you?” David replied, “Sir, I am the son of your servant Jesse, who lives in Bethlehem.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 18
 
 \p
-\v 1 After David finished talking with Saul, he met Saul's son, Jonathan. Jonathan immediately liked David; in fact, he began to love him.
+\v 1 After David finished talking with Saul, he met Saul’s son, Jonathan. Jonathan immediately liked David; in fact, he began to love him.
 \v 2 From that day, Saul kept David with him to serve him; he did not let him return home.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 Because he loved David so much, Jonathan made a solemn agreement with David. They promised each other that they would always be friends.
-\v 4 Jonathan took off his own outer robe and gave it to David. He also gave David his soldier's tunic, his sword, his bow and arrows, and his belt.
+\v 4 Jonathan took off his own outer robe and gave it to David. He also gave David his soldier’s tunic, his sword, his bow and arrows, and his belt.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1281,18 +1281,18 @@
 \p
 \v 6 But when the men in the army were returning home after David had killed Goliath, Israelite women came out from many cities and towns. They greeted King Saul while they were singing and dancing very joyfully, playing tambourines and lyres.
 \v 7 As they danced, they sang this song:
-\q1 "Saul has killed a thousand enemy soldiers,
-\q2 But David has killed ten thousand of them."
+\q1 “Saul has killed a thousand enemy soldiers,
+\q2 But David has killed ten thousand of them.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 When Saul heard them singing that, he did not like it. He became very angry. He said to himself, "They are saying that David killed ten thousand men, but that I have killed only one thousand. Soon they will want to make him their king!"
+\v 8 When Saul heard them singing that, he did not like it. He became very angry. He said to himself, “They are saying that David killed ten thousand men, but that I have killed only one thousand. Soon they will want to make him their king!”
 \v 9 From that time, Saul watched David very closely because he was suspicious that David would try to become king.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 10 The next day, an evil spirit sent by God suddenly took control of Saul. He began to act like a madman, inside his house. David was playing the lyre for him, as he did every day. Saul was holding a spear in his hand,
-\v 11 and he hurled it at David, thinking, "I will fasten David to the wall with the spear!" He did that two times, but David jumped aside both times.
+\v 11 and he hurled it at David, thinking, “I will fasten David to the wall with the spear!” He did that two times, but David jumped aside both times.
 \p
 \v 12 Because it became evident that Yahweh had abandoned Saul but that he was helping David, Saul was afraid of David.
 
@@ -1307,41 +1307,41 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 One day Saul said to David, "I am ready to give you my oldest daughter, Merab, to be your wife. I will do that if you serve me bravely by fighting battles for Yahweh against the Philistines." He said that because he thought, "I will not try to get rid of David by myself. I will allow the Philistines to do that."
+\v 17 One day Saul said to David, “I am ready to give you my oldest daughter, Merab, to be your wife. I will do that if you serve me bravely by fighting battles for Yahweh against the Philistines.” He said that because he thought, “I will not try to get rid of David by myself. I will allow the Philistines to do that.”
 \p
-\v 18 But David said to Saul, "I am not a very important person, and my family is not very important. Also my clan is not a very important Israelite clan. So I do not deserve to become your son-in-law."
+\v 18 But David said to Saul, “I am not a very important person, and my family is not very important. Also my clan is not a very important Israelite clan. So I do not deserve to become your son-in-law.”
 
 \s5
 \v 19 So, when it was time for Merab to be given to David to become his wife, instead, Saul gave her to a man named Adriel, from Meholah.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 However, Saul's other daughter, Michal, fell in love with David. When they told Saul about that, he was pleased.
-\v 21 He thought, "I will give Michal to him, in order that she may trap him, and the Philistines will be able to kill him." So he said to David, "You can marry Michal," and by saying that, he indicated for the second time that David would become his son-in-law.
+\v 20 However, Saul’s other daughter, Michal, fell in love with David. When they told Saul about that, he was pleased.
+\v 21 He thought, “I will give Michal to him, in order that she may trap him, and the Philistines will be able to kill him.” So he said to David, “You can marry Michal,” and by saying that, he indicated for the second time that David would become his son-in-law.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 Saul told his servants, "Talk to David privately, and say to him, 'Listen, the king is pleased with you, and all of us his servants love you. So now we think that you should marry Michal and become the king's son-in-law.'"
+\v 22 Saul told his servants, “Talk to David privately, and say to him, ‘Listen, the king is pleased with you, and all of us his servants love you. So now we think that you should marry Michal and become the king’s son-in-law.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 So they said that to David. But David said, "It would be a great honor to become the king's son-in-law. But I do not think that I should do that, because I am only a poor and insignificant man."
+\v 23 So they said that to David. But David said, “It would be a great honor to become the king’s son-in-law. But I do not think that I should do that, because I am only a poor and insignificant man.”
 \p
-\v 24 Saul's servant told him what David had said.
+\v 24 Saul’s servant told him what David had said.
 
 \s5
-\v 25 Saul replied, "Go and say to David, 'In order for the king to allow you to marry Michal, he wants you to kill one hundred Philistines and to cut off their foreskins and bring the foreskins to him to prove that you have killed them. In that way he will get revenge on his enemies.'" But what Saul really wanted was that the Philistines would kill David while he was trying to kill them.
+\v 25 Saul replied, “Go and say to David, ‘In order for the king to allow you to marry Michal, he wants you to kill one hundred Philistines and to cut off their foreskins and bring the foreskins to him to prove that you have killed them. In that way he will get revenge on his enemies.’” But what Saul really wanted was that the Philistines would kill David while he was trying to kill them.
 \p
-\v 26 When the servants told that to David, he was very pleased that he could become the king's son-in-law by doing that. The king had said how many days he would allow for David to do that.
+\v 26 When the servants told that to David, he was very pleased that he could become the king’s son-in-law by doing that. The king had said how many days he would allow for David to do that.
 \s5
-\v 27 But before that time ended, David and his men went and killed, not one hundred, but two hundred Philistines! He brought their foreskins to Saul, and counted them while Saul was watching, in order to prove that he had fulfilled what the king required so that he could become Saul's son-in-law. So then Saul was obligated to allow David to marry his daughter Michal.
+\v 27 But before that time ended, David and his men went and killed, not one hundred, but two hundred Philistines! He brought their foreskins to Saul, and counted them while Saul was watching, in order to prove that he had fulfilled what the king required so that he could become Saul’s son-in-law. So then Saul was obligated to allow David to marry his daughter Michal.
 \p
 \v 28 But when Saul realized that Yahweh was helping David, and that his daughter loved David,
-\v 29 he became more afraid of David. So as long as Saul lived, he was David's enemy.
+\v 29 he became more afraid of David. So as long as Saul lived, he was David’s enemy.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 30 The Philistine armies repeatedly came to fight the Israelites, but every time they fought, David and his soldiers were more successful than any of Saul's other army commanders. As a result, David became very famous.
+\v 30 The Philistine armies repeatedly came to fight the Israelites, but every time they fought, David and his soldiers were more successful than any of Saul’s other army commanders. As a result, David became very famous.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1349,23 +1349,23 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Then Saul urged all his servants and his son Jonathan to kill David. But Jonathan liked David very much.
-\v 2 So he warned David, "My father Saul is seeking for a way to kill you. So be careful. Tomorrow morning go and find a place to hide in the field.
-\v 3 I will ask my father to go out there with me. While we are out there, I will talk to him about you. Then I will tell you everything that he tells me." So David did what Jonathan told him to do.
+\v 2 So he warned David, “My father Saul is seeking for a way to kill you. So be careful. Tomorrow morning go and find a place to hide in the field.
+\v 3 I will ask my father to go out there with me. While we are out there, I will talk to him about you. Then I will tell you everything that he tells me.” So David did what Jonathan told him to do.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 The next morning, Jonathan spoke with his father, saying many good things about David. He said, "You should never do anything to harm your servant David! He has never done anything to harm you! Everything that he has done has helped you very much.
-\v 5 He was in danger of being killed when he fought against Goliath, the great soldier of the Philistine army. By enabling David to kill him, Yahweh won a great victory for all the people of Israel. You were very happy when you saw that. Why would you want to do anything now to harm David? There is no reason for you to kill him, because he has not done anything wrong!"
+\v 4 The next morning, Jonathan spoke with his father, saying many good things about David. He said, “You should never do anything to harm your servant David! He has never done anything to harm you! Everything that he has done has helped you very much.
+\v 5 He was in danger of being killed when he fought against Goliath, the great soldier of the Philistine army. By enabling David to kill him, Yahweh won a great victory for all the people of Israel. You were very happy when you saw that. Why would you want to do anything now to harm David? There is no reason for you to kill him, because he has not done anything wrong!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Saul listened to what Jonathan said. Then Saul said, "I solemnly promise that just as surely as Yahweh is alive, I will not kill David."
+\v 6 Saul listened to what Jonathan said. Then Saul said, “I solemnly promise that just as surely as Yahweh is alive, I will not kill David.”
 \p
 \v 7 Afterward, Jonathan summoned David and told him what he and Saul had said. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul, and David served Saul as he had done before.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 One day a war started again, and David led his soldiers to fight against the Philistine army. David's army attacked them very furiously, with the result that the Philistine army ran away.
+\v 8 One day a war started again, and David led his soldiers to fight against the Philistine army. David’s army attacked them very furiously, with the result that the Philistine army ran away.
 \p
 \v 9 But one day when Saul was sitting in his house, an evil spirit sent from Yahweh suddenly came upon Saul. David was playing his harp for Saul.
 
@@ -1373,96 +1373,96 @@
 \v 10 Saul hurled his spear at David to try to fasten him to the wall. David dodged, and the spear did not hit him. The spear stuck in the wall, but David ran out into the darkness and escaped.
 
 \p
-\v 11 Then Saul sent messengers to David's house. He told them to watch the house and to kill David while he was leaving the house the following morning. But David's wife Michal saw them and warned him, saying, "To save your life, you must run away tonight, because if you do not do that, you will be killed tomorrow!"
+\v 11 Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house. He told them to watch the house and to kill David while he was leaving the house the following morning. But David’s wife Michal saw them and warned him, saying, “To save your life, you must run away tonight, because if you do not do that, you will be killed tomorrow!”
 
 \s5
 \v 12 So she enabled David to climb out through a window, and he ran away and escaped.
-\v 13 Then Michal took an idol that was in the house and put it in the bed. She covered it with some of David's clothes, and put some goat's hair on the head of the idol.
+\v 13 Then Michal took an idol that was in the house and put it in the bed. She covered it with some of David’s clothes, and put some goat’s hair on the head of the idol.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 14 When the messengers came to the house the next morning, she told them that David was sick and could not get out of bed.
 \p
-\v 15 When they reported that to Saul, he told them to go back to David's house. He said to them, "Bring him to me lying on his bed, in order that I can kill him!"
+\v 15 When they reported that to Saul, he told them to go back to David’s house. He said to them, “Bring him to me lying on his bed, in order that I can kill him!”
 
 \s5
-\v 16 But when those men entered David's house, they saw that there was only an idol in the bed, with goat's hair on its head.
+\v 16 But when those men entered David’s house, they saw that there was only an idol in the bed, with goat’s hair on its head.
 \p
-\v 17 When they reported that to Saul, Saul summoned Michal and said to her, "Why did you trick me like that? You allowed my enemy to escape!"
-\p Michal replied to Saul, "David told me that if I did not help him to escape, he would kill me!"
+\v 17 When they reported that to Saul, Saul summoned Michal and said to her, “Why did you trick me like that? You allowed my enemy to escape!”
+\p Michal replied to Saul, “David told me that if I did not help him to escape, he would kill me!”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 18 After David had escaped from Saul, he went to Samuel, who was at his home in Ramah. He told Samuel everything that Saul had done to try to kill him. Then David and Samuel went to Naioth, which was nearby, and they stayed there.
 \v 19 Someone told Saul that David was in Naioth,
-\v 20 so Saul sent some messengers to capture him. When those messengers arrived in Ramah, they met some men who were shouting messages from Yahweh, and Samuel was there as their leader. When Saul's messengers met them, the Spirit of God came upon Saul's men, and they also shouted in the same way.
+\v 20 so Saul sent some messengers to capture him. When those messengers arrived in Ramah, they met some men who were shouting messages from Yahweh, and Samuel was there as their leader. When Saul’s messengers met them, the Spirit of God came upon Saul’s men, and they also shouted in the same way.
 
 \s5
 \v 21 When Saul heard about that, he sent more messengers, but they also started to shout out messages from Yahweh.
-\v 22 Finally, Saul also went to Ramah. When he arrived at the well at a place named Seku, he asked people there, "Where are Samuel and David?"
-\p The people replied, "They are at Naioth near the city of Ramah."
+\v 22 Finally, Saul also went to Ramah. When he arrived at the well at a place named Seku, he asked people there, “Where are Samuel and David?”
+\p The people replied, “They are at Naioth near the city of Ramah.”
 
 \s5
 \v 23 While Saul was walking toward Naioth, the Spirit of God also came upon him. While he walked on, he shouted messages from Yahweh until he came to Naioth.
-\v 24 There he took off his outer clothes, and he spoke messages from God in front of Samuel. He lay on the ground doing that all day and all night. That is the reason that when people see someone doing something that is very unexpected, they say, "Is Saul also a prophet?"
+\v 24 There he took off his outer clothes, and he spoke messages from God in front of Samuel. He lay on the ground doing that all day and all night. That is the reason that when people see someone doing something that is very unexpected, they say, “Is Saul also a prophet?”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 20
 
 \p
-\v 1 David ran away from Naioth. He went to Jonathan and asked him, "What have I done to displease your father? What did I do that was wrong? Why is he trying to kill me?"
+\v 1 David ran away from Naioth. He went to Jonathan and asked him, “What have I done to displease your father? What did I do that was wrong? Why is he trying to kill me?”
 \p
-\v 2 Jonathan replied, "My father is certainly not trying to kill you! He always tells me before he does anything that he is planning. He tells me about important things and unimportant things that he plans to do. Why would he refuse to tell me if he were planning to kill you? So what you are saying cannot be true."
+\v 2 Jonathan replied, “My father is certainly not trying to kill you! He always tells me before he does anything that he is planning. He tells me about important things and unimportant things that he plans to do. Why would he refuse to tell me if he were planning to kill you? So what you are saying cannot be true.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 Then David solemnly declared this to Jonathan: "Your father knows very well that you and I are very good friends, so he says to himself, 'I will not tell Jonathan what I am going to do. If I tell Jonathan, he will be upset, and then he will tell David.' But just as surely as Yahweh is alive and you are alive, I am only one step away from being killed."
+\v 3 Then David solemnly declared this to Jonathan: “Your father knows very well that you and I are very good friends, so he says to himself, ‘I will not tell Jonathan what I am going to do. If I tell Jonathan, he will be upset, and then he will tell David.’ But just as surely as Yahweh is alive and you are alive, I am only one step away from being killed.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 Jonathan said to David, "I will do whatever you tell me to do."
+\v 4 Jonathan said to David, “I will do whatever you tell me to do.”
 \p
-\v 5 David replied, "Tomorrow we will celebrate the festival of the new moon. I always eat with the king at that festival. But tomorrow I will hide in the field, and I will stay there for one night. I will stay there until the evening of the day after tomorrow.
+\v 5 David replied, “Tomorrow we will celebrate the festival of the new moon. I always eat with the king at that festival. But tomorrow I will hide in the field, and I will stay there for one night. I will stay there until the evening of the day after tomorrow.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 If your father asks why I am not there at the festival, say to him, 'David requested me to allow him to go to his home in Bethlehem, where his family will offer the sacrifice that they offer every year.'
-\v 7 If your father says 'Very well', then I know I will be safe. But if he becomes extremely angry, you will know that he is determined to harm me.
+\v 6 If your father asks why I am not there at the festival, say to him, ‘David requested me to allow him to go to his home in Bethlehem, where his family will offer the sacrifice that they offer every year.’
+\v 7 If your father says ‘Very well’, then I know I will be safe. But if he becomes extremely angry, you will know that he is determined to harm me.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 Please be kind to me. Yahweh heard you when you made a solemn agreement with me that you and I will always be good friends. But if I deserve to be punished, you should kill me yourself, rather than allow your father to punish me."
+\v 8 Please be kind to me. Yahweh heard you when you made a solemn agreement with me that you and I will always be good friends. But if I deserve to be punished, you should kill me yourself, rather than allow your father to punish me.”
 \p
-\v 9 Jonathan replied, "I will never do that! If I ever find out that my father is determined to harm you, I will certainly tell you."
+\v 9 Jonathan replied, “I will never do that! If I ever find out that my father is determined to harm you, I will certainly tell you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 David asked him, "How will I find out if your father answers you harshly?"
-\v 11 Jonathan replied, "Come with me. We will go out into the field." So they went together out into the field.
+\v 10 David asked him, “How will I find out if your father answers you harshly?”
+\v 11 Jonathan replied, “Come with me. We will go out into the field.” So they went together out into the field.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 There Jonathan said to David, "I promise this while Yahweh, the God whom we Israelites worship, is listening: At this time the day after tomorrow, I will find out what my father is thinking about you. If he is saying good things about you, I will certainly send a message to you to tell that to you.
+\v 12 There Jonathan said to David, “I promise this while Yahweh, the God whom we Israelites worship, is listening: At this time the day after tomorrow, I will find out what my father is thinking about you. If he is saying good things about you, I will certainly send a message to you to tell that to you.
 \v 13 But if he is planning to hurt you, I hope that Yahweh will punish me very severely if I do not tell you in advance and help you flee, so that you might go away in safety. I hope that Yahweh will be with you and help you like he has helped my father.
 
 \s5
-\v 14 But while I am still alive, please act kindly toward me because of the oath that we both swore in Yahweh's sight; do not kill me when you become king.
-\v 15 But if I die, never stop acting kindly toward my family for the sake of our oath, even after Yahweh has gotten rid of all your enemies all over the earth."
+\v 14 But while I am still alive, please act kindly toward me because of the oath that we both swore in Yahweh’s sight; do not kill me when you become king.
+\v 15 But if I die, never stop acting kindly toward my family for the sake of our oath, even after Yahweh has gotten rid of all your enemies all over the earth.”
 \p
-\v 16 So Jonathan made a solemn agreement with David and his descendants. And he said, "I hope that Yahweh will get rid of all your enemies."
+\v 16 So Jonathan made a solemn agreement with David and his descendants. And he said, “I hope that Yahweh will get rid of all your enemies.”
 
 \s5
 \v 17 And Jonathan requested David to repeat his solemn promise to be his close friend, because Jonathan loved David as much as he loved himself.
 \p
-\v 18 Then Jonathan said, "Tomorrow we will celebrate the festival of the new moon. When you are not sitting at your place when we eat, my father will miss you.
+\v 18 Then Jonathan said, “Tomorrow we will celebrate the festival of the new moon. When you are not sitting at your place when we eat, my father will miss you.
 \v 19 The day after tomorrow, in the evening go to the place where you hid before. Wait by the pile of stones.
 
 \s5
 \v 20 I will come out and shoot three arrows as though I were trying to shoot at a target. The arrows will hit the ground close to the pile of stones.
-\v 21 Then I will send a boy to bring the arrows back to me. If you hear me say to him, 'They are closer to me,' then just as surely as Yahweh is alive, you will know that everything is fine, and that you will not be killed.
+\v 21 Then I will send a boy to bring the arrows back to me. If you hear me say to him, ‘They are closer to me,’ then just as surely as Yahweh is alive, you will know that everything is fine, and that you will not be killed.
 
 \s5
-\v 22 But if I tell him, 'The arrows are farther away,' you will know that you must leave immediately, because Yahweh wants you to run away.
-\v 23 I hope that Yahweh will watch you and me and enable us to never forget what we have promised each other."
+\v 22 But if I tell him, ‘The arrows are farther away,’ you will know that you must leave immediately, because Yahweh wants you to run away.
+\v 23 I hope that Yahweh will watch you and me and enable us to never forget what we have promised each other.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1470,22 +1470,22 @@
 \v 25 He sat where he usually sat, close to the wall. Jonathan sat across from him, and Abner the army commander sat next to Saul. But no one was sitting in the place where David usually sat.
 
 \s5
-\v 26 On that day, Saul did not say anything about David, because he was thinking, "Something must have happened that caused David to become unacceptable to worship God."
-\v 27 But the next day, when David was not sitting at the place where he usually sat, Saul asked Jonathan, "Why has that son of Jesse not been here to eat with us yesterday and today?"
+\v 26 On that day, Saul did not say anything about David, because he was thinking, “Something must have happened that caused David to become unacceptable to worship God.”
+\v 27 But the next day, when David was not sitting at the place where he usually sat, Saul asked Jonathan, “Why has that son of Jesse not been here to eat with us yesterday and today?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 28 Jonathan replied, "David earnestly requested me that I permit him to go to Bethlehem.
-\v 29 He said, 'Please allow me to go, because our family is going to offer a sacrifice. My older brother insisted that I be there. So please allow me to go to be with my older brothers.' I allowed David to go, and that is the reason that he is not here eating with you."
+\v 28 Jonathan replied, “David earnestly requested me that I permit him to go to Bethlehem.
+\v 29 He said, ‘Please allow me to go, because our family is going to offer a sacrifice. My older brother insisted that I be there. So please allow me to go to be with my older brothers.’ I allowed David to go, and that is the reason that he is not here eating with you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 30 Saul was furious! He said to Jonathan, "I know that you are being loyal to that son of Jesse. But you will cause shame to come to yourself and to your mother.
-\v 31 As long as Jesse's son is living, you will never become the king, and you will never rule over this kingdom! So now, summon David, and bring him to me. He must be executed!"
+\v 30 Saul was furious! He said to Jonathan, “I know that you are being loyal to that son of Jesse. But you will cause shame to come to yourself and to your mother.
+\v 31 As long as Jesse’s son is living, you will never become the king, and you will never rule over this kingdom! So now, summon David, and bring him to me. He must be executed!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 32 Jonathan asked his father, "Why should David be executed? What wrong has he done?"
+\v 32 Jonathan asked his father, “Why should David be executed? What wrong has he done?”
 \v 33 Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan in order to kill him, but the spear did not hit him. So Jonathan knew that his father really wanted to kill David.
 \p
 \v 34 Jonathan was very angry, and he left the room. On that second day of the festival he refused to eat anything. He was disgusted about what his father had done, and he was worried about David.
@@ -1493,54 +1493,54 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 35 The following morning Jonathan went out to the field to give a message to David, as he had agreed that he would do. He took a young boy with him.
-\v 36 Jonathan said to the boy, "Run and find the arrows that I shoot." The boy started running, and Jonathan shot an arrow ahead of the boy.
-\v 37 The boy ran to the place where the arrow hit the ground, but Jonathan called out, "The arrow is further away!"
+\v 36 Jonathan said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows that I shoot.” The boy started running, and Jonathan shot an arrow ahead of the boy.
+\v 37 The boy ran to the place where the arrow hit the ground, but Jonathan called out, “The arrow is further away!”
 \s5
-\v 38 Then he shouted to the boy, "Go quickly; do not wait! Do not stop!" The boy picked up the arrow and brought it back to Jonathan.
+\v 38 Then he shouted to the boy, “Go quickly; do not wait! Do not stop!” The boy picked up the arrow and brought it back to Jonathan.
 \v 39 But the boy did not understand the meaning of what Jonathan had said; only Jonathan and David knew.
-\v 40 Then Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy and told him, "Go back to the town."
+\v 40 Then Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy and told him, “Go back to the town.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 41 When the boy left, David came out from behind the pile of stones, where he had been hiding. He went to Jonathan and bowed in front of Jonathan three times, with his face touching the ground. Then David and Jonathan kissed each other on the cheek, and they cried together. But David cried more than Jonathan.
 \p
-\v 42 Jonathan said to David, "May things go well for you as you go. Yahweh has heard what we solemnly promised to always do for each other, and what we said that our descendants must do for each other." Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.
+\v 42 Jonathan said to David, “May things go well for you as you go. Yahweh has heard what we solemnly promised to always do for each other, and what we said that our descendants must do for each other.” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 21
 
 \p
-\v 1 David fled from there and went to the city of Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he saw David because he was afraid that something bad had happened. He said to David, "Why are you alone? Why have no men come with you?"
+\v 1 David fled from there and went to the city of Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he saw David because he was afraid that something bad had happened. He said to David, “Why are you alone? Why have no men come with you?”
 \p
-\v 2 David deceived Ahimelech by replying, "The king sent me. But he does not want anyone to know anything about what he sent me to do. I have told my men where they should meet me.
+\v 2 David deceived Ahimelech by replying, “The king sent me. But he does not want anyone to know anything about what he sent me to do. I have told my men where they should meet me.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 Now I want to know, do you have any food here for me to eat? Could you give me five loaves of bread, or whatever other food that you can find?"
+\v 3 Now I want to know, do you have any food here for me to eat? Could you give me five loaves of bread, or whatever other food that you can find?”
 \p
-\v 4 The priest answered David, "There is no ordinary bread here, but I have some of the sacred bread that was placed before Yahweh. Your men may eat it if they have not slept with women recently."
+\v 4 The priest answered David, “There is no ordinary bread here, but I have some of the sacred bread that was placed before Yahweh. Your men may eat it if they have not slept with women recently.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 David replied, "They have not been near women for many days. I do not allow my men to defile themselves by sleeping with women while they are preparing to fight in battles. They must continue to keep themselves acceptable to God when they are on ordinary trips, and today they have certainly kept themselves acceptable to God because now we are doing something very special."
-\v 6 Now the only bread that the priest had was the bread on display before God, the bread that had been placed in Yahweh's presence in the sacred tent. So the priest gave David some of that bread. On that day the priest had taken those loaves from the table and replaced them with fresh loaves.
+\v 5 David replied, “They have not been near women for many days. I do not allow my men to defile themselves by sleeping with women while they are preparing to fight in battles. They must continue to keep themselves acceptable to God when they are on ordinary trips, and today they have certainly kept themselves acceptable to God because now we are doing something very special.”
+\v 6 Now the only bread that the priest had was the bread on display before God, the bread that had been placed in Yahweh’s presence in the sacred tent. So the priest gave David some of that bread. On that day the priest had taken those loaves from the table and replaced them with fresh loaves.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 It happened that Doeg, from the Edom people group, was there on that day to make himself acceptable to Yahweh, and he saw what Ahimelech did. He was one of Saul's officials and the leader of Saul's shepherds.
+\v 7 It happened that Doeg, from the Edom people group, was there on that day to make himself acceptable to Yahweh, and he saw what Ahimelech did. He was one of Saul’s officials and the leader of Saul’s shepherds.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 David asked Ahimelech, "Do you have a spear or a sword that I can use? The king appointed us to do this task and told us to leave immediately, so I did not have time to bring any weapons."
+\v 8 David asked Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or a sword that I can use? The king appointed us to do this task and told us to leave immediately, so I did not have time to bring any weapons.”
 \p
-\v 9 Ahimelech replied, "I have only the sword that belonged to Goliath the giant from the Philisti people group whom you killed in Elah Valley. It is wrapped in a cloth, and is behind the sacred apron in the sacred tent. If you want it, take it, because I have no other weapon here."
-\p David replied, "Truly, there is no other sword that is as good as that one! Give it to me."
+\v 9 Ahimelech replied, “I have only the sword that belonged to Goliath the giant from the Philisti people group whom you killed in Elah Valley. It is wrapped in a cloth, and is behind the sacred apron in the sacred tent. If you want it, take it, because I have no other weapon here.”
+\p David replied, “Truly, there is no other sword that is as good as that one! Give it to me.”
 
 \s5
 \v 10 So Ahimelech gave it to him, and David left there. He and his men and went to the city of Gath in the region of Philistia, to stay with King Achish.
-\v 11 But the officers of King Achish did not approve of David's coming. They said to King Achish, "This man David is just as powerful as the king of his land. Our enemies, the Israelite people, honored him by dancing and singing,
-\q1 'Saul has killed thousands of his enemies,
-\q2 but David has killed tens of thousands of them!'"
+\v 11 But the officers of King Achish did not approve of David’s coming. They said to King Achish, “This man David is just as powerful as the king of his land. Our enemies, the Israelite people, honored him by dancing and singing,
+\q1 ‘Saul has killed thousands of his enemies,
+\q2 but David has killed tens of thousands of them!’”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1549,8 +1549,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Then King Achish said to his men, "Look at this man! He is acting like an insane man! Why have you brought him to me?
-\v 15 Have you brought him because I do not already have enough insane men here in my house?"
+\v 14 Then King Achish said to his men, “Look at this man! He is acting like an insane man! Why have you brought him to me?
+\v 15 Have you brought him because I do not already have enough insane men here in my house?”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1562,10 +1562,10 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 Later they left there and went east to the city of Mizpah in the land of Moab. There David asked the king of Moab, "Please allow my father and mother to live here with you until I know what God is going to do for me."
-\v 4 The king gave him permission, so David's parents stayed with the king of Moab all the time that David and the men who were with him were hiding in that area.
+\v 3 Later they left there and went east to the city of Mizpah in the land of Moab. There David asked the king of Moab, “Please allow my father and mother to live here with you until I know what God is going to do for me.”
+\v 4 The king gave him permission, so David’s parents stayed with the king of Moab all the time that David and the men who were with him were hiding in that area.
 \p
-\v 5 One day the prophet Gad told David, "Leave your hideout here and return to Judah." So David and his men went to the Hereth Forest in Judah.
+\v 5 One day the prophet Gad told David, “Leave your hideout here and return to Judah.” So David and his men went to the Hereth Forest in Judah.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1573,60 +1573,60 @@
 \v 6 One day, someone told Saul that David and his men had arrived in Judah. On that day, Saul was sitting underneath the tamarisk tree on a hill near the town of Gibeah. He was holding his spear and was surrounded by his army officers.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 He shouted to them, "You men of the tribe of Benjamin, listen to me! Do you think that the son of Jesse will give all of you fields and vineyards if he becomes your king? Will he appoint all of you to become generals and captains in his army ?
-\v 8 Is that why you have all conspired against me, as he is doing today? Not one of you informed me that my own son had sworn friendship with him! Not one of you has had any pity on me or told me that my son has encouraged the son of Jesse to revolt against me, to hide out from me!"
+\v 7 He shouted to them, “You men of the tribe of Benjamin, listen to me! Do you think that the son of Jesse will give all of you fields and vineyards if he becomes your king? Will he appoint all of you to become generals and captains in his army ?
+\v 8 Is that why you have all conspired against me, as he is doing today? Not one of you informed me that my own son had sworn friendship with him! Not one of you has had any pity on me or told me that my son has encouraged the son of Jesse to revolt against me, to hide out from me!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 Doeg, a man from the Edom people group, was standing there with Saul's officers. He said to Saul, "When I was at Nob, I saw that son of Jesse talking to Ahimelech the priest.
-\v 10 Ahimelech asked Yahweh what David should do. Then Ahimelech gave to David some food and the sword of Goliath, that Philistine giant."
+\v 9 Doeg, a man from the Edom people group, was standing there with Saul’s officers. He said to Saul, “When I was at Nob, I saw that son of Jesse talking to Ahimelech the priest.
+\v 10 Ahimelech asked Yahweh what David should do. Then Ahimelech gave to David some food and the sword of Goliath, that Philistine giant.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 Then Saul summoned Ahimelech and all Ahimelech's relatives who were priests at Nob. So they all came to the king.
-\v 12 Saul said to Ahimelech, "You son of Ahitub, listen to me!"
-\p Ahimelech answered, "Yes, sir!"
-\v 13 Saul said, "Why are you and Jesse's son conspiring to get rid of me? You gave him some bread and a sword. You requested God to tell David what he should do. David has rebelled against me, and right now he is hiding somewhere, waiting to attack me."
+\v 11 Then Saul summoned Ahimelech and all Ahimelech’s relatives who were priests at Nob. So they all came to the king.
+\v 12 Saul said to Ahimelech, “You son of Ahitub, listen to me!”
+\p Ahimelech answered, “Yes, sir!”
+\v 13 Saul said, “Why are you and Jesse’s son conspiring to get rid of me? You gave him some bread and a sword. You requested God to tell David what he should do. David has rebelled against me, and right now he is hiding somewhere, waiting to attack me.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Ahimelech replied, "I do not understand why you are saying that, because David, your son-in-law, the captain of your bodyguards, is very loyal to you. No one is more loyal to you than David! Everyone in your household respects him very much.
-\v 15 Furthermore, this was certainly not the first time that I requested God to say what he wanted David to do. And it is not right for you to accuse me or any of my relatives of trying to get rid of you, because I do not know anything about anyone wanting to do that."
+\v 14 Ahimelech replied, “I do not understand why you are saying that, because David, your son-in-law, the captain of your bodyguards, is very loyal to you. No one is more loyal to you than David! Everyone in your household respects him very much.
+\v 15 Furthermore, this was certainly not the first time that I requested God to say what he wanted David to do. And it is not right for you to accuse me or any of my relatives of trying to get rid of you, because I do not know anything about anyone wanting to do that.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 The king then shouted, "Ahimelech, you and your all your relatives are going to be executed right now!"
+\v 16 The king then shouted, “Ahimelech, you and your all your relatives are going to be executed right now!”
 \p
-\v 17 Then he commanded his bodyguards, "Kill these priests of Yahweh, because they are allies of David, and they are conspiring with David against me! They knew that David was trying to run away from me, but they did not tell me!"
-\p But Saul's bodyguards refused to kill Yahweh's priests.
+\v 17 Then he commanded his bodyguards, “Kill these priests of Yahweh, because they are allies of David, and they are conspiring with David against me! They knew that David was trying to run away from me, but they did not tell me!”
+\p But Saul’s bodyguards refused to kill Yahweh’s priests.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 Then the king said to Doeg, "You kill them!" So Doeg, the man from the Edom people group, went out and struck them down with his sword. On that day he killed eighty-five men who were able to wear the sacred aprons because they were all God's priests.
+\v 18 Then the king said to Doeg, “You kill them!” So Doeg, the man from the Edom people group, went out and struck them down with his sword. On that day he killed eighty-five men who were able to wear the sacred aprons because they were all God’s priests.
 \v 19 He also went and killed many people in Nob, the city where the priests lived. He killed men, women, children, babies, cattle, donkeys, and sheep there.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 But Abiathar, Ahimelech's son, escaped. He ran away and joined David and the men who were with him.
-\v 21 He told David that Saul had commanded Doeg to kill Yahweh's priests.
+\v 20 But Abiathar, Ahimelech’s son, escaped. He ran away and joined David and the men who were with him.
+\v 21 He told David that Saul had commanded Doeg to kill Yahweh’s priests.
 
 \s5
-\v 22 Then David said to him, "That man from the Edom people group, Doeg, was there at Nob on the day that I was there. I knew that he would surely tell Saul what happened. So it is my fault that your father and all of his family have been killed.
-\v 23 You stay with me, and do not be afraid. The man who wants to kill you wants to kill me also, but you will be safe if you stay with me."
+\v 22 Then David said to him, “That man from the Edom people group, Doeg, was there at Nob on the day that I was there. I knew that he would surely tell Saul what happened. So it is my fault that your father and all of his family have been killed.
+\v 23 You stay with me, and do not be afraid. The man who wants to kill you wants to kill me also, but you will be safe if you stay with me.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 23
 
 \p
-\v 1 One day someone told David, "You need to know that the Philistine army is attacking the town of Keilah and that they are stealing grain from where men are threshing it."
-\v 2 David asked Yahweh, "Should my men and I go to fight against those men from the Philistia people group?"
-\p Yahweh answered, "Yes, go. Attack them, and rescue the people of Keilah."
+\v 1 One day someone told David, “You need to know that the Philistine army is attacking the town of Keilah and that they are stealing grain from where men are threshing it.”
+\v 2 David asked Yahweh, “Should my men and I go to fight against those men from the Philistia people group?”
+\p Yahweh answered, “Yes, go. Attack them, and rescue the people of Keilah.”
 
 \s5
-\v 3 But David's men said to him, "We are afraid that Saul will attack us here in Judah. We will be more afraid if we go to Keilah where the Philistine army is!"
+\v 3 But David’s men said to him, “We are afraid that Saul will attack us here in Judah. We will be more afraid if we go to Keilah where the Philistine army is!”
 \p
-\v 4 So David asked Yahweh again if they should go to Keilah. Yahweh answered, "Yes, go down to Keilah. I will help you to defeat the Philistines."
+\v 4 So David asked Yahweh again if they should go to Keilah. Yahweh answered, “Yes, go down to Keilah. I will help you to defeat the Philistines.”
 
 \s5
 \v 5 So David and his men went to Keilah. They fought against the Philistines and captured many of their cattle. David and his men killed many of the Philistine men and rescued the people of Keilah.
@@ -1636,20 +1636,20 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 Soon Saul found out that David was at Keilah. So he said, "That is good! God is enabling me to capture him! He has trapped himself in that town, because it has high walls with gates around it."
+\v 7 Soon Saul found out that David was at Keilah. So he said, “That is good! God is enabling me to capture him! He has trapped himself in that town, because it has high walls with gates around it.”
 \p
 \v 8 So Saul summoned his army, and they prepared to go down to Keilah to attack David and his men.
 \p
-\v 9 But David found out that Saul was planning for his army to attack him. So he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring here the sacred apron."
+\v 9 But David found out that Saul was planning for his army to attack him. So he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring here the sacred apron.”
 
 \s5
-\v 10 So when Abiathar brought it, David prayed, "Yahweh, God of us Israelites, I have heard that Saul is planning to come here with his army and destroy Keilah because I am here.
-\v 11 Will Saul come down here to Keilah, as people reported to me? Will the leaders of Keilah enable Saul to capture me? Yahweh, God of us Israelites, please tell me!"
-\p Yahweh answered, "Yes, Saul will come down."
+\v 10 So when Abiathar brought it, David prayed, “Yahweh, God of us Israelites, I have heard that Saul is planning to come here with his army and destroy Keilah because I am here.
+\v 11 Will Saul come down here to Keilah, as people reported to me? Will the leaders of Keilah enable Saul to capture me? Yahweh, God of us Israelites, please tell me!”
+\p Yahweh answered, “Yes, Saul will come down.”
 
 \s5
-\v 12 Then David asked, "Will the leaders of Keilah enable Saul's army to capture me and my men if we stay here?"
-\p By means of the stones in the sacred vest, Yahweh replied, "Yes, they will."
+\v 12 Then David asked, “Will the leaders of Keilah enable Saul’s army to capture me and my men if we stay here?”
+\p By means of the stones in the sacred vest, Yahweh replied, “Yes, they will.”
 
 \s5
 \v 13 So David and his six hundred men left Keilah. They continued to move from one place to another, wherever they thought that Saul would not find them. And when Saul found out that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.
@@ -1659,22 +1659,22 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 While David and his men were at a place named Horesh in the wilderness of Ziph, he found out that Saul was coming there to kill him.
-\v 16 But Saul's son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and encouraged him to continue to trust in God.
+\v 16 But Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and encouraged him to continue to trust in God.
 
 \s5
-\v 17 Jonathan told him, "Do not be afraid, because my father will not be able to harm you. Some day you will be the king of Israel, and I will be the second most important man in Israel. My father Saul also knows that."
+\v 17 Jonathan told him, “Do not be afraid, because my father will not be able to harm you. Some day you will be the king of Israel, and I will be the second most important man in Israel. My father Saul also knows that.”
 \v 18 Then the two of them repeated their solemn promise that Yahweh had heard them make previously, that they would always be loyal to each other. Then Jonathan went home, but David stayed at Horesh.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 Some people from Ziph went to Saul when he was at Gibeah, and they told him, "David and his men are hiding in our land! They are hiding in places at Horesh on the hill of Hakilah, south of a place named Jeshimon.
-\v 20 So, O king, come down there any time that you want to. It is our duty to capture him and put him in your hands."
+\v 19 Some people from Ziph went to Saul when he was at Gibeah, and they told him, “David and his men are hiding in our land! They are hiding in places at Horesh on the hill of Hakilah, south of a place named Jeshimon.
+\v 20 So, O king, come down there any time that you want to. It is our duty to capture him and put him in your hands.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 Saul replied, "I hope that Yahweh will bless you for telling that to me.
+\v 21 Saul replied, “I hope that Yahweh will bless you for telling that to me.
 \v 22 Go back and find out more about him. Find out exactly where he is staying, and find out who has seen him there. People tell me that he is very clever, so we need to be clever also to be able to capture him.
-\v 23 Find out all the places where he and his men hide. Then come back and tell me everything that you have found out. Then I will take my army and go there with you. If David is in any of the clans of Judah, we will search for him and find him!"
+\v 23 Find out all the places where he and his men hide. Then come back and tell me everything that you have found out. Then I will take my army and go there with you. If David is in any of the clans of Judah, we will search for him and find him!”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1683,8 +1683,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 26 Saul and his soldiers were walking along one side of the hill, and David and his men were on the other side. David and his men were hurrying to escape from Saul's soldiers, because Saul and his soldiers were coming much closer.
-\v 27 But then a messenger came to Saul and said to him, "Come quickly! The Philistine army is attacking the people in our land!"
+\v 26 Saul and his soldiers were walking along one side of the hill, and David and his men were on the other side. David and his men were hurrying to escape from Saul’s soldiers, because Saul and his soldiers were coming much closer.
+\v 27 But then a messenger came to Saul and said to him, “Come quickly! The Philistine army is attacking the people in our land!”
 
 \s5
 \v 28 So Saul stopped pursuing David, and he and his soldiers went to fight against the Philistine army. That is the reason that people call that place the Rock of Escape.
@@ -1701,38 +1701,38 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 3 At a place where the road was alongside some sheep pens, Saul left the road and entered a cave to relieve himself. He did not know that David and his men were hiding further inside that same cave!
-\v 4 David's men saw Saul and whispered to David, "Today is the day that Yahweh spoke about when he said, 'I will enable you to defeat your enemy.' You can do to him whatever you want to!" So David crept toward the entrance of the cave and cut off with his knife a small piece of Saul's robe.
+\v 4 David’s men saw Saul and whispered to David, “Today is the day that Yahweh spoke about when he said, ‘I will enable you to defeat your enemy.’ You can do to him whatever you want to!” So David crept toward the entrance of the cave and cut off with his knife a small piece of Saul’s robe.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 And then he returned to his men.
-\p But David felt guilty for having cut off a piece of Saul's robe.
-\v 6 He said to his men, "I should not have done that to the king! I hope that Yahweh will never allow me to attack the one whom God has appointed, because Yahweh is the one who chose him to be the king."
+\p But David felt guilty for having cut off a piece of Saul’s robe.
+\v 6 He said to his men, “I should not have done that to the king! I hope that Yahweh will never allow me to attack the one whom God has appointed, because Yahweh is the one who chose him to be the king.”
 \v 7 By saying that, David restrained his men and did not allow them to kill Saul.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 After Saul left the cave and started to walk on the road again, David came out of the cave and shouted to Saul, "King Saul!" Saul turned around and looked, and David bowed down with his face touching the ground.
-\v 9 Then he said to Saul, "Why do you pay attention to people when they say 'David wants to harm you'?
+\v 8 After Saul left the cave and started to walk on the road again, David came out of the cave and shouted to Saul, “King Saul!” Saul turned around and looked, and David bowed down with his face touching the ground.
+\v 9 Then he said to Saul, “Why do you pay attention to people when they say ‘David wants to harm you’?
 
 \s5
-\v 10 Today you can see with your own eyes that what they say is not true. Yahweh put you in a place where I and my men could have killed you when you were in this cave. Some of my men told me that I should do that, but I did not allow them to do that. I said to them, 'I will not harm my master, because he is the king whom Yahweh appointed.'
+\v 10 Today you can see with your own eyes that what they say is not true. Yahweh put you in a place where I and my men could have killed you when you were in this cave. Some of my men told me that I should do that, but I did not allow them to do that. I said to them, ‘I will not harm my master, because he is the king whom Yahweh appointed.’
 \v 11 Your majesty, look at this piece of your robe that is in my hand! I cut it from your robe, but I did not kill you. So now you should be able to understand that I am not planning to do anything evil to you. I have not done anything wrong to you, but you are searching for me to kill me.
 
 \s5
 \v 12 I desire that Yahweh may punish you for the wrong things that you have done to me. But I will never try to harm you.
-\v 13 There is a proverb that has the words, 'Evil things are done by evil people.' But I am not evil, so I will not do evil things to you.
+\v 13 There is a proverb that has the words, ‘Evil things are done by evil people.’ But I am not evil, so I will not do evil things to you.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 14 You are the king of Israel. So why are you pursuing me? What is it you are chasing? I am nothing more than a dead dog or a flea.
-\v 15 I hope that Yahweh will decide who is right in this matter, you or I? And when he decides in my favor, I hope he will defend me and save me from your power."
+\v 15 I hope that Yahweh will decide who is right in this matter, you or I? And when he decides in my favor, I hope he will defend me and save me from your power.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 When David finished saying that to Saul, Saul called out to him and asked, "My son David, is that your voice that I am hearing?" Then he cried loudly.
+\v 16 When David finished saying that to Saul, Saul called out to him and asked, “My son David, is that your voice that I am hearing?” Then he cried loudly.
 
 \s5
-\v 17 He said, "You are a better man than I am. You have done something very good to me when I tried to do something very bad to you.
+\v 17 He said, “You are a better man than I am. You have done something very good to me when I tried to do something very bad to you.
 \v 18 When Yahweh put me in a place in that cave where you could have easily killed me, you did not do that.
 
 \s5
@@ -1740,9 +1740,9 @@
 \v 20 I know that some day you will surely become the king, and that your kingdom will prosper as you rule the Israelite people.
 
 \s5
-\v 21 Now while Yahweh is listening, solemnly me that you will not kill my family and get rid of all my descendants."
+\v 21 Now while Yahweh is listening, solemnly me that you will not kill my family and get rid of all my descendants.”
 \p
-\v 22 David solemnly promised Saul that he would not harm Saul's family. Then Saul went back home, and David and his men went back up into the place where they had been hiding.
+\v 22 David solemnly promised Saul that he would not harm Saul’s family. Then Saul went back home, and David and his men went back up into the place where they had been hiding.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1759,54 +1759,54 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 One day while David and his men were in the desert, someone told him that Nabal was cutting the wool from his sheep.
-\v 5 So David told ten of his men, "Go to Nabal at Carmel and greet him for me.
-\v 6 Then tell him this message from me: 'I wish that things may go well for you and your family and for everything that you possess.
+\v 5 So David told ten of his men, “Go to Nabal at Carmel and greet him for me.
+\v 6 Then tell him this message from me: ‘I wish that things may go well for you and your family and for everything that you possess.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 I heard people say that you are cutting the wool from your sheep. Previously, when your shepherds were among us, we did not harm them. All the time that your shepherds were among us at Camel, we did not steal any sheep from them.
-\v 8 You can ask your servants if this is true, and they will tell you that it is true. We have come here at a time when you are celebrating, so I ask you to please be kind to us and give these men whatever extra food you have, for me, David, and my men to eat.'"
+\v 8 You can ask your servants if this is true, and they will tell you that it is true. We have come here at a time when you are celebrating, so I ask you to please be kind to us and give these men whatever extra food you have, for me, David, and my men to eat.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 When David's men arrived where Nabal was, they gave David's message to him, and they waited for him to reply. But Nabal spoke harshly to them.
-\v 10 He said to them, "Who does this man, this son of Jesse, think that he is? There are many slaves who are running away from their masters at the present time, and it seems to me that he is just one of them.
-\v 11 I give bread and water to the men who are cutting the wool from my sheep, and I give them meat from animals that I have slaughtered. Why should I take some of those things and give them to a group of outlaws?"
+\v 9 When David’s men arrived where Nabal was, they gave David’s message to him, and they waited for him to reply. But Nabal spoke harshly to them.
+\v 10 He said to them, “Who does this man, this son of Jesse, think that he is? There are many slaves who are running away from their masters at the present time, and it seems to me that he is just one of them.
+\v 11 I give bread and water to the men who are cutting the wool from my sheep, and I give them meat from animals that I have slaughtered. Why should I take some of those things and give them to a group of outlaws?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Then David's men returned and told him what Nabal had said.
-\v 13 When David heard this, he told his men, "We are going to kill Nabal; fasten your swords!" So he fastened on his sword, and about four hundred men fastened their swords and went with him. There were two hundred of his men who stayed with their supplies.
+\v 12 Then David’s men returned and told him what Nabal had said.
+\v 13 When David heard this, he told his men, “We are going to kill Nabal; fasten your swords!” So he fastened on his sword, and about four hundred men fastened their swords and went with him. There were two hundred of his men who stayed with their supplies.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 One of Nabal's servants found out what David and his men were planning to do, so he went to Nabal's wife Abigail and said to her, "David sent some messengers from the desert to greet our master Nabal, but Nabal only yelled at them.
+\v 14 One of Nabal’s servants found out what David and his men were planning to do, so he went to Nabal’s wife Abigail and said to her, “David sent some messengers from the desert to greet our master Nabal, but Nabal only yelled at them.
 \v 15 All the time that we were in the fields close to them, those men of David were very kind to us. They did not harm us. They did not steal anything from us.
 
 \s5
 \v 16 They protected us during the daytime and during the night. They were like a wall around us to protect us while we were taking care of our sheep.
-\v 17 So now you should think about it and decide what you can do. If you do not do something, terrible things will happen to our master and to all his family. Nabal is an extremely wicked man, so he will not listen to anyone who tries to tell him what to do."
+\v 17 So now you should think about it and decide what you can do. If you do not do something, terrible things will happen to our master and to all his family. Nabal is an extremely wicked man, so he will not listen to anyone who tries to tell him what to do.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 18 When Abigail heard that, she very quickly gathered two hundred loaves of bread, and also got two leather bags full of wine, the meat from five sheep, a bushel of roasted grain, a hundred packs of raisins, and two hundred packs of dried figs. She put all those things on donkeys.
-\v 19 Then she told her servants, "Go ahead of me. I will follow you." But she did not tell her husband what she was going to do.
+\v 19 Then she told her servants, “Go ahead of me. I will follow you.” But she did not tell her husband what she was going to do.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 Abigail rode on her donkey and came down to the place in the hills where David and his men were staying. Suddenly David and his men met her.
 
 \s5
-\v 21 David had been saying to his men, "It was useless for us to protect that man and all his possessions here in this wilderness. We did not steal anything that belonged to him, but he has acted badly toward me in return for our good actions toward him.
-\v 22 I hope that God will strike me and kill me if he or even one male person belonging to him is still alive tomorrow morning!"
+\v 21 David had been saying to his men, “It was useless for us to protect that man and all his possessions here in this wilderness. We did not steal anything that belonged to him, but he has acted badly toward me in return for our good actions toward him.
+\v 22 I hope that God will strike me and kill me if he or even one male person belonging to him is still alive tomorrow morning!”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got down from her donkey and bowed before him, with her face touching the ground.
-\v 24 Then she prostrated herself at David's feet and said to him, "Sir, I deserve to be punished for what my husband has done. Please listen to what I say to you.
+\v 24 Then she prostrated herself at David’s feet and said to him, “Sir, I deserve to be punished for what my husband has done. Please listen to what I say to you.
 
 \s5
-\v 25 Please do not pay attention to what this worthless man Nabal has said. His name means 'fool,' and he surely is a foolish man. But I, who am willing to be your servant, did not see the messengers whom you sent to him.
+\v 25 Please do not pay attention to what this worthless man Nabal has said. His name means ‘fool,’ and he surely is a foolish man. But I, who am willing to be your servant, did not see the messengers whom you sent to him.
 \v 26 Yahweh has prevented you from getting revenge on anyone and killing anyone. I hope that just as surely as Yahweh lives and as surely as you live, your enemies will be cursed like Nabal is.
 
 \s5
@@ -1818,17 +1818,17 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 30 Yahweh has promised to do good things for you, and he will do what he has promised. And he will cause you to become the ruler of the Israelite people.
-\v 31 When that happens, do not kill any people in his household. Then you will not think that you deserve to be punished for having punished and killed innocent people. And when Yahweh enables you to become king, please do not forget to be kind to me."
+\v 31 When that happens, do not kill any people in his household. Then you will not think that you deserve to be punished for having punished and killed innocent people. And when Yahweh enables you to become king, please do not forget to be kind to me.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 32 David replied to Abigail, "I praise Yahweh, the God whom we Israelites worship, because he sent you to talk with me.
+\v 32 David replied to Abigail, “I praise Yahweh, the God whom we Israelites worship, because he sent you to talk with me.
 \v 33 I hope today God may help you because you have wisely kept me from killing people today, and from paying back evil for evil.
 
 \s5
-\v 34 Just as surely as Yahweh the God whom we Israelites worship is alive, he has prevented me from harming you. If you had not come quickly to talk to me, neither Nabal nor even one of Nabal's men or boys would be still alive tomorrow morning."
+\v 34 Just as surely as Yahweh the God whom we Israelites worship is alive, he has prevented me from harming you. If you had not come quickly to talk to me, neither Nabal nor even one of Nabal’s men or boys would be still alive tomorrow morning.”
 \p
-\v 35 Then David accepted the gifts that Abigail had brought to him. He said to her, "I hope that things may go well for you. I have heard what you said, and I will do what you have requested."
+\v 35 Then David accepted the gifts that Abigail had brought to him. He said to her, “I hope that things may go well for you. I have heard what you said, and I will do what you have requested.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1840,25 +1840,25 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 39 After David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "I praise Yahweh! Nabal insulted me, but Yahweh has shown that I have been right. He has prevented me from doing anything wrong. And he has punished Nabal for the wrong that he did."
+\v 39 After David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “I praise Yahweh! Nabal insulted me, but Yahweh has shown that I have been right. He has prevented me from doing anything wrong. And he has punished Nabal for the wrong that he did.”
 
 \p Then David sent messengers to Abigail, to ask her if she would become his wife.
-\v 40 His servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, "David sent us to take you to become his wife."
+\v 40 His servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, “David sent us to take you to become his wife.”
 
 \s5
-\v 41 Abigail bowed down with her face touching the ground. Then she told the messengers to tell David, "I am happy to become your wife. I will be your servant. And I am willing to wash the feet of your servants."
-\v 42 Abigail quickly got on her donkey and went with David's messengers. Five of her female servants went with her. When she arrived where David was, she became his wife.
+\v 41 Abigail bowed down with her face touching the ground. Then she told the messengers to tell David, “I am happy to become your wife. I will be your servant. And I am willing to wash the feet of your servants.”
+\v 42 Abigail quickly got on her donkey and went with David’s messengers. Five of her female servants went with her. When she arrived where David was, she became his wife.
 
 \s5
-\v 43 David had previously married Ahinoam, a woman from Jezreel near Carmel. So both Abigail and Ahinoam were now David's wives.
-\v 44 King Saul's daughter Michal was also David's wife, but Saul had given her to Laish's son Paltiel, who was in the town of Gallim.
+\v 43 David had previously married Ahinoam, a woman from Jezreel near Carmel. So both Abigail and Ahinoam were now David’s wives.
+\v 44 King Saul’s daughter Michal was also David’s wife, but Saul had given her to Laish’s son Paltiel, who was in the town of Gallim.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 26
 
 \p
-\v 1 One day some of the people of Ziph town went to Saul while he was at Gibeah, and they said to him, "David is hiding in a cave on the hill of Hakilah, east of the town of Jeshimon."
+\v 1 One day some of the people of Ziph town went to Saul while he was at Gibeah, and they said to him, “David is hiding in a cave on the hill of Hakilah, east of the town of Jeshimon.”
 \p
 \v 2 So Saul chose three thousand of the best Israelite soldiers and went with them to the wilderness of Ziph to search for David.
 
@@ -1872,58 +1872,58 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 David went back to where his men were and talked to Ahimelech, who was from the Heth people group, and Joab's brother Abishai, whose mother was David's older sister Zeruiah. He asked them, "Who will go with me down into the camp where Saul is?"
-\p Abishai replied, "I will go with you."
-\v 7 So that night David and Abishai crept into Saul's camp. They saw that Saul was asleep. His spear was stuck in the ground near his head. Saul was asleep in the middle of the camp. Abner and the other soldiers were sleeping around Saul.
+\v 6 David went back to where his men were and talked to Ahimelech, who was from the Heth people group, and Joab’s brother Abishai, whose mother was David’s older sister Zeruiah. He asked them, “Who will go with me down into the camp where Saul is?”
+\p Abishai replied, “I will go with you.”
+\v 7 So that night David and Abishai crept into Saul’s camp. They saw that Saul was asleep. His spear was stuck in the ground near his head. Saul was asleep in the middle of the camp. Abner and the other soldiers were sleeping around Saul.
 \p
-\v 8 Abishai whispered to David, "Today Yahweh has enabled us to kill your enemy! Allow me to fasten Saul to the ground by thrusting my spear into him. It will be necessary for me to strike him only once. I will not need to strike him twice."
+\v 8 Abishai whispered to David, “Today Yahweh has enabled us to kill your enemy! Allow me to fasten Saul to the ground by thrusting my spear into him. It will be necessary for me to strike him only once. I will not need to strike him twice.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 But David whispered to Abishai, "No, do not kill Saul. Yahweh has appointed him to be king, so Yahweh will surely punish anyone who kills him.
-\v 10 Just as surely as Yahweh is alive, he himself will punish Saul. Perhaps Yahweh will strike him when it is Saul's time to die, or perhaps Saul will be killed in a battle.
+\v 9 But David whispered to Abishai, “No, do not kill Saul. Yahweh has appointed him to be king, so Yahweh will surely punish anyone who kills him.
+\v 10 Just as surely as Yahweh is alive, he himself will punish Saul. Perhaps Yahweh will strike him when it is Saul’s time to die, or perhaps Saul will be killed in a battle.
 
 \s5
-\v 11 But I hope that Yahweh will prevent me from harming the king whom he has appointed. Let us take Saul's spear and water jug that are near his head. Then let us get out of here!"
+\v 11 But I hope that Yahweh will prevent me from harming the king whom he has appointed. Let us take Saul’s spear and water jug that are near his head. Then let us get out of here!”
 
 \p
 \v 12 So David took the spear and the jug, and he and Abishai left. No one saw them or knew what they were doing, and no one woke up, because Yahweh had caused them to be sound asleep.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 David and Abishai went across the valley and climbed to the top of the hill, a long way from Saul's camp.
+\v 13 David and Abishai went across the valley and climbed to the top of the hill, a long way from Saul’s camp.
 \p
-\v 14 Then David shouted to Abner, "Abner, can you hear me?"
-\p Abner replied "Who are you, waking up the king by calling out to him?"
+\v 14 Then David shouted to Abner, “Abner, can you hear me?”
+\p Abner replied “Who are you, waking up the king by calling out to him?”
 
 \s5
-\v 15 David replied, "I am sure that you are the greatest man in Israel ! So why did you not guard your master, the king? Someone came into your camp in order to kill your master, the king.
-\v 16 You have done a very poor job of guarding Saul. So just as surely as Yahweh is alive, you and your men should be executed! You have not guarded your master whom Yahweh appointed to be the king. Where are the king's spear and the water jug that were close to his head?"
+\v 15 David replied, “I am sure that you are the greatest man in Israel ! So why did you not guard your master, the king? Someone came into your camp in order to kill your master, the king.
+\v 16 You have done a very poor job of guarding Saul. So just as surely as Yahweh is alive, you and your men should be executed! You have not guarded your master whom Yahweh appointed to be the king. Where are the king’s spear and the water jug that were close to his head?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 Saul woke up and recognized that it was David's voice. He called out, saying, "My son David, is that your voice?"
-\p David replied, "Yes, your majesty it is my voice."
+\v 17 Saul woke up and recognized that it was David’s voice. He called out, saying, “My son David, is that your voice?”
+\p David replied, “Yes, your majesty it is my voice.”
 \p
-\v 18 Then David added, "Sir, why are you pursuing me? I have done nothing wrong!
+\v 18 Then David added, “Sir, why are you pursuing me? I have done nothing wrong!
 
 \s5
-\v 19 Your majesty, listen to me! If Yahweh has caused you to be angry with me, I want him to accept a sacrifice from me. But if it is people who have caused you to be angry with me, I hope that Yahweh will curse them. They have forced me to leave the land that Yahweh gave to me. They have told me, 'Go somewhere else and worship other gods!'
-\v 20 Now do not force me to die away from the land and presence of Yahweh. You, the king, are looking for me, but I am as good as a flea or a wild bird that someone hunts in the hills."
+\v 19 Your majesty, listen to me! If Yahweh has caused you to be angry with me, I want him to accept a sacrifice from me. But if it is people who have caused you to be angry with me, I hope that Yahweh will curse them. They have forced me to leave the land that Yahweh gave to me. They have told me, ‘Go somewhere else and worship other gods!’
+\v 20 Now do not force me to die away from the land and presence of Yahweh. You, the king, are looking for me, but I am as good as a flea or a wild bird that someone hunts in the hills.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 Then Saul said, "David, my son, I have sinned by trying to kill you. So come back home. Today you have considered my life to be very valuable and so you have not killed me. So I will not try to harm you. I have made a big mistake and have acted foolishly."
+\v 21 Then Saul said, “David, my son, I have sinned by trying to kill you. So come back home. Today you have considered my life to be very valuable and so you have not killed me. So I will not try to harm you. I have made a big mistake and have acted foolishly.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 David replied, "I will leave your spear here. Send one of your young men here to get it.
+\v 22 David replied, “I will leave your spear here. Send one of your young men here to get it.
 \v 23 Yahweh rewards us for the things that we do that are right and for being loyal to him. Even when Yahweh placed me where I could easily have killed you, I refused to do that, because you are the one whom Yahweh has appointed to be the king.
 
 \s5
-\v 24 Just as I considered your life to be valuable and spared your life today, I hope that Yahweh will consider my life to be valuable and spare my life and save me from all my troubles."
+\v 24 Just as I considered your life to be valuable and spared your life today, I hope that Yahweh will consider my life to be valuable and spare my life and save me from all my troubles.”
 \p
-\v 25 Then Saul said to David, "My son David, I pray that Yahweh may bless you. May you do great things very successfully."
+\v 25 Then Saul said to David, “My son David, I pray that Yahweh may bless you. May you do great things very successfully.”
 \p Then David returned to his men, and Saul went back home.
 
 
@@ -1931,17 +1931,17 @@
 \c 27
 
 \p
-\v 1 But David thought, "Some day Saul will capture me if I stay around here. So the best thing that I can do is to escape and go to the region of Philistia. If I do that, Saul will stop searching for me here in Israel, and I will be safe."
+\v 1 But David thought, “Some day Saul will capture me if I stay around here. So the best thing that I can do is to escape and go to the region of Philistia. If I do that, Saul will stop searching for me here in Israel, and I will be safe.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 2 So David and his six hundred men left Israel and went to see Maok's son Achish, who was king of the city of Gath in the region of Philistia.
-\v 3 David and his men and their families started to live there in Gath, the city where King Achish lived. David's two wives were with him—Ahinoam from Jezreel, and Nabal's widow Abigail, from Carmel.
+\v 2 So David and his six hundred men left Israel and went to see Maok’s son Achish, who was king of the city of Gath in the region of Philistia.
+\v 3 David and his men and their families started to live there in Gath, the city where King Achish lived. David’s two wives were with him—Ahinoam from Jezreel, and Nabal’s widow Abigail, from Carmel.
 \v 4 When Saul heard that David had run away and was living in Gath, he stopped searching for David.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 One day David said to Achish, "If you are pleased with us, give us a place in one of the small villages where we can stay. There is no need for us to stay in the city where you are the king."
+\v 5 One day David said to Achish, “If you are pleased with us, give us a place in one of the small villages where we can stay. There is no need for us to stay in the city where you are the king.”
 \p
 \v 6 Achish liked what David suggested. So that day Achish gave to David the town of Ziklag. As a result, Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah since that time.
 \p
@@ -1949,25 +1949,25 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 8 During that time, David and his men raided the people who lived in the areas where the Geshur, Girzi, and Amalek people groups lived. Those people had lived there from long before. That area extended south to Shur and to the border of Egypt.
-\v 9 Whenever David's men attacked them, they killed all the men and women, and they took all the people's sheep and cattle and donkeys and camels, and even their clothes. Then they would bring those things back home, and David would go to talk to Achish.
+\v 9 Whenever David’s men attacked them, they killed all the men and women, and they took all the people’s sheep and cattle and donkeys and camels, and even their clothes. Then they would bring those things back home, and David would go to talk to Achish.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 Each time Achish would ask David, "Where did you go raiding today?" Sometimes David would say that they had gone to the southern part of Judah, and sometimes he would say that they had gone to where the Jerahmeelites lived in the south, or that he had fought against the Kenites who lived in the south.
+\v 10 Each time Achish would ask David, “Where did you go raiding today?” Sometimes David would say that they had gone to the southern part of Judah, and sometimes he would say that they had gone to where the Jerahmeelites lived in the south, or that he had fought against the Kenites who lived in the south.
 
 \s5
-\v 11 David's men never brought back to Gath any man or woman who was still alive. David thought, "If we do not kill everyone, some of them who are still alive they will go and tell Achish the truth about what we really did." David did that all the time that he and his men lived in the region of Philistia.
-\v 12 So Achish believed what David told him; he thought, "Because of what David has done, his own people, the Israelites, must now hate him very much. So he will have to stay here and serve me forever."
+\v 11 David’s men never brought back to Gath any man or woman who was still alive. David thought, “If we do not kill everyone, some of them who are still alive they will go and tell Achish the truth about what we really did.” David did that all the time that he and his men lived in the region of Philistia.
+\v 12 So Achish believed what David told him; he thought, “Because of what David has done, his own people, the Israelites, must now hate him very much. So he will have to stay here and serve me forever.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 28
 
 \p
-\v 1 Some time later, the people of Philistia gathered their army to attack the Israelites again. King Achish told David, "I am expecting that you and your men will join with my men to attack the Israelites."
+\v 1 Some time later, the people of Philistia gathered their army to attack the Israelites again. King Achish told David, “I am expecting that you and your men will join with my men to attack the Israelites.”
 \p
-\v 2 David replied, "We will go with you, and then you will see for yourself what we can do!"
-\p Achish said, "Very well, I will appoint you to be my permanent bodyguard."
+\v 2 David replied, “We will go with you, and then you will see for yourself what we can do!”
+\p Achish said, “Very well, I will appoint you to be my permanent bodyguard.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1978,53 +1978,53 @@
 \s5
 \v 5 When Saul saw the army of Philistia, he became so afraid that his heart pounded.
 \v 6 He prayed to Yahweh, but Yahweh did not answer him. Yahweh did not tell Saul what he should do by giving him a dream, or by having the priest throw the marked stones in his sacred pouch, or by giving a message about Saul to any prophet.
-\v 7 Then Saul said to his servants, "Find for me a woman who talks to the spirits of dead people, in order that I can ask her what will happen." His servants replied, "There is a woman in the town of Endor who does that."
+\v 7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Find for me a woman who talks to the spirits of dead people, in order that I can ask her what will happen.” His servants replied, “There is a woman in the town of Endor who does that.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 So Saul took off the clothes that showed that he was the king, and he put on ordinary clothes to disguise himself. Then he and two of his men went during the night to talk to that woman. Saul said to her, "I want you to talk to a spirit of someone who has died. Cause to appear the person whose name I will give to you."
+\v 8 So Saul took off the clothes that showed that he was the king, and he put on ordinary clothes to disguise himself. Then he and two of his men went during the night to talk to that woman. Saul said to her, “I want you to talk to a spirit of someone who has died. Cause to appear the person whose name I will give to you.”
 \p
-\v 9 But the woman replied, "You surely know what Saul has done. He expelled from this land all the people who talk to spirits of dead people and all fortune tellers. I think that you are trying to trap me, in order that I will be executed for doing something that is not permitted."
+\v 9 But the woman replied, “You surely know what Saul has done. He expelled from this land all the people who talk to spirits of dead people and all fortune tellers. I think that you are trying to trap me, in order that I will be executed for doing something that is not permitted.”
 \p
-\v 10 Saul replied, solemnly asking Yahweh to listen to what he was saying, "Just as surely as Yahweh is alive, you will not be punished for doing this."
+\v 10 Saul replied, solemnly asking Yahweh to listen to what he was saying, “Just as surely as Yahweh is alive, you will not be punished for doing this.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 Then the woman said, "Whom do you want me to cause to appear?"
-\p Saul replied, "Cause Samuel to appear."
+\v 11 Then the woman said, “Whom do you want me to cause to appear?”
+\p Saul replied, “Cause Samuel to appear.”
 \p
-\v 12 So the woman did that. But when she saw Samuel, she screamed. She said, "You have tricked me ! You are Saul! You will execute me for doing this!"
+\v 12 So the woman did that. But when she saw Samuel, she screamed. She said, “You have tricked me ! You are Saul! You will execute me for doing this!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 Saul said to her, "Do not be afraid. What do you see?"
-\p The woman said, "I see a god coming up out of the ground."
-\v 14 Saul said, "What does he look like?"
-\p The woman replied, "An old man wearing a robe is appearing."
+\v 13 Saul said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?”
+\p The woman said, “I see a god coming up out of the ground.”
+\v 14 Saul said, “What does he look like?”
+\p The woman replied, “An old man wearing a robe is appearing.”
 \p Then Saul knew that it was Samuel. So he bowed down with his face touching the ground.
 
 \s5
-\v 15 Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you bothered me by causing me to appear?"
-\p Saul said, "I am very worried. The army of Philistia is about to attack my army, and God has abandoned me. He does not answer my questions anymore. He does not give me dreams to tell me what to do or give messages to prophets to tell me what to do. That is the reason that I came to see you. So you tell me what I should do!"
+\v 15 Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you bothered me by causing me to appear?”
+\p Saul said, “I am very worried. The army of Philistia is about to attack my army, and God has abandoned me. He does not answer my questions anymore. He does not give me dreams to tell me what to do or give messages to prophets to tell me what to do. That is the reason that I came to see you. So you tell me what I should do!”
 
 \s5
-\v 16 Samuel said, "Yahweh has abandoned you and has become your enemy. So why do you ask me what you should do?
+\v 16 Samuel said, “Yahweh has abandoned you and has become your enemy. So why do you ask me what you should do?
 \v 17 He has done what he told me previously that he would do to you. He has torn the kingdom away from you, and he is giving it to someone who is another Israelite—David.
 
 \s5
 \v 18 You did not obey Yahweh. Yahweh was very angry with the Amalek people group. You did not kill all of their animals, with the result that you did not show that he was very angry with them. That is the reason that he is refusing to answer you today.
-\v 19 Yahweh will enable the Philistine army to defeat you and all the other Israelite soldiers. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me in the place where spirits of dead people are. Yahweh will cause the whole Israelite army to be defeated by the Philistine army." After Samuel said that, he disappeared.
+\v 19 Yahweh will enable the Philistine army to defeat you and all the other Israelite soldiers. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me in the place where spirits of dead people are. Yahweh will cause the whole Israelite army to be defeated by the Philistine army.” After Samuel said that, he disappeared.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 Saul immediately fell flat on the ground. He was so afraid because of what Samuel had said that he lost all his strength. He was also very weak because he had not eaten anything all that day and night.
 \p
-\v 21 The woman saw that he was very worried. She said to him, "Listen to me! I have done what you requested me to do. I could be executed for doing that.
+\v 21 The woman saw that he was very worried. She said to him, “Listen to me! I have done what you requested me to do. I could be executed for doing that.
 
 \s5
-\v 22 So now please pay attention to what I say. Allow me to give you some food, in order that you will eat it and get enough strength to go back to your army."
+\v 22 So now please pay attention to what I say. Allow me to give you some food, in order that you will eat it and get enough strength to go back to your army.”
 \p
-\v 23 But Saul refused. He said, "No, I will not eat anything." Then Saul's servants also urged him to eat something, and finally he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the bed.
+\v 23 But Saul refused. He said, “No, I will not eat anything.” Then Saul’s servants also urged him to eat something, and finally he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the bed.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2040,30 +2040,30 @@
 \v 2 The kings of Philistia divided their men into groups; some groups had one hundred soldiers and some groups had one thousand soldiers. David and his men were marching behind, with King Achish.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 But the Philistine commanders asked, "What are these Hebrews doing here, marching with us to battle?"
-\p Achish replied, "Their leader is David. He previously worked for King Saul of Israel, but now he has been living near me for more than a year. During all the time since he left Saul, I have not seen that he has any faults."
+\v 3 But the Philistine commanders asked, “What are these Hebrews doing here, marching with us to battle?”
+\p Achish replied, “Their leader is David. He previously worked for King Saul of Israel, but now he has been living near me for more than a year. During all the time since he left Saul, I have not seen that he has any faults.”
 
 \s5
-\v 4 But the Philistine army commanders were angry with Achish for allowing David's army to be going with them. They said to him, "Send David and his men back to the city that you gave to him! We do not want him to go with us into the battle. If he goes with us, we will have an enemy in our own midst! He would please Saul by killing our own soldiers!
+\v 4 But the Philistine army commanders were angry with Achish for allowing David’s army to be going with them. They said to him, “Send David and his men back to the city that you gave to him! We do not want him to go with us into the battle. If he goes with us, we will have an enemy in our own midst! He would please Saul by killing our own soldiers!
 
 \s5
 \v 5 Have you forgotten that David is the one about whom the Israelites dance and sing, saying,
-\q1 'Saul has killed a thousand of our enemies,
-\q2 but David has killed ten thousand of them'?"
+\q1 ‘Saul has killed a thousand of our enemies,
+\q2 but David has killed ten thousand of them’?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 So Achish summoned David, and said to him, "Just as surely as Yahweh is alive, you have been loyal to me. I would like very much for you to fight along with my army. Since the day that you came to me, I have not found that you have any faults. But the other kings do not trust you.
-\v 7 So all of you go back home, and I hope to do anything that the other kings of Philistia will not be pleased with."
+\v 6 So Achish summoned David, and said to him, “Just as surely as Yahweh is alive, you have been loyal to me. I would like very much for you to fight along with my army. Since the day that you came to me, I have not found that you have any faults. But the other kings do not trust you.
+\v 7 So all of you go back home, and I hope to do anything that the other kings of Philistia will not be pleased with.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 David replied, "What wrong have I done? Since the day that I first came to you until today, have I done anything that you think is evil? Your majesty, why will you not allow me to go and fight against your enemies?"
+\v 8 David replied, “What wrong have I done? Since the day that I first came to you until today, have I done anything that you think is evil? Your majesty, why will you not allow me to go and fight against your enemies?”
 \p
-\v 9 Achish replied, "I know I can trust you as much as I could trust an angel from God. But the commanders of my army have said, 'We will not allow David and his men to go with us into the battle.'
+\v 9 Achish replied, “I know I can trust you as much as I could trust an angel from God. But the commanders of my army have said, ‘We will not allow David and his men to go with us into the battle.’
 
 \s5
-\v 10 So early tomorrow morning you and your men must leave. Get up as soon as it gets light and leave."
+\v 10 So early tomorrow morning you and your men must leave. Get up as soon as it gets light and leave.”
 \p
 \v 11 So David and his men got up early the following morning and returned to the area where the Philistine people lived. But the Philistine army went up to the city of Jezreel.
 
@@ -2080,14 +2080,14 @@
 \v 4 David and his men cried loudly, until they were so weak that they could not cry anymore.
 
 \s5
-\v 5 David's two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, had also been taken away.
-\v 6 David's men were threatening to kill him by throwing stones at him, because they were very angry because their sons and daughters had been taken away. David was very distressed, but Yahweh his God gave him strength.
+\v 5 David’s two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, had also been taken away.
+\v 6 David’s men were threatening to kill him by throwing stones at him, because they were very angry because their sons and daughters had been taken away. David was very distressed, but Yahweh his God gave him strength.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 Then David did not know what to do, so he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring to me the sacred apron and the sacred vest." So Abiathar brought them,
-\v 8 and David asked Yahweh, "Should I and my men pursue the men who took our families? Will we be able to catch up to them?"
-\p Yahweh answered by means of the stones in the sacred vest: "Yes, pursue them. You will catch up to them, and you will be able to rescue your families."
+\v 7 Then David did not know what to do, so he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring to me the sacred apron and the sacred vest.” So Abiathar brought them,
+\v 8 and David asked Yahweh, “Should I and my men pursue the men who took our families? Will we be able to catch up to them?”
+\p Yahweh answered by means of the stones in the sacred vest: “Yes, pursue them. You will catch up to them, and you will be able to rescue your families.”
 
 \s5
 \v 9 So David and the six hundred men who were with him left, and they came to the ravine of Besor. Some of his men stayed there with some of their supplies.
@@ -2100,14 +2100,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 David asked him, "Who is your master? And where do you come from?"
-\p He replied, "I am from Egypt. I am a slave of a man from the Amalek people group. Three days ago my master left me here, because I was sick and I was not able to go with them.
-\v 14 We had raided the southern Judean wilderness of the Kerethites, and some other towns in Judah, and the southern Judean wilderness of the Calebites. We also burned Ziklag."
+\v 13 David asked him, “Who is your master? And where do you come from?”
+\p He replied, “I am from Egypt. I am a slave of a man from the Amalek people group. Three days ago my master left me here, because I was sick and I was not able to go with them.
+\v 14 We had raided the southern Judean wilderness of the Kerethites, and some other towns in Judah, and the southern Judean wilderness of the Calebites. We also burned Ziklag.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 David asked him, "Can you lead us to this group of raiders?"
-\p He replied, "Yes, I will do that if you ask God to listen while you promise that you will not kill me or give me back to my master. If you promise that, I will take you to them."
+\v 15 David asked him, “Can you lead us to this group of raiders?”
+\p He replied, “Yes, I will do that if you ask God to listen while you promise that you will not kill me or give me back to my master. If you promise that, I will take you to them.”
 
 \s5
 \v 16 David agreed to do that, so the man from Egypt led David and his men to where the men from the Amalek people group were. Those men were lying on the ground, eating and drinking and celebrating because they had captured many things from the regions of Philistia and Judah.
@@ -2116,23 +2116,23 @@
 \s5
 \v 18 David rescued his two wives, and he and his men got back everything else that the men of the Amalek people group had taken.
 \v 19 Nothing was missing. They took all their people back to Ziklag—young people and old people, their wives, their sons and their daughters. They also recovered all the other things that the men of the Amalek people group had taken from Ziklag.
-\v 20 They took with them the sheep and cattle that had been captured, and his men caused these animals to go in front of the rest of the cattle; they said, "These are animals that we captured in the battle; they belong to David!"
+\v 20 They took with them the sheep and cattle that had been captured, and his men caused these animals to go in front of the rest of the cattle; they said, “These are animals that we captured in the battle; they belong to David!”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 21 David and his men got back to where the other two hundred men were waiting, the men who did not go with David because they were very exhausted. They had stayed at the ravine of Besor. When they saw David and his men coming, they went out to greet them. And David greeted them also.
 \p
-\v 22 But some of the men who had gone with David, men who were evil and troublemakers, said, "These two hundred men did not go with us. So we should not give to them any of the things that we recovered. Each of them should take only his wife and children and go back to their homes."
+\v 22 But some of the men who had gone with David, men who were evil and troublemakers, said, “These two hundred men did not go with us. So we should not give to them any of the things that we recovered. Each of them should take only his wife and children and go back to their homes.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 David replied, "No, my fellow Israelites, that would not be right. Yahweh has protected us and enabled us to defeat the enemies who attacked our town.
-\v 24 Who will pay attention to you if you say things like that? The men who stayed here with our supplies will get the same amount that the men who went into the battle will get. They will all receive the same amount."
+\v 23 David replied, “No, my fellow Israelites, that would not be right. Yahweh has protected us and enabled us to defeat the enemies who attacked our town.
+\v 24 Who will pay attention to you if you say things like that? The men who stayed here with our supplies will get the same amount that the men who went into the battle will get. They will all receive the same amount.”
 \v 25 David made that to be a law for the Israelite people, and that is still a law in Israel.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 26 When David and all the others arrived in Ziklag, David sent to his friends who were leaders in Judah some of the things that they had captured from the Amalek people group. He said to them, "Here is a present for you. These are things that we took from Yahweh's enemies."
+\v 26 When David and all the others arrived in Ziklag, David sent to his friends who were leaders in Judah some of the things that they had captured from the Amalek people group. He said to them, “Here is a present for you. These are things that we took from Yahweh’s enemies.”
 \p
 \v 27 Here is a list of the cities and towns to whose leaders David sent gifts: Bethel, Ramoth in the southern part of Judah, Jattir,
 \v 28 Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa.
@@ -2153,10 +2153,10 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 Saul said to the man who was carrying his weapons, "Take out your sword and kill me with it, in order that these heathen Philistines will not be able to thrust their swords into me and make fun of me while I am dying."
-\p But the man who was carrying Saul's weapons was terrified, and refused to do that. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. The sword pierced his body, and he died.
+\v 4 Saul said to the man who was carrying his weapons, “Take out your sword and kill me with it, in order that these heathen Philistines will not be able to thrust their swords into me and make fun of me while I am dying.”
+\p But the man who was carrying Saul’s weapons was terrified, and refused to do that. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. The sword pierced his body, and he died.
 \v 5 When the man carrying his weapons saw that Saul was dead, he also threw himself on his own sword and died.
-\v 6 So Saul, three of his sons, and the man who carried Saul's weapons, all died on that same day.
+\v 6 So Saul, three of his sons, and the man who carried Saul’s weapons, all died on that same day.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2165,12 +2165,12 @@
 \v 8 The next day, when the Philistines came to take away the weapons of the dead Israelite soldiers, they found the bodies of Saul and his three sons on Mount Gilboa.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 They cut off Saul's head and took his weapons. Then they sent messengers throughout their land to proclaim the news in the temples, where they kept their idols, and to the other people, that their army had defeated the Israelites.
-\v 10 They put Saul's weapons in the temple of their goddess Asherah. They also fastened the bodies of Saul and his sons to the wall that surrounded the city of Beth Shan.
+\v 9 They cut off Saul’s head and took his weapons. Then they sent messengers throughout their land to proclaim the news in the temples, where they kept their idols, and to the other people, that their army had defeated the Israelites.
+\v 10 They put Saul’s weapons in the temple of their goddess Asherah. They also fastened the bodies of Saul and his sons to the wall that surrounded the city of Beth Shan.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 When the people who lived in Jabesh in the region of Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul's corpse,
+\v 11 When the people who lived in Jabesh in the region of Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul’s corpse,
 \v 12 all their bravest soldiers walked all night to Beth Shan. They took the corpses of Saul and his sons down from the city wall, and they took them back to Jabesh and burned the corpses there.
 \v 13 They took the bones and buried them under a big tamarisk tree. Then they fasted for seven days.
 

10-2SA.usfm

@@ -11,48 +11,48 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 After Saul died, David and the men who were with him returned to the town of Ziklag after defeating the descendants of Amalek. They stayed in Ziklag for two days.
-\v 2 On the third day, a man unexpectedly arrived there who had been in Saul's army. He had torn his clothes and put dust on his head to show that he was grieving. He came to David and prostrated himself on the ground in front of David to show respect for him.
+\v 2 On the third day, a man unexpectedly arrived there who had been in Saul’s army. He had torn his clothes and put dust on his head to show that he was grieving. He came to David and prostrated himself on the ground in front of David to show respect for him.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 David asked him, "Where have you come from?" The man replied, "From the Israelite army."
+\v 3 David asked him, “Where have you come from?” The man replied, “From the Israelite army.”
 \p
-\v 4 David asked him, "What happened? Tell me about the battle!" The man replied, "Our soldiers ran away. Many of them were killed. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead."
+\v 4 David asked him, “What happened? Tell me about the battle!” The man replied, “Our soldiers ran away. Many of them were killed. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.”
 \p
-\v 5 David said to the young man, "How do you know that Saul and Jonathan are dead?"
+\v 5 David said to the young man, “How do you know that Saul and Jonathan are dead?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 The young man replied, "I was on Mount Gilboa where the fighting was. I saw Saul; he was leaning on his spear. The enemy chariots and their drivers were coming very close to him.
-\v 7 Saul turned around and saw me, and he called out to me. I answered him and said, 'What do you want me to do?'
+\v 6 The young man replied, “I was on Mount Gilboa where the fighting was. I saw Saul; he was leaning on his spear. The enemy chariots and their drivers were coming very close to him.
+\v 7 Saul turned around and saw me, and he called out to me. I answered him and said, ‘What do you want me to do?’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 He replied, 'Who are you?' I replied, 'I am a descendant of Amalek.'
+\v 8 He replied, ‘Who are you?’ I replied, ‘I am a descendant of Amalek.’
 \p
-\v 9 Then he said to me, 'Come over here and kill me. I am in very much pain.'
+\v 9 Then he said to me, ‘Come over here and kill me. I am in very much pain.’
 \p
-\v 10 So I went to him and killed him, because I saw that he was wounded very badly and would not continue to live. I took the crown from his head and his armband, which I have brought to you, my master."
+\v 10 So I went to him and killed him, because I saw that he was wounded very badly and would not continue to live. I took the crown from his head and his armband, which I have brought to you, my master.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 11 Then David took hold of his clothing and he tore it apart, and all the men who were with him tore their clothes apart as well.
 \v 12 They tore their clothing because they were very sad and they refused to eat anything until evening because they remembered that Saul and his son Jonathan had died, and that so many of the people of Yahweh had died, and they were sad because of the great dangers the descendants of Israel had gone through, and because so many of them died in battle.
 \p
-\v 13 But David asked the young man who had told him about the battle, "Where are you from?" He replied, "My father is a descendant of Amalek, but we live in Israel."
+\v 13 But David asked the young man who had told him about the battle, “Where are you from?” He replied, “My father is a descendant of Amalek, but we live in Israel.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 David asked him, "Why were you not afraid that you would be punished if you killed Saul, whom Yahweh made king?
-\v 15-16 You yourself said, 'I killed the man whom Yahweh appointed to be the king.' So you have made yourself guilty; you deserve to die!" Then David summoned one of his soldiers and said to him, "Kill him!" So the soldier killed him.
+\v 14 David asked him, “Why were you not afraid that you would be punished if you killed Saul, whom Yahweh made king?
+\v 15-16 You yourself said, ‘I killed the man whom Yahweh appointed to be the king.’ So you have made yourself guilty; you deserve to die!” Then David summoned one of his soldiers and said to him, “Kill him!” So the soldier killed him.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 Then David composed this sad song about Saul and Jonathan,
-\v 18 and he ordered the men with him to teach it to the people of Judah. The song is called "The Bow," and it has been written down in the Book of Jashar:
+\v 18 and he ordered the men with him to teach it to the people of Judah. The song is called “The Bow,” and it has been written down in the Book of Jashar:
 \q1
-\v 19 "You Israelite people, your glorious leaders have been killed on the mountains!
+\v 19 “You Israelite people, your glorious leaders have been killed on the mountains!
 \q2 It is very sad that these mighty men have died!
 \q1
 \v 20 Do not tell it to our enemies in the region of Philistia.
@@ -65,10 +65,10 @@
 \v 21 I hope there will be no rain or dew ever again on the mountains of Gilboa
 \q1 and that no grain will grow in the fields there,
 \q2 because it was there that the shield of Saul, the mighty king, fell to the ground.
-\q1 Now there is no one to rub olive oil on Saul's shield.
+\q1 Now there is no one to rub olive oil on Saul’s shield.
 \q1
-\v 22 Jonathan's arrows were his servants who always pierced his enemies and drew their blood.
-\q2 and Saul's sword was his servant who always struck his enemies.
+\v 22 Jonathan’s arrows were his servants who always pierced his enemies and drew their blood.
+\q2 and Saul’s sword was his servant who always struck his enemies.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -98,24 +98,24 @@
 \c 2
 
 \p
-\v 1 Some time after that, David asked Yahweh, "Should I go up to one of the towns in Judah?" Yahweh replied, "Yes, go up there." Then David asked, "To which town should I go?" Yahweh replied, "To Hebron."
+\v 1 Some time after that, David asked Yahweh, “Should I go up to one of the towns in Judah?” Yahweh replied, “Yes, go up there.” Then David asked, “To which town should I go?” Yahweh replied, “To Hebron.”
 \p
 \v 2 So David went up there, taking his two wives, Ahinoam who was from the city of Jezreel, and Abigail, the widow of Nabal, who was from the city of Carmel.
 \v 3 He also took the men who had been with him, together with their families. They all started to live in the city of Hebron and its surrounding villages.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and one of them poured olive oil on David's head to show they were appointing him to be the king of the tribe of Judah.
-\p When David found out that the people of the city of Jabesh in the region of Gilead had buried Saul's body,
-\v 5 he sent messengers to the men of Jabesh to tell them, "I desire that Yahweh will bless you for having buried Saul. By doing this, you have shown that you were loyal to him.
+\v 4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and one of them poured olive oil on David’s head to show they were appointing him to be the king of the tribe of Judah.
+\p When David found out that the people of the city of Jabesh in the region of Gilead had buried Saul’s body,
+\v 5 he sent messengers to the men of Jabesh to tell them, “I desire that Yahweh will bless you for having buried Saul. By doing this, you have shown that you were loyal to him.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 Now I also desire that Yahweh will faithfully love you and be loyal to you. And I will do good things for you because of what you have done for Saul.
-\v 7 Now, although Saul your king is dead, be strong and courageous, like the people of Judah, who have appointed me to be their king."
+\v 7 Now, although Saul your king is dead, be strong and courageous, like the people of Judah, who have appointed me to be their king.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 However, Ner's son Abner, the commander of Saul's army, took Saul's son Ishbosheth and went across the Jordan River to the city of Mahanaim.
+\v 8 However, Ner’s son Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, took Saul’s son Ishbosheth and went across the Jordan River to the city of Mahanaim.
 \v 9 There Abner proclaimed that Ishbosheth was now the king ruling the regions of Gilead and Jezreel, and the tribes of Asher, Ephraim, and Benjamin. That meant that he was the king of most of Israel.
 
 \s5
@@ -127,35 +127,35 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 One day Abner and the officials of Isbosheth went from Mahanaim across the Jordan River to the city of Gibeon.
-\v 13 Joab, whose mother was Zeruiah, and some of David's officials went from Hebron to Gibeon, and they met at the pool of water there. They all sat down, one group on one side of the pool and the other group on the other side.
+\v 13 Joab, whose mother was Zeruiah, and some of David’s officials went from Hebron to Gibeon, and they met at the pool of water there. They all sat down, one group on one side of the pool and the other group on the other side.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Abner said to Joab, "Let us tell some of our young men to fight each other!" Joab replied, "Very well!"
+\v 14 Abner said to Joab, “Let us tell some of our young men to fight each other!” Joab replied, “Very well!”
 \p
-\v 15 So twelve men from the tribe of Benjamin fought for Ishbosheth, against twelve of David's soldiers.
+\v 15 So twelve men from the tribe of Benjamin fought for Ishbosheth, against twelve of David’s soldiers.
 
 \s5
-\v 16 Each of them grabbed the head of the man against whom he was fighting, and thrust his sword into that man's side. The result was that all twenty-four of them fell down dead. So that area in Gibeon is now called "Field of Swords."
+\v 16 Each of them grabbed the head of the man against whom he was fighting, and thrust his sword into that man’s side. The result was that all twenty-four of them fell down dead. So that area in Gibeon is now called “Field of Swords.”
 \p
-\v 17 Then the others started to fight also. It was a very fierce battle. Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David's soldiers.
+\v 17 Then the others started to fight also. It was a very fierce battle. Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David’s soldiers.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 Zeruiah's three sons were there on that day: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was able to run very fast. He could run as fast as a wild gazelle.
+\v 18 Zeruiah’s three sons were there on that day: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was able to run very fast. He could run as fast as a wild gazelle.
 \v 19 Asahel started to pursue Abner. He ran straight toward Abner, without stopping.
 
 \s5
-\v 20 Abner looked behind him, and said, "Is that you, Asahel?" Asahel replied, "Yes!"
+\v 20 Abner looked behind him, and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” Asahel replied, “Yes!”
 \p
-\v 21 Abner shouted, "Stop chasing me; go after someone else!" But Asahel would not stop pursuing Abner.
+\v 21 Abner shouted, “Stop chasing me; go after someone else!” But Asahel would not stop pursuing Abner.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 So Abner yelled at him again, "Stop chasing me! Why should I kill you? How could I face your brother Joab and explain your death to him?"
+\v 22 So Abner yelled at him again, “Stop chasing me! Why should I kill you? How could I face your brother Joab and explain your death to him?”
 \p
-\v 23 But Asahel refused to stop pursuing Abner. So Abner suddenly turned and thrust the butt end of his spear into Asahel's stomach. Because he thrust it very strongly, that end of the spear went though his body and came out at Asahel's back, and he fell to the ground, dead. All the other soldiers who came to the place where his body was lying stopped and stood there, stunned at Asahel's body.
+\v 23 But Asahel refused to stop pursuing Abner. So Abner suddenly turned and thrust the butt end of his spear into Asahel’s stomach. Because he thrust it very strongly, that end of the spear went though his body and came out at Asahel’s back, and he fell to the ground, dead. All the other soldiers who came to the place where his body was lying stopped and stood there, stunned at Asahel’s body.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -164,9 +164,9 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 26 Then Abner called out to Joab, saying, "Are we going to continue to fight forever? Do you not realize that if we continue fighting the result will be very bad? We are all descendants of Jacob, so we should stop fighting each other! How long will it be until you tell your soldiers to stop pursuing us?
+\v 26 Then Abner called out to Joab, saying, “Are we going to continue to fight forever? Do you not realize that if we continue fighting the result will be very bad? We are all descendants of Jacob, so we should stop fighting each other! How long will it be until you tell your soldiers to stop pursuing us?
 \p
-\v 27 Joab replied, "Just as surely as God lives, if you had not said that, my soldiers would have continued pursuing your men until tomorrow morning!"
+\v 27 Joab replied, “Just as surely as God lives, if you had not said that, my soldiers would have continued pursuing your men until tomorrow morning!”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -177,19 +177,19 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 30 Joab and his soldiers gathered together after they stopped chasing Abner. Then Joab found out that in addition to Asahel, only nineteen of them had been killed in the battle.
-\v 31 But David's soldiers had killed 360 of Abner's men, all from the tribe of Benjamin.
-\v 32 Some of Joab's soldiers took Asahel's body and buried it in the tomb where his father had been buried, in Bethlehem. Then they marched all during the night, and at dawn they arrived back home at Hebron.
+\v 31 But David’s soldiers had killed 360 of Abner’s men, all from the tribe of Benjamin.
+\v 32 Some of Joab’s soldiers took Asahel’s body and buried it in the tomb where his father had been buried, in Bethlehem. Then they marched all during the night, and at dawn they arrived back home at Hebron.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 3
 \p
-\v 1 After that, a long war developed between those who wanted Saul's son to be their king and those who wanted David to be their king. But more and more people began to want David, while fewer and fewer wanted Saul's son.
+\v 1 After that, a long war developed between those who wanted Saul’s son to be their king and those who wanted David to be their king. But more and more people began to want David, while fewer and fewer wanted Saul’s son.
 
 \s5
 
 \q
-\v 2 David's wives gave birth to six sons at Hebron. The oldest was Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam from the city of Jezreel.
+\v 2 David’s wives gave birth to six sons at Hebron. The oldest was Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam from the city of Jezreel.
 \q2
 \v 3 The next son was Kileab, whose mother was Abigail, the widow of Nabal, from the city of Carmel.
 \q2 The next son was Absalom, whose mother was Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, the king of the region of Geshur.
@@ -199,37 +199,37 @@
 \v 4 The next son was Adionijah, whose mother was Haggith.
 \q2 The next son was Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital.
 \q2
-\v 5 The youngest son was Ithream, whose mother was Eglah, another one of David's wives.
+\v 5 The youngest son was Ithream, whose mother was Eglah, another one of David’s wives.
 \q2 These sons of David were all born in Hebron.
 
 \s5
 
 \p
-\v 6 During the conflict between those who wanted Saul's son to rule over them and those who wanted David to rule over them, Abner was becoming more influential among those who wanted Saul's son to be the king.
-\v 7 Saul had as one of his wives a slave woman named Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. But one day Abner slept with her. So Ishbosheth said to Abner, "Why have you slept with my father's slave wife?"
+\v 6 During the conflict between those who wanted Saul’s son to rule over them and those who wanted David to rule over them, Abner was becoming more influential among those who wanted Saul’s son to be the king.
+\v 7 Saul had as one of his wives a slave woman named Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. But one day Abner slept with her. So Ishbosheth said to Abner, “Why have you slept with my father’s slave wife?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 Abner became very angry about what Ishbosheth said to him. He said to Ishbosheth, "Do you think that I am a worthless dog from Judah? From the beginning I have been loyal to Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends. And I have kept David's army from defeating you. So now why are you criticizing me about what I have done with some woman?
+\v 8 Abner became very angry about what Ishbosheth said to him. He said to Ishbosheth, “Do you think that I am a worthless dog from Judah? From the beginning I have been loyal to Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends. And I have kept David’s army from defeating you. So now why are you criticizing me about what I have done with some woman?
 \s5
-\v 9-10 Yahweh solemnly promised that he would not allow Saul and his descendants to continue to rule. He promised that he would cause David to rule over all the tribes of Israel and Judah, from the city of Dan far in the north to the city of Beersheba far in the south. So I hope that God will kill me if I do not enable that to happen!"
+\v 9-10 Yahweh solemnly promised that he would not allow Saul and his descendants to continue to rule. He promised that he would cause David to rule over all the tribes of Israel and Judah, from the city of Dan far in the north to the city of Beersheba far in the south. So I hope that God will kill me if I do not enable that to happen!”
 \v 11 Ishbosheth was very afraid of Abner, so he did not say anything to reply to Abner.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Then Abner sent messengers to David when he was at Hebron to say to him, "Either you or I should be the ruler of this entire nation, but not Isbosheth. However, if you make an agreement with me, I will help you by encouraging all the people of Israel to ask for you to be their king."
-\v 13 David sent back this reply, "Good! I am willing to make an agreement with you. But before that happens, there is one thing that you must do. When you come to see me, you must bring my wife Michal, Saul's daughter."
+\v 12 Then Abner sent messengers to David when he was at Hebron to say to him, “Either you or I should be the ruler of this entire nation, but not Isbosheth. However, if you make an agreement with me, I will help you by encouraging all the people of Israel to ask for you to be their king.”
+\v 13 David sent back this reply, “Good! I am willing to make an agreement with you. But before that happens, there is one thing that you must do. When you come to see me, you must bring my wife Michal, Saul’s daughter.”
 
 \s5
-\v 14 Then David sent messengers to Ishbosheth to say to him, "I killed one hundred men from Philistia and cut off their foreskins to give to Saul to pay for Michal to be my wife. So now give her back to me!"
+\v 14 Then David sent messengers to Ishbosheth to say to him, “I killed one hundred men from Philistia and cut off their foreskins to give to Saul to pay for Michal to be my wife. So now give her back to me!”
 \p
 \v 15 So Ishbosheth sent some men to take Michal from her husband Paltiel. But when they took her, her husband followed them all the way to the city of Bahurim, crying as he went.
-\v 16 Then Abner turned and said to him, "Go back home!" so he did.
+\v 16 Then Abner turned and said to him, “Go back home!” so he did.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 Abner went to the Israelite leaders and talked with them. He said, "You have wanted David to be your king for a long time.
-\v 18 So now you have an opportunity for this to happen. Keep in mind that Yahweh promised this, 'With the help of David, who serves me well, I will rescue my people from the power of all their other enemies'."
+\v 17 Abner went to the Israelite leaders and talked with them. He said, “You have wanted David to be your king for a long time.
+\v 18 So now you have an opportunity for this to happen. Keep in mind that Yahweh promised this, ‘With the help of David, who serves me well, I will rescue my people from the power of all their other enemies’.”
 
 \s5
 \v 19 Abner also spoke to the people of the tribe of Benjamin. Then he went to Hebron to tell David what all the people of Israel and the people of the tribe of Benjamin had agreed to do.
@@ -237,83 +237,83 @@
 \v 20 When Abner came with twenty of his soldiers to see David at Hebron, David made a feast for all of them.
 
 \s5
-\v 21 Afterwards, Abner said to David, "Sir, I will now go and encourage all the people of Israel to accept you to be their king, as you have desired." Then Abner left, peacefully.
+\v 21 Afterwards, Abner said to David, “Sir, I will now go and encourage all the people of Israel to accept you to be their king, as you have desired.” Then Abner left, peacefully.
 
 \s5
 
 \p
-\v 22 Soon after that, Joab and some of David's other soldiers returned to Hebron after raiding one of their enemy's villages, bringing with them a lot of things that they had captured. But Abner was not there at Hebron, because David had already sent him safely away.
+\v 22 Soon after that, Joab and some of David’s other soldiers returned to Hebron after raiding one of their enemy’s villages, bringing with them a lot of things that they had captured. But Abner was not there at Hebron, because David had already sent him safely away.
 \v 23 When Joab and the soldiers who were with him arrived, someone told him that Abner had come there and talked with the king, and that the king allowed Abner to go away safely.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 24 So Joab went to the king and said, "Why have you done that? Listen to me! Abner is your enemy, but when he came to you, you allowed him to leave!
-\v 25 Do you not know that he came to you to deceive you and to find out everything that you are doing, and all the places that you go to?"
+\v 24 So Joab went to the king and said, “Why have you done that? Listen to me! Abner is your enemy, but when he came to you, you allowed him to leave!
+\v 25 Do you not know that he came to you to deceive you and to find out everything that you are doing, and all the places that you go to?”
 \p
 \v 26 After Joab left David, he sent some messengers to get Abner. They found him at the well of Sirah and brought him back to Hebron, but David did not know that they had done this.
 
 \s5
-\v 27 So when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab met him at the city gate, and took him into a side room as though he wanted to speak with him privately. Then he stabbed Abner in the stomach with his knife. In that way he murdered Abner because Abner had killed Joab's brother Asahel.
+\v 27 So when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab met him at the city gate, and took him into a side room as though he wanted to speak with him privately. Then he stabbed Abner in the stomach with his knife. In that way he murdered Abner because Abner had killed Joab’s brother Asahel.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 28 Later, after David heard what had happened, he said, "Yahweh knows that I and the people of my kingdom are not at all responsible for Abner.
-\v 29 I hope that there will always be someone in his family who has sores, or someone who is a leper, or some man who is forced to do women's work, or someone who is killed in a battle, or someone who does not have enough food to eat!"
+\v 28 Later, after David heard what had happened, he said, “Yahweh knows that I and the people of my kingdom are not at all responsible for Abner.
+\v 29 I hope that there will always be someone in his family who has sores, or someone who is a leper, or some man who is forced to do women’s work, or someone who is killed in a battle, or someone who does not have enough food to eat!”
 \p
 \v 30 That is how Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 31 Then David said to Joab and to all Joab's soldiers, "Tear your clothes and put on coarse cloth to show that you are sad, and mourn for Abner!" And at the funeral, King David walked behind the men who were carrying the coffin.
-\v 32 They buried Abner's body at Hebron. And at the grave, the king cried loudly, and all the other people also cried.
+\v 31 Then David said to Joab and to all Joab’s soldiers, “Tear your clothes and put on coarse cloth to show that you are sad, and mourn for Abner!” And at the funeral, King David walked behind the men who were carrying the coffin.
+\v 32 They buried Abner’s body at Hebron. And at the grave, the king cried loudly, and all the other people also cried.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 33 David sang this sad song to lament for Abner:
-\q1 "It is not right that Abner should have died in disgrace!
+\q1 “It is not right that Abner should have died in disgrace!
 \q2
 \v 34 No one tied his hands or put chains on his feet, as they do to criminals.
-\q1 No, he was murdered by wicked men!"
+\q1 No, he was murdered by wicked men!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 35 Then many people came to David to tell him to eat some food before sunset, but David refused. He said, "I hope that God will kill me if I eat any food before the sun goes down!"
+\v 35 Then many people came to David to tell him to eat some food before sunset, but David refused. He said, “I hope that God will kill me if I eat any food before the sun goes down!”
 \v 36 All the people saw what David did, and they were pleased. Truly, everything that the king did pleased the people.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 37 So all the people realized that the king had not wanted Abner to be killed.
-\v 38 The king said to his officials, "Do you not realize that a leader and a great man has died today in Israel?
-\v 39 Even though Yahweh appointed me to be the king, today I feel weak. These two sons of Zeruiah, Joab and Abishai, are very violent. I cannot control them. So I hope that Yahweh will punish them severely in return for this wicked deed that they have done!"
+\v 38 The king said to his officials, “Do you not realize that a leader and a great man has died today in Israel?
+\v 39 Even though Yahweh appointed me to be the king, today I feel weak. These two sons of Zeruiah, Joab and Abishai, are very violent. I cannot control them. So I hope that Yahweh will punish them severely in return for this wicked deed that they have done!”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 4
 
 \p
-\v 1 When Saul's son Ishbosheth heard that Abner had been killed at Hebron, he became very discouraged, and all the Israelite people with him.
+\v 1 When Saul’s son Ishbosheth heard that Abner had been killed at Hebron, he became very discouraged, and all the Israelite people with him.
 \v 2 Ishbosheth had two officers who were leaders of groups of soldiers. They were brothers with the names of Baanah and Recab; they were sons of Rimmon from the town of Beeroth in the tribe of Benjamin. Now Beeroth is in the area that had been assigned to the tribe of Benjamin.
 \v 3 But the original inhabitants of Beeroth had fled to the town of Gittaim, where they still live.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 Saul's son Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was five years old when Saul and Jonathan died in the battle. When people brought that news from Jezreel, Mephibosheth's nursemaid picked him up and ran away, but she ran very fast and she dropped him, and he became crippled in his legs.
+\v 4 Saul’s son Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was five years old when Saul and Jonathan died in the battle. When people brought that news from Jezreel, Mephibosheth’s nursemaid picked him up and ran away, but she ran very fast and she dropped him, and he became crippled in his legs.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 One day, Recab and Baanah left their home to go to Ishbosheth's house. They arrived there about noontime, when Ishbosheth was taking his midday nap.
+\v 5 One day, Recab and Baanah left their home to go to Ishbosheth’s house. They arrived there about noontime, when Ishbosheth was taking his midday nap.
 \v 6 The woman who was serving as the doorkeeper was sifting wheat; but she became sleepy and then fell asleep. So Recab and his brother Baanah were able to creep in quietly.
 \p
-\v 7 They entered Ishbosheth's bedroom, where he was sleeping. They killed him with their swords and cut off his head. They carried his head and walked all night through the plain along the Jordan.
+\v 7 They entered Ishbosheth’s bedroom, where he was sleeping. They killed him with their swords and cut off his head. They carried his head and walked all night through the plain along the Jordan.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 They took the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron. They said to him, "Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of your enemy Saul, who tried to kill you. Your Majesty, today Yahweh has allowed you to get revenge on Saul and his descendants!"
+\v 8 They took the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron. They said to him, “Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of your enemy Saul, who tried to kill you. Your Majesty, today Yahweh has allowed you to get revenge on Saul and his descendants!”
 \p
-\v 9 But David replied to them, "Just as surely as Yahweh lives—and he is the one who has rescued me from all trouble, I will tell you this:
-\v 10 When a messenger came to Ziklag and told me 'Saul is dead!' (and he thought that the news that he was bringing to me was good news), I told one of my soldiers to kill him. That was the reward I gave to him for his news!
+\v 9 But David replied to them, “Just as surely as Yahweh lives—and he is the one who has rescued me from all trouble, I will tell you this:
+\v 10 When a messenger came to Ziklag and told me ‘Saul is dead!’ (and he thought that the news that he was bringing to me was good news), I told one of my soldiers to kill him. That was the reward I gave to him for his news!
 
 \s5
-\v 11 So because you two evil men have murdered a man who did nothing wrong—and you killed him when he was sleeping on his bed in his own house, I will do something worse to you. I will surely get revenge on you two for murdering him, and wipe you off from the earth!"
+\v 11 So because you two evil men have murdered a man who did nothing wrong—and you killed him when he was sleeping on his bed in his own house, I will do something worse to you. I will surely get revenge on you two for murdering him, and wipe you off from the earth!”
 \p
 \v 12 Then David gave a command to his soldiers, and they killed the two men, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hung their bodies on a pole near the pool at Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it respectfully in the tomb of Abner, there at Hebron.
 
@@ -322,8 +322,8 @@
 \c 5
 
 \p
-\v 1 Then the leaders of all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said to him, "Listen, we have the same ancestors that you do.
-\v 2 In the past, when Saul was our king, it was you who led our soldiers into battle. You are the one to whom Yahweh promised, 'You will be the leader of my people. You will be their king.'"
+\v 1 Then the leaders of all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said to him, “Listen, we have the same ancestors that you do.
+\v 2 In the past, when Saul was our king, it was you who led our soldiers into battle. You are the one to whom Yahweh promised, ‘You will be the leader of my people. You will be their king.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -334,11 +334,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 One day King David and his soldiers went to Jerusalem to fight against the Jebus people group who lived there. The people there thought that David's army would not be able to capture the city, so they said to David, "Your army will never be able to get inside our city! Even the blind and crippled people can stop you!"
-\v 7 But David's army did indeed capture the fortress on Mount Zion; later it was known as the city of David.
+\v 6 One day King David and his soldiers went to Jerusalem to fight against the Jebus people group who lived there. The people there thought that David’s army would not be able to capture the city, so they said to David, “Your army will never be able to get inside our city! Even the blind and crippled people can stop you!”
+\v 7 But David’s army did indeed capture the fortress on Mount Zion; later it was known as the city of David.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 On that day, David said to his soldiers, "Those who want to get rid of the Jebus people should go through the water tunnel to enter the city. That is where my enemies are, even my enemies who are 'crippled people and blind people'." That is why people say, "Those who are 'blind and crippled' are not allowed to go into David's palace."
+\v 8 On that day, David said to his soldiers, “Those who want to get rid of the Jebus people should go through the water tunnel to enter the city. That is where my enemies are, even my enemies who are ‘crippled people and blind people’.” That is why people say, “Those who are ‘blind and crippled’ are not allowed to go into David’s palace.”
 \p
 \v 9 After David and his soldiers captured the city with its strong walls around it, he lived there, and they named it the city of David. David and his soldiers built the city around the fortress, starting where the land was filled in on the east side of the hill.
 \v 10 David continued to become more and more powerful because Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, was helping him.
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 11 One day Hiram, the king of the city of Tyre, sent ambassadors to David to talk about making an agreement between their countries. Hiram agreed to provide cedar trees to make lumber, and he also agreed that he would send carpenters and masons to build a palace for David.
-\v 12 Because Hiram did these things, David realized that Yahweh had truly appointed him to be the king of Israel. He also realized that because Yahweh loved the Israelites and chosen them to belong to himself, he had increased David's own power as king.
+\v 12 Because Hiram did these things, David realized that Yahweh had truly appointed him to be the king of Israel. He also realized that because Yahweh loved the Israelites and chosen them to belong to himself, he had increased David’s own power as king.
 \s5
 \p
 \v 13 After David moved from Hebron to Jerusalem, he took more slave women to be his wives, and he also married other women. All of those women gave birth to more sons and daughters.
@@ -361,18 +361,18 @@
 \v 18 The army of Philistia arrived at the Valley of Rephaim southwest of Jerusalem and spread themselves out inside it.
 
 \s5
-\v 19 David asked Yahweh, "Should my men and I attack the Philistine army? Will you enable us to defeat them?" Yahweh replied, "Yes, attack them, because I will certainly enable your army to defeat them."
+\v 19 David asked Yahweh, “Should my men and I attack the Philistine army? Will you enable us to defeat them?” Yahweh replied, “Yes, attack them, because I will certainly enable your army to defeat them.”
 \p
-\v 20 So David and his army went to where the Philistine army was, and there they defeated them. Then David said, "Yahweh has burst through my enemies like a flood." So that place is called Baal Perazim.
+\v 20 So David and his army went to where the Philistine army was, and there they defeated them. Then David said, “Yahweh has burst through my enemies like a flood.” So that place is called Baal Perazim.
 \v 21 The Philistine men left their idols there, and David and his soldiers took them away.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 22 Then the Philistine army returned to the Valley of Rephaim and spread all over the valley once again.
-\v 23 So again David asked Yahweh if his army should attack them. But Yahweh replied, "Do not attack them from here. Tell your men to go around them and attack them from the other side, near the balsam trees.
+\v 23 So again David asked Yahweh if his army should attack them. But Yahweh replied, “Do not attack them from here. Tell your men to go around them and attack them from the other side, near the balsam trees.
 
 \s5
-\v 24 When you hear something in the tops of the balsam trees that sounds like an army marching, attack them. Then you will know that I will have gone ahead of you to enable your army to defeat their army."
+\v 24 When you hear something in the tops of the balsam trees that sounds like an army marching, attack them. Then you will know that I will have gone ahead of you to enable your army to defeat their army.”
 \v 25 So David did what Yahweh told him to do, and his army defeated the Philistine army and chased it from the city of Geba all the way west to the city of Gezer.
 
 
@@ -384,9 +384,9 @@
 \v 2 He led them to the place in Judah formerly called Baalah, now called Kiriath Jearim. They went in order to bring the sacred chest to Jerusalem , the chest that had the name of Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, written on it, and that had the figures of the winged creatures on top of it. Between those statues was where Yahweh himself was present, though he remained unseen.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 The sacred chest was in the house of Abinadab, on top of a hill. They went there, and put the chest on a new cart. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab's two sons, were guiding the oxen that were pulling the cart.
+\v 3 The sacred chest was in the house of Abinadab, on top of a hill. They went there, and put the chest on a new cart. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s two sons, were guiding the oxen that were pulling the cart.
 \v 4 Uzzah walked alongside the cart, and Ahio walked in front of it.
-\v 5 David and all the Israelite men were celebrating in God's presence, singing with all their strength and playing wooden lyres and harps, and beating tambourines, and clashing castanets and cymbals.
+\v 5 David and all the Israelite men were celebrating in God’s presence, singing with all their strength and playing wooden lyres and harps, and beating tambourines, and clashing castanets and cymbals.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -397,7 +397,7 @@
 \p
 \v 8 But David was angry because Yahweh had punished Uzzah. So ever since that time, that place has been called Perez Uzzah.
 \p
-\v 9 Then David was afraid of what else Yahweh would do to punish them, so he said, "How can I take the sacred chest with me to Jerusalem?"
+\v 9 Then David was afraid of what else Yahweh would do to punish them, so he said, “How can I take the sacred chest with me to Jerusalem?”
 
 \s5
 \v 10 So he decided not to take the sacred chest to Jerusalem. Instead, they took it to another place, the house of Obed Edom the Gittite.
@@ -405,7 +405,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Some time later, people told David, "Yahweh has blessed Obed Edom and his family because he is taking care of the sacred chest!" When David heard that, he and some other men went to Obed Edom's house, and very joyfully brought the sacred chest from there to Jerusalem.
+\v 12 Some time later, people told David, “Yahweh has blessed Obed Edom and his family because he is taking care of the sacred chest!” When David heard that, he and some other men went to Obed Edom’s house, and very joyfully brought the sacred chest from there to Jerusalem.
 \v 13 When the men who were carrying the sacred chest had walked six steps, they stopped, and there David killed a bull and a fat calf, and offered them to Yahweh as a sacrifice.
 
 \s5
@@ -414,7 +414,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 While they were carrying the sacred chest into the city, his wife Michal, Saul's daughter, looked out the window of her house. She saw King David leaping and dancing to honor Yahweh. But she was disgusted with him.
+\v 16 While they were carrying the sacred chest into the city, his wife Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked out the window of her house. She saw King David leaping and dancing to honor Yahweh. But she was disgusted with him.
 \p
 \v 17 They brought the sacred chest into the tent that David had erected for it. Then David gave to Yahweh offerings to be completely burned on an altar, and other offerings to promise friendship with Yahweh.
 
@@ -424,14 +424,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 When David went home to ask Yahweh to bless his family, his wife Michal came out to meet him. She said to him, "Maybe you, the king of Israel, think that you were acting in an honorable way today, but really, you acted like a fool. You were nearly naked in front of the female servants of your officials!"
+\v 20 When David went home to ask Yahweh to bless his family, his wife Michal came out to meet him. She said to him, “Maybe you, the king of Israel, think that you were acting in an honorable way today, but really, you acted like a fool. You were nearly naked in front of the female servants of your officials!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 David replied to Michal, "I was doing that to honor Yahweh, who chose me instead of your father and other members of his family, to be the king of the Israelite people, the people who belong to Yahweh. And I will continue to dance to honor Yahweh! 
-\v 22 Even though you think that what I did was disgraceful, I will continue to act in this way because I am willing to be made a fool in my own eyes. But the female servants whom you were talking about, they will give me honor!"
+\v 21 David replied to Michal, “I was doing that to honor Yahweh, who chose me instead of your father and other members of his family, to be the king of the Israelite people, the people who belong to Yahweh. And I will continue to dance to honor Yahweh! 
+\v 22 Even though you think that what I did was disgraceful, I will continue to act in this way because I am willing to be made a fool in my own eyes. But the female servants whom you were talking about, they will give me honor!”
 \p
-\v 23 As a result, Saul's daughter never gave birth to any children.
+\v 23 As a result, Saul’s daughter never gave birth to any children.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -439,19 +439,19 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 The king began to live in his palace. By now Yahweh had caused the enemy people groups to stop attacking Israel.
-\v 2 One day David said to the prophet Nathan, "It is not right that I am here, living in a beautiful house made of cedar wood, but the chest that contains God's Ten Commandments is kept in a tent!"
+\v 2 One day David said to the prophet Nathan, “It is not right that I am here, living in a beautiful house made of cedar wood, but the chest that contains God’s Ten Commandments is kept in a tent!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 Then Nathan said to the king, "Yahweh is helping you, so do about the sacred chest whatever you think is right."
+\v 3 Then Nathan said to the king, “Yahweh is helping you, so do about the sacred chest whatever you think is right.”
 \p
 \v 4 But that night, Yahweh spoke to Nathan:
 \pi
-\v 5 "Go and tell my servant, David, that this is what Yahweh says to him: He is not the one who will build a temple for me to live in.
+\v 5 “Go and tell my servant, David, that this is what Yahweh says to him: He is not the one who will build a temple for me to live in.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 I have not lived in any building from the day that I brought the Israelites up from Egypt until now. Instead, I have been living in my sacred tent, moving from one place to another with the people.
-\v 7 Wherever I went with the Israelites as they traveled, I never said to any of the leaders whom I appointed to lead them, 'Why have you not built me a temple made of cedar wood?'
+\v 7 Wherever I went with the Israelites as they traveled, I never said to any of the leaders whom I appointed to lead them, ‘Why have you not built me a temple made of cedar wood?’
 \pi
 
 \s5
@@ -469,15 +469,15 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 15 But I will never stop faithfully loving him as I stopped loving Saul, whom I removed from being king before David became king.
-\v 16 David's descendants will rule the kingdom of Israel forever. Their rule will never end."
+\v 16 David’s descendants will rule the kingdom of Israel forever. Their rule will never end.”
 \p
 \v 17 So Nathan told David everything that Yahweh had told him.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 When David heard Nathan's message, he went into the sacred tent and sat in Yahweh's presence, and prayed this:
-\pi "Yahweh, my God, I am not worthy of all the things that you have done for me, and my family is not worthy either.
+\v 18 When David heard Nathan’s message, he went into the sacred tent and sat in Yahweh’s presence, and prayed this:
+\pi “Yahweh, my God, I am not worthy of all the things that you have done for me, and my family is not worthy either.
 \pi
 \v 19 And now, O Yahweh my God, in addition to everything else, you have spoken about what will happen to my descendants in the future for many generations.
 \pi
@@ -493,44 +493,44 @@
 \v 24 You caused us Israelites to be your people forever, and you, Yahweh, have become our God!
 \pi
 \v 25 And now, Yahweh my God, I pray that you will cause the things that you promised to me about my descendants to come true and be true forever, and that you will do the things that you said that you would do.
-\v 26 When that happens, you will become famous forever, and people will exclaim, 'Yahweh, the commander of angel armies, is the God who rules Israel.' And you will cause that there will forever be descendants of mine who will rule.
+\v 26 When that happens, you will become famous forever, and people will exclaim, ‘Yahweh, the commander of angel armies, is the God who rules Israel.’ And you will cause that there will forever be descendants of mine who will rule.
 \pi
 
 \s5
 \v 27 Yahweh, the God whom we Israelite people worship, you have revealed to me that you will make some of my descendants kings. For that reason, I have been brave enough to pray like this to you.
 \v 28 So now, O Yahweh, because you are God, we can trust that you will do what you promise. You have promised these good things to me.
-\v 29 So now I ask you that if it pleases you, you will bless my descendants, in order that they may continue to rule forever. Yahweh God, you have promised these things, so I know that if you do these things, you will keep blessing my descendants forever."
+\v 29 So now I ask you that if it pleases you, you will bless my descendants, in order that they may continue to rule forever. Yahweh God, you have promised these things, so I know that if you do these things, you will keep blessing my descendants forever.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 8
 
 \p
-\v 1 Some time later, David's army attacked the Philistine army and defeated them. They took control over the Philistine city of Gath and its surrounding villages.
+\v 1 Some time later, David’s army attacked the Philistine army and defeated them. They took control over the Philistine city of Gath and its surrounding villages.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 2 David's army also defeated the army of the Moab people group. David forced their soldiers to lie down on the ground close to each other. His men killed two out of every three of them. The others of the Moab people were forced to accept David as their ruler, and they were forced to give to him every year the payment that he demanded.
+\v 2 David’s army also defeated the army of the Moab people group. David forced their soldiers to lie down on the ground close to each other. His men killed two out of every three of them. The others of the Moab people were forced to accept David as their ruler, and they were forced to give to him every year the payment that he demanded.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 David's army also defeated the army of Hadadezer son of Rehob, who ruled the region of Zobah in Aram. That happened when he went try to regain power over the area at the upper part of the Euphrates River.
-\v 4 David's army captured 1,700 of Hadadezer's soldiers who used chariots, and twenty thousand soldiers on foot. They also crippled all but one hundred of the horses, and they would be used to pull chariots.
+\v 3 David’s army also defeated the army of Hadadezer son of Rehob, who ruled the region of Zobah in Aram. That happened when he went try to regain power over the area at the upper part of the Euphrates River.
+\v 4 David’s army captured 1,700 of Hadadezer’s soldiers who used chariots, and twenty thousand soldiers on foot. They also crippled all but one hundred of the horses, and they would be used to pull chariots.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 When the army of Aram came from the city of Damascus to help King Hadadezer's army, David's soldiers killed twenty-two thousand of them.
-\v 6 Then David stationed groups of his soldiers in their area, and the people of Aram were forced to accept David to be their ruler, and to give to David's government every year the payment of tribute money that he demanded. And Yahweh enabled David's army to win victories wherever they went.
+\v 5 When the army of Aram came from the city of Damascus to help King Hadadezer’s army, David’s soldiers killed twenty-two thousand of them.
+\v 6 Then David stationed groups of his soldiers in their area, and the people of Aram were forced to accept David to be their ruler, and to give to David’s government every year the payment of tribute money that he demanded. And Yahweh enabled David’s army to win victories wherever they went.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 King David's soldiers took the gold shields that were carried by Hadadezer's officials, and brought them to Jerusalem.
+\v 7 King David’s soldiers took the gold shields that were carried by Hadadezer’s officials, and brought them to Jerusalem.
 \v 8 They also brought to Jerusalem much bronze that they found in Tebah and Berothai, two cities that King Hadadezer had previously ruled.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 When Tou, the king of the city of Hamath in Aram, heard that David's army had defeated the entire army of King Hadadezer,
-\v 10 he sent his son Joram to greet King David and to congratulate him about his army defeating Hadadezer's army, which Tou's army had fought many times. Joram brought to David many gifts made from gold, silver, and bronze.
+\v 9 When Tou, the king of the city of Hamath in Aram, heard that David’s army had defeated the entire army of King Hadadezer,
+\v 10 he sent his son Joram to greet King David and to congratulate him about his army defeating Hadadezer’s army, which Tou’s army had fought many times. Joram brought to David many gifts made from gold, silver, and bronze.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -541,53 +541,53 @@
 \p
 \v 13 When David returned after defeating the armies of Aram, he became more famous because his army killed eighteen thousand soldiers from the Edom people group in the Valley of Salt near the Dead Sea.
 \p
-\v 14 David stationed groups of his soldiers throughout the region of Edom, and forced the people there to accept him to be their king. Yahweh enabled David's army to win battles wherever they went.
+\v 14 David stationed groups of his soldiers throughout the region of Edom, and forced the people there to accept him to be their king. Yahweh enabled David’s army to win battles wherever they went.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 David ruled over all the Israelite people, and he always did for them what was fair and just.
 \v 16 Joab was the army commander. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud, was the man who reported to the people everything that David decided that they should do.
 \v 17 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were the priests. Seraiah was the official secretary;
-\v 18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was the commander of David's bodyguards, and David's sons were his advisors.
+\v 18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was the commander of David’s bodyguards, and David’s sons were his advisors.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 9
 
 \p
-\v 1 One day David asked some of his servants, "Is there anyone who is a descendant of Saul to whom I can act kindly?" He asked this because he had loved Jonathan.
+\v 1 One day David asked some of his servants, “Is there anyone who is a descendant of Saul to whom I can act kindly?” He asked this because he had loved Jonathan.
 \p
-\v 2 They told him that there was in Jerusalem a man named Ziba who had been a servant of Saul's family. So David sent messengers to summon Ziba. When he arrived, the king asked him, "Are you Ziba?" He replied, "Yes, your Majesty, I am."
+\v 2 They told him that there was in Jerusalem a man named Ziba who had been a servant of Saul’s family. So David sent messengers to summon Ziba. When he arrived, the king asked him, “Are you Ziba?” He replied, “Yes, your Majesty, I am.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 The king asked him, "Is there anyone in Saul's family to whom I can act kindly, as I promised God that I would do?" Ziba replied, "Yes, there is one son of Jonathan who is still alive. His feet are crippled."
+\v 3 The king asked him, “Is there anyone in Saul’s family to whom I can act kindly, as I promised God that I would do?” Ziba replied, “Yes, there is one son of Jonathan who is still alive. His feet are crippled.”
 \p
-\v 4 The king asked him, "Where is he?" Ziba replied, "He is living in the house of Machir son of Ammiel, in the city of Lo Debar east of the Jordan River."
+\v 4 The king asked him, “Where is he?” Ziba replied, “He is living in the house of Machir son of Ammiel, in the city of Lo Debar east of the Jordan River.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 5 So King David sent messengers to bring Mephibosheth to Jerusalem.
 \p
-\v 6 When Mephibosheth came to David, he knelt down with his face on the ground, to show respect. Then David said, "Mephibosheth!" He replied, "Yes, your Majesty, how may I serve you?"
+\v 6 When Mephibosheth came to David, he knelt down with his face on the ground, to show respect. Then David said, “Mephibosheth!” He replied, “Yes, your Majesty, how may I serve you?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 David said to him, "Do not be afraid. I will be kind to you because Jonathan your father was my friend. I will give back to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul. And I want you to always eat with me in my house."
+\v 7 David said to him, “Do not be afraid. I will be kind to you because Jonathan your father was my friend. I will give back to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul. And I want you to always eat with me in my house.”
 \p
-\v 8 Mephibosheth bowed in front of David again and said, "Sir, I am as worthless as a dead dog. I do not deserve that you act kindly toward me!"
+\v 8 Mephibosheth bowed in front of David again and said, “Sir, I am as worthless as a dead dog. I do not deserve that you act kindly toward me!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 Then the king summoned Saul's servant Ziba and said to him, "Saul was your master, and now I am giving to Mephibosheth everything that belonged to Saul and his family.
-\v 10 You and your fifteen sons and your twenty servants must plow the land for Mephibosheth's family and plant crops and harvest them, in order that they will have food to eat. But Mephibosheth will eat with me at my house."
+\v 9 Then the king summoned Saul’s servant Ziba and said to him, “Saul was your master, and now I am giving to Mephibosheth everything that belonged to Saul and his family.
+\v 10 You and your fifteen sons and your twenty servants must plow the land for Mephibosheth’s family and plant crops and harvest them, in order that they will have food to eat. But Mephibosheth will eat with me at my house.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 Ziba replied to the king, "Your Majesty, I will do everything that you have commanded me to do." So after that, Mephibosheth always ate at the king's table, as though he were one of the king's sons.
+\v 11 Ziba replied to the king, “Your Majesty, I will do everything that you have commanded me to do.” So after that, Mephibosheth always ate at the king’s table, as though he were one of the king’s sons.
 \p
-\v 12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika. All of Ziba's family became servants of Mephibosheth.
-\v 13 So Mephibosheth, who was still crippled in both of his feet, started to live in Jerusalem, and he always ate at the king's table.
+\v 12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika. All of Ziba’s family became servants of Mephibosheth.
+\v 13 So Mephibosheth, who was still crippled in both of his feet, started to live in Jerusalem, and he always ate at the king’s table.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -595,14 +595,14 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Some time later, Nahash, the king of the Ammon people group, died; then his son Hanun became their king.
-\v 2 David thought to himself, "Nahash was kind to me, so I will be kind to his son." So David sent some officials there, to tell Hanun that David was sorry that Hanun's father had died.
+\v 2 David thought to himself, “Nahash was kind to me, so I will be kind to his son.” So David sent some officials there, to tell Hanun that David was sorry that Hanun’s father had died.
 \p When those messengers arrived in the land of Ammon,
-\v 3 the Ammonite leaders said to Hanun, "Do you think that it is to honor your father that David has sent these men to say that he is sorry that you father died? We think that he has sent them here to look around the city to determine how his army can conquer us!"
+\v 3 the Ammonite leaders said to Hanun, “Do you think that it is to honor your father that David has sent these men to say that he is sorry that you father died? We think that he has sent them here to look around the city to determine how his army can conquer us!”
 
 \s5
-\v 4 Hanun believed what they said. So he commanded some soldiers to seize David's officials and insult them by shaving off one side of their beards, and by cutting off the lower part of their robes, with the result that their buttocks could be seen, and then they sent them away.
+\v 4 Hanun believed what they said. So he commanded some soldiers to seize David’s officials and insult them by shaving off one side of their beards, and by cutting off the lower part of their robes, with the result that their buttocks could be seen, and then they sent them away.
 \p
-\v 5 The men were very humiliated, so they did not want to return home. When David found out about what had happened to his officials, he sent someone to tell them, "Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown again, and then return home."
+\v 5 The men were very humiliated, so they did not want to return home. When David found out about what had happened to his officials, he sent someone to tell them, “Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown again, and then return home.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -617,8 +617,8 @@
 \v 10 He told his brother Abishai to command the other soldiers, those who were facing the Ammonite soldiers in front of their city gate.
 
 \s5
-\v 11 Then Joab said, "If the soldiers from Aram are too strong for us to defeat them, your men must come and help us. But if the Ammonite soldiers are too strong for you, we will come and help your men.
-\v 12 We must be strong and fight hard to defend our people and the cities that belong to our God. I will pray that Yahweh do what he considers to be good."
+\v 11 Then Joab said, “If the soldiers from Aram are too strong for us to defeat them, your men must come and help us. But if the Ammonite soldiers are too strong for you, we will come and help your men.
+\v 12 We must be strong and fight hard to defend our people and the cities that belong to our God. I will pray that Yahweh do what he considers to be good.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -646,7 +646,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 2 Late one afternoon, after David woke up from a short sleep, he walked around the flat roof of his palace. He saw a woman who was bathing in the courtyard of her house. The woman was very beautiful.
-\v 3 David sent a messenger to find out who she was. The messenger returned and said, "She is Bathsheba. She is the daughter of Eliam, and her husband is Uriah, from the Heth people group."
+\v 3 David sent a messenger to find out who she was. The messenger returned and said, “She is Bathsheba. She is the daughter of Eliam, and her husband is Uriah, from the Heth people group.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -655,110 +655,110 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Then David sent a message to Joab. He said, "Send Uriah, from the Heth people group, to me." So Joab did that. He sent Uriah to David.
+\v 6 Then David sent a message to Joab. He said, “Send Uriah, from the Heth people group, to me.” So Joab did that. He sent Uriah to David.
 \v 7 When he arrived, David asked if Joab was well, if other soldiers were well, and how the war was progressing.
-\v 8 Then David, hoping that Uriah would go home and sleep with his wife, said to Uriah, "Now go home and relax for a while." So Uriah left, and David gave someone a gift to take to Uriah's house.
+\v 8 Then David, hoping that Uriah would go home and sleep with his wife, said to Uriah, “Now go home and relax for a while.” So Uriah left, and David gave someone a gift to take to Uriah’s house.
 
 \s5
 \v 9 But Uriah did not go home. Instead, he slept at the palace entrance with the palace guards.
 \p
-\v 10 When someone told David that Uriah did not go to his house that night, David summoned him again and said to him, "Why did you not go home to be with your wife last night, after having been away for a long time?"
+\v 10 When someone told David that Uriah did not go to his house that night, David summoned him again and said to him, “Why did you not go home to be with your wife last night, after having been away for a long time?”
 \p
-\v 11 Uriah replied, "The soldiers of Judah and Israel are camping in the open fields, and even our commander Joab is sleeping in a tent, and the sacred chest is with them. I could not possibly go home, eat and drink, and sleep with my wife. I solemnly declare that I will never do such a thing!"
+\v 11 Uriah replied, “The soldiers of Judah and Israel are camping in the open fields, and even our commander Joab is sleeping in a tent, and the sacred chest is with them. I could not possibly go home, eat and drink, and sleep with my wife. I solemnly declare that I will never do such a thing!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Then David said to Uriah, "Stay here today. I will let you return to the battle tomorrow." So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and that night.
-\v 13 The next day, David invited him to a meal. So Uriah had a meal with David, and David made him drink a lot of wine so that he would get drunk, hoping that if he was drunk, he would sleep with his wife. But that night, Uriah again did not go home. Instead, he slept on a cot with the king's servants.
+\v 12 Then David said to Uriah, “Stay here today. I will let you return to the battle tomorrow.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and that night.
+\v 13 The next day, David invited him to a meal. So Uriah had a meal with David, and David made him drink a lot of wine so that he would get drunk, hoping that if he was drunk, he would sleep with his wife. But that night, Uriah again did not go home. Instead, he slept on a cot with the king’s servants.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 14 Someone reported that to David, so the next morning he wrote a letter to Joab, and gave it to Uriah to take to Joab.
-\v 15 In the letter, he wrote, "Put Uriah in the front line, where the fighting is the worst. Then command the soldiers to pull back from him, in order that our enemies will kill him."
+\v 15 In the letter, he wrote, “Put Uriah in the front line, where the fighting is the worst. Then command the soldiers to pull back from him, in order that our enemies will kill him.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 So after Joab got the letter, as his army was surrounding the city, he sent Uriah to a place where he knew that their enemies' strongest and best soldiers would be fighting.
-\v 17 The men from the city came out and fought with Joab's soldiers. They killed some of David's officers, including Uriah.
+\v 16 So after Joab got the letter, as his army was surrounding the city, he sent Uriah to a place where he knew that their enemies’ strongest and best soldiers would be fighting.
+\v 17 The men from the city came out and fought with Joab’s soldiers. They killed some of David’s officers, including Uriah.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 18 Then Joab sent a messenger to David to tell him about the fighting.
-\v 19 He said to the messenger, "Tell David the news about the battle. After you finish telling that to him,
-\v 20 if David is angry because so many officers were killed, he may ask you, 'Why did your soldiers go so close to the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot arrows at you from the top of the city wall?
+\v 19 He said to the messenger, “Tell David the news about the battle. After you finish telling that to him,
+\v 20 if David is angry because so many officers were killed, he may ask you, ‘Why did your soldiers go so close to the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot arrows at you from the top of the city wall?
 \s5
-\v 21 Do you not remember how Abimelech son of Gideon was killed? A woman who lived in Thebez threw a huge millstone on him from the top of a tower, and he died. So why did our troops go near to the city wall?' If the king asks this, then tell him, 'Your officer Uriah also was killed.'"
+\v 21 Do you not remember how Abimelech son of Gideon was killed? A woman who lived in Thebez threw a huge millstone on him from the top of a tower, and he died. So why did our troops go near to the city wall?’ If the king asks this, then tell him, ‘Your officer Uriah also was killed.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 22 So the messenger went and told David everything that Joab told him to say.
-\v 23 The messenger said to David, "Our enemies were very brave, and came out of the city to fight us in the fields. They were driving us back at first, but then we forced them back to the city gate.
+\v 23 The messenger said to David, “Our enemies were very brave, and came out of the city to fight us in the fields. They were driving us back at first, but then we forced them back to the city gate.
 
 \s5
-\v 24 Then their archers shot arrows at us from the top of the city wall. They killed some of your officers. They killed your officer Uriah, too."
+\v 24 Then their archers shot arrows at us from the top of the city wall. They killed some of your officers. They killed your officer Uriah, too.”
 \p
-\v 25 David said to the messenger, "Go back to Joab and say to him, 'Do not worry about what happened, because no one ever knows who will die in battle.' Tell him that the next time, his troops should attack the city more strongly and capture it. Encourage Joab in this way."
+\v 25 David said to the messenger, “Go back to Joab and say to him, ‘Do not worry about what happened, because no one ever knows who will die in battle.’ Tell him that the next time, his troops should attack the city more strongly and capture it. Encourage Joab in this way.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 26 When Uriah's wife Bathsheba heard that her husband had died, she mourned for him.
-\v 27 When her time of mourning was over, David sent messengers to bring her to the palace. In this way she became David's wife. She later gave birth to a son. But Yahweh was very displeased with what David had done.
+\v 26 When Uriah’s wife Bathsheba heard that her husband had died, she mourned for him.
+\v 27 When her time of mourning was over, David sent messengers to bring her to the palace. In this way she became David’s wife. She later gave birth to a son. But Yahweh was very displeased with what David had done.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 12
 
 \p
-\v 1 Yahweh told the prophet Nathan what David had done, and he sent Nathan to tell this story to David, "Once there were two men in a certain city. One man was rich and the other was poor.
+\v 1 Yahweh told the prophet Nathan what David had done, and he sent Nathan to tell this story to David, “Once there were two men in a certain city. One man was rich and the other was poor.
 \v 2 The rich man owned a lot of cattle and sheep.
 \v 3 But the poor man had only one little female lamb, which he had bought. He raised the lamb, and it grew up with his own children. He would give the lamb some of his own food and let it drink from his cup. He let the lamb sleep as he held it next to himself. The lamb was like a daughter to him.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 One day a visitor came to see the rich man. The rich man did not want to take one of his own animals and kill it to prepare a meal for his guest. So instead, he sent men to take the poor man's lamb; then he had someone kill it and prepare a meal with it for his guest."
+\v 4 One day a visitor came to see the rich man. The rich man did not want to take one of his own animals and kill it to prepare a meal for his guest. So instead, he sent men to take the poor man’s lamb; then he had someone kill it and prepare a meal with it for his guest.”
 \p
-\v 5 When David heard that, he was very angry. He said to Nathan, "I solemnly declare that the man who did that should be executed!
-\v 6 He should at least pay back to the poor man four lambs for doing this, and for not having pity on the poor man."
+\v 5 When David heard that, he was very angry. He said to Nathan, “I solemnly declare that the man who did that should be executed!
+\v 6 He should at least pay back to the poor man four lambs for doing this, and for not having pity on the poor man.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 Nathan said to David, "You are the man I have been talking about! And this is what Yahweh, the God whom we Israelites worship, says to you: 'I rescued you from Saul, and I made you king of Israel.
+\v 7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man I have been talking about! And this is what Yahweh, the God whom we Israelites worship, says to you: ‘I rescued you from Saul, and I made you king of Israel.
 \v 8 I gave you his palace; I let you hold his wives next to you. I made you king over Israel and Judah. If you had told me that you were not content with what I gave you, I would have given you much more!
 
 \s5
 \v 9 So why have you rejected what I have commanded, when I said that my people must not commit adultery? You have done what I consider to be very evil! You have arranged for Uriah to die in battle with the Ammonites, and you have taken his wife to be your wife!
-\v 10 You have rejected me, because you took Uriah's wife to be your wife. So some of your descendants will always die in battle.
+\v 10 You have rejected me, because you took Uriah’s wife to be your wife. So some of your descendants will always die in battle.
 
 \s5
 \v 11 I solemnly declare to you that I will cause someone from your own family to bring disaster to you. I will take your wives and give them to that person, and he will sleep with them in the daytime, where everyone can see it, and you will know all about it.
-\v 12 What you did, you did secretly, but what I cause to happen, everyone in Israel will be able to see it or know about it.'"
+\v 12 What you did, you did secretly, but what I cause to happen, everyone in Israel will be able to see it or know about it.’”
 \p
-\v 13 David replied, "I have sinned against Yahweh." Nathan said to David, "Yahweh has overlooked your sin. You will not die because of this sin.
+\v 13 David replied, “I have sinned against Yahweh.” Nathan said to David, “Yahweh has overlooked your sin. You will not die because of this sin.
 
 \s5
-\v 14 But you have shown contempt for Yahweh by doing this. So your baby will die."
+\v 14 But you have shown contempt for Yahweh by doing this. So your baby will die.”
 \p
 \v 15 Then Nathan went home.
-\m Then Yahweh caused the baby, the one that Uriah's wife had given birth to, to become very sick.
+\m Then Yahweh caused the baby, the one that Uriah’s wife had given birth to, to become very sick.
 
 \s5
 \v 16 So David prayed to God that the child would not die. He fasted, and he went into his room and lay all night on the floor.
 \v 17 The next morning his most important servants stood around him and tried to urge him to get up. But he would not get up, and he would not eat with them.
 \p
-\v 18 One week later the baby died. David's servants were afraid to tell that to David. They said to each other, "While the baby was still alive, we talked to him, but he would not answer us. Now, if we tell him that the baby is dead, he may do something to harm himself!"
+\v 18 One week later the baby died. David’s servants were afraid to tell that to David. They said to each other, “While the baby was still alive, we talked to him, but he would not answer us. Now, if we tell him that the baby is dead, he may do something to harm himself!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering something to each other, he realized that the baby must be dead. So he asked them, "Is the baby dead?" They replied, "Yes, he is dead."
+\v 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering something to each other, he realized that the baby must be dead. So he asked them, “Is the baby dead?” They replied, “Yes, he is dead.”
 \p
-\v 20 Then David got up from the floor. He bathed himself, put lotions on his body, and put on other clothes. Then he went into Yahweh's sacred tent and worshiped him. Then he went home. He requested his servants bring some food. They gave him some, and he ate it.
+\v 20 Then David got up from the floor. He bathed himself, put lotions on his body, and put on other clothes. Then he went into Yahweh’s sacred tent and worshiped him. Then he went home. He requested his servants bring some food. They gave him some, and he ate it.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 Then his servants said to him, "We do not understand why you have done this! While the baby was still alive, you cried for him and refused to eat anything. But now that the baby has died, you are not crying anymore. You got up and ate some food!"
+\v 21 Then his servants said to him, “We do not understand why you have done this! While the baby was still alive, you cried for him and refused to eat anything. But now that the baby has died, you are not crying anymore. You got up and ate some food!”
 \p
-\v 22 He replied, "While the baby was still alive I fasted and cried. I thought, 'Perhaps Yahweh will act mercifully toward me and not allow the baby to die.'
-\v 23 But now the baby is dead. So there is no reason for me to fast anymore. I cannot bring him back to myself. Some day I will go to where he is, but he will not return to me."
+\v 22 He replied, “While the baby was still alive I fasted and cried. I thought, ‘Perhaps Yahweh will act mercifully toward me and not allow the baby to die.’
+\v 23 But now the baby is dead. So there is no reason for me to fast anymore. I cannot bring him back to myself. Some day I will go to where he is, but he will not return to me.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -768,9 +768,9 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 26 Meanwhile, Joab's soldiers attacked Rabbah, the capital city of the Ammon people group. They captured the king's fortress, which protected the water supply.
-\v 27 Then Joab sent messengers to David to tell him this, "My troops are attacking Rabbah, and we have captured the city's water supply.
-\v 28 Now gather your troops and come and surround the city and capture it. If you do not do that, my troops will capture the city and it will then be named for me instead: The City of Joab."
+\v 26 Meanwhile, Joab’s soldiers attacked Rabbah, the capital city of the Ammon people group. They captured the king’s fortress, which protected the water supply.
+\v 27 Then Joab sent messengers to David to tell him this, “My troops are attacking Rabbah, and we have captured the city’s water supply.
+\v 28 Now gather your troops and come and surround the city and capture it. If you do not do that, my troops will capture the city and it will then be named for me instead: The City of Joab.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -778,52 +778,52 @@
 \v 30 Then David took the crown from the head of their king and put it on his own head. It was very heavy; it weighed about thirty-three kilograms, and it had a very valuable stone in it. His soldiers also took many other valuable things from the city.
 
 \s5
-\v 31 Then they brought the people out of the city and forced them to work for them, using saws, iron picks, and axes. David's troops also forced them to make bricks. David's soldiers did this in all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all of his army returned to Jerusalem.
+\v 31 Then they brought the people out of the city and forced them to work for them, using saws, iron picks, and axes. David’s troops also forced them to make bricks. David’s soldiers did this in all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all of his army returned to Jerusalem.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 13
 
 \p
-\v 1 David's son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar. Another of David's sons, Amnon, was attracted to Tamar, with whom he was a half-brother.
+\v 1 David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar. Another of David’s sons, Amnon, was attracted to Tamar, with whom he was a half-brother.
 \v 2 He wanted to sleep with Tamar very much, so much that he felt sick with desire. But it seemed impossible for Amnon to get her, because she was a virgin, so they kept men away from her.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 But Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, who was a nephew to David, son of David's brother Shimeah. Jehonadab was a very crafty man.
+\v 3 But Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, who was a nephew to David, son of David’s brother Shimeah. Jehonadab was a very crafty man.
 \p
-\v 4 One day Jehonadab said to Amnon, "You are the king's son, but every day I see that you seem very depressed. What is your problem?" Amnon replied, "I am in love with Tamar, my half-brother Absalom's sister."
+\v 4 One day Jehonadab said to Amnon, “You are the king’s son, but every day I see that you seem very depressed. What is your problem?” Amnon replied, “I am in love with Tamar, my half-brother Absalom’s sister.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 Jehonadab said to him, "Lie down on your bed and pretend that you are sick. When your father comes to see you, ask him to let your half-sister Tamar come and give you some food to eat. Ask for her to cook the food while you are watching her. Then she can serve it to you herself."
+\v 5 Jehonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend that you are sick. When your father comes to see you, ask him to let your half-sister Tamar come and give you some food to eat. Ask for her to cook the food while you are watching her. Then she can serve it to you herself.”
 \p
-\v 6 So Amnon lay down and pretended that he was sick. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, "I am sick. Please allow Tamar to come and make a couple breadcakes for me while I am watching, and then she can serve them to me."
+\v 6 So Amnon lay down and pretended that he was sick. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, “I am sick. Please allow Tamar to come and make a couple breadcakes for me while I am watching, and then she can serve them to me.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 So David sent a message to Tamar in the palace saying, "Amnon is sick; he wants you to go to his house and prepare some food for him."
-\v 8 So Tamar went to Amnon's house, where he was lying in bed. She took some dough and kneaded it, and formed them into some breadcakes while he was watching her. Then she baked them.
-\v 9 She took them out of the pan and put them on a plate in front of him, but he refused to eat them. Then he said to his servants in the room, "All the rest of you, leave me!" So they all left.
+\v 7 So David sent a message to Tamar in the palace saying, “Amnon is sick; he wants you to go to his house and prepare some food for him.”
+\v 8 So Tamar went to Amnon’s house, where he was lying in bed. She took some dough and kneaded it, and formed them into some breadcakes while he was watching her. Then she baked them.
+\v 9 She took them out of the pan and put them on a plate in front of him, but he refused to eat them. Then he said to his servants in the room, “All the rest of you, leave me!” So they all left.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food to my bed and serve it to me." So Tamar took into his room the breadcakes that she had made.
-\v 11 But when she brought them close for him to eat them, he grabbed her and said to her, "Come to bed with me!"
+\v 10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food to my bed and serve it to me.” So Tamar took into his room the breadcakes that she had made.
+\v 11 But when she brought them close for him to eat them, he grabbed her and said to her, “Come to bed with me!”
 \p
-\v 12 She replied, "No, do not force me to do such a disgraceful thing! We never do things like that in Israel! That would be shameful!
+\v 12 She replied, “No, do not force me to do such a disgraceful thing! We never do things like that in Israel! That would be shameful!
 
 \s5
-\v 13 I would not be able to endure being disgraced by having done that. And as for you, everyone in Israel would condemn you for having done such a disgraceful deed. So I plead with you, talk to the king. I am sure that he will allow me to marry you."
+\v 13 I would not be able to endure being disgraced by having done that. And as for you, everyone in Israel would condemn you for having done such a disgraceful deed. So I plead with you, talk to the king. I am sure that he will allow me to marry you.”
 \v 14 But he paid no attention to her. He was stronger than she was, so he forced her to sleep with him.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 Then Amnon hated her very much. He hated her much more than he had desired her. He said to her, "Get up and get out of here!"
+\v 15 Then Amnon hated her very much. He hated her much more than he had desired her. He said to her, “Get up and get out of here!”
 \p
-\v 16 But she said to him, "No! It would be very wrong for you to send me away. It would be worse than what you just did to me!" But again he paid no attention to her.
+\v 16 But she said to him, “No! It would be very wrong for you to send me away. It would be worse than what you just did to me!” But again he paid no attention to her.
 \p
-\v 17 He summoned his personal servant and said to him, "Take this woman outside, away from me, and lock the door so that she cannot come in again!"
+\v 17 He summoned his personal servant and said to him, “Take this woman outside, away from me, and lock the door so that she cannot come in again!”
 
 \s5
 \v 18 So the servant put her outside and locked the door.
@@ -832,46 +832,46 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Her brother Absalom saw her and said to her, "Has your half-brother Amnon forced you to sleep with him? Please, my sister, do not tell anyone, and do not become depressed." So Tamar went to live in Absalom's house, and she was very sad and lonely.
+\v 20 Her brother Absalom saw her and said to her, “Has your half-brother Amnon forced you to sleep with him? Please, my sister, do not tell anyone, and do not become depressed.” So Tamar went to live in Absalom’s house, and she was very sad and lonely.
 \p
 \v 21 When King David heard about all this, he became very angry.
 \v 22 And Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister to sleep with him, so he would not speak to Amnon about anything.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 However, two years later, Absalom hired men to shear his sheep at Baal Hazor, which is near the tribal land of Ephraim. They were going to celebrate when they finished shearing the sheep, so Absalom invited all the king's sons to come and celebrate with him.
-\v 24 Absalom went to the king and said to him, "Sir, my workers have been shearing my sheep. Please come with your officials to celebrate with us!"
+\v 23 However, two years later, Absalom hired men to shear his sheep at Baal Hazor, which is near the tribal land of Ephraim. They were going to celebrate when they finished shearing the sheep, so Absalom invited all the king’s sons to come and celebrate with him.
+\v 24 Absalom went to the king and said to him, “Sir, my workers have been shearing my sheep. Please come with your officials to celebrate with us!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 25 But the king replied, "No, my son, it would not be good for all of us to go, because we are so many people; we would cost you too much." Absalom continued urging him, but the king would not go. Instead, he said that he hoped that God would bless them while they celebrated.
+\v 25 But the king replied, “No, my son, it would not be good for all of us to go, because we are so many people; we would cost you too much.” Absalom continued urging him, but the king would not go. Instead, he said that he hoped that God would bless them while they celebrated.
 \p
-\v 26 Then Absalom said, "If you will not go, please allow my half-brother Amnon to go with us." But the king replied, "Why do you want him to go with you?"
+\v 26 Then Absalom said, “If you will not go, please allow my half-brother Amnon to go with us.” But the king replied, “Why do you want him to go with you?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 27 But Absalom continued to insist, so finally the king permitted Amnon and all David's other sons to go with Absalom.
+\v 27 But Absalom continued to insist, so finally the king permitted Amnon and all David’s other sons to go with Absalom.
 \p
-\v 28 So they all went. At the celebration, Absalom commanded his servants, "Notice when Amnon has become a bit drunk from the wine. Then when I signal to you, kill him. Do not be afraid. You will be doing this only because I told you to do it. So be courageous and do it!"
-\v 29 So Absalom's servants did what Absalom told them to do. They killed Amnon. All the rest of David's sons saw what happened and fled, riding on their mules.
+\v 28 So they all went. At the celebration, Absalom commanded his servants, “Notice when Amnon has become a bit drunk from the wine. Then when I signal to you, kill him. Do not be afraid. You will be doing this only because I told you to do it. So be courageous and do it!”
+\v 29 So Absalom’s servants did what Absalom told them to do. They killed Amnon. All the rest of David’s sons saw what happened and fled, riding on their mules.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 30 While they were on their way home, someone quickly went and reported to David, "Absalom has killed all of your other sons. None of them is alive!"
+\v 30 While they were on their way home, someone quickly went and reported to David, “Absalom has killed all of your other sons. None of them is alive!”
 \v 31 The king stood up, tore his clothes because he was extremely sad, and then he threw himself down on the ground. All the servants who were there also tore their clothes.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 32 But Jehonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother, said, "Your Majesty, I am sure that they have not killed all your sons. I am sure that only Amnon is dead, because Absalom has been determined to do this ever since the day that Amnon raped Tamar.
-\v 33 So, your Majesty, do not believe the report that all your sons are dead. I am sure that only Amnon is dead."
+\v 32 But Jehonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother, said, “Your Majesty, I am sure that they have not killed all your sons. I am sure that only Amnon is dead, because Absalom has been determined to do this ever since the day that Amnon raped Tamar.
+\v 33 So, your Majesty, do not believe the report that all your sons are dead. I am sure that only Amnon is dead.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 34 In the meantime, Absalom ran away.
 \p Just then, a soldier keeping guard on the city wall saw a large crowd of people coming down the hill along the road to the west. He ran and told the king what he had seen.
-\v 35 Jonadab said to the king, "Look there! What I told you is true. Your other sons are alive and have come!"
+\v 35 Jonadab said to the king, “Look there! What I told you is true. Your other sons are alive and have come!”
 \p
-\v 36 And as soon as he said that, David's sons came in. They all started crying, and David and all his officials also cried very much.
+\v 36 And as soon as he said that, David’s sons came in. They all started crying, and David and all his officials also cried very much.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -885,62 +885,62 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Joab realized that the king was longing to see Absalom.
-\v 2 So Joab sent someone to the city of Tekoa to bring to him a woman who was very clever. When she arrived, Joab said to her, "Pretend that you are grieving because someone has died. Put on clothes that show that you are mourning. Do not put any lotion on your body. Act as if you were a woman who has been mourning for a long time.
-\v 3 And go to the king, and tell him what I tell you to say." Then Joab told her what to say to the king.
+\v 2 So Joab sent someone to the city of Tekoa to bring to him a woman who was very clever. When she arrived, Joab said to her, “Pretend that you are grieving because someone has died. Put on clothes that show that you are mourning. Do not put any lotion on your body. Act as if you were a woman who has been mourning for a long time.
+\v 3 And go to the king, and tell him what I tell you to say.” Then Joab told her what to say to the king.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 So the woman from Tekoa went to the king. She prostrated herself in front of him to show honor and then said, "Your Majesty, help me!"
+\v 4 So the woman from Tekoa went to the king. She prostrated herself in front of him to show honor and then said, “Your Majesty, help me!”
 \p
-\v 5 The king replied, "What is your problem?" She replied, "Please, sir, I am a widow. My husband died some time ago.
+\v 5 The king replied, “What is your problem?” She replied, “Please, sir, I am a widow. My husband died some time ago.
 \v 6 I had two sons. But one day they quarreled with each other out in the fields. There was no one to separate them, and one of them struck the other one and killed him.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 Now, all my family oppose me. They are insisting that I allow them to kill my son who is still alive, in order that they may get revenge for his killing his brother. But if they do that, I will not have any son to inherit my possessions. I will be without any son at all, and my husband will have no son to preserve our family's name."
+\v 7 Now, all my family oppose me. They are insisting that I allow them to kill my son who is still alive, in order that they may get revenge for his killing his brother. But if they do that, I will not have any son to inherit my possessions. I will be without any son at all, and my husband will have no son to preserve our family’s name.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 Then the king said to the woman, "Go back home. I will take care of this matter for you."
+\v 8 Then the king said to the woman, “Go back home. I will take care of this matter for you.”
 \p
-\v 9 The woman from Tekoa replied to the king, "Your Majesty, if any criticizes you for helping me, my family and I will accept the blame. You and the royal family will be innocent."
+\v 9 The woman from Tekoa replied to the king, “Your Majesty, if any criticizes you for helping me, my family and I will accept the blame. You and the royal family will be innocent.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 The king said to her, "If anyone says anything to threaten you, bring that person to me, and I will make sure that he will never cause you trouble again."
+\v 10 The king said to her, “If anyone says anything to threaten you, bring that person to me, and I will make sure that he will never cause you trouble again.”
 \p
-\v 11 Then the woman said, "Your Majesty, please pray that Yahweh your God will not allow my relative, who wants to get revenge on my son for killing his brother, to be able to do that."
-\p David replied, "As surely as Yahweh lives, your son will not be harmed at all."
+\v 11 Then the woman said, “Your Majesty, please pray that Yahweh your God will not allow my relative, who wants to get revenge on my son for killing his brother, to be able to do that.”
+\p David replied, “As surely as Yahweh lives, your son will not be harmed at all.”
 
 \s5
-\v 12 Then the woman said, "Your Majesty, please allow me to say one more thing to you." He replied, "Speak!"
+\v 12 Then the woman said, “Your Majesty, please allow me to say one more thing to you.” He replied, “Speak!”
 \p
-\v 13 The woman said, "Why have you done this bad thing to God's people? You have not allowed your son Absalom to return home. By saying what you have just said, you have certainly declared that what you have done is wrong.
+\v 13 The woman said, “Why have you done this bad thing to God’s people? You have not allowed your son Absalom to return home. By saying what you have just said, you have certainly declared that what you have done is wrong.
 \v 14 All of us will die. We are like water that cannot be picked up after it is spilled on the ground. God does not take life away, but instead, God creates ways for those who have been exiled to return and be restored to their people and to their homes.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 Now, Your Majesty, I have come to you because others have threatened me. So I said to myself, 'I will go and talk to the king, and perhaps he will do what I request him to do.
-\v 16 Perhaps he will listen to me, and save me from the man who is trying to kill my son. If my son is killed, it would result in us disappearing from the land that God gave to us.'
+\v 15 Now, Your Majesty, I have come to you because others have threatened me. So I said to myself, ‘I will go and talk to the king, and perhaps he will do what I request him to do.
+\v 16 Perhaps he will listen to me, and save me from the man who is trying to kill my son. If my son is killed, it would result in us disappearing from the land that God gave to us.’
 \p
-\v 17 And I thought, 'What the king says will comfort me, because the king is like an angel of God. He knows what is good and what is evil.' I pray that Yahweh our God will be with you."
+\v 17 And I thought, ‘What the king says will comfort me, because the king is like an angel of God. He knows what is good and what is evil.’ I pray that Yahweh our God will be with you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 Then the king said to the woman, "I will now ask you a question. Answer it; tell me the truth." The woman replied, "Your Majesty, ask your question."
+\v 18 Then the king said to the woman, “I will now ask you a question. Answer it; tell me the truth.” The woman replied, “Your Majesty, ask your question.”
 \p
-\v 19 The king said, "Was Joab the one who told you to do this?" She replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, as surely as you live, I cannot say anything to avoid telling you what is true. Yes, indeed, it was Joab who told me to come here, and who told me what to say.
-\v 20 He did it in order to cause you to think differently about this matter. Your Majesty, you are as wise as God's angels, and it seems that you know everything that happens on the earth, so you know why Joab sent me here."
+\v 19 The king said, “Was Joab the one who told you to do this?” She replied, “Yes, Your Majesty, as surely as you live, I cannot say anything to avoid telling you what is true. Yes, indeed, it was Joab who told me to come here, and who told me what to say.
+\v 20 He did it in order to cause you to think differently about this matter. Your Majesty, you are as wise as God’s angels, and it seems that you know everything that happens on the earth, so you know why Joab sent me here.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 Then the king summoned Joab and said to him, "Listen! I have decided to do what you want. So go and get that young man Absalom and bring him back to Jerusalem."
+\v 21 Then the king summoned Joab and said to him, “Listen! I have decided to do what you want. So go and get that young man Absalom and bring him back to Jerusalem.”
 \p
-\v 22 Joab prostrated himself on the ground, and then he bowed down before the king, and asked God to bless him. Then Joab said, "Your Majesty, today I know that you are pleased with me, because you have agreed to do what I requested."
+\v 22 Joab prostrated himself on the ground, and then he bowed down before the king, and asked God to bless him. Then Joab said, “Your Majesty, today I know that you are pleased with me, because you have agreed to do what I requested.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 23 Then Joab got up and went to Geshur, and got Absalom and brought him back to Jerusalem.
-\v 24 But the king said that he would not allow Absalom to come to him. He said, "I do not want him to come to see me." So Absalom lived in his own house, and did not go to talk to the king.
+\v 24 But the king said that he would not allow Absalom to come to him. He said, “I do not want him to come to see me.” So Absalom lived in his own house, and did not go to talk to the king.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -955,12 +955,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 30 Then Absalom said to his servants, "You know that Joab's field is next to mine, and that he has barley growing there. Go and light a fire there to burn the barley." So Absalom's servants went there and lit a fire, and all the barley burned.
+\v 30 Then Absalom said to his servants, “You know that Joab’s field is next to mine, and that he has barley growing there. Go and light a fire there to burn the barley.” So Absalom’s servants went there and lit a fire, and all the barley burned.
 \p
-\v 31 Joab knew who had done it, so he went to Absalom's house and said to him, "Why have your servants burned the barley in my field?"
+\v 31 Joab knew who had done it, so he went to Absalom’s house and said to him, “Why have your servants burned the barley in my field?”
 
 \s5
-\v 32 Absalom replied, "Because you did not come to me when I sent messengers to you requesting that you come. I wanted to request that you go to the king to say to him, 'Absalom wants to know what good it did for him to leave Geshur and come here. He thinks that it would have been better for him to stay there. He wants you to allow him to talk to you. And if you think that he has done something that is wrong, you can command that he be executed.'"
+\v 32 Absalom replied, “Because you did not come to me when I sent messengers to you requesting that you come. I wanted to request that you go to the king to say to him, ‘Absalom wants to know what good it did for him to leave Geshur and come here. He thinks that it would have been better for him to stay there. He wants you to allow him to talk to you. And if you think that he has done something that is wrong, you can command that he be executed.’”
 \v 33 So Joab went to the king and told him what Absalom had said. Then the king summoned Absalom, and he came to the king and knelt down in front of him with his face touching the ground. Then the king kissed Absalom to show that he was pleased to see him.
 
 
@@ -969,11 +969,11 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Some time later, Absalom acquired a chariot and horses to pull it. He hired fifty men to run in front of him to honor him while he was riding around Jerusalem in the chariot.
-\v 2 Furthermore, he always rose early each morning and stood by the city gate. Whenever someone came there with a dispute with someone that he wanted the king to decide, Absalom would call out to him, asking, "What city are you from?" The person would tell him what city and tribe he was from.
+\v 2 Furthermore, he always rose early each morning and stood by the city gate. Whenever someone came there with a dispute with someone that he wanted the king to decide, Absalom would call out to him, asking, “What city are you from?” The person would tell him what city and tribe he was from.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 Then Absalom would say to him, "Listen, I am sure that what you are saying is right. But there is no one whom the king has appointed to listen to people like you."
-\v 4 Absalom would then add, "I wish that I were a judge in this land. If I were a judge, anyone who had a dispute could come to me, and I would decide it fairly."
+\v 3 Then Absalom would say to him, “Listen, I am sure that what you are saying is right. But there is no one whom the king has appointed to listen to people like you.”
+\v 4 Absalom would then add, “I wish that I were a judge in this land. If I were a judge, anyone who had a dispute could come to me, and I would decide it fairly.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -982,27 +982,27 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 Four years later, Absalom went to the king and said, "Please allow me to go to the city of Hebron, in order that I can do what I promised Yahweh that I would do.
-\v 8 When I was living in Geshur, in Aram, I promised Yahweh that if he brought me back to Jerusalem, I would worship him in Hebron."
+\v 7 Four years later, Absalom went to the king and said, “Please allow me to go to the city of Hebron, in order that I can do what I promised Yahweh that I would do.
+\v 8 When I was living in Geshur, in Aram, I promised Yahweh that if he brought me back to Jerusalem, I would worship him in Hebron.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 The king replied, "I will permit you to go safely." So Absalom went to Hebron.
+\v 9 The king replied, “I will permit you to go safely.” So Absalom went to Hebron.
 \p
-\v 10 But while he was there, he secretly sent messengers to all the tribes in Israel to tell them, "When you hear the sound of the trumpets being blown, shout, 'Absalom has become the king at Hebron!'"
+\v 10 But while he was there, he secretly sent messengers to all the tribes in Israel to tell them, “When you hear the sound of the trumpets being blown, shout, ‘Absalom has become the king at Hebron!’”
 
 \s5
 \v 11 Absalom had taken with him to Hebron two hundred men from Jerusalem, but they did not know what Absalom was planning to do.
-\v 12 While Absalom was offering sacrifices at Hebron, he sent a message to Ahithophel from the town of Giloh, requesting him to come. Ahithophel was one of the king's advisors. So the number of people who joined Absalom and who were ready to rebel against David became larger.
+\v 12 While Absalom was offering sacrifices at Hebron, he sent a message to Ahithophel from the town of Giloh, requesting him to come. Ahithophel was one of the king’s advisors. So the number of people who joined Absalom and who were ready to rebel against David became larger.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 Soon a messenger came to David and said to him, "All the Israelite people are joining Absalom to rebel against you!"
+\v 13 Soon a messenger came to David and said to him, “All the Israelite people are joining Absalom to rebel against you!”
 \p
-\v 14 So David said to all his officials, "We must leave immediately if we want to escape from Absalom! We must go quickly, before he and his men arrive. If we do not do that, they will kill us and everyone else in the city!"
+\v 14 So David said to all his officials, “We must leave immediately if we want to escape from Absalom! We must go quickly, before he and his men arrive. If we do not do that, they will kill us and everyone else in the city!”
 \p
-\v 15 The king's officials said, "Very well, your Majesty, we are ready to do whatever you wish."
+\v 15 The king’s officials said, “Very well, your Majesty, we are ready to do whatever you wish.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1012,14 +1012,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 Then David said to Ittai, the leader of the soldiers from Gath, "Why are you going with us? Go back and stay with Absalom the new king. You are not an Israelite; you are living away from your own land.
-\v 20 You have lived here in Israel for only a short time. And we do not even know where we will be going. So it is not right for me to force you to wander around with us. And take your troops with you. And I hope that Yahweh will faithfully love and be loyal to you."
+\v 19 Then David said to Ittai, the leader of the soldiers from Gath, “Why are you going with us? Go back and stay with Absalom the new king. You are not an Israelite; you are living away from your own land.
+\v 20 You have lived here in Israel for only a short time. And we do not even know where we will be going. So it is not right for me to force you to wander around with us. And take your troops with you. And I hope that Yahweh will faithfully love and be loyal to you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 But Ittai replied, "Your Majesty, as surely as you live, wherever you go, I will go. I will stay with you whether they kill me or allow me to live."
+\v 21 But Ittai replied, “Your Majesty, as surely as you live, wherever you go, I will go. I will stay with you whether they kill me or allow me to live.”
 \p
-\v 22 David replied to Ittai, "Very well, march with us!" So Ittai and all his troops and their families went with David.
+\v 22 David replied to Ittai, “Very well, march with us!” So Ittai and all his troops and their families went with David.
 \p
 \v 23 All the people along the road cried when they saw them walking by. The king and all the others crossed the Kidron Valley and went up the hill toward the wilderness.
 
@@ -1027,66 +1027,66 @@
 \p
 \v 24 Abiathar and Zadok, the priests, were also walking with them. The descendants of Levi who helped the priests also went with them, carrying the sacred chest that contained the Ten Commandments. But they set it on the ground until all the others had left the city.
 \p
-\v 25 But then the king said to Zadok, "You two must take the sacred chest back into the city. If Yahweh is pleased with me, he will some day allow me to return to see it and the place where it is kept.
-\v 26 But if he says that he is not pleased with me, then I am willing for him to do to me whatever he thinks is good."
+\v 25 But then the king said to Zadok, “You two must take the sacred chest back into the city. If Yahweh is pleased with me, he will some day allow me to return to see it and the place where it is kept.
+\v 26 But if he says that he is not pleased with me, then I am willing for him to do to me whatever he thinks is good.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 27 He also said to Zadok, "Listen to what I suggest! Return to the city peacefully, and take your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar's son Jonathan with you.
-\v 28 I will wait in the wilderness at the place where people can walk across the river, until you send a message to me."
+\v 27 He also said to Zadok, “Listen to what I suggest! Return to the city peacefully, and take your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan with you.
+\v 28 I will wait in the wilderness at the place where people can walk across the river, until you send a message to me.”
 \v 29 So Zadok and Abiathar carried the sacred chest back to Jerusalem, and they stayed there.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 30 David and those with him went up the Mount of Olives. David was crying while he walked. He was walking barefoot and had something covering his head to show that he was sorrowful. All those who were going with him also covered their heads and were crying while they walked.
-\v 31 Someone told David that Ahithophel had joined with those who were rebelling against David. So David prayed, "Yahweh, cause whatever Ahithophel suggests to Absalom that he should do be considered to be foolish!"
+\v 31 Someone told David that Ahithophel had joined with those who were rebelling against David. So David prayed, “Yahweh, cause whatever Ahithophel suggests to Absalom that he should do be considered to be foolish!”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 32 When they arrived at the top of the hill, where there was a place where the people had previously been accustomed to worship God, suddenly Hushai, from the Arki people group, met David. He had torn his clothes and put dirt on his head to show that he was very sad.
-\v 33 David said to him, "If you go with me, you will not be able to help me.
-\v 34 But if you return to the city, you can help me by saying to Absalom, 'Your Majesty, I will serve you as faithfully as I served your father.' If you do that and stay near Absalom, you will be able to oppose any advice that Ahithophel gives to Absalom.
+\v 33 David said to him, “If you go with me, you will not be able to help me.
+\v 34 But if you return to the city, you can help me by saying to Absalom, ‘Your Majesty, I will serve you as faithfully as I served your father.’ If you do that and stay near Absalom, you will be able to oppose any advice that Ahithophel gives to Absalom.
 
 \s5
-\v 35 Zadok and Abiathar the priests are already there. Whatever you hear people say in the king's palace, tell it to Zadok and Abiathar.
-\v 36 Keep in mind that Zadok's son Ahimaaz and Abiathar's son Jonathan are also there. You can tell them whatever you find out, and send them to report it to me."
+\v 35 Zadok and Abiathar the priests are already there. Whatever you hear people say in the king’s palace, tell it to Zadok and Abiathar.
+\v 36 Keep in mind that Zadok’s son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan are also there. You can tell them whatever you find out, and send them to report it to me.”
 \p
-\v 37 So David's friend Hushai returned to the city, at the same time that Absalom was entering Jerusalem.
+\v 37 So David’s friend Hushai returned to the city, at the same time that Absalom was entering Jerusalem.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 16
 
 \p
-\v 1 When David and the others had gone a little way past the top of the hill, Mephibosheth's servant Ziba met him. He had with him two donkeys that were carrying two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred bunches of raisins, one hundred bunches of fresh figs, and a leather bag full of wine.
+\v 1 When David and the others had gone a little way past the top of the hill, Mephibosheth’s servant Ziba met him. He had with him two donkeys that were carrying two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred bunches of raisins, one hundred bunches of fresh figs, and a leather bag full of wine.
 \p
-\v 2 The king said to Ziba, "What are these for?" Ziba replied, "The donkeys are for your family to ride on, the bread and the fruit are for your soldiers to eat, and the wine is for them to drink when they become exhausted in the wilderness."
+\v 2 The king said to Ziba, “What are these for?” Ziba replied, “The donkeys are for your family to ride on, the bread and the fruit are for your soldiers to eat, and the wine is for them to drink when they become exhausted in the wilderness.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 The king said, "Where is Mephibosheth, the grandson of your former master Saul?" Ziba answered, "He stayed in Jerusalem, because he thinks that now the people will allow him to rule the kingdom that his grandfather Saul ruled."
+\v 3 The king said, “Where is Mephibosheth, the grandson of your former master Saul?” Ziba answered, “He stayed in Jerusalem, because he thinks that now the people will allow him to rule the kingdom that his grandfather Saul ruled.”
 \p
-\v 4 The king said to Ziba, "Very well, everything that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours." Ziba replied, "Your Majesty, I will humbly serve you, and I desire that you will always be pleased with me."
+\v 4 The king said to Ziba, “Very well, everything that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.” Ziba replied, “Your Majesty, I will humbly serve you, and I desire that you will always be pleased with me.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 When King David and those with him arrived at the city of Bahurim, a man named Shimei met him. Shimei, whose father was Gera, was a member of the same clan that Saul's family belong to. Shimei was cursing David as he approached.
-\v 6 Then he threw stones at David and his officials, even though the officials and David's bodyguards surrounded David.
+\v 5 When King David and those with him arrived at the city of Bahurim, a man named Shimei met him. Shimei, whose father was Gera, was a member of the same clan that Saul’s family belong to. Shimei was cursing David as he approached.
+\v 6 Then he threw stones at David and his officials, even though the officials and David’s bodyguards surrounded David.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 Shimei cursed David and said to him, "Get out of here, you murderer, you scoundrel!
-\v 8 Yahweh is getting revenge on you all for murdering many people in Saul's family. And now he is giving Saul's kingdom to your son Absalom. You murderer, you are being paid back for the many people that you have killed!"
+\v 7 Shimei cursed David and said to him, “Get out of here, you murderer, you scoundrel!
+\v 8 Yahweh is getting revenge on you all for murdering many people in Saul’s family. And now he is giving Saul’s kingdom to your son Absalom. You murderer, you are being paid back for the many people that you have killed!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 Then Abishai said to the king, "Your Majesty, this man is as worthless as a dead dog! Why should he be allowed to curse you? Allow me to go over there and cut off his head!"
+\v 9 Then Abishai said to the king, “Your Majesty, this man is as worthless as a dead dog! Why should he be allowed to curse you? Allow me to go over there and cut off his head!”
 \p
-\v 10 But the king replied, "You two sons of Zeruiah, I want nothing to do with you. If he is cursing me because Yahweh told him to do so, then no one should ask him, 'Why are you cursing the king?'"
+\v 10 But the king replied, “You two sons of Zeruiah, I want nothing to do with you. If he is cursing me because Yahweh told him to do so, then no one should ask him, ‘Why are you cursing the king?’”
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his officials, "You know that my own son is trying to kill me. So it is not surprising that this man from the tribe of Benjamin is also trying to kill me. Just ignore him, and allow him to curse me. Yahweh has told him to do that.
-\v 12 Perhaps Yahweh will see that I am having all this trouble, and some day he will repay me by blessing me in return for this man cursing me today."
+\v 11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his officials, “You know that my own son is trying to kill me. So it is not surprising that this man from the tribe of Benjamin is also trying to kill me. Just ignore him, and allow him to curse me. Yahweh has told him to do that.
+\v 12 Perhaps Yahweh will see that I am having all this trouble, and some day he will repay me by blessing me in return for this man cursing me today.”
 
 \s5
 \v 13 Then David and those who were with him walked along the road, and Shimei continued walking along the hillside near him. While he walked along, he cursed David and threw stones and dirt at him.
@@ -1096,25 +1096,25 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 While that was happening, Absalom and all the Israelites who were with him had arrived in Jerusalem. Ahithophel had also arrived there.
-\v 16 When David's friend Hushai came to Absalom, he said to Absalom, "I desire that the king will live a long time! May you live for many years!"
+\v 16 When David’s friend Hushai came to Absalom, he said to Absalom, “I desire that the king will live a long time! May you live for many years!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 Absalom said to Hushai, "You have been loyal to your friend David for a long time. So why did you not go with him instead of coming to me?"
+\v 17 Absalom said to Hushai, “You have been loyal to your friend David for a long time. So why did you not go with him instead of coming to me?”
 \p
-\v 18 Hushai replied, "It is right for me to serve the one whom Yahweh and these people and all the other people of Israel have chosen to be their king. So I will stay with you.
+\v 18 Hushai replied, “It is right for me to serve the one whom Yahweh and these people and all the other people of Israel have chosen to be their king. So I will stay with you.
 
 \s5
-\v 19 Besides, whom should I serve? Why should I not serve my master's son? Just as I have served your father, even so, I will serve you."
+\v 19 Besides, whom should I serve? Why should I not serve my master’s son? Just as I have served your father, even so, I will serve you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, "What do you advise that we should do?"
+\v 20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “What do you advise that we should do?”
 \p
-\v 21 Ahithophel replied, "Your father left some of his slave wives in the palace to take care of it. You should sleep with them. When everyone in Israel hears that you have done that, they will realize that you hold your father in contempt. Then all those who are with you will be very encouraged."
+\v 21 Ahithophel replied, “Your father left some of his slave wives in the palace to take care of it. You should sleep with them. When everyone in Israel hears that you have done that, they will realize that you hold your father in contempt. Then all those who are with you will be very encouraged.”
 
 \s5
-\v 22 So they set up a tent for Absalom on the roof of the palace. And Absalom went into the tent and slept with his father's slave wives, one by one, and everyone could see them going into the tent.
+\v 22 So they set up a tent for Absalom on the roof of the palace. And Absalom went into the tent and slept with his father’s slave wives, one by one, and everyone could see them going into the tent.
 \p
 \v 23 In those days, people accepted what Ahithophel recommended as though he was speaking the words of God. So just as David had always accepted what Ahithophel said, now Absalom did also.
 
@@ -1122,21 +1122,21 @@
 \s5
 \c 17
 \p
-\v 1 Then Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Allow me to choose twelve thousand men, and I will take them tonight to go after David.
+\v 1 Then Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Allow me to choose twelve thousand men, and I will take them tonight to go after David.
 \v 2 We will attack him while he is tired and discouraged, and make him very afraid. Everyone with him will run away. We only need to kill the king.
-\v 3 Then we will bring back all his soldiers to you, and they will come happily. You need to kill only one man—David, and then all trouble will be over."
+\v 3 Then we will bring back all his soldiers to you, and they will come happily. You need to kill only one man—David, and then all trouble will be over.”
 \v 4 Absalom and all the Israelite leaders who were with him thought that what Ahithophel said would be good to do.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 But Absalom said, "Summon Hushai also, and we will hear what he suggests."
-\v 6 So when Hushai arrived, Absalom told him what Ahithophel had suggested. Then he asked Hushai, "What do you think we should do? If you do not think that we should do what Ahithophel advises, tell us what you think that we should do."
+\v 5 But Absalom said, “Summon Hushai also, and we will hear what he suggests.”
+\v 6 So when Hushai arrived, Absalom told him what Ahithophel had suggested. Then he asked Hushai, “What do you think we should do? If you do not think that we should do what Ahithophel advises, tell us what you think that we should do.”
 \p
-\v 7 Hushai replied, "This time what Ahithophel has suggested is not good advice.
+\v 7 Hushai replied, “This time what Ahithophel has suggested is not good advice.
 
 \s5
 \v 8 You know that your father and the men who are with him are strong soldiers, and that now they are very angry, like a mother bear whose cubs have been stolen from her. Furthermore, your father knows how to wage war because he has fought in many battles. He will not stay with his troops during the night.
-\v 9 Right now he is probably already hiding in one of the pits, or in some other place. If his soldiers start to attack your soldiers, and if they kill some of them, whoever hears about that will say, 'Many of the soldiers with Absalom have been killed!'
+\v 9 Right now he is probably already hiding in one of the pits, or in some other place. If his soldiers start to attack your soldiers, and if they kill some of them, whoever hears about that will say, ‘Many of the soldiers with Absalom have been killed!’
 \v 10 Then your other soldiers, even if they are as fearless as lions, they will become very afraid. Do not forget that everyone in Israel knows that your father is a great soldier, and that the soldiers who are with him are also very brave.
 
 \s5
@@ -1145,30 +1145,30 @@
 \v 12 We will find your father, wherever he is, and we will attack him from all sides, as dew covers all the ground. And neither he nor any of the soldiers who are with him will survive.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 If he escapes into some city, all our soldiers will bring ropes and pull that city down into the valley. As a result, not one stone will be left there on top of the hill where that city was!"
+\v 13 If he escapes into some city, all our soldiers will bring ropes and pull that city down into the valley. As a result, not one stone will be left there on top of the hill where that city was!”
 \p
-\v 14 Absalom and all the other Israelite men who were with him said, "What Hushai suggests is better than what Ahithophel suggested." The reason that happened was that Yahweh had determined that if they would accept the good advice that Ahithophel had given them, they would have been able to defeat David. But as a result of their doing what Hushai suggested, Yahweh would cause a disaster to happen to Absalom.
+\v 14 Absalom and all the other Israelite men who were with him said, “What Hushai suggests is better than what Ahithophel suggested.” The reason that happened was that Yahweh had determined that if they would accept the good advice that Ahithophel had given them, they would have been able to defeat David. But as a result of their doing what Hushai suggested, Yahweh would cause a disaster to happen to Absalom.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 Then Hushai told the two priests, Zadok and Abiathar, what both he and Ahithophel had suggested to Absalom and the Israelite leaders.
-\v 16 Then he said to them, "Send a message quickly to David. Tell him to not stay at the place where people walk across the river, near the wilderness. Instead, he and his soldiers must cross the Jordan River immediately, in order that they will not be killed."
+\v 16 Then he said to them, “Send a message quickly to David. Tell him to not stay at the place where people walk across the river, near the wilderness. Instead, he and his soldiers must cross the Jordan River immediately, in order that they will not be killed.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 The priest's two sons, Jonathan and Ahimaaz, were waiting at the spring at En Rogel, outside Jerusalem. They did not dare to enter the city, because if someone saw them, he would report it to Absalom. While they were at En Rogel, a female servant of the two priests would frequently go to them and report to them what was happening, and then they would go and report it to King David.
+\v 17 The priest’s two sons, Jonathan and Ahimaaz, were waiting at the spring at En Rogel, outside Jerusalem. They did not dare to enter the city, because if someone saw them, he would report it to Absalom. While they were at En Rogel, a female servant of the two priests would frequently go to them and report to them what was happening, and then they would go and report it to King David.
 \v 18 But a young man saw them, and went and reported it to Absalom. They found out what the young man had done, so both of them left quickly and went to stay in the house of a man in the city of Bahurim. That man had a well in his courtyard, so the two men went down into the well to hide.
 
 \s5
-\v 19 The man's wife took a cloth and covered the mouth of the well, and then scattered grain on top of it order than no one would even suspect that a well was there.
+\v 19 The man’s wife took a cloth and covered the mouth of the well, and then scattered grain on top of it order than no one would even suspect that a well was there.
 \p
-\v 20 Some of Absalom's soldiers found out where the two men had gone. So they went to the house, and asked the woman, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?"
-\p She replied, "They went across the Jordan River."
+\v 20 Some of Absalom’s soldiers found out where the two men had gone. So they went to the house, and asked the woman, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”
+\p She replied, “They went across the Jordan River.”
 \p So the soldiers crossed the river and searched for them. But after they could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.
 
 \s5
-\v 21 After they had gone, the two men came out of the well and went and reported to King David what had happened and what Ahithophel had suggested. Then they said to him, "Cross the Jordan River quickly!"
+\v 21 After they had gone, the two men came out of the well and went and reported to King David what had happened and what Ahithophel had suggested. Then they said to him, “Cross the Jordan River quickly!”
 \v 22 So David and all his soldiers quickly started to cross the river, and by dawn they had all crossed to the other side.
 
 \s5
@@ -1178,7 +1178,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 24 David and his soldiers arrived at Mahanaim. At the same time, Absalom and all his soldiers also crossed the Jordan River.
-\v 25 Now Absalom had appointed his cousin Amasa to be the commander of his army, instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of Jether, an Ishmaelite. Amasa's mother was Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and the sister of Joab's mother Zeruiah.
+\v 25 Now Absalom had appointed his cousin Amasa to be the commander of his army, instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of Jether, an Ishmaelite. Amasa’s mother was Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and the sister of Joab’s mother Zeruiah.
 \v 26 Absalom and his Israelite soldiers set up their tents in the region of Gilead.
 
 \s5
@@ -1193,93 +1193,93 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 David arranged his soldiers for the battle. He divided them into groups, and he appointed a commander for each one hundred soldiers and a commander for each one thousand soldiers.
-\v 2 He sent them out in three groups. Joab commanded one group, Joab's brother Abishai commanded a second group, and Ittai from Gath commanded the third group. David said to them, "I myself will go with you to battle."
+\v 2 He sent them out in three groups. Joab commanded one group, Joab’s brother Abishai commanded a second group, and Ittai from Gath commanded the third group. David said to them, “I myself will go with you to battle.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 But his soldiers said, "No, we will not allow you to go with us. If they force us to all run away, they will not be concerned about us. Or if they kill half of us, they will not care about that, either. To them, capturing you is more important than capturing ten thousand of us. So it would be better that you stay here in the city and send help to us."
+\v 3 But his soldiers said, “No, we will not allow you to go with us. If they force us to all run away, they will not be concerned about us. Or if they kill half of us, they will not care about that, either. To them, capturing you is more important than capturing ten thousand of us. So it would be better that you stay here in the city and send help to us.”
 \p
-\v 4 The king replied to them, "Very well, I will do whatever seems best to you." So he stood at the city gate and watched while his soldiers marched out, group by group.
+\v 4 The king replied to them, “Very well, I will do whatever seems best to you.” So he stood at the city gate and watched while his soldiers marched out, group by group.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 While they were leaving, the king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, "For my sake, do not harm my son Absalom!" And all the troops heard about this, that David had given this order to the three commanders.
+\v 5 While they were leaving, the king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, “For my sake, do not harm my son Absalom!” And all the troops heard about this, that David had given this order to the three commanders.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 So the army went out to fight against the Israelite soldiers who were with Absalom. They fought the battle in the forest where people from the tribe of Ephraim lived.
-\v 7 David's soldiers defeated Absalom's soldiers. They killed twenty thousand of them.
+\v 7 David’s soldiers defeated Absalom’s soldiers. They killed twenty thousand of them.
 \v 8 The battle was fought all over that area, and the number of men who died because of dangerous things in the forest was greater than the number of men who were killed in the battle.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 During the battle, Absalom suddenly came near some of David's soldiers. Absalom was riding on his mule, and when the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak tree, Absalom's head was caught in the branches. The mule kept going, but Absalom was left dangling in the air.
+\v 9 During the battle, Absalom suddenly came near some of David’s soldiers. Absalom was riding on his mule, and when the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak tree, Absalom’s head was caught in the branches. The mule kept going, but Absalom was left dangling in the air.
 \p
-\v 10 One of David's soldiers saw what happened, and went and told Joab, "I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!"
+\v 10 One of David’s soldiers saw what happened, and went and told Joab, “I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!”
 \p
-\v 11 Joab said to the man, "What? You say that you saw him hanging there, so why did you not kill him immediately? If you had killed him, I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a soldier's belt!"
+\v 11 Joab said to the man, “What? You say that you saw him hanging there, so why did you not kill him immediately? If you had killed him, I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a soldier’s belt!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 The man replied to Joab, "Even if you gave me a thousand pieces of silver, I would not have done anything to harm the king's son. We all heard the king command you and Abishai and Ittai: 'For my sake, do not harm my son Absalom!'
-\v 13 If I had disobeyed the king and killed Absalom, the king would have heard about it, because the king hears about everything, and even you would not have defended me!"
+\v 12 The man replied to Joab, “Even if you gave me a thousand pieces of silver, I would not have done anything to harm the king’s son. We all heard the king command you and Abishai and Ittai: ‘For my sake, do not harm my son Absalom!’
+\v 13 If I had disobeyed the king and killed Absalom, the king would have heard about it, because the king hears about everything, and even you would not have defended me!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Joab said, "I am not going to waste time talking to you!" Then he took three spears, went to where Absalom was, and thrust them into Absalom's chest while he was still alive, dangling from the oak tree.
+\v 14 Joab said, “I am not going to waste time talking to you!” Then he took three spears, went to where Absalom was, and thrust them into Absalom’s chest while he was still alive, dangling from the oak tree.
 \v 15 Then ten young men who carried weapons for Joab surrounded Absalom and finished killing him.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 Then Joab blew his trumpet to signal that they should not fight anymore, and his soldiers returned from pursuing Absalom's men.
-\v 17 They took Absalom's body and threw it into a huge pit in the forest, and covered it with a huge pile of stones. Then all the remaining Israelite soldiers who had been with Absalom fled to their own homes.
+\v 16 Then Joab blew his trumpet to signal that they should not fight anymore, and his soldiers returned from pursuing Absalom’s men.
+\v 17 They took Absalom’s body and threw it into a huge pit in the forest, and covered it with a huge pile of stones. Then all the remaining Israelite soldiers who had been with Absalom fled to their own homes.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 Absalom had no sons to preserve his family name because his sons had died while they were still young. So while Absalom was alive, he had built a monument to himself in the Valley of Kings near Jerusalem, in order that people would remember him. He put his name on the monument, and people still call it Absalom's Monument.
+\v 18 Absalom had no sons to preserve his family name because his sons had died while they were still young. So while Absalom was alive, he had built a monument to himself in the Valley of Kings near Jerusalem, in order that people would remember him. He put his name on the monument, and people still call it Absalom’s Monument.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 After Absalom had been killed, Zadok's son Ahimaaz said to Joab, "Allow me to run to the king to tell him the good news that Yahweh has rescued him from the power of his enemies!"
+\v 19 After Absalom had been killed, Zadok’s son Ahimaaz said to Joab, “Allow me to run to the king to tell him the good news that Yahweh has rescued him from the power of his enemies!”
 \p
-\v 20 But Joab said to him, "No, I will not allow you to take news to the king today. Some other day I will allow you to take some news, but not today. If you took news today it would not be good news for the king, because his son is dead."
+\v 20 But Joab said to him, “No, I will not allow you to take news to the king today. Some other day I will allow you to take some news, but not today. If you took news today it would not be good news for the king, because his son is dead.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 Then Joab said to David's servant who was from Ethiopia, "You go and tell the king what you have seen." So the man from Ethiopia bowed in respect to Joab, and started to run.
+\v 21 Then Joab said to David’s servant who was from Ethiopia, “You go and tell the king what you have seen.” So the man from Ethiopia bowed in respect to Joab, and started to run.
 \p
-\v 22 Then Ahimaaz said again to Joab, "Even though that man from Ethiopia is running, allow me to run behind him." Joab replied, "My boy, why do you want to do that? You will not receive any reward for your news!"
+\v 22 Then Ahimaaz said again to Joab, “Even though that man from Ethiopia is running, allow me to run behind him.” Joab replied, “My boy, why do you want to do that? You will not receive any reward for your news!”
 \p
-\v 23 But Ahimaaz replied, "That does not matter, I want to go." So Joab said, "Very well, then, go." So Ahimaaz ran along another road through the Valley of the Jordan and arrived where David was, before the man from Ethiopia arrived.
+\v 23 But Ahimaaz replied, “That does not matter, I want to go.” So Joab said, “Very well, then, go.” So Ahimaaz ran along another road through the Valley of the Jordan and arrived where David was, before the man from Ethiopia arrived.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 24 David was sitting between the outer gate and the inner gate of the city. The watchman went up on top of the city wall and stood on the roof over the gates. He looked out and saw one man running alone.
-\v 25 The watchman called down and reported it to the king. The king said, "If he is alone, that indicates that he is bringing news." The man who was running continued to come closer.
+\v 25 The watchman called down and reported it to the king. The king said, “If he is alone, that indicates that he is bringing news.” The man who was running continued to come closer.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 26 Then the watchman saw another man running. So he called down to the gatekeeper, "Look! There is another man running!" And the king said, "He also is bringing some good news."
+\v 26 Then the watchman saw another man running. So he called down to the gatekeeper, “Look! There is another man running!” And the king said, “He also is bringing some good news.”
 \p
-\v 27 The watchman said, "I think the first man must be Ahimaaz, because he is running as Ahimaaz runs." The king said, "Ahimaaz is a good man, and I am sure he is coming with good news."
+\v 27 The watchman said, “I think the first man must be Ahimaaz, because he is running as Ahimaaz runs.” The king said, “Ahimaaz is a good man, and I am sure he is coming with good news.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 28 When Ahimaaz reached the king, he called out, "I hope that things will go well with you!" Then he prostrated himself on the ground in front of the king and said, "Your Majesty, praise Yahweh our God, who has rescued you from the men who were rebelling against you!"
+\v 28 When Ahimaaz reached the king, he called out, “I hope that things will go well with you!” Then he prostrated himself on the ground in front of the king and said, “Your Majesty, praise Yahweh our God, who has rescued you from the men who were rebelling against you!”
 \p
-\v 29 The king said, "Is the young man Absalom safe?" Ahimaaz did not want to answer that question, so he replied, "When Joab sent me, I saw that there was a lot of confusion, but I do not know what it was about."
+\v 29 The king said, “Is the young man Absalom safe?” Ahimaaz did not want to answer that question, so he replied, “When Joab sent me, I saw that there was a lot of confusion, but I do not know what it was about.”
 \p
-\v 30 Then the king said, "Stand aside." So Ahimaaz stepped aside and stood there.
+\v 30 Then the king said, “Stand aside.” So Ahimaaz stepped aside and stood there.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 31 Suddenly the man from Ethiopia arrived, and said, "Your Majesty, I have good news for you! Yahweh has enabled your soldiers to defeat all those who rebelled against you!"
+\v 31 Suddenly the man from Ethiopia arrived, and said, “Your Majesty, I have good news for you! Yahweh has enabled your soldiers to defeat all those who rebelled against you!”
 \p
-\v 32 The king said to him, "Is the young man Absalom safe?" The man from Ethiopia replied, "Sir, I wish that what happened to him would happen to all of your enemies and to all those who rebel against you!"
+\v 32 The king said to him, “Is the young man Absalom safe?” The man from Ethiopia replied, “Sir, I wish that what happened to him would happen to all of your enemies and to all those who rebel against you!”
 \p
-\v 33 The king realized that he meant that Absalom was dead, so he became extremely distressed, and he went up to the room above the gateway and cried. While he was going up, he kept crying out, "O, my son Absalom! My son! O, my son Absalom, I desire that I had died instead of you!"
+\v 33 The king realized that he meant that Absalom was dead, so he became extremely distressed, and he went up to the room above the gateway and cried. While he was going up, he kept crying out, “O, my son Absalom! My son! O, my son Absalom, I desire that I had died instead of you!”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1287,36 +1287,36 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Someone told Joab that the king was crying and mourning because Absalom had died.
-\v 2 All of David's soldiers heard that the king was mourning because Absalom was dead. So they became sad that they had defeated Absalom's men.
+\v 2 All of David’s soldiers heard that the king was mourning because Absalom was dead. So they became sad that they had defeated Absalom’s men.
 \s5
 \v 3 The soldiers returned to the city quietly and ashamed, as if they had lost the battle instead of winning it.
-\v 4 The king covered his face with his hands and kept crying loudly, "O, my son Absalom! O, Absalom, my son! My son!"
+\v 4 The king covered his face with his hands and kept crying loudly, “O, my son Absalom! O, Absalom, my son! My son!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 Joab entered the room where the king was, and said to the king, "Today you have caused your soldiers to be ashamed! You have humiliated the men who saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and your ordinary wives and your slave wives!
+\v 5 Joab entered the room where the king was, and said to the king, “Today you have caused your soldiers to be ashamed! You have humiliated the men who saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and your ordinary wives and your slave wives!
 \v 6 It seems that you love those who hate you and that you hate those who love you. Everyone realizes now that your commanders and your officers are not at all important to you. If Absalom were still alive and we were all dead today, you would actually be happy.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 So now go and thank your soldiers for what they did. Because I solemnly declare that if you do not do that, none of them will still be with you by tomorrow morning. That would be worse for you than all the disasters that you have experienced since you were a boy."
+\v 7 So now go and thank your soldiers for what they did. Because I solemnly declare that if you do not do that, none of them will still be with you by tomorrow morning. That would be worse for you than all the disasters that you have experienced since you were a boy.”
 \p
-\v 8 So the king got up and went and sat at the city gate. And all the people were told, "The king is sitting at the gate!" So they all came and gathered around him.
-\p Meanwhile, all of Absalom's men had gone home.
+\v 8 So the king got up and went and sat at the city gate. And all the people were told, “The king is sitting at the gate!” So they all came and gathered around him.
+\p Meanwhile, all of Absalom’s men had gone home.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 Then all the people throughout the tribes of Israel started to quarrel among themselves. They said to each other, "The king rescued us from the people of Philistia and from our other enemies. But now he has fled from Absalom and left Israel!
-\v 10 We appointed Absalom to be our king, but he died in the battle against David's soldiers. So why does someone not try to bring King David back?"
+\v 9 Then all the people throughout the tribes of Israel started to quarrel among themselves. They said to each other, “The king rescued us from the people of Philistia and from our other enemies. But now he has fled from Absalom and left Israel!
+\v 10 We appointed Absalom to be our king, but he died in the battle against David’s soldiers. So why does someone not try to bring King David back?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 King David found out what the people were saying. So he sent the two priests, Zadok and Abiathar, to say to the leaders of Judah, "The king says that he has heard that all the Israelite people want him to be king again. And he says, 'Why should you be the last ones to bring me back to my palace?
-\v 12 You are my relatives. We have the same ancestor. So why should you be the last ones to bring me back?'"
+\v 11 King David found out what the people were saying. So he sent the two priests, Zadok and Abiathar, to say to the leaders of Judah, “The king says that he has heard that all the Israelite people want him to be king again. And he says, ‘Why should you be the last ones to bring me back to my palace?
+\v 12 You are my relatives. We have the same ancestor. So why should you be the last ones to bring me back?’”
 
 \s5
-\v 13 And say to Amasa, "You are one of my relatives. I hope that God will kill me if I do not appoint you to be, from now on, the commander of my army instead of Joab."
+\v 13 And say to Amasa, “You are one of my relatives. I hope that God will kill me if I do not appoint you to be, from now on, the commander of my army instead of Joab.”
 \p
-\v 14 By sending that message to them, David convinced all the people of Judah that they should be loyal to him. So they sent a message to the king, saying, "We want you and all your officials to return here."
+\v 14 By sending that message to them, David convinced all the people of Judah that they should be loyal to him. So they sent a message to the king, saying, “We want you and all your officials to return here.”
 \v 15 So the king and his officials started back toward Jerusalem. When they reached the Jordan River, the people of Judah came there to Gilgal to meet the king, and to escort him across the river.
 
 \s5
@@ -1327,51 +1327,51 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 He said to the king, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Please do not keep thinking about the terrible thing that I did on the day that you left Jerusalem. Do not think about it anymore.
-\v 20 I know that I have sinned. Look, I have come today, the first one from the northern tribes to come here to greet you today, Your Majesty."
+\v 19 He said to the king, “Your Majesty, please forgive me. Please do not keep thinking about the terrible thing that I did on the day that you left Jerusalem. Do not think about it anymore.
+\v 20 I know that I have sinned. Look, I have come today, the first one from the northern tribes to come here to greet you today, Your Majesty.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 But Abishai son of Zeruiah, said to David, "He cursed the one whom Yahweh appointed to be the king! So should he not be executed for doing that?"
+\v 21 But Abishai son of Zeruiah, said to David, “He cursed the one whom Yahweh appointed to be the king! So should he not be executed for doing that?”
 \p
-\v 22 But David said, "You sons of Zeruiah, what am I going to do with you? It is as though you had become my enemies today. I know that I am still king of Israel, so I say that certainly no one in Israel should be executed today."
-\v 23 Then the king said to Shimei, "I solemnly promise that I will not execute you."
+\v 22 But David said, “You sons of Zeruiah, what am I going to do with you? It is as though you had become my enemies today. I know that I am still king of Israel, so I say that certainly no one in Israel should be executed today.”
+\v 23 Then the king said to Shimei, “I solemnly promise that I will not execute you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 24 Then Miphibosheth, Saul's grandson, came down to the river to greet the king. He had not washed his feet or trimmed his beard or washed his clothes from the time that the king left Jerusalem until the day that he returned.
-\v 25 When he arrived from Jerusalem to greet the king, the king said to him, "Mephibosheth, why did you not go with me?"
+\v 24 Then Miphibosheth, Saul’s grandson, came down to the river to greet the king. He had not washed his feet or trimmed his beard or washed his clothes from the time that the king left Jerusalem until the day that he returned.
+\v 25 When he arrived from Jerusalem to greet the king, the king said to him, “Mephibosheth, why did you not go with me?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 26 He replied, "Your Majesty, you know that I am crippled. When I heard that you were leaving Jerusalem, I said to my servant Ziba, 'Put a saddle on my donkey in order that I can ride on it and go with the king.' But he deceived me and left without me.
-\v 27 He lied to you about me. But your Majesty, you are as wise as God's angel. So do whatever seems right to you.
-\v 28 All of my grandfather's family expected that we would be executed. But you did not execute me. You allowed me to eat food with you at your table! So I certainly do not have the right to request from you anything more."
+\v 26 He replied, “Your Majesty, you know that I am crippled. When I heard that you were leaving Jerusalem, I said to my servant Ziba, ‘Put a saddle on my donkey in order that I can ride on it and go with the king.’ But he deceived me and left without me.
+\v 27 He lied to you about me. But your Majesty, you are as wise as God’s angel. So do whatever seems right to you.
+\v 28 All of my grandfather’s family expected that we would be executed. But you did not execute me. You allowed me to eat food with you at your table! So I certainly do not have the right to request from you anything more.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 29 The king replied, "You certainly do not need to say any more. I have decided that you and Ziba will divide equally the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul."
+\v 29 The king replied, “You certainly do not need to say any more. I have decided that you and Ziba will divide equally the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul.”
 \p
-\v 30 Mephibosheth replied to the king, "Your Majesty, I am content that you have returned safely. So allow him to take all the land."
+\v 30 Mephibosheth replied to the king, “Your Majesty, I am content that you have returned safely. So allow him to take all the land.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 31 Barzillai, the man from the region of Gilead, had come down to the Jordan River from his town of Rogelim to escort the king across the river.
 \v 32 Barzillai was a very old man, eighty years old. He was a very wealthy man, and he had provided food for the king and his soldiers while they were at Mahanaim.
-\v 33 The king said to Barzillai, "Come with me to Jerusalem, and I will take care of you."
+\v 33 The king said to Barzillai, “Come with me to Jerusalem, and I will take care of you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 34 But Barzillai replied, "I certainly do not have many more years to live. So why should I go with you to Jerusalem?
+\v 34 But Barzillai replied, “I certainly do not have many more years to live. So why should I go with you to Jerusalem?
 \v 35 I am eighty years old. I do not know what is enjoyable and what is not enjoyable. I cannot enjoy what I eat and what I drink. I cannot hear the voices of men and women as they sing. So why should I be another burden to you?
 \v 36 I will cross the Jordan River with you and go a little further, and that will be all the reward that I need for helping you.
 
 \s5
-\v 37 Then please allow me to return to my home, because that is where I want to die, near my parents' grave. But here is my son Kimham. Your Majesty, allow him to go with you and serve you, and do for him whatever seems good to you!"
+\v 37 Then please allow me to return to my home, because that is where I want to die, near my parents’ grave. But here is my son Kimham. Your Majesty, allow him to go with you and serve you, and do for him whatever seems good to you!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 38 The king replied, "Very well, he will cross the river with me, and I will do for him whatever seems good to you. And I will do for you whatever you want me to do."
+\v 38 The king replied, “Very well, he will cross the river with me, and I will do for him whatever seems good to you. And I will do for you whatever you want me to do.”
 \p
 \v 39 Then King David and all the others crossed the Jordan River. He kissed Barzillai and asked God to bless him. Then Barzillai returned to his home.
 
@@ -1380,12 +1380,12 @@
 \v 40 After they crossed the river, Kimham went with the king, and all the army of Judah and half the army of the other Israelite tribes escorted the king to Gilgal.
 
 \p
-\v 41 Then all the Israelite soldiers from the other Israelite tribes came to the king and said, "Why is it that our relatives, the men from Judah, took you away from us and wanted to be the only ones to escort you and your family across the river, along with all your men? Why did you not request us to do that?"
+\v 41 Then all the Israelite soldiers from the other Israelite tribes came to the king and said, “Why is it that our relatives, the men from Judah, took you away from us and wanted to be the only ones to escort you and your family across the river, along with all your men? Why did you not request us to do that?”
 \s5
 \p
-\v 42 The soldiers from Judah replied, "We did it because the king is from Judah. Why are you angry about this? The king has never paid for our food, and he has never given us any gifts."
+\v 42 The soldiers from Judah replied, “We did it because the king is from Judah. Why are you angry about this? The king has never paid for our food, and he has never given us any gifts.”
 \p
-\v 43 The men of the other Israelite tribes replied, "There are ten tribes in Israel, and only one in Judah. So it is ten times more right for us to say that David is our king than it is for you to say that. So why are you despising us? We were certainly the first ones to talk about bringing David back to Jerusalem to be our king again."
+\v 43 The men of the other Israelite tribes replied, “There are ten tribes in Israel, and only one in Judah. So it is ten times more right for us to say that David is our king than it is for you to say that. So why are you despising us? We were certainly the first ones to talk about bringing David back to Jerusalem to be our king again.”
 \p But the men of Judah spoke more harshly than the men from the other tribes of Israel did.
 
 
@@ -1393,7 +1393,7 @@
 \c 20
 
 \p
-\v 1 There was also a man there at Gilgal named Sheba. He was a man who always caused trouble. He was from the tribe of Benjamin son of Bikri. He blew a trumpet and called out, "We have nothing to do with David, that son of Jesse! So, men of Israel, let us go to our homes!"
+\v 1 There was also a man there at Gilgal named Sheba. He was a man who always caused trouble. He was from the tribe of Benjamin son of Bikri. He blew a trumpet and called out, “We have nothing to do with David, that son of Jesse! So, men of Israel, let us go to our homes!”
 \p
 \v 2 So all the men from the Israelite tribes deserted David and went with Sheba, but the men of Judah stayed with David. They wanted him to be their king, and went with him from near the Jordan River up to Jerusalem.
 
@@ -1403,13 +1403,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 One day the king said to Amasa, "Summon the soldiers of Judah to come here within three days, and you must be here also."
+\v 4 One day the king said to Amasa, “Summon the soldiers of Judah to come here within three days, and you must be here also.”
 \v 5 So Amasa went to summon them, but he did not return within the time that David told him to.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 So David said to Abishai, "Now Sheba will harm us more than Absalom did. So you take my soldiers and pursue him. If you do not do that, he and his soldiers may occupy some of the fortified cities and escape from us."
-\v 7 So Abishai and Joab and the king's bodyguards and the other soldiers left Jerusalem to pursue Sheba.
+\v 6 So David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba will harm us more than Absalom did. So you take my soldiers and pursue him. If you do not do that, he and his soldiers may occupy some of the fortified cities and escape from us.”
+\v 7 So Abishai and Joab and the king’s bodyguards and the other soldiers left Jerusalem to pursue Sheba.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1417,72 +1417,72 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 Joab said to Amasa, "Are things going well with you, my friend?" Then Joab grabbed Amasa's beard with his right hand, in order to kiss him.
-\v 10 But Amasa did not see that Joab was holding another dagger in his other hand. Joab thrust it into Amasa's belly, and his insides spilled out onto the ground. Amasa died immediately. Joab did not need to stab him again. Then Joab and his brother Abishai continued to pursue Sheba.
+\v 9 Joab said to Amasa, “Are things going well with you, my friend?” Then Joab grabbed Amasa’s beard with his right hand, in order to kiss him.
+\v 10 But Amasa did not see that Joab was holding another dagger in his other hand. Joab thrust it into Amasa’s belly, and his insides spilled out onto the ground. Amasa died immediately. Joab did not need to stab him again. Then Joab and his brother Abishai continued to pursue Sheba.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 One of Joab's soldiers stood alongside Amasa's body and called out, "Everyone who wants Joab to be our commander and who wants David to be our king, go with Joab!"
-\v 12 Amasa's body was lying on the road. It was covered with blood. The soldier of Joab who had called out saw that many other of Joab's soldiers were stopping to look at it, so he dragged Amasa's body off the road into a field and threw a cloth over the body.
+\v 11 One of Joab’s soldiers stood alongside Amasa’s body and called out, “Everyone who wants Joab to be our commander and who wants David to be our king, go with Joab!”
+\v 12 Amasa’s body was lying on the road. It was covered with blood. The soldier of Joab who had called out saw that many other of Joab’s soldiers were stopping to look at it, so he dragged Amasa’s body off the road into a field and threw a cloth over the body.
 \v 13 After the body had been taken off the road, all the soldiers went with Joab to pursue Sheba.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Sheba went through all the tribes of Israel, and arrived at the city that is called Abel of Beth Maacah in the northern part of Israel. All the members of his father Bikri's clan gathered there and went with Sheba into the city.
+\v 14 Sheba went through all the tribes of Israel, and arrived at the city that is called Abel of Beth Maacah in the northern part of Israel. All the members of his father Bikri’s clan gathered there and went with Sheba into the city.
 \v 15 The soldiers who were with Joab found out that Sheba had gone there, so they went there and surrounded the city. They built a dirt ramp up against the city wall. They also pounded against the wall to cause it to collapse.
-\v 16 Then a wise woman who was in that town stood on the top of the wall and shouted down, "Listen to me! Tell Joab to come here, because I want to talk to him!"
+\v 16 Then a wise woman who was in that town stood on the top of the wall and shouted down, “Listen to me! Tell Joab to come here, because I want to talk to him!”
 
 \s5
-\v 17 So after they told Joab, he came there, and the woman said, "Are you Joab?"
-\p He replied, "Yes, I am." She said to him, "Listen to what I say." He replied, "I am listening."
-\v 18 She said, "Long ago people used to say, 'Go to Abel town to get good advice about your problems.' And that is what people did.
-\v 19 We are peaceful and loyal Israelites. Our people here are important and respected. So why are you trying to destroy a city that belongs to Yahweh?"
+\v 17 So after they told Joab, he came there, and the woman said, “Are you Joab?”
+\p He replied, “Yes, I am.” She said to him, “Listen to what I say.” He replied, “I am listening.”
+\v 18 She said, “Long ago people used to say, ‘Go to Abel town to get good advice about your problems.’ And that is what people did.
+\v 19 We are peaceful and loyal Israelites. Our people here are important and respected. So why are you trying to destroy a city that belongs to Yahweh?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Joab replied, "I would certainly never want to ruin or destroy your city!
-\v 21 That is not what we want to do. But Bikri's son Sheba, a man from the hill area in the tribe of Ephraim, is rebelling against King David. Put this man into our hands, and then we will go away from this town."
-\p The woman replied to Joab, "Very well; we will cut off his head and throw it over the wall to you."
+\v 20 Joab replied, “I would certainly never want to ruin or destroy your city!
+\v 21 That is not what we want to do. But Bikri’s son Sheba, a man from the hill area in the tribe of Ephraim, is rebelling against King David. Put this man into our hands, and then we will go away from this town.”
+\p The woman replied to Joab, “Very well; we will cut off his head and throw it over the wall to you.”
 \p
-\v 22 Then this woman went to the elders of the town and told them what she had said to Joab. So they cut off Sheba's head and threw it over the wall to Joab. Then Joab blew his trumpet to signal that the battle was ended, and all his soldiers left the town and returned to their homes. Joab returned to Jerusalem and told the king what had happened.
+\v 22 Then this woman went to the elders of the town and told them what she had said to Joab. So they cut off Sheba’s head and threw it over the wall to Joab. Then Joab blew his trumpet to signal that the battle was ended, and all his soldiers left the town and returned to their homes. Joab returned to Jerusalem and told the king what had happened.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 Joab was the commander of the entire Israelite army. Jehoiada's son Benaiah was the commander of David's bodyguards.
-\v 24 Adoniram supervised the men who were forced to work for the king. Ahilud's son Jehoshaphat was the man who reported to the people everything that David decided.
+\v 23 Joab was the commander of the entire Israelite army. Jehoiada’s son Benaiah was the commander of David’s bodyguards.
+\v 24 Adoniram supervised the men who were forced to work for the king. Ahilud’s son Jehoshaphat was the man who reported to the people everything that David decided.
 \v 25 Sheva was the official secretary. Zadok and Abiathar were the priests,
-\v 26 and Ira from Jair town was also one of David's priests.
+\v 26 and Ira from Jair town was also one of David’s priests.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 21
 
 \p
-\v 1 There was a famine in Israel for three years that occurred in the time that David ruled. David prayed to Yahweh about it. And Yahweh said, "In order for the famine to end, Saul's family need to be punished because Saul killed many people from the city of Gibeon."
+\v 1 There was a famine in Israel for three years that occurred in the time that David ruled. David prayed to Yahweh about it. And Yahweh said, “In order for the famine to end, Saul’s family need to be punished because Saul killed many people from the city of Gibeon.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 2 The people of Gibeon were not native born Israelites. They were a small group of the Amor people group whom the Israelites had solemnly promised to protect when they invaded the land of Canaan. But Saul had tried to kill all of them because he was very eager to enable the people of Judah and Israel to be the only ones living in that land. So the king summoned the leaders of Gibeon
-\v 3 and said to them, "What should I do for you? How can I make up for what Saul did to your people, in order that you will bless us who belong to Yahweh and have so many good things from him?"
+\v 3 and said to them, “What should I do for you? How can I make up for what Saul did to your people, in order that you will bless us who belong to Yahweh and have so many good things from him?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 They replied, "You cannot settle our quarrel with Saul and his family by giving us silver or gold. And we do not have the right to kill any Israelites."
+\v 4 They replied, “You cannot settle our quarrel with Saul and his family by giving us silver or gold. And we do not have the right to kill any Israelites.”
 
 \s5
-\p So David asked, "Then what do you say that I should do for you?"
-\v 5 They replied, "Saul wanted to get rid of us. He wanted to annihilate all of us, in order that none of us would live anywhere in Israel.
-\v 6 Put seven of Saul's descendants into our hands. We will hang them where Yahweh is worshiped in Gibeon, our city , the city where Saul, whom Yahweh chose to be king, lived."
-\p The king replied, "Very well, I will hand them over to you."
+\p So David asked, “Then what do you say that I should do for you?”
+\v 5 They replied, “Saul wanted to get rid of us. He wanted to annihilate all of us, in order that none of us would live anywhere in Israel.
+\v 6 Put seven of Saul’s descendants into our hands. We will hang them where Yahweh is worshiped in Gibeon, our city , the city where Saul, whom Yahweh chose to be king, lived.”
+\p The king replied, “Very well, I will hand them over to you.”
 
 \s5
-\v 7 The king did not hand over Saul's grandson Mephibosheth to them, because of what he and Mephibosheth's father Jonathan had solemnly promised to each other.
-\v 8 Instead, he took the two sons of Rizpah and Saul, named Armoni and Mephibosheth—Rizpah was the daughter of Aiah and had been Saul's slave wife; David also the five sons of Merab, Saul's daughter. Merab's husband was Adriel son of Barzillai, was from the city of Meholah.
+\v 7 The king did not hand over Saul’s grandson Mephibosheth to them, because of what he and Mephibosheth’s father Jonathan had solemnly promised to each other.
+\v 8 Instead, he took the two sons of Rizpah and Saul, named Armoni and Mephibosheth—Rizpah was the daughter of Aiah and had been Saul’s slave wife; David also the five sons of Merab, Saul’s daughter. Merab’s husband was Adriel son of Barzillai, was from the city of Meholah.
 \v 9 David handed these men over to the people of Gibeon. They took those seven men to Gibeon and hanged them on a hill where they worshiped Yahweh. They died during the time of the year that the people started to harvest the barley.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 Then Rizpah took coarse cloth made from goats' hair, and spread it on the rock where the corpses lay. She stayed there from the time that people started to harvest the barley until the rains started. She did not allow any birds to come near the corpses during the day, and she did not allow any animals to come near during the night.
+\v 10 Then Rizpah took coarse cloth made from goats’ hair, and spread it on the rock where the corpses lay. She stayed there from the time that people started to harvest the barley until the rains started. She did not allow any birds to come near the corpses during the day, and she did not allow any animals to come near during the night.
 \v 11 Someone told David what Rizpah had done.
 
 \s5
@@ -1491,25 +1491,25 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 David's servants went to the tomb of Saul's father Kish, in the city of Zela in the land of the tribe of Benjamin. There they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan also. In this way, they did all that the king had commanded them to do. After that, because God saw that Saul's family had been punished to pay for Saul's murder of many people from Gibeon, he answered the Israelites' prayers for their land, and caused the famine to end.
+\v 14 David’s servants went to the tomb of Saul’s father Kish, in the city of Zela in the land of the tribe of Benjamin. There they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan also. In this way, they did all that the king had commanded them to do. After that, because God saw that Saul’s family had been punished to pay for Saul’s murder of many people from Gibeon, he answered the Israelites’ prayers for their land, and caused the famine to end.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 The army of Philistia again started to fight against the army of Israel. And David and his soldiers went to fight them. During the battle, David became tired.
 \v 16 One of the Philistine men thought that he could kill David. His name was Ishbi-Benob. He was a descendant of a group of giants. He carried a bronze spear that weighed almost three and one-half kilograms, and he also had a new sword.
-\v 17 But Abishai came to help David, and attacked the giant and killed him. Then David's soldiers forced David to promise that he would not go with them into a battle again. They said to him, "If you die, and none of your descendants become king, that would be like extinguishing the last light in Israel."
+\v 17 But Abishai came to help David, and attacked the giant and killed him. Then David’s soldiers forced David to promise that he would not go with them into a battle again. They said to him, “If you die, and none of your descendants become king, that would be like extinguishing the last light in Israel.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 18 Some time after that, there was a battle with the army of Philistia near the village of Gob. During the battle, Sibbekai, from the clan of Hushah, killed Saph, one of the descendants of the Rapha giants.
 \p
-\v 19 Later there was another battle with the army of Philistia at Gob. During that battle, Elhanan son of Jair from Bethlehem, killed the brother of Goliath from Gath, whose spear shaft was very thick, like the bar on a weaver's loom.
+\v 19 Later there was another battle with the army of Philistia at Gob. During that battle, Elhanan son of Jair from Bethlehem, killed the brother of Goliath from Gath, whose spear shaft was very thick, like the bar on a weaver’s loom.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 Later there was another battle near Gath. There was a huge man there who liked to fight in battles. He had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. He was descended from the Rapha giants.
-\v 21 But when he insulted the men in the Israelite army, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David's older brother, killed him.
+\v 21 But when he insulted the men in the Israelite army, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David’s older brother, killed him.
 \p
 \v 22 Those four men were some of the descendants of the Rapha giants who had lived in Gath, who were killed by David and his soldiers.
 
@@ -1520,7 +1520,7 @@
 \p
 \v 1 After Yahweh had rescued David from Saul and his other enemies, David sang a song to Yahweh.
 \v 2 This is what he sang:
-\q1 "Yahweh, you are like a huge rock on top of which I can hide.
+\q1 “Yahweh, you are like a huge rock on top of which I can hide.
 \q2 You are like a fortress, and you rescue me.
 
 \s5
@@ -1728,7 +1728,7 @@
 \q2 and I sing to praise you.
 \q1
 \v 51 You enable me, whom you appointed to be king, to conquer my enemies.
-\q2 You faithfully love me, David, and you will love my descendants forever."
+\q2 You faithfully love me, David, and you will love my descendants forever.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1740,18 +1740,18 @@
 \q1 David wrote beautiful songs for the people of Israel.
 \q1 This is the last song that he wrote:
 \q1
-\v 2 "The Spirit of Yahweh tells me what to say.
+\v 2 “The Spirit of Yahweh tells me what to say.
 \q1 The message that I speak comes from him.
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 3 God, the one whom we Israelite people worship, has spoken.
 \q2 The one who protects us people of Israel said to me,
-\q1 'Kings who rule fairly over people
+\q1 ‘Kings who rule fairly over people
 \q1 have an awesome respect for me, God.
 \q1
 \v 4 They are like the sun that shines at dawn
-\q2 and causes the grass to sprout after the rain ends.'
+\q2 and causes the grass to sprout after the rain ends.’
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -1769,12 +1769,12 @@
 \q1
 \v 7 Someone who wants to get rid of thornbushes does not grab them,
 \q2 but he uses an iron shovel or a spear to dig them out
-\q2 and then he burns them completely."
+\q2 and then he burns them completely.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 These are the names of David's greatest soldiers.
+\v 8 These are the names of David’s greatest soldiers.
 \p The first was Jeshbaal, from the Hachmon clan. He was the leader of the greatest soldiers. Once he fought against eight hundred enemies and killed them all with his spear.
 
 \s5
@@ -1794,21 +1794,21 @@
 \v 14 David and his soldiers were in the cave because it was safe there, and another group of Philistine soldiers was occupying Bethlehem.
 
 \s5
-\v 15 One day David very much wanted some water to drink, and said, "I wish that someone would bring me some water from the well near the gate at Bethlehem!"
+\v 15 One day David very much wanted some water to drink, and said, “I wish that someone would bring me some water from the well near the gate at Bethlehem!”
 \v 16 So his three greatest warriors forced through the camp of Philistine soldiers and drew some water from the well, and brought it to David. But he would not drink it. Instead, he poured it out on the ground to be an offering to Yahweh.
-\v 17 He said, "Yahweh, it would certainly not be right for me to drink this water! That would be like drinking the blood of these men who were willing to die for me!" So he refused to drink it.
+\v 17 He said, “Yahweh, it would certainly not be right for me to drink this water! That would be like drinking the blood of these men who were willing to die for me!” So he refused to drink it.
 \p That was one of the things that those three great warriors did.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 Abishai, Joab's younger brother, was the leader of David's greatest soldiers. One day he fought against three hundred men and killed them all with his spear. As a result, he also became famous.
+\v 18 Abishai, Joab’s younger brother, was the leader of David’s greatest soldiers. One day he fought against three hundred men and killed them all with his spear. As a result, he also became famous.
 \v 19 He was the most famous of the greatest soldiers, and he became their leader, but even he was not one of the three greatest warriors.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Jehoiada's son Benaiah, from the city of Kabzeel, also did great deeds. He killed two of the best warriors from the Moab people group. Also, he went down into a pit on a day when snow was falling on the ground, and killed a lion there.
-\v 21 He also killed a huge soldier from Egypt who carried a spear. Benaiah had only his club, but he attacked the giant with it. Then he snatched the spear from the man's hand and killed him with his own spear.
+\v 20 Jehoiada’s son Benaiah, from the city of Kabzeel, also did great deeds. He killed two of the best warriors from the Moab people group. Also, he went down into a pit on a day when snow was falling on the ground, and killed a lion there.
+\v 21 He also killed a huge soldier from Egypt who carried a spear. Benaiah had only his club, but he attacked the giant with it. Then he snatched the spear from the man’s hand and killed him with his own spear.
 
 \s5
 \v 22 Those are some of the things that Benaiah did. As a result, he became famous, like the three greatest warriors were.
@@ -1826,9 +1826,9 @@
 \li3 Ira son of Ikkesh, from the city of Tekoa,
 \li3
 \v 27 Abiezer, from the city of Anathoth,
-\li3 Mebunnai whose other name was Sibbekai, from Hushah's clan,
+\li3 Mebunnai whose other name was Sibbekai, from Hushah’s clan,
 \li3
-\v 28 Zalmon whose other name was Ilai, from Ahoh's clan,
+\v 28 Zalmon whose other name was Ilai, from Ahoh’s clan,
 \li3 Maharai, from the city of Netophah,
 
 \s5
@@ -1862,11 +1862,11 @@
 \s5
 \li3
 \v 37 Zelek, from the Ammon people group,
-\li3 Naharai, the man who carried Joab's weapons, from the city of Beeroth,
+\li3 Naharai, the man who carried Joab’s weapons, from the city of Beeroth,
 \li3
 \v 38 Ira and Gareb, from the city of Jattir,
 \li3
-\v 39 Uriah, Bathsheba's husband, from the Heth people group.
+\v 39 Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, from the Heth people group.
 \q2 Altogether, there were thirty-seven famous soldiers.
 
 
@@ -1874,13 +1874,13 @@
 \c 24
 
 \p
-\v 1 Yahweh was angry with the Israelite people again, so he incited David to cause trouble for them. He said to David, "Send some men to count the people of Israel and Judah."
+\v 1 Yahweh was angry with the Israelite people again, so he incited David to cause trouble for them. He said to David, “Send some men to count the people of Israel and Judah.”
 \p
-\v 2 So the king said to Joab, the commander of his army, "Go with your officers through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan in the far north to Beersheba in the far south, and count the people, in order that I may know how many people there are who are able to be soldiers in the army."
+\v 2 So the king said to Joab, the commander of his army, “Go with your officers through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan in the far north to Beersheba in the far south, and count the people, in order that I may know how many people there are who are able to be soldiers in the army.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 But Joab replied to the king, "Your Majesty, I wish that Yahweh our God will cause there to be a hundred times as many people in Israel as there are now, and I wish that you would see that happen before you die. But why do you want us to do this?"
+\v 3 But Joab replied to the king, “Your Majesty, I wish that Yahweh our God will cause there to be a hundred times as many people in Israel as there are now, and I wish that you would see that happen before you die. But why do you want us to do this?”
 \p
 \v 4 But the king commanded Joab and his officers to do it. So they left the king and went out to count the people of Israel.
 
@@ -1898,44 +1898,44 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 But after David's men had counted the people, David regretted that he had told them to do that. One night he said to Yahweh, "I have committed a very great sin. Please forgive me, because what I have done is very foolish."
+\v 10 But after David’s men had counted the people, David regretted that he had told them to do that. One night he said to Yahweh, “I have committed a very great sin. Please forgive me, because what I have done is very foolish.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 11 When David got up the next morning, Yahweh gave a message to the prophet Gad. He said to him,
-\v 12 "Go and tell this to David, 'I am allowing you to choose one of three things to punish you. I will do whichever one you choose.'"
+\v 12 “Go and tell this to David, ‘I am allowing you to choose one of three things to punish you. I will do whichever one you choose.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 So Gad went to David and told him what Yahweh had said. He said to David, "You can choose whether there will be three years of famine in your land, or three months of your army running away from your enemies, or three days when there will be a plague in your land. You must think about it and choose which one you want, and tell me, and I will return to Yahweh and tell him what your answer is."
+\v 13 So Gad went to David and told him what Yahweh had said. He said to David, “You can choose whether there will be three years of famine in your land, or three months of your army running away from your enemies, or three days when there will be a plague in your land. You must think about it and choose which one you want, and tell me, and I will return to Yahweh and tell him what your answer is.”
 \p
-\v 14 David said to Gad, "All those are very terrible things for me to choose between! But allow Yahweh to punish me, because he is very merciful. Do not allow humans to punish me, because they will not be merciful."
+\v 14 David said to Gad, “All those are very terrible things for me to choose between! But allow Yahweh to punish me, because he is very merciful. Do not allow humans to punish me, because they will not be merciful.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 So Yahweh sent a plague on the Israelite people. It started that morning and did not stop until the time that he had chosen. All over the land, from Dan to Beersheba, there were seventy thousand Israelites who died because of the plague.
-\v 16 When Yahweh's angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy the people by this plague, Yahweh grieved about punishing any more people. He said to the angel who was killing them with the plague, "Stop what you are doing! That is enough!" When he said that, the angel was standing at the ground where Araunah, from the Jebus people group, threshed grain.
+\v 16 When Yahweh’s angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy the people by this plague, Yahweh grieved about punishing any more people. He said to the angel who was killing them with the plague, “Stop what you are doing! That is enough!” When he said that, the angel was standing at the ground where Araunah, from the Jebus people group, threshed grain.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 When David saw the angel who was causing the people to become sick and die, he said to Yahweh, "Truly, I am the one who has committed the sin. I have done a very wicked thing, but these people are as innocent as sheep. They have certainly not done anything that is wrong. So you should punish me and my family, not these people!"
+\v 17 When David saw the angel who was causing the people to become sick and die, he said to Yahweh, “Truly, I am the one who has committed the sin. I have done a very wicked thing, but these people are as innocent as sheep. They have certainly not done anything that is wrong. So you should punish me and my family, not these people!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 That day Gad came to David and said to him, "Go up to the place where Araunah threshes grain, and build an altar to worship Yahweh there."
+\v 18 That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up to the place where Araunah threshes grain, and build an altar to worship Yahweh there.”
 \v 19 So David did what Gad told him to do, which was what Yahweh had commanded, and he went up there.
 \v 20 When Araunah looked down and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he prostrated himself on the ground in front of the king, with his face touching the ground.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 Araunah said, "Your Majesty, why have you come to me?" David replied, "I have come to buy this ground where you thresh grain, in order to build an altar to Yahweh and offer sacrifices on it, so that he will stop the plague."
+\v 21 Araunah said, “Your Majesty, why have you come to me?” David replied, “I have come to buy this ground where you thresh grain, in order to build an altar to Yahweh and offer sacrifices on it, so that he will stop the plague.”
 \p
-\v 22 Araunah replied to David, "Your Majesty, offer to Yahweh whatever you wish. Here, take my oxen to use for the offering that will be completely burned on the altar. And here, take their yokes and the boards that I use for the threshing, and use them for the wood that you will burn.
-\v 23 I, Araunah, am giving all this to you, my king." Then he said, "I desire that Yahweh our God will accept your offering."
+\v 22 Araunah replied to David, “Your Majesty, offer to Yahweh whatever you wish. Here, take my oxen to use for the offering that will be completely burned on the altar. And here, take their yokes and the boards that I use for the threshing, and use them for the wood that you will burn.
+\v 23 I, Araunah, am giving all this to you, my king.” Then he said, “I desire that Yahweh our God will accept your offering.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 24 But the king said to Araunah, "No, I will not take these things as a gift. I will pay you for it. I will not offer sacrifices that have cost me nothing, and offer them to Yahweh to be completely burned on the altar." So he paid fifty pieces of silver to Araunah for the oxen and the ground.
+\v 24 But the king said to Araunah, “No, I will not take these things as a gift. I will pay you for it. I will not offer sacrifices that have cost me nothing, and offer them to Yahweh to be completely burned on the altar.” So he paid fifty pieces of silver to Araunah for the oxen and the ground.
 \p
-\v 25 Then David built an altar to Yahweh, and he offered the oxen to be completely burned on the altar, and he also offered sacrifices to restore fellowship with Yahweh. Then, Yahweh answered David's prayers, and he caused the plague in Israel to end.
+\v 25 Then David built an altar to Yahweh, and he offered the oxen to be completely burned on the altar, and he also offered sacrifices to restore fellowship with Yahweh. Then, Yahweh answered David’s prayers, and he caused the plague in Israel to end.
 

12-2KI.usfm

@@ -10,50 +10,50 @@
 \c 1
 \p
 \v 1 After King Ahab died, the country of Moab rebelled against Israel.
-\v 2 One day, Ahaziah, the new king of Israel, fell through the wooden slats in his upstairs room and was injured. So he sent for his messengers and commanded them, "Go and ask of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether or not I will recover from this injury."
+\v 2 One day, Ahaziah, the new king of Israel, fell through the wooden slats in his upstairs room and was injured. So he sent for his messengers and commanded them, “Go and ask of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether or not I will recover from this injury.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 But the angel from Yahweh said to Elijah, the prophet from the city of Tishbe, "The king of Samaria is sending some messengers to Ekron. Go and meet them and say to them, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you wish to ask Baal-Zebub whether you will recover?'
-\v 4 Yahweh says that you should tell King Ahaziah that he will not recover from his being injured; he will surely die."
+\v 3 But the angel from Yahweh said to Elijah, the prophet from the city of Tishbe, “The king of Samaria is sending some messengers to Ekron. Go and meet them and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you wish to ask Baal-Zebub whether you will recover?’
+\v 4 Yahweh says that you should tell King Ahaziah that he will not recover from his being injured; he will surely die.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 So Elijah went to meet the messengers and told that to them, and they returned to the king instead of going to Ekron. The king asked them, "Why have you come back so quickly?"
+\v 5 So Elijah went to meet the messengers and told that to them, and they returned to the king instead of going to Ekron. The king asked them, “Why have you come back so quickly?”
 \p
-\v 6 They replied, "A man came to meet us and said to us, 'Go back to the king who sent you and tell him that Yahweh says, "'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you wish to ask Baal-Zebub whether you will recover'? Go tell the king that he will not recover from being injured; instead, he will surely die."'"
+\v 6 They replied, “A man came to meet us and said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and tell him that Yahweh says, “‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you wish to ask Baal-Zebub whether you will recover’? Go tell the king that he will not recover from being injured; instead, he will surely die.”’”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 The king said to them, "The man who came to meet you and told that to you, what did he look like?"
+\v 7 The king said to them, “The man who came to meet you and told that to you, what did he look like?”
 \p
-\v 8 They replied, "He was wearing a cloak made from camel hair and had a wide leather belt around his waist." The king exclaimed, "That must be Elijah!"
+\v 8 They replied, “He was wearing a cloak made from camel hair and had a wide leather belt around his waist.” The king exclaimed, “That must be Elijah!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 Then the king sent an officer with fifty soldiers to seize Elijah. They found Elijah sitting on the top of a hill. The officer called out to him, "Prophet, the king commands that you come down here!"
+\v 9 Then the king sent an officer with fifty soldiers to seize Elijah. They found Elijah sitting on the top of a hill. The officer called out to him, “Prophet, the king commands that you come down here!”
 \p
-\v 10 But Elijah replied to the officer, "I am a prophet, so I command that fire come down from the sky and burn up you and your fifty soldiers!" Immediately, fire came down from the sky and completely burned up the officer and his fifty soldiers.
+\v 10 But Elijah replied to the officer, “I am a prophet, so I command that fire come down from the sky and burn up you and your fifty soldiers!” Immediately, fire came down from the sky and completely burned up the officer and his fifty soldiers.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 When the king found out about that, he sent another officer with fifty more soldiers. They went to where Elijah was, and the officer called out to him, "Prophet, the king commands that you come down immediately!"
+\v 11 When the king found out about that, he sent another officer with fifty more soldiers. They went to where Elijah was, and the officer called out to him, “Prophet, the king commands that you come down immediately!”
 \p
-\v 12 But Elijah replied, "I am a prophet, so I command that fire come down from the sky and kill you and your soldiers!" Then a fire from God came down from the sky and killed that officer and his soldiers.
+\v 12 But Elijah replied, “I am a prophet, so I command that fire come down from the sky and kill you and your soldiers!” Then a fire from God came down from the sky and killed that officer and his soldiers.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 When the king heard about that, he sent still another officer with fifty more soldiers. They went to where Elijah was; the officer prostrated himself in front of Elijah and said to him, "Prophet, I plead with you, be kind to me and my fifty soldiers, and do not kill us!
-\v 14 We know that two times fire came down from the sky and killed officers and the soldiers with them. So now, please be kind to me!"
+\v 13 When the king heard about that, he sent still another officer with fifty more soldiers. They went to where Elijah was; the officer prostrated himself in front of Elijah and said to him, “Prophet, I plead with you, be kind to me and my fifty soldiers, and do not kill us!
+\v 14 We know that two times fire came down from the sky and killed officers and the soldiers with them. So now, please be kind to me!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 Then the angel from Yahweh said to Elijah, "Go down and go with him. Do not be afraid of him." So Elijah went with them to the king.
+\v 15 Then the angel from Yahweh said to Elijah, “Go down and go with him. Do not be afraid of him.” So Elijah went with them to the king.
 \p
-\v 16 When Elijah arrived, he said to the king, "This is what Yahweh says: 'You sent messengers to go to Ekron to ask Baal-Zebub, their god, whether you would recover. You acted as though there is no God in Israel to consult. So you will not recover from being injured; instead, you are going to die!'"
+\v 16 When Elijah arrived, he said to the king, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘You sent messengers to go to Ekron to ask Baal-Zebub, their god, whether you would recover. You acted as though there is no God in Israel to consult. So you will not recover from being injured; instead, you are going to die!’”
 
 \s5
-\v 17 So Ahaziah died, which is what Yahweh told Elijah would happen. Ahaziah's younger brother Joram became the new king, at the same time that Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat, had been ruling Judah for almost two years. Ahaziah's brother became the king because Ahaziah had no son to become the king.
+\v 17 So Ahaziah died, which is what Yahweh told Elijah would happen. Ahaziah’s younger brother Joram became the new king, at the same time that Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat, had been ruling Judah for almost two years. Ahaziah’s brother became the king because Ahaziah had no son to become the king.
 \p
 \v 18 If you want to know about all the other things that Ahaziah did, they are written in Book of the Events of the Kings of Israel.
 
@@ -63,24 +63,24 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 When Yahweh was about to take the prophet Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and his fellow prophet Elisha were traveling south from Gilgal.
-\v 2 Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here, because Yahweh has told only me to go to the city of Bethel."
-\p But Elisha replied, "Just as certainly as Yahweh lives and you live, I will not leave you!"
+\v 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, because Yahweh has told only me to go to the city of Bethel.”
+\p But Elisha replied, “Just as certainly as Yahweh lives and you live, I will not leave you!”
 \p So they went down together to Bethel.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 An association of prophets at Bethel came to Elisha and Elijah; they asked Elisha, "Do you know that Yahweh is going to take your master Elijah away from you today?"
-\p Elisha answered, "Certainly I know that, but do not talk about it!"
-\v 4 Then Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here, because Yahweh has told only me to go to Jericho."
-\p But Elisha replied again, "Just as certainly as Yahweh lives and you live, I will not leave you!"
+\v 3 An association of prophets at Bethel came to Elisha and Elijah; they asked Elisha, “Do you know that Yahweh is going to take your master Elijah away from you today?”
+\p Elisha answered, “Certainly I know that, but do not talk about it!”
+\v 4 Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, because Yahweh has told only me to go to Jericho.”
+\p But Elisha replied again, “Just as certainly as Yahweh lives and you live, I will not leave you!”
 \p So they went together to the city of Jericho.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 As they neared Jericho, another association of prophets who were from there came to Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that Yahweh is going to take your master Elijah away from you today?"
-\p He answered again, "Certainly I know that, but do not talk about it!"
+\v 5 As they neared Jericho, another association of prophets who were from there came to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that Yahweh is going to take your master Elijah away from you today?”
+\p He answered again, “Certainly I know that, but do not talk about it!”
 \p
-\v 6 Then Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here, because Yahweh has told only me to go to the Jordan River."
-\p But again Elisha replied, "As certainly as Yahweh lives and you live, I will not leave you!"
+\v 6 Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, because Yahweh has told only me to go to the Jordan River.”
+\p But again Elisha replied, “As certainly as Yahweh lives and you live, I will not leave you!”
 \p So they continued walking together.
 
 \s5
@@ -89,46 +89,46 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 When they came to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, "What do you want me to do for you before I am taken away?"
-\p Elisha replied, "I want to receive twice as much of your power as the other prophets have."
+\v 9 When they came to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, “What do you want me to do for you before I am taken away?”
+\p Elisha replied, “I want to receive twice as much of your power as the other prophets have.”
 \p
-\v 10 Elijah replied, "You have asked for something which is difficult for me to make happen. But if you see me when I am taken from you, you will get what you are requesting. But if you do not see me, then you will not get it."
+\v 10 Elijah replied, “You have asked for something which is difficult for me to make happen. But if you see me when I am taken from you, you will get what you are requesting. But if you do not see me, then you will not get it.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 11 As they were walking and talking, suddenly a chariot surrounded by fire pulled by horses surrounded by fire, appeared. The chariot driver drove the chariot between Elijah and Elisha and separated them. Then Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind.
-\v 12 Elisha saw it. He cried out, "My father! My father! The Israelite chariots and their drivers have taken my master away!" They disappeared into the sky, and Elisha never saw Elijah again. Then Elisha tore his own robe into two pieces to show that he was deeply saddened.
+\v 12 Elisha saw it. He cried out, “My father! My father! The Israelite chariots and their drivers have taken my master away!” They disappeared into the sky, and Elisha never saw Elijah again. Then Elisha tore his own robe into two pieces to show that he was deeply saddened.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 Elijah's cloak had fallen off when he was taken away, so Elisha picked it up and returned to the bank of the Jordan River.
-\v 14 He rolled up the cloak and struck the water with it, and cried out, "Is Yahweh, the God of Elijah, here with me, too?" Then the water separated, and a path opened up for him, and Elisha went across.
+\v 13 Elijah’s cloak had fallen off when he was taken away, so Elisha picked it up and returned to the bank of the Jordan River.
+\v 14 He rolled up the cloak and struck the water with it, and cried out, “Is Yahweh, the God of Elijah, here with me, too?” Then the water separated, and a path opened up for him, and Elisha went across.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 When the association of prophets from Jericho saw what happened, they exclaimed, "Elisha now has the power that Elijah had!" They walked over to Elisha and bowed down in front of him.
-\v 16 One of them said, "Sir, if you permit us, fifty of our strongest men will go and search for your master on the other side of the river. Perhaps the Spirit of Yahweh has left him on some mountain or in some valley."
-\p Elisha replied, "No, do not send them."
+\v 15 When the association of prophets from Jericho saw what happened, they exclaimed, “Elisha now has the power that Elijah had!” They walked over to Elisha and bowed down in front of him.
+\v 16 One of them said, “Sir, if you permit us, fifty of our strongest men will go and search for your master on the other side of the river. Perhaps the Spirit of Yahweh has left him on some mountain or in some valley.”
+\p Elisha replied, “No, do not send them.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 But they continued to urge him. Finally he was tired of saying "No," and he said, "Very well, send them." So fifty men searched for three days, but they did not find Elijah.
-\v 18 They returned to Jericho, and Elisha was still there. He said to them, "I told you that you should not go, because you would not find him!"
+\v 17 But they continued to urge him. Finally he was tired of saying “No,” and he said, “Very well, send them.” So fifty men searched for three days, but they did not find Elijah.
+\v 18 They returned to Jericho, and Elisha was still there. He said to them, “I told you that you should not go, because you would not find him!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 Then the leaders of Jericho came to talk with Elisha. One of them said, "Our master, we have a problem. You can see that this is a very nice place to live in. But the water is bad, and as a result, crops will not grow on the land."
+\v 19 Then the leaders of Jericho came to talk with Elisha. One of them said, “Our master, we have a problem. You can see that this is a very nice place to live in. But the water is bad, and as a result, crops will not grow on the land.”
 \p
-\v 20 Elisha said to them, "Put some salt in a new bowl and bring the bowl to me." So they brought it to him.
+\v 20 Elisha said to them, “Put some salt in a new bowl and bring the bowl to me.” So they brought it to him.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 Then Elisha went out to the spring from which the people in the town got water. He threw the salt into the spring. Then he said, "This is what Yahweh says: 'I have made this water good. No one will die anymore because of bad water, and the land will grow fruitful crops.'"
+\v 21 Then Elisha went out to the spring from which the people in the town got water. He threw the salt into the spring. Then he said, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘I have made this water good. No one will die anymore because of bad water, and the land will grow fruitful crops.’”
 \v 22 And the water became pure, just as Elisha said it would. Since that time it has always remained pure.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 Elisha left Jericho and went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, a group of young boys from Bethel saw him and started to make fun of him. They continued shouting, "Go away, you bald-headed man!"
+\v 23 Elisha left Jericho and went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, a group of young boys from Bethel saw him and started to make fun of him. They continued shouting, “Go away, you bald-headed man!”
 \v 24 Elisha turned around and reprimanded them in the name of Yahweh. Immediately two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of them.
 \v 25 Elisha left Bethel and went to Mount Carmel, and after that he returned to the city of Samaria.
 
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@
 \c 3
 
 \p
-\v 1 After Jehoshaphat had been ruling Judah for almost eighteen years, Ahab's son Joram became the king of Israel. He ruled in the city of Samaria for twelve years.
+\v 1 After Jehoshaphat had been ruling Judah for almost eighteen years, Ahab’s son Joram became the king of Israel. He ruled in the city of Samaria for twelve years.
 \v 2 He did things that Yahweh said were evil, but he did not do as much evil as his father and mother had done, and he got rid of the stone pillar for worshiping Baal that his father had made.
 \v 3 But he committed the sins that King Jeroboam had committed and which induced the Israelite people to sin, and he did not stop committing the same sins.
 
@@ -148,41 +148,41 @@
 \v 6 So King Joram left Samaria to call together soldiers from across all Israel to go to war.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 Then he sent this message to Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah: "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. So will your army join my army and fight against the army of Moab?"
-\p Jehoshaphat replied, "Yes, we will help you. We are ready to do whatever you want us to. My soldiers and my horses are ready to help you."
+\v 7 Then he sent this message to Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. So will your army join my army and fight against the army of Moab?”
+\p Jehoshaphat replied, “Yes, we will help you. We are ready to do whatever you want us to. My soldiers and my horses are ready to help you.”
 \p
-\v 8 He asked, "On which road should we march to attack them?"
-\p Joram replied, "We will go south to Jerusalem, where your army will join us. Then we will all go south of the Dead Sea and then turn north through the wilderness of Edom."
+\v 8 He asked, “On which road should we march to attack them?”
+\p Joram replied, “We will go south to Jerusalem, where your army will join us. Then we will all go south of the Dead Sea and then turn north through the wilderness of Edom.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 9 So the king of Israel and his army went with the kings of Judah and Edom and their armies. They marched for seven days. Then there was no water left for their soldiers or for their animals that carried supplies.
 \p
-\v 10 The king of Israel exclaimed, "This is a terrible situation! It seems that Yahweh will allow the three of us to be captured by the army of Moab!"
+\v 10 The king of Israel exclaimed, “This is a terrible situation! It seems that Yahweh will allow the three of us to be captured by the army of Moab!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 Jehoshaphat said, "Is there a prophet here who can ask Yahweh for us what we should do?"
-\p One of Joram's army officers said, "Elisha son of Shaphat, is here. He was Elijah's assistant."
+\v 11 Jehoshaphat said, “Is there a prophet here who can ask Yahweh for us what we should do?”
+\p One of Joram’s army officers said, “Elisha son of Shaphat, is here. He was Elijah’s assistant.”
 \p
-\v 12 Jehoshaphat said, "It will be good to ask him, because he speaks what Yahweh tells him to say."
+\v 12 Jehoshaphat said, “It will be good to ask him, because he speaks what Yahweh tells him to say.”
 \p So those three kings went to Elisha.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, "Why do you come to me ? Go and ask those prophets that your father and mother consulted!"
-\p But Joram replied, "No, we want you to ask Yahweh, because it seems that Yahweh has brought us three kings together in order to allow the army of Moab to capture us."
+\v 13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Why do you come to me ? Go and ask those prophets that your father and mother consulted!”
+\p But Joram replied, “No, we want you to ask Yahweh, because it seems that Yahweh has brought us three kings together in order to allow the army of Moab to capture us.”
 \p
-\v 14 Elisha replied, "I serve Yahweh, the commander of the armies of angels in heaven. As surely as he lives, if I did not respect Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not even think about doing anything to help you.
+\v 14 Elisha replied, “I serve Yahweh, the commander of the armies of angels in heaven. As surely as he lives, if I did not respect Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not even think about doing anything to help you.
 
 \s5
-\v 15 But bring a musician to me."
+\v 15 But bring a musician to me.”
 \p So they did that. When the musician played on his harp, the power of Yahweh came on Elisha.
-\v 16 He said, "Yahweh says that he will cause this dry streambed to be full of water.
+\v 16 He said, “Yahweh says that he will cause this dry streambed to be full of water.
 \v 17 The result will be that your soldiers and your animals that carry supplies and your livestock will have plenty of water to drink.
 
 \s5
 \v 18 That is not difficult for Yahweh to do. But He will do more than that. He will also enable you to defeat the army of Moab.
-\v 19 You will conquer all their beautiful cities, cities that have high walls around them. You must cut down all their fruit trees, stop water from flowing from their springs, and ruin their fertile fields by covering them with rocks."
+\v 19 You will conquer all their beautiful cities, cities that have high walls around them. You must cut down all their fruit trees, stop water from flowing from their springs, and ruin their fertile fields by covering them with rocks.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@
 \p
 \v 21 When the people of Moab heard that the three kings had come with their armies to fight against them, all the men who were able to fight in battles, from the youngest men to the oldest ones, were summoned, and they took their positions at the southern border of their land.
 \v 22 But when they rose early the next morning, they saw that the water across from them appeared to be as red as blood.
-\v 23 They exclaimed, "It is blood! The three enemy armies must have fought and killed each other! So let us go and take everything that they have left!"
+\v 23 They exclaimed, “It is blood! The three enemy armies must have fought and killed each other! So let us go and take everything that they have left!”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -208,122 +208,122 @@
 \c 4
 
 \p
-\v 1 One day the widow of one of Yahweh's prophets came to Elisha and cried out to him, "My husband, who worked with you, is dead. You know that he revered Yahweh very much. But now someone to whom he owed a lot of money has come to me. I cannot pay him back, so he is threatening to take away my two sons to be his slaves as payment!"
+\v 1 One day the widow of one of Yahweh’s prophets came to Elisha and cried out to him, “My husband, who worked with you, is dead. You know that he revered Yahweh very much. But now someone to whom he owed a lot of money has come to me. I cannot pay him back, so he is threatening to take away my two sons to be his slaves as payment!”
 \p
-\v 2 Elisha replied, "What can I do to help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?"
-\p She replied, "We have only a container of olive oil. We have nothing else."
+\v 2 Elisha replied, “What can I do to help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”
+\p She replied, “We have only a container of olive oil. We have nothing else.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 Elisha said, "Go to your neighbors and borrow from them as many empty jars as you can.
-\v 4 Then take the jars into your house with your sons. Shut the door. Then pour olive oil from your container into the other jars. When each jar is full, set it aside and fill another jar. Keep doing that until all the jars are full."
+\v 3 Elisha said, “Go to your neighbors and borrow from them as many empty jars as you can.
+\v 4 Then take the jars into your house with your sons. Shut the door. Then pour olive oil from your container into the other jars. When each jar is full, set it aside and fill another jar. Keep doing that until all the jars are full.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 5 So she did what Elisha told her to do. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she kept filling them.
-\v 6 Soon all the jars were full. So she said to one of her sons, "Bring me another jar!" But he replied, "There are no more jars!" Right then the olive oil stopped flowing.
+\v 6 Soon all the jars were full. So she said to one of her sons, “Bring me another jar!” But he replied, “There are no more jars!” Right then the olive oil stopped flowing.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 When she told Elisha what had happened, he said to her, "Now sell the oil. And with the money you get, pay what you owe, and there will be enough extra money to keep buying food for yourself and your sons." So she did that.
+\v 7 When she told Elisha what had happened, he said to her, “Now sell the oil. And with the money you get, pay what you owe, and there will be enough extra money to keep buying food for yourself and your sons.” So she did that.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 One day Elisha went to the city of Shunem. There was a wealthy woman who lived there with her husband. One day she invited Elisha to her house for a meal. Elisha went there, and from then on every time Elisha was in Shunem he went to their house to eat a meal.
-\v 9 One day the woman said to her husband, "I am sure that this man who often comes here is a prophet who brings messages from God.
+\v 9 One day the woman said to her husband, “I am sure that this man who often comes here is a prophet who brings messages from God.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 I think we should make a small room for him on our flat roof, and put a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp in it. If we do that, whenever he comes here, he will have a place to stay." So they did that.
+\v 10 I think we should make a small room for him on our flat roof, and put a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp in it. If we do that, whenever he comes here, he will have a place to stay.” So they did that.
 \p
 \v 11 One day Elisha returned to Shunem, and he went up to that room to rest.
 
 \s5
-\v 12 He said to his servant Gehazi, "Tell the woman that I want to speak to her." So the servant went and told her. When she came to the doorway of Elisha's room,
-\v 13 Elisha said to Gehazi, "Tell her that we are both grateful for all the kind things that she has done for us. Then ask her what we can do for her. Ask, 'Do you want me to go to the king or the army commander to request something for you?'"
-\p Gehazi gave her this message. She replied, "No, your master does not need to do that, because my family are able to give me what I need."
+\v 12 He said to his servant Gehazi, “Tell the woman that I want to speak to her.” So the servant went and told her. When she came to the doorway of Elisha’s room,
+\v 13 Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tell her that we are both grateful for all the kind things that she has done for us. Then ask her what we can do for her. Ask, ‘Do you want me to go to the king or the army commander to request something for you?’”
+\p Gehazi gave her this message. She replied, “No, your master does not need to do that, because my family are able to give me what I need.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Later, Elisha asked Gehazi, "What do you think that we can do for that woman?"
-\p He replied, "Well, she has no son, and her husband is an old man."
+\v 14 Later, Elisha asked Gehazi, “What do you think that we can do for that woman?”
+\p He replied, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is an old man.”
 \p
-\v 15 Elisha told Gehazi, "Call her back again." So Gehazi went and called her. And when the woman returned, as she stood in the doorway,
-\v 16 Elisha said to her, "About this time next year you will be holding your infant son in your arms." But she protested, "Oh, Sir, you are a prophet who brings messages from God, so please do not deceive me by saying things like that!"
+\v 15 Elisha told Gehazi, “Call her back again.” So Gehazi went and called her. And when the woman returned, as she stood in the doorway,
+\v 16 Elisha said to her, “About this time next year you will be holding your infant son in your arms.” But she protested, “Oh, Sir, you are a prophet who brings messages from God, so please do not deceive me by saying things like that!”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 But a few months later, the woman became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son at that time the following year, just like Elisha had predicted.
 \p
 \v 18 When the child was growing up, one day he went out to the fields to see his father, who was working with the men who were harvesting grain.
-\v 19 Suddenly the boy exclaimed, "My head hurts! My head hurts!"
-\p His father said to one of the servants, "Carry him home to his mother!"
+\v 19 Suddenly the boy exclaimed, “My head hurts! My head hurts!”
+\p His father said to one of the servants, “Carry him home to his mother!”
 \v 20 So the servant carried him home, and his mother held him on her lap. But at noontime the boy died.
 
 \s5
-\v 21 She carried him up the steps to the prophet's room and laid him on the bed. She left him there and went out and shut the door.
+\v 21 She carried him up the steps to the prophet’s room and laid him on the bed. She left him there and went out and shut the door.
 \p
-\v 22 She then called out to her husband, saying, "Send to me one of the servants and a donkey so that I can ride on it quickly to the prophet, and then come back!" But she did not tell her husband that their son had died.
+\v 22 She then called out to her husband, saying, “Send to me one of the servants and a donkey so that I can ride on it quickly to the prophet, and then come back!” But she did not tell her husband that their son had died.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 Her husband called out to her and said, "Why do you want to go today? This is not the day when we celebrate the festival of the new moon, and it is not a Sabbath day!"
-\p But she only replied, "Just do what I requested and everything will be all right."
+\v 23 Her husband called out to her and said, “Why do you want to go today? This is not the day when we celebrate the festival of the new moon, and it is not a Sabbath day!”
+\p But she only replied, “Just do what I requested and everything will be all right.”
 \p
-\v 24 So she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, "Lead the donkey! Do not slow down for me unless I tell you to do so!"
+\v 24 So she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Lead the donkey! Do not slow down for me unless I tell you to do so!”
 
 \s5
-\v 25 As they approached Mount Carmel, where Elisha was, Elisha saw her in the distance. He said to Gehazi, "Look, the woman from Shunem is coming!
-\v 26 Run to her, and ask her if everything is all right with her and her husband and with her child!"
-\p So Gehazi ran to her and asked her, but she said nothing to Gehazi except, "Yes, everything is fine."
+\v 25 As they approached Mount Carmel, where Elisha was, Elisha saw her in the distance. He said to Gehazi, “Look, the woman from Shunem is coming!
+\v 26 Run to her, and ask her if everything is all right with her and her husband and with her child!”
+\p So Gehazi ran to her and asked her, but she said nothing to Gehazi except, “Yes, everything is fine.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 27 But when she came to where Elisha was, she prostrated herself on the ground in front of Elisha and took hold of his feet. Gehazi started to push her away, but Elisha said, "Do not push her away! Something is troubling her very much, but Yahweh has not told me what it is."
+\v 27 But when she came to where Elisha was, she prostrated herself on the ground in front of Elisha and took hold of his feet. Gehazi started to push her away, but Elisha said, “Do not push her away! Something is troubling her very much, but Yahweh has not told me what it is.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 28 Then she said to Elisha, "O sir, I did not request you to enable me to give birth to a son, but I did say, 'Do not lie to me.'"
+\v 28 Then she said to Elisha, “O sir, I did not request you to enable me to give birth to a son, but I did say, ‘Do not lie to me.’”
 \p
-\v 29 Then Elisha realized that something must have happened to her son. So he said to Gehazi, "Get ready to leave immediately. Take my staff stick and go to her home. Do not stop to talk to anyone on the way. Go quickly to where her son is and lay the staff on the child's face. If you do that, perhaps Yahweh will cause him to live again."
+\v 29 Then Elisha realized that something must have happened to her son. So he said to Gehazi, “Get ready to leave immediately. Take my staff stick and go to her home. Do not stop to talk to anyone on the way. Go quickly to where her son is and lay the staff on the child’s face. If you do that, perhaps Yahweh will cause him to live again.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 30 But the boy's mother said, "Just as certain as Yahweh lives and you live, I will not go home if you do not go with me." So Elisha returned with her to her home.
+\v 30 But the boy’s mother said, “Just as certain as Yahweh lives and you live, I will not go home if you do not go with me.” So Elisha returned with her to her home.
 \p
-\v 31 But Gehazi hurried quickly ahead. When he got to the woman's home, he laid the staff on the child's face, but the child did not move or say anything.
-\p So Gehazi returned to meet Elisha along the road, and told him, "The child is still dead."
+\v 31 But Gehazi hurried quickly ahead. When he got to the woman’s home, he laid the staff on the child’s face, but the child did not move or say anything.
+\p So Gehazi returned to meet Elisha along the road, and told him, “The child is still dead.”
 
 \s5
 \v 32 When Elisha reached the house, he saw that the boy was lying dead on his bed.
 \v 33 Elisha went into the room by himself and shut the door and prayed to Yahweh.
-\v 34 Then he lay down on the boy's body, and put his mouth on the boy's mouth, and put his eyes on the boy's eyes, and put his hands on the boy's hands. Then the boy's body started to become warm!
+\v 34 Then he lay down on the boy’s body, and put his mouth on the boy’s mouth, and put his eyes on the boy’s eyes, and put his hands on the boy’s hands. Then the boy’s body started to become warm!
 
 \s5
-\v 35 Elisha got up and walked back and forth in the room several times. Then he stretched his body on the boy's body again. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes!
+\v 35 Elisha got up and walked back and forth in the room several times. Then he stretched his body on the boy’s body again. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes!
 \p
-\v 36 Then Elisha summoned Gehazi. He said, "Call the boy's mother." So Gehazi went and called her, and when she came in, Elisha said, "Here, take your son."
-\v 37 She gratefully prostrated herself at Elisha's feet. Then she picked up her son and carried him downstairs.
+\v 36 Then Elisha summoned Gehazi. He said, “Call the boy’s mother.” So Gehazi went and called her, and when she came in, Elisha said, “Here, take your son.”
+\v 37 She gratefully prostrated herself at Elisha’s feet. Then she picked up her son and carried him downstairs.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 38 Then Elisha returned to Gilgal. But at that time there was a famine in that area. One day as the association of prophets was sitting in front of Elisha listening to what he was teaching, he said to his servant, "Put a large pot on the fire and make some stew for these men."
+\v 38 Then Elisha returned to Gilgal. But at that time there was a famine in that area. One day as the association of prophets was sitting in front of Elisha listening to what he was teaching, he said to his servant, “Put a large pot on the fire and make some stew for these men.”
 \p
 \v 39 One of the prophets went out to the fields to gather some vegetables. But he gathered only some wild gourds and put them in his cloak and brought them back. He shredded them and put them in the pot, but he did not know that the gourds were poisonous.
 
 \s5
-\v 40 He served the stew to the prophets, but after the men had eaten only a couple bites, they cried out, "Our master, there is something in the pot that will kill us!"
+\v 40 He served the stew to the prophets, but after the men had eaten only a couple bites, they cried out, “Our master, there is something in the pot that will kill us!”
 \p So they would not eat it.
-\v 41 Elisha said, "Bring me some flour." They brought him some, and he threw it in the pot and he said, "It is all right now. You can eat it." And they ate it, and it did not harm them.
+\v 41 Elisha said, “Bring me some flour.” They brought him some, and he threw it in the pot and he said, “It is all right now. You can eat it.” And they ate it, and it did not harm them.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 42 One day a man from the city of Baal Shalishah brought to Elisha a sack of freshly cut grain and twenty loaves of barley bread, made from the first grain that they had harvested that year.
-\p Elisha said to his servant, "Give it to the group of prophets, so that they can eat it."
-\v 43 But his servant exclaimed, "Do you think that we can feed a hundred of us prophets with only that much? How can I place this before them all?"
-\p But Elisha replied, "Give it to the prophets so that they can eat it, because Yahweh says that there will be plenty for all of them, and there will be some left over!"
+\p Elisha said to his servant, “Give it to the group of prophets, so that they can eat it.”
+\v 43 But his servant exclaimed, “Do you think that we can feed a hundred of us prophets with only that much? How can I place this before them all?”
+\p But Elisha replied, “Give it to the prophets so that they can eat it, because Yahweh says that there will be plenty for all of them, and there will be some left over!”
 \v 44 After his servant gave it to the prophets, they ate all that they wanted, and there was food left over, just as Yahweh had promised.
 
 
@@ -333,178 +333,178 @@
 \p
 \v 1 A man named Naaman was the commander of the army of Aram. Yahweh had enabled him to win many victories, and the king of Aram admired and honored him. Naaman was also a strong and brave soldier, but he had leprosy.
 \p
-\v 2 Some time previously, groups of soldiers had invaded the land of Israel, and they had captured a young girl and taken her to Aram. She became a servant for Naaman's wife.
+\v 2 Some time previously, groups of soldiers had invaded the land of Israel, and they had captured a young girl and taken her to Aram. She became a servant for Naaman’s wife.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 One day, that girl said to her, "I wish that my master would go to see the prophet in the city of Samaria. That prophet would heal your husband from his leprosy."
+\v 3 One day, that girl said to her, “I wish that my master would go to see the prophet in the city of Samaria. That prophet would heal your husband from his leprosy.”
 \p
-\v 4 Naaman's wife told her husband what the girl from Israel had said, and Naaman told that to the king.
+\v 4 Naaman’s wife told her husband what the girl from Israel had said, and Naaman told that to the king.
 
 \s5
-\v 5-6 The king said to him, "Very well, go and see the prophet. I will write a letter for you to take to the king of Israel, saying that I sent you." The king wrote in the letter, "I am sending this letter with my army commander Naaman, who serves me faithfully. I want you to heal him of his disease." So Naaman, assuming that the king of Israel was the prophet, took the letter and 330 kilograms of silver, 66 kilograms of gold, and ten sets of clothing, to give to the king of Israel, and he went to Samaria, taking along several servants.
+\v 5-6 The king said to him, “Very well, go and see the prophet. I will write a letter for you to take to the king of Israel, saying that I sent you.” The king wrote in the letter, “I am sending this letter with my army commander Naaman, who serves me faithfully. I want you to heal him of his disease.” So Naaman, assuming that the king of Israel was the prophet, took the letter and 330 kilograms of silver, 66 kilograms of gold, and ten sets of clothing, to give to the king of Israel, and he went to Samaria, taking along several servants.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 When he arrived in Samaria, he gave the letter to the king of Israel. The king read the letter. Then, being very dismayed, the king tore his clothes and said, "I am not God! I am not able to cause people to live or to die! Why does the one who wrote this letter request me to cure this man of his leprosy? I do not have power to cure leprosy. The king of Aram is merely looking for an excuse to attack us!"
+\v 7 When he arrived in Samaria, he gave the letter to the king of Israel. The king read the letter. Then, being very dismayed, the king tore his clothes and said, “I am not God! I am not able to cause people to live or to die! Why does the one who wrote this letter request me to cure this man of his leprosy? I do not have power to cure leprosy. The king of Aram is merely looking for an excuse to attack us!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 The prophet Elisha heard why the king of Israel had torn his robe, so he sent a message to the king, saying, "Why are you upset? Send Naaman to me, and he will find out that I am a true prophet in Israel."
-\v 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots to Elisha's house and waited outside the door.
-\v 10 But Elisha did not come to the door. Instead, he sent a messenger to Naaman to tell him, "Go to the Jordan River and go down seven times into the water. Then your skin will be well, and you will no longer have leprosy."
+\v 8 The prophet Elisha heard why the king of Israel had torn his robe, so he sent a message to the king, saying, “Why are you upset? Send Naaman to me, and he will find out that I am a true prophet in Israel.”
+\v 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots to Elisha’s house and waited outside the door.
+\v 10 But Elisha did not come to the door. Instead, he sent a messenger to Naaman to tell him, “Go to the Jordan River and go down seven times into the water. Then your skin will be well, and you will no longer have leprosy.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 But Naaman became very angry. He said, "I thought that surely he would wave his hand over the leprosy, and pray to Yahweh, and heal me!
-\v 12 Surely the Abana River and the Pharpar River in Damascus in my own country of Aram have better water than any in Israel! Can I not go into my rivers at home and be healed and cleansed?" So he turned and walked away in great disgust.
+\v 11 But Naaman became very angry. He said, “I thought that surely he would wave his hand over the leprosy, and pray to Yahweh, and heal me!
+\v 12 Surely the Abana River and the Pharpar River in Damascus in my own country of Aram have better water than any in Israel! Can I not go into my rivers at home and be healed and cleansed?” So he turned and walked away in great disgust.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 But his servants came to him, and one of them said, "Sir, if that prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would certainly have done it. So why do you refuse to do such a simple thing he asks, when he says, "Go down seven times in the water and be clean?'"
+\v 13 But his servants came to him, and one of them said, “Sir, if that prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would certainly have done it. So why do you refuse to do such a simple thing he asks, when he says, “Go down seven times in the water and be clean?’”
 \v 14 So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and went into the water seven times, as the prophet had instructed, and his skin became healthy, like the smooth skin of a young child.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 Then Naaman and those who were with him went back to talk to Elisha. They stood in front of him, and Naaman said, "Now I know that there are no real gods anywhere else in the world, but there is the true God here in Israel! So now please accept these gifts that I have brought to you!"
+\v 15 Then Naaman and those who were with him went back to talk to Elisha. They stood in front of him, and Naaman said, “Now I know that there are no real gods anywhere else in the world, but there is the true God here in Israel! So now please accept these gifts that I have brought to you!”
 \p
-\v 16 But Elisha replied, "Just as certainly as Yahweh, the one whom I serve, lives, I will not accept any gifts." Naaman kept urging him to accept the gifts, but Elisha kept refusing.
+\v 16 But Elisha replied, “Just as certainly as Yahweh, the one whom I serve, lives, I will not accept any gifts.” Naaman kept urging him to accept the gifts, but Elisha kept refusing.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 Then Naaman said, "Very well, but I have one request. This soil here in Israel is Yahweh's soil, so please allow me to take some soil from this place and put it in sacks on two mules. Then I will take it back home with me and make an altar on this soil. From now on, I will offer sacrifices to Yahweh on that altar. I will not offer sacrifices to any other god.
-\v 18 However, when my master, the king, goes into the temple of the god Rimmon to worship him, I ask that Yahweh will forgive me because I will have to bow down, too."
+\v 17 Then Naaman said, “Very well, but I have one request. This soil here in Israel is Yahweh’s soil, so please allow me to take some soil from this place and put it in sacks on two mules. Then I will take it back home with me and make an altar on this soil. From now on, I will offer sacrifices to Yahweh on that altar. I will not offer sacrifices to any other god.
+\v 18 However, when my master, the king, goes into the temple of the god Rimmon to worship him, I ask that Yahweh will forgive me because I will have to bow down, too.”
 \p
-\v 19 Elisha replied, "Go home, and do not worry about that." So Naaman and his servants started to travel home.
+\v 19 Elisha replied, “Go home, and do not worry about that.” So Naaman and his servants started to travel home.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 But then Elisha's servant Gehazi said to himself, "It is not good that my master has allowed this Aramean man to leave like this. He should have accepted his gifts. So just as certainly as Yahweh lives, I will go and catch up with Naaman and get something from him."
+\v 20 But then Elisha’s servant Gehazi said to himself, “It is not good that my master has allowed this Aramean man to leave like this. He should have accepted his gifts. So just as certainly as Yahweh lives, I will go and catch up with Naaman and get something from him.”
 \p
-\v 21 So Gehazi hurried to catch up with Naaman. When Naaman saw Gehazi running toward him, he stopped the chariot in which he was riding, jumped out, and went to see what Gehazi wanted. He asked him, "Is everything all right?"
+\v 21 So Gehazi hurried to catch up with Naaman. When Naaman saw Gehazi running toward him, he stopped the chariot in which he was riding, jumped out, and went to see what Gehazi wanted. He asked him, “Is everything all right?”
 \p
-\v 22 Gehazi replied, "Yes, but two young prophets from the hill country where the descendants of Ephraim live have just arrived. Elisha has sent me to tell you that he would like thirty-three kilograms of silver and two sets of clothing to give to them."
+\v 22 Gehazi replied, “Yes, but two young prophets from the hill country where the descendants of Ephraim live have just arrived. Elisha has sent me to tell you that he would like thirty-three kilograms of silver and two sets of clothing to give to them.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 Naaman replied, "Certainly! You can have sixty-six kilograms of silver!" He urged Gehazi to take it. He also gave him two sets of clothing. He tied up the silver in two bags and gave them to two of his servants to carry back to Elisha.
-\v 24 But when they arrived at the hill where Elisha lived, Gehazi took the silver and the clothes from Naaman's servants and sent the servants back to Naaman. Then he took those things into his house and hid them.
-\v 25 When he went to Elisha, Elisha asked him, "Where did you go, Gehazi?" Gehazi replied, "I did not go anywhere."
+\v 23 Naaman replied, “Certainly! You can have sixty-six kilograms of silver!” He urged Gehazi to take it. He also gave him two sets of clothing. He tied up the silver in two bags and gave them to two of his servants to carry back to Elisha.
+\v 24 But when they arrived at the hill where Elisha lived, Gehazi took the silver and the clothes from Naaman’s servants and sent the servants back to Naaman. Then he took those things into his house and hid them.
+\v 25 When he went to Elisha, Elisha asked him, “Where did you go, Gehazi?” Gehazi replied, “I did not go anywhere.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 26 Elisha asked him, "Do you not realize that my spirit was there when Naaman got out of his chariot to talk with you? This is certainly not the time to accept gifts of money and clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and servants!
-\v 27 Because you have done this, you and your children and all your descendants, forever, will have leprosy just like Naaman had!" When Gehazi left the room, he was a leper. His skin was as white as snow.
+\v 26 Elisha asked him, “Do you not realize that my spirit was there when Naaman got out of his chariot to talk with you? This is certainly not the time to accept gifts of money and clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and servants!
+\v 27 Because you have done this, you and your children and all your descendants, forever, will have leprosy just like Naaman had!” When Gehazi left the room, he was a leper. His skin was as white as snow.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 6
 
 \p
-\v 1 One day the association of prophets said to Elisha, "Look, this place where we meet together with you is very small.
-\v 2 Allow us to go to the Jordan River and cut down some trees to make logs to build a new meeting place." So Elisha said, "Very well, go."
+\v 1 One day the association of prophets said to Elisha, “Look, this place where we meet together with you is very small.
+\v 2 Allow us to go to the Jordan River and cut down some trees to make logs to build a new meeting place.” So Elisha said, “Very well, go.”
 \p
-\v 3 One of them said to Elisha, "Please come with us." So Elisha replied, "Very well, I will go with you."
+\v 3 One of them said to Elisha, “Please come with us.” So Elisha replied, “Very well, I will go with you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 So they went together. When they reached the Jordan River they cut down some trees.
 \p
-\v 5 But while one of them was cutting down a tree, suddenly the axe head separated from the handle and fell into the water. He cried out to Elisha, "O, Master, what shall I do? The axe is not mine. I borrowed it!"
+\v 5 But while one of them was cutting down a tree, suddenly the axe head separated from the handle and fell into the water. He cried out to Elisha, “O, Master, what shall I do? The axe is not mine. I borrowed it!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Elisha replied, "Where did it fall into the water?" After the man showed him the place, Elisha cut off a stick, threw it into the water, and the axe head rose to the water surface.
-\v 7 Elisha said, "Take it out of the water." So the man reached his hand down and picked up the axe head.
+\v 6 Elisha replied, “Where did it fall into the water?” After the man showed him the place, Elisha cut off a stick, threw it into the water, and the axe head rose to the water surface.
+\v 7 Elisha said, “Take it out of the water.” So the man reached his hand down and picked up the axe head.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 Whenever the king of Aram prepared to send his army to fight against Israel, he first consulted his officers, and then told them where they should set up their tents.
 \p
-\v 9 But each time Elisha would send a message to warn the king of Israel, telling him where the army of Aram was planning to attack them, saying, "Be sure that your army does not go near that place, because the army of Aram has set up their tents there."
+\v 9 But each time Elisha would send a message to warn the king of Israel, telling him where the army of Aram was planning to attack them, saying, “Be sure that your army does not go near that place, because the army of Aram has set up their tents there.”
 
 \s5
 \v 10 So the king of Israel would send messengers to warn the people who lived in that place, and the people would remain on guard. That happened several times.
 \p
-\v 11 The king of Aram was very upset about this, so he summoned his army officers and said to them, "One of you is revealing our plans to the king of Israel. Which one of you is doing it?"
+\v 11 The king of Aram was very upset about this, so he summoned his army officers and said to them, “One of you is revealing our plans to the king of Israel. Which one of you is doing it?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 One of his officers answered, "Your Majesty, it is not one of us. Elisha the prophet knows what we plan to do, and he tells the king of Israel everything. He even knows what you say in your own bedroom!"
+\v 12 One of his officers answered, “Your Majesty, it is not one of us. Elisha the prophet knows what we plan to do, and he tells the king of Israel everything. He even knows what you say in your own bedroom!”
 \p
-\v 13 The king of Aram replied, "Go and find out where he is, and I will send some men there to capture him." Someone told him, "People say that he is in the city of Dothan, north of Samaria."
+\v 13 The king of Aram replied, “Go and find out where he is, and I will send some men there to capture him.” Someone told him, “People say that he is in the city of Dothan, north of Samaria.”
 
 \s5
 \v 14 So the king sent a large group of soldiers to Dothan with horses and chariots. They arrived at night and surrounded the city.
 \p
-\v 15 Early the next morning, Elisha's servant got up and went outside the house. He saw the soldiers of Aram with their horses and chariots surrounding the town. So he went inside the house and reported it to Elisha and exclaimed, "Oh, sir! What are we going to do?"
+\v 15 Early the next morning, Elisha’s servant got up and went outside the house. He saw the soldiers of Aram with their horses and chariots surrounding the town. So he went inside the house and reported it to Elisha and exclaimed, “Oh, sir! What are we going to do?”
 \p
-\v 16 Elisha replied, "Do not be afraid! Those who are helping us are many more than those who are helping them!"
+\v 16 Elisha replied, “Do not be afraid! Those who are helping us are many more than those who are helping them!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 Then he prayed, "Yahweh, I request that you open my servant's eyes in order that he can see what is out there!" So Yahweh enabled the servant to look out and see that surrounding the hill on which the town was built was a huge number of horses and chariots; they seemed to be made of fire!
+\v 17 Then he prayed, “Yahweh, I request that you open my servant’s eyes in order that he can see what is out there!” So Yahweh enabled the servant to look out and see that surrounding the hill on which the town was built was a huge number of horses and chariots; they seemed to be made of fire!
 \p
-\v 18 When the army of Aram prepared to attack Elisha, he prayed again, saying, "Yahweh, cause all these soldiers to become blind!" Yahweh answered his prayer and caused them to be unable to see clearly.
+\v 18 When the army of Aram prepared to attack Elisha, he prayed again, saying, “Yahweh, cause all these soldiers to become blind!” Yahweh answered his prayer and caused them to be unable to see clearly.
 \p
-\v 19 Then Elisha went to them and said, "You are not on the right road. This is not the city that you are searching for. I will take you to the man whom you are searching for." But he led them to the city Samaria, the capital of Israel.
+\v 19 Then Elisha went to them and said, “You are not on the right road. This is not the city that you are searching for. I will take you to the man whom you are searching for.” But he led them to the city Samaria, the capital of Israel.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha prayed again, saying, "Yahweh, now enable these soldiers to see correctly again!" So Yahweh enabled them to see correctly, and they were surprised to see that they were inside Samaria.
+\v 20 As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha prayed again, saying, “Yahweh, now enable these soldiers to see correctly again!” So Yahweh enabled them to see correctly, and they were surprised to see that they were inside Samaria.
 \p
-\v 21 When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, "Sir, shall I tell my soldiers to kill them? Shall we kill all of them?"
+\v 21 When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “Sir, shall I tell my soldiers to kill them? Shall we kill all of them?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 Elisha replied, "No, you must not kill them. If your army captured many of your enemies in a battle, you would certainly not kill them. Give these men something to eat and drink, and then allow them to return to their king."
+\v 22 Elisha replied, “No, you must not kill them. If your army captured many of your enemies in a battle, you would certainly not kill them. Give these men something to eat and drink, and then allow them to return to their king.”
 \v 23 So the king of Israel did that. He told his servants to provide a big feast for them. And when they had eaten and drunk plenty, he sent them away. They returned to the king of Aram and told him what had happened. So for a while after that, soldiers from Aram stopped raiding towns in Israel.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 24 But some time later, Ben Hadad the king of Aram , assembled his entire army, and they went to Samaria and surrounded the city for a long time.
-\v 25 Because of that, after a while there was hardly any food left inside the city, so that eventually a donkey's head, which was usually worthless, cost eighty pieces of silver, and one cup of dove's dung cost five pieces of silver.
+\v 25 Because of that, after a while there was hardly any food left inside the city, so that eventually a donkey’s head, which was usually worthless, cost eighty pieces of silver, and one cup of dove’s dung cost five pieces of silver.
 \p
-\v 26 One day when the king of Israel was walking on top of the city wall, a woman cried out to him, "Your Majesty, help me!"
+\v 26 One day when the king of Israel was walking on top of the city wall, a woman cried out to him, “Your Majesty, help me!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 27 He replied, "If Yahweh will not help you, I certainly cannot. I do not have any wheat or wine!
-\v 28 What is your problem?" She replied, "Several days ago, that women over there said to me, 'Because we have nothing left to eat, let us kill your son today, in order that we can eat his flesh. Then tomorrow we can kill my son and eat his flesh.'
+\v 27 He replied, “If Yahweh will not help you, I certainly cannot. I do not have any wheat or wine!
+\v 28 What is your problem?” She replied, “Several days ago, that women over there said to me, ‘Because we have nothing left to eat, let us kill your son today, in order that we can eat his flesh. Then tomorrow we can kill my son and eat his flesh.’
 \p
-\v 29 So we killed my son and cut his body up and boiled his flesh and ate it. The next day, I said to her, 'Now give your son to me, in order that we can kill him and cook his flesh and eat it.' But she has hidden her son."
+\v 29 So we killed my son and cut his body up and boiled his flesh and ate it. The next day, I said to her, ‘Now give your son to me, in order that we can kill him and cook his flesh and eat it.’ But she has hidden her son.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 30 When the king heard what the woman said, he tore his robe to show that he was very upset. The people who were standing close to the wall were able to see that the king was wearing rough cloth underneath his robe because he was very upset.
-\v 31 The king exclaimed, "I wish that God will strike me dead if I do not cut off the head of Elisha today, because he is the one who has caused these terrible things to happen to us!"
+\v 31 The king exclaimed, “I wish that God will strike me dead if I do not cut off the head of Elisha today, because he is the one who has caused these terrible things to happen to us!”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 32 So the king sent an officer to get Elisha.
-\p Before the officer arrived, Elisha was sitting in his house with some Israelite elders who were talking with him. Elisha said to them, "That murderer, the king of Israel, is sending someone here to kill me. Listen. When he arrives, shut the door and do not allow him to come in, because the king will be coming right behind that officer!"
-\v 33 And while he was still speaking, the king and the officer arrived. The king said, "It is Yahweh who is allowing us to have all this trouble. I will no longer wait for him to help us."
+\p Before the officer arrived, Elisha was sitting in his house with some Israelite elders who were talking with him. Elisha said to them, “That murderer, the king of Israel, is sending someone here to kill me. Listen. When he arrives, shut the door and do not allow him to come in, because the king will be coming right behind that officer!”
+\v 33 And while he was still speaking, the king and the officer arrived. The king said, “It is Yahweh who is allowing us to have all this trouble. I will no longer wait for him to help us.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 7
 \p
-\v 1 Elisha replied to the king, "Listen to what Yahweh says: 'He says that by this time tomorrow, at the marketplace here in Samaria, you will be able to buy seven liters of the best flour for one piece of silver, and fourteen liters of barley for one piece of silver.'"
+\v 1 Elisha replied to the king, “Listen to what Yahweh says: ‘He says that by this time tomorrow, at the marketplace here in Samaria, you will be able to buy seven liters of the best flour for one piece of silver, and fourteen liters of barley for one piece of silver.’”
 \p
-\v 2 The officer accompanying the king said to Elijah, "That cannot happen! Even if Yahweh himself would open the windows of the sky and send grain down to us, that certainly could not happen!" Elisha replied, "Because you said that, you will see it happen, but you will not be able to eat any of the food!"
+\v 2 The officer accompanying the king said to Elijah, “That cannot happen! Even if Yahweh himself would open the windows of the sky and send grain down to us, that certainly could not happen!” Elisha replied, “Because you said that, you will see it happen, but you will not be able to eat any of the food!”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 That day there were four men who had leprosy who were sitting outside the gate of the city of Samaria. They said to each other, "Why should we wait here until we die?
-\v 4 If we go into the city, we will die there, because there is no food there. If we remain sitting here, we will die here. So let us go to where the army of Aram has set up their tents. If they kill us, we will die. But if they allow us to remain alive, we will not die."
+\v 3 That day there were four men who had leprosy who were sitting outside the gate of the city of Samaria. They said to each other, “Why should we wait here until we die?
+\v 4 If we go into the city, we will die there, because there is no food there. If we remain sitting here, we will die here. So let us go to where the army of Aram has set up their tents. If they kill us, we will die. But if they allow us to remain alive, we will not die.”
 
 \s5
 \v 5 So when it was getting dark, those four men went to the camp where the army of Aram had set up their tents. But when they reached the camp, they saw that there was no one there.
 \p
-\v 6 What had happened was that Yahweh had caused the army of Aram to hear something that sounded like a large army marching with chariots and horses. So the soldiers said to each other, "Listen! The king of Israel has hired the kings of Egypt and the Hittites and their armies, and they have come to attack us!"
+\v 6 What had happened was that Yahweh had caused the army of Aram to hear something that sounded like a large army marching with chariots and horses. So the soldiers said to each other, “Listen! The king of Israel has hired the kings of Egypt and the Hittites and their armies, and they have come to attack us!”
 
 \s5
 \v 7 So they all ran away that evening at sundown and left their tents and their horses and donkeys there, because they were afraid that they would die if they stayed there.
@@ -513,16 +513,16 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 But then they said to each other, "We are not doing what is right. We have good news to tell others today. If we do not tell it to anyone now, and if we wait until morning to tell it, the people will certainly punish us. So let us go right now to the palace and tell it to the king's officials!"
+\v 9 But then they said to each other, “We are not doing what is right. We have good news to tell others today. If we do not tell it to anyone now, and if we wait until morning to tell it, the people will certainly punish us. So let us go right now to the palace and tell it to the king’s officials!”
 \p
-\v 10 So they went to the guards at the city gates and called out to them, "We went to where the army of Aram had set up their tents, but we did not see or hear anyone there. Their horses and donkeys were still tied up, but their tents were all deserted!"
+\v 10 So they went to the guards at the city gates and called out to them, “We went to where the army of Aram had set up their tents, but we did not see or hear anyone there. Their horses and donkeys were still tied up, but their tents were all deserted!”
 \v 11 The guards shouted the news, and some people who heard it went to the palace and reported it there.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 It was in the night that the king heard this news. He got up out of his bed and said to his officials, "I will tell you what the army of Aram is planning to do. They know that we have no food here, so they have left their tents and are hiding in the fields. They think that we will leave the city to find some food, and then they will capture us and capture the city."
+\v 12 It was in the night that the king heard this news. He got up out of his bed and said to his officials, “I will tell you what the army of Aram is planning to do. They know that we have no food here, so they have left their tents and are hiding in the fields. They think that we will leave the city to find some food, and then they will capture us and capture the city.”
 \p
-\v 13 But one of his officials said, "Many of our people have already died from hunger. If those of us who are still alive all stay here, we also will die anyway. So let us send some men with five of our horses that are still alive to go and see what has really happened."
+\v 13 But one of his officials said, “Many of our people have already died from hunger. If those of us who are still alive all stay here, we also will die anyway. So let us send some men with five of our horses that are still alive to go and see what has really happened.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -537,7 +537,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 18 Elisha had told him that by the next day there would be plenty of food, with the result that anyone could buy fourteen liters of barley for one piece of silver, and seven liters of the best flour for one piece of silver.
 \p
-\v 19 That officer had answered, "That certainly cannot happen! Even if Yahweh himself would open the sky and send down some grain, that could not happen." And Elisha had replied, "Because you said that, you will see it happen, but you will not be able to eat any of the food!"
+\v 19 That officer had answered, “That certainly cannot happen! Even if Yahweh himself would open the sky and send down some grain, that could not happen.” And Elisha had replied, “Because you said that, you will see it happen, but you will not be able to eat any of the food!”
 \v 20 And that is what happened to him. The people who were rushing out of the city gate trampled on him, and he died.
 
 
@@ -551,46 +551,46 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 3 After the seven years were ended, they returned to their home. The woman went to the king to request that her house and her land be given back to her.
-\v 4 When she arrived, the king was talking with Gehazi, Elisha's servant. The king was saying to him, "Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done."
+\v 4 When she arrived, the king was talking with Gehazi, Elisha’s servant. The king was saying to him, “Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.”
 
 \s5
-\v 5 While Gehazi was telling the king that Elisha had caused the son of a woman from Shunem to become alive again, that woman came in and requested the king to enable her to get her house and land back again. Gehazi exclaimed, "Your Majesty, this is the woman whose son Elisha caused to become alive again!"
+\v 5 While Gehazi was telling the king that Elisha had caused the son of a woman from Shunem to become alive again, that woman came in and requested the king to enable her to get her house and land back again. Gehazi exclaimed, “Your Majesty, this is the woman whose son Elisha caused to become alive again!”
 \p
-\v 6 When the king asked her about it, she told him that what Gehazi had said was true. The king summoned one of his officials and said to him, "Make sure that this woman gets back everything that she owned in the past, including the value of all the crops that have been harvested during these last seven years while she was away from her land." So the official did that.
+\v 6 When the king asked her about it, she told him that what Gehazi had said was true. The king summoned one of his officials and said to him, “Make sure that this woman gets back everything that she owned in the past, including the value of all the crops that have been harvested during these last seven years while she was away from her land.” So the official did that.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 Elisha went to Damascus, the capital of Aram, at the time when Ben Hadad, the king of Aram, was very sick. When someone told the king that Elisha was in Damascus,
-\v 8 the king told one of his officials named Hazael, "Go and talk to that prophet and take a present with you to give to him. Request him to ask Yahweh if I will recover from my illness."
+\v 8 the king told one of his officials named Hazael, “Go and talk to that prophet and take a present with you to give to him. Request him to ask Yahweh if I will recover from my illness.”
 \p
-\v 9 So Hazael went to talk with Elisha. He took with him forty camels that were carrying many kinds of goods that were produced in Damascus. When Hazael met him, he said to him, "Your friend Ben Hadad, the king of Aram, sent me to ask you whether you think he will recover from his illness."
+\v 9 So Hazael went to talk with Elisha. He took with him forty camels that were carrying many kinds of goods that were produced in Damascus. When Hazael met him, he said to him, “Your friend Ben Hadad, the king of Aram, sent me to ask you whether you think he will recover from his illness.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 Elisha said to Hazael, "Go and say to him, 'Yes, you will certainly not die from this illness,' but Yahweh has shown me that he will certainly die before he recovers."
+\v 10 Elisha said to Hazael, “Go and say to him, ‘Yes, you will certainly not die from this illness,’ but Yahweh has shown me that he will certainly die before he recovers.”
 \v 11 Then Elisha stared at him and had a terrified look on his face. That caused Hazael to feel uneasy. Then suddenly Elisha started to cry.
 \p
-\v 12 Hazael said, "Sir, why are you crying?"
-\p Elisha replied, "Because Yahweh has enabled me to know the terrible things that you will do to the people of Israel. Your soldiers will burn their cities that now have walls around them, kill their fine young men in battle, crush the heads of their children, and rip open the bellies of their pregnant women with swords."
+\v 12 Hazael said, “Sir, why are you crying?”
+\p Elisha replied, “Because Yahweh has enabled me to know the terrible things that you will do to the people of Israel. Your soldiers will burn their cities that now have walls around them, kill their fine young men in battle, crush the heads of their children, and rip open the bellies of their pregnant women with swords.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 Hazael replied, "I am as powerless as a dog. How could I do such terrible things?"
-\p Elisha replied, "Yahweh has also revealed to me that you will become the king of Aram."
+\v 13 Hazael replied, “I am as powerless as a dog. How could I do such terrible things?”
+\p Elisha replied, “Yahweh has also revealed to me that you will become the king of Aram.”
 \p
-\v 14 Then Hazael left and returned to his master the king, who asked him, "What did Elisha say?"
-\p He replied, "He told me that you would certainly recover."
-\v 15 But the next day, while the king was sleeping, Hazael took a blanket and soaked it in water. Then he spread it on the king's face in order that he could not breathe, and he died. Then Hazael became the king of Aram instead of Ben Hadad.
+\v 14 Then Hazael left and returned to his master the king, who asked him, “What did Elisha say?”
+\p He replied, “He told me that you would certainly recover.”
+\v 15 But the next day, while the king was sleeping, Hazael took a blanket and soaked it in water. Then he spread it on the king’s face in order that he could not breathe, and he died. Then Hazael became the king of Aram instead of Ben Hadad.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 After King Joram son of Ahab, had been ruling in Israel for almost five years, Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram became the king of Judah.
+\v 16 After King Joram son of Ahab, had been ruling in Israel for almost five years, Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram became the king of Judah.
 \v 17 He was thirty-two years old when he became the king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eight years.
 
 \s5
-\v 18 His wife was the daughter of King Ahab. Like everyone in Ahab's family, he continually did the evil things that the previous kings of Israel had done. He did many things that Yahweh said were evil.
+\v 18 His wife was the daughter of King Ahab. Like everyone in Ahab’s family, he continually did the evil things that the previous kings of Israel had done. He did many things that Yahweh said were evil.
 \v 19 But Yahweh did not want to get rid of the people of Judah, because of what he had promised David, who served him very well. He had promised David that his descendants would always rule Judah.
 
 \s5
@@ -602,18 +602,18 @@
 \v 22 So after that, Edom was no longer controlled by Judah, and it is still like that. During that same time, the people of the city of Libnah also freed themselves from being controlled by Judah.
 \p
 \v 23 If you want to read about the other things that Jehoram did, they are written in Book of the Events of the Kings of Judah.
-\v 24 Jehoram died and was buried where the other kings of Judah had been buried in the part of Jerusalem called the city of David. Then Jehoram's son Ahaziah became the king.
+\v 24 Jehoram died and was buried where the other kings of Judah had been buried in the part of Jerusalem called the city of David. Then Jehoram’s son Ahaziah became the king.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 25 After Ahab's son Joram has been ruling in Israel for almost twelve years, Jehoram's son Ahaziah became the king of Judah.
-\v 26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he started to rule. He ruled in Jerusalem for only one year. His mother's name was Athaliah, the daughter of King Ahab and the granddaughter of King Omri of Israel.
-\v 27 King Ahaziah conducted his life just like the members of Ahab's family had done. He did many things that Yahweh said were evil.
+\v 25 After Ahab’s son Joram has been ruling in Israel for almost twelve years, Jehoram’s son Ahaziah became the king of Judah.
+\v 26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he started to rule. He ruled in Jerusalem for only one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, the daughter of King Ahab and the granddaughter of King Omri of Israel.
+\v 27 King Ahaziah conducted his life just like the members of Ahab’s family had done. He did many things that Yahweh said were evil.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 28 Ahaziah's army joined the army of King Joram of Israel to fight against the army of King Hazael of Aram. Their armies started fighting at the city of Ramoth in the region of Gilead, and the soldiers of Aram wounded Joram.
+\v 28 Ahaziah’s army joined the army of King Joram of Israel to fight against the army of King Hazael of Aram. Their armies started fighting at the city of Ramoth in the region of Gilead, and the soldiers of Aram wounded Joram.
 \v 29 King Joram returned to the city of Jezreel in order to recover from his wounds. King Ahaziah went to visit him there.
 
 
@@ -621,76 +621,76 @@
 \c 9
 
 \p
-\v 1 Meanwhile, the prophet Elisha summoned one of the other prophets. He said to him, "Get ready and go to the city of Ramoth in the region of Gilead. Take this jar of olive oil with you.
+\v 1 Meanwhile, the prophet Elisha summoned one of the other prophets. He said to him, “Get ready and go to the city of Ramoth in the region of Gilead. Take this jar of olive oil with you.
 \v 2 When you arrive there, search for a man named Jehu son of Jehoshaphat and grandson of Nimshi. Go with him into a room away from his companions,
-\v 3 and pour some of this oil on his head. Then say to him, 'Yahweh declares that he is appointing you to be the king of Israel.' Then open the door and run away as quickly as you can."
+\v 3 and pour some of this oil on his head. Then say to him, ‘Yahweh declares that he is appointing you to be the king of Israel.’ Then open the door and run away as quickly as you can.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 So the young prophet went to Ramoth.
-\v 5 When he arrived, he saw that the commanders of the army were having a conference. He looked at Jehu and said, "Sir, I have a message for one of you."
-\p Jehu replied, "Which one of us is the message for?"
-\p The young prophet replied, "It is for you, commander."
+\v 5 When he arrived, he saw that the commanders of the army were having a conference. He looked at Jehu and said, “Sir, I have a message for one of you.”
+\p Jehu replied, “Which one of us is the message for?”
+\p The young prophet replied, “It is for you, commander.”
 \p
-\v 6 So Jehu got up and went with the young prophet into a house. There the young prophet poured some olive oil on Jehu's head and said to him, "Yahweh, the God whom we Israelites worship, declares this: 'I am appointing you to be the king of my Israelite people.
+\v 6 So Jehu got up and went with the young prophet into a house. There the young prophet poured some olive oil on Jehu’s head and said to him, “Yahweh, the God whom we Israelites worship, declares this: ‘I am appointing you to be the king of my Israelite people.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 You must kill your master King Joram son of Ahab, because I will punish Ahab's wife Jezebel for murdering many of my prophets and other people who served me.
-\v 8 You must kill not only Joram but all of Ahab's family. I want to get rid of every male in the family, including young ones and old ones.
+\v 7 You must kill your master King Joram son of Ahab, because I will punish Ahab’s wife Jezebel for murdering many of my prophets and other people who served me.
+\v 8 You must kill not only Joram but all of Ahab’s family. I want to get rid of every male in the family, including young ones and old ones.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 I will get rid of Ahab's family, like I got rid of the families of two other kings of Israel, Jeroboam and Baasha.
-\v 10 And when Jezebel dies, her corpse will not be buried. Dogs will eat her corpse there in the city of Jezreel.'"
+\v 9 I will get rid of Ahab’s family, like I got rid of the families of two other kings of Israel, Jeroboam and Baasha.
+\v 10 And when Jezebel dies, her corpse will not be buried. Dogs will eat her corpse there in the city of Jezreel.’”
 \p After the young prophet said this, he left the room and ran.
 
 \s5
-\v 11 When Jehu came out of the room to where his other commanders were, they said to him, "Is everything all right? Why did that mad fellow come to you?"
-\p He replied, "You know what kinds of things young prophets like him say."
+\v 11 When Jehu came out of the room to where his other commanders were, they said to him, “Is everything all right? Why did that mad fellow come to you?”
+\p He replied, “You know what kinds of things young prophets like him say.”
 \p
-\v 12 They said, "You are lying. Tell us what he said!"
-\p He replied, "He told me several things, and then he told me that Yahweh said, 'I am appointing you to be the king of Israel.'"
+\v 12 They said, “You are lying. Tell us what he said!”
+\p He replied, “He told me several things, and then he told me that Yahweh said, ‘I am appointing you to be the king of Israel.’”
 \p
-\v 13 Then they all spread their cloaks on the steps of the building for Jehu to walk out on, and they blew trumpets and shouted, "Jehu is now the king!"
+\v 13 Then they all spread their cloaks on the steps of the building for Jehu to walk out on, and they blew trumpets and shouted, “Jehu is now the king!”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14-15 King Joram and his army had been defending Ramoth against the attacks by the army of the king of Aram. King Joram had returned to the city of Jezreel, to recover from being wounded in the battle against the army of Hazael, the king of Aram. And Jehu made plans to kill Joram. He said to his other commanders, "If you really want to help me, then make sure that no one leaves this city to go to warn the people of Jezreel about what I am planning to do."
+\v 14-15 King Joram and his army had been defending Ramoth against the attacks by the army of the king of Aram. King Joram had returned to the city of Jezreel, to recover from being wounded in the battle against the army of Hazael, the king of Aram. And Jehu made plans to kill Joram. He said to his other commanders, “If you really want to help me, then make sure that no one leaves this city to go to warn the people of Jezreel about what I am planning to do.”
 \v 16 Then Jehu and his officers got into their chariots and rode to Jezreel, where Joram was still recovering. And King Ahaziah of Judah was there, visiting Joram.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 A guard was standing in the watchtower in Jezreel. He saw Jehu and his men approaching. He called out, "I see a lot of men who are approaching!" King Joram heard what the watchman said, so he said to his soldiers, "Send someone on a horse to go and find out if they are coming peacefully or in order to attack us."
+\v 17 A guard was standing in the watchtower in Jezreel. He saw Jehu and his men approaching. He called out, “I see a lot of men who are approaching!” King Joram heard what the watchman said, so he said to his soldiers, “Send someone on a horse to go and find out if they are coming peacefully or in order to attack us.”
 \p
-\v 18 So a man riding a horse rode out to meet Jehu and said to him, "The king wants to know if you are coming peacefully."
-\p Jehu replied, "This is not the time for you to be concerned about peace! Turn around and come behind me!"
+\v 18 So a man riding a horse rode out to meet Jehu and said to him, “The king wants to know if you are coming peacefully.”
+\p Jehu replied, “This is not the time for you to be concerned about peace! Turn around and come behind me!”
 \p So the guard in the watchtower reported that the messenger had reached the group that was approaching, but he was not returning alone.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 So King Joram sent another messenger who asked Jehu the same question. Again Jehu replied, "This is not the time for you to be concerned about peace! Turn around and follow me!"
+\v 19 So King Joram sent another messenger who asked Jehu the same question. Again Jehu replied, “This is not the time for you to be concerned about peace! Turn around and follow me!”
 \p
-\v 20 Then the watchman reported again, "That messenger also reached them, but he is not coming back alone. And the leader of the group must be Jehu son of Nimshi, because he is driving his chariot furiously, as Jehu does!"
+\v 20 Then the watchman reported again, “That messenger also reached them, but he is not coming back alone. And the leader of the group must be Jehu son of Nimshi, because he is driving his chariot furiously, as Jehu does!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 Joram said to his soldiers, "Get my chariot ready." So they did that. Then King Joram and King Ahaziah both rode toward Jehu, each one in his own chariot. And it happened that they met Jehu at the field that had previously belonged to Naboth!
-\v 22 When Joram met Jehu, he said to him, "Are you coming to act peacefully toward me?"
-\p Jehu replied, "How can there be peace while you and your people are bowing down to idols and practicing very much witchcraft like your mother Jezebel did?"
+\v 21 Joram said to his soldiers, “Get my chariot ready.” So they did that. Then King Joram and King Ahaziah both rode toward Jehu, each one in his own chariot. And it happened that they met Jehu at the field that had previously belonged to Naboth!
+\v 22 When Joram met Jehu, he said to him, “Are you coming to act peacefully toward me?”
+\p Jehu replied, “How can there be peace while you and your people are bowing down to idols and practicing very much witchcraft like your mother Jezebel did?”
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 Joram cried out, "Ahaziah, they have deceived us! They want to kill us!" So Joram turned his chariot around and tried to flee.
+\v 23 Joram cried out, “Ahaziah, they have deceived us! They want to kill us!” So Joram turned his chariot around and tried to flee.
 \p
-\v 24 But Jehu drew his bow with strength and shot an arrow that pierced Joram between his shoulder blades. The arrow went through Joram's body and pierced Joram's heart, and he slumped down dead in his chariot.
+\v 24 But Jehu drew his bow with strength and shot an arrow that pierced Joram between his shoulder blades. The arrow went through Joram’s body and pierced Joram’s heart, and he slumped down dead in his chariot.
 
 \s5
-\v 25 Then Jehu said to his assistant Bidkar, "Take his corpse and throw it here into the field that belonged to Naboth. I am sure that you remember that when you and I were riding together in chariots behind King Joram's father Ahab that Yahweh said this about Ahab,
-\v 26 'Yesterday I saw Ahab murder Naboth and his sons here. And I solemnly promise that I will punish him right here in this same field!' So take Joram's corpse and throw it into that field! That will fulfill what Yahweh said would happen."
+\v 25 Then Jehu said to his assistant Bidkar, “Take his corpse and throw it here into the field that belonged to Naboth. I am sure that you remember that when you and I were riding together in chariots behind King Joram’s father Ahab that Yahweh said this about Ahab,
+\v 26 ‘Yesterday I saw Ahab murder Naboth and his sons here. And I solemnly promise that I will punish him right here in this same field!’ So take Joram’s corpse and throw it into that field! That will fulfill what Yahweh said would happen.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 27 When King Ahaziah saw what happened, he fled in his chariot toward the city of Beth Haggan. But Jehu pursued him and said to his other commanders, "Shoot him, also!" So they shot him with arrows while he was riding in his chariot on the road up to Gur, near the city of Ibleam. He continued going in his chariot until he reached the city of Megiddo, where he died.
+\v 27 When King Ahaziah saw what happened, he fled in his chariot toward the city of Beth Haggan. But Jehu pursued him and said to his other commanders, “Shoot him, also!” So they shot him with arrows while he was riding in his chariot on the road up to Gur, near the city of Ibleam. He continued going in his chariot until he reached the city of Megiddo, where he died.
 \v 28 His officials took his corpse back to Jerusalem and buried it in the tombs in the part of Jerusalem called the city of David, where his ancestors had been buried.
 
 \s5
@@ -699,75 +699,75 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 30 Then Jehu went to Jezreel. When Ahab's widow Jezebel heard what had happened, she put paint on her eyelids, and combed her hair to make it beautiful, and looked out the window of the palace toward the street below.
-\v 31 While Jehu was entering the city gate, she called out to him, "You are like Zimri! You are a murderer just like him! I think you are certainly not coming to act peacefully toward me!"
+\v 30 Then Jehu went to Jezreel. When Ahab’s widow Jezebel heard what had happened, she put paint on her eyelids, and combed her hair to make it beautiful, and looked out the window of the palace toward the street below.
+\v 31 While Jehu was entering the city gate, she called out to him, “You are like Zimri! You are a murderer just like him! I think you are certainly not coming to act peacefully toward me!”
 \p
-\v 32 Jehu looked up toward the window, and then he said, "Who is on my side? Anyone?" Two or three palace officials looked down at him from a window.
+\v 32 Jehu looked up toward the window, and then he said, “Who is on my side? Anyone?” Two or three palace officials looked down at him from a window.
 
 \s5
-\v 33 Jehu said to them, "Throw her down here!"
+\v 33 Jehu said to them, “Throw her down here!”
 \p So they threw her down and Jehu ordered that his men drive their chariots and horses over her body, and that is how she was killed. Some of her blood splattered on the city wall and on the horses that were pulling the chariots. 
-\v 34 Then Jehu went into the palace and ate and drank. Then he said to some of his men, "Take the corpse of that women whom Yahweh has cursed and bury it, because she is a king's daughter and therefore should be buried properly."
+\v 34 Then Jehu went into the palace and ate and drank. Then he said to some of his men, “Take the corpse of that women whom Yahweh has cursed and bury it, because she is a king’s daughter and therefore should be buried properly.”
 
 \s5
 \v 35 But when they went to get her corpse to bury it, all that was left was only her skull and the bones of her feet and her hands. Everything else was gone.
-\v 36 When they reported this to Jehu, he said, "That is what Yahweh said would happen! He told his servant Elijah, 'In the city of Jezreel, dogs will eat the flesh of Jezebel's corpse.
-\v 37 Her bones will be scattered there in Jezreel like dung, with the result that no one will be able to recognize them and say, "These are Jezebel's bones."'"
+\v 36 When they reported this to Jehu, he said, “That is what Yahweh said would happen! He told his servant Elijah, ‘In the city of Jezreel, dogs will eat the flesh of Jezebel’s corpse.
+\v 37 Her bones will be scattered there in Jezreel like dung, with the result that no one will be able to recognize them and say, “These are Jezebel’s bones.”’”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 10
 
 \p
-\v 1 There were seventy descendants of King Ahab who were living in Samaria. Jehu wrote a letter and made copies of it and sent them to the rulers of the city, to the elders, and to those who raised and tutored Ahab's children.
-\v 2 This is what he wrote: "You are the ones who are taking care of the king's descendants. You have chariots, horses, and weapons, and you live in cities that have walls around them. So as soon as you receive this letter,
-\v 3 choose one of the king's descendants, the one who is the best qualified, and appoint him to be your king. Then prepare to fight to defend him."
+\v 1 There were seventy descendants of King Ahab who were living in Samaria. Jehu wrote a letter and made copies of it and sent them to the rulers of the city, to the elders, and to those who raised and tutored Ahab’s children.
+\v 2 This is what he wrote: “You are the ones who are taking care of the king’s descendants. You have chariots, horses, and weapons, and you live in cities that have walls around them. So as soon as you receive this letter,
+\v 3 choose one of the king’s descendants, the one who is the best qualified, and appoint him to be your king. Then prepare to fight to defend him.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 But when they got those letters and read them, they became very afraid. They said, "King Joram and King Ahaziah could not resist him; how can we resist him?
+\v 4 But when they got those letters and read them, they became very afraid. They said, “King Joram and King Ahaziah could not resist him; how can we resist him?
 \p
-\v 5 So the officer who was in charge of the palace and the mayor of the city sent a message to Jehu saying, "We want to serve you, and we are ready to do whatever you tell us to do. We will not appoint anyone to become our king. You do whatever you think is the best."
+\v 5 So the officer who was in charge of the palace and the mayor of the city sent a message to Jehu saying, “We want to serve you, and we are ready to do whatever you tell us to do. We will not appoint anyone to become our king. You do whatever you think is the best.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 So Jehu sent a second letter to them, writing this: "If you are on my side, and if you are ready to obey me, kill King Ahab's descendants and cut off their heads and bring their heads to me here in Jezreel at this time tomorrow."
+\v 6 So Jehu sent a second letter to them, writing this: “If you are on my side, and if you are ready to obey me, kill King Ahab’s descendants and cut off their heads and bring their heads to me here in Jezreel at this time tomorrow.”
 \p Now the seventy descendants of King Ahab were being brought up and supervised by the leaders of the city of Samaria.
-\v 7 When they received the letter from Jehu, they killed all seventy of Ahab's descendants and cut off their heads. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.
+\v 7 When they received the letter from Jehu, they killed all seventy of Ahab’s descendants and cut off their heads. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 A messenger came to Jehu and told him, "They have brought the heads of Ahab's descendants." So Jehu commanded that the heads should be put in two piles at the city gate and that the heads should stay there until the next morning.
+\v 8 A messenger came to Jehu and told him, “They have brought the heads of Ahab’s descendants.” So Jehu commanded that the heads should be put in two piles at the city gate and that the heads should stay there until the next morning.
 \p
-\v 9 The next morning he went out to the city gate and said to all the people, "I am the one who plotted against King Joram and killed him. You are not guilty of doing that. But it was Yahweh, not I, who commanded that all these descendants of Ahab should be killed.
+\v 9 The next morning he went out to the city gate and said to all the people, “I am the one who plotted against King Joram and killed him. You are not guilty of doing that. But it was Yahweh, not I, who commanded that all these descendants of Ahab should be killed.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 I want you to know that everything that Yahweh said would happen has happened. He has caused to happen what he told the prophet Elijah would happen."
-\v 11 Then Jehu executed all the other relatives of Ahab in Jezreel, all Ahab's officers, close friends, and his priests. He did not allow any of them to remain alive.
+\v 10 I want you to know that everything that Yahweh said would happen has happened. He has caused to happen what he told the prophet Elijah would happen.”
+\v 11 Then Jehu executed all the other relatives of Ahab in Jezreel, all Ahab’s officers, close friends, and his priests. He did not allow any of them to remain alive.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 Then Jehu left Jezreel and went toward Samaria. While he was going there, at a place called Beth Eked,
-\v 13 he met some relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah. He asked them, "Who are you?"
-\p They replied, "We are relatives of King Ahaziah. We are going to Jezreel to visit the children of Queen Jezebel and the other members of King Joram's family."
+\v 13 he met some relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah. He asked them, “Who are you?”
+\p They replied, “We are relatives of King Ahaziah. We are going to Jezreel to visit the children of Queen Jezebel and the other members of King Joram’s family.”
 \p
-\v 14 Jehu said to his men, "Seize them!" So they seized them and killed all of them at the well of Beth Eked. There were forty-two people whom they killed. They did not allow any of them to remain alive.
+\v 14 Jehu said to his men, “Seize them!” So they seized them and killed all of them at the well of Beth Eked. There were forty-two people whom they killed. They did not allow any of them to remain alive.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 Then Jehu continued to travel toward Samaria. Along the road he was met by Jonadab, a son of Rechab. Jehu greeted him and said to him, "Are you thinking in the same way that I am thinking?"
-\p Jonadab replied, "Yes, I am."
-\p Jehu said, "If you are, join your hand to mine." So Jonadab joined hands with him, and Jehu helped him to get into his chariot.
-\v 16 Jehu said to him, "Come with me, and you will see how eager I am to obey Yahweh." So they rode together to Samaria.
+\v 15 Then Jehu continued to travel toward Samaria. Along the road he was met by Jonadab, a son of Rechab. Jehu greeted him and said to him, “Are you thinking in the same way that I am thinking?”
+\p Jonadab replied, “Yes, I am.”
+\p Jehu said, “If you are, join your hand to mine.” So Jonadab joined hands with him, and Jehu helped him to get into his chariot.
+\v 16 Jehu said to him, “Come with me, and you will see how eager I am to obey Yahweh.” So they rode together to Samaria.
 \p
-\v 17 When they arrived in Samaria, Jehu killed all of Ahab's relatives who were still alive. He did not spare any of them. That was what Yahweh told Elijah would happen.
+\v 17 When they arrived in Samaria, Jehu killed all of Ahab’s relatives who were still alive. He did not spare any of them. That was what Yahweh told Elijah would happen.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 Then Jehu summoned all the people of Samaria, and said to them, "King Ahab was devoted to your god Baal a little bit, but I will serve him much more.
-\v 19 So now summon all the prophets of Baal, all of Baal's priests, and all the others who worship Baal. I am going to make a great sacrifice to Baal. I want all of them to be there. Any of them who is not there will be executed." But Jehu was planning to trick them, because he was planning to kill all those who worshiped Baal.
+\v 18 Then Jehu summoned all the people of Samaria, and said to them, “King Ahab was devoted to your god Baal a little bit, but I will serve him much more.
+\v 19 So now summon all the prophets of Baal, all of Baal’s priests, and all the others who worship Baal. I am going to make a great sacrifice to Baal. I want all of them to be there. Any of them who is not there will be executed.” But Jehu was planning to trick them, because he was planning to kill all those who worshiped Baal.
 \p
-\v 20 Then Jehu commanded, "Announce that we are going to set aside a day to honor Baal." So they sent out a proclamation about that day.
+\v 20 Then Jehu commanded, “Announce that we are going to set aside a day to honor Baal.” So they sent out a proclamation about that day.
 
 \s5
 \v 21 Jehu decided what day they would gather and sent messages throughout Israel telling everyone what day to gather, and on that day, everyone who worshiped Baal came. No one stayed at home. They all went into the huge temple of Baal and filled it from one end to the other.
@@ -775,12 +775,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 Then Jehu went into the temple of Baal with Jonadab, and he said to the people who were there to worship Baal, "Be sure that only those who worship Baal are here. Be sure that no one who worships Yahweh has come in."
-\v 24 Then he and Jonadab prepared to offer sacrifices and other offerings to Baal that would be burned whole on the altar that was there in Samaria. But Jehu had stationed eighty of his men outside the temple, and had said to them, "I want you to kill all the people who are in the temple. Anyone who allows one of them to escape will be executed!"
+\v 23 Then Jehu went into the temple of Baal with Jonadab, and he said to the people who were there to worship Baal, “Be sure that only those who worship Baal are here. Be sure that no one who worships Yahweh has come in.”
+\v 24 Then he and Jonadab prepared to offer sacrifices and other offerings to Baal that would be burned whole on the altar that was there in Samaria. But Jehu had stationed eighty of his men outside the temple, and had said to them, “I want you to kill all the people who are in the temple. Anyone who allows one of them to escape will be executed!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 25 As soon as Jehu and Jonadab had finished killing the animals that would be completely burned to be an offering to Baal, they went outside and said to the guards and officers, "Go in and kill all of them! Do not allow any of them to escape!" So the guards and officers went in and killed them all with their swords. Then they dragged their corpses outside the temple. Then they went into the inner room of the temple,
+\v 25 As soon as Jehu and Jonadab had finished killing the animals that would be completely burned to be an offering to Baal, they went outside and said to the guards and officers, “Go in and kill all of them! Do not allow any of them to escape!” So the guards and officers went in and killed them all with their swords. Then they dragged their corpses outside the temple. Then they went into the inner room of the temple,
 \v 26 and they carried out the sacred pillar of Baal that was there, and they burned it.
 \v 27 So they destroyed that pillar that honored Baal, and then they burned down the temple, and made it a latrine. And that is what it is up to the present time.
 \p
@@ -789,7 +789,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 29 But Jehu did not stop committing the kinds of sins that Jeroboam had committed, sins that led the people of Israel to sin by worshiping the gold statues of calves in the cities of Bethel and Dan.
 \p
-\v 30 Then Yahweh said to Jehu, "You have done what pleased me by getting rid of all of Ahab's descendants. So I promise you that your son and grandson and great-grandson and great-great-grandson will all be kings of Israel."
+\v 30 Then Yahweh said to Jehu, “You have done what pleased me by getting rid of all of Ahab’s descendants. So I promise you that your son and grandson and great-grandson and great-great-grandson will all be kings of Israel.”
 \v 31 But Jehu did not obey all the laws of Yahweh, the God of the Israelite people. He did not stop committing the sins that Jeroboam had committed, sins that induced the Israelite people to sin.
 
 
@@ -810,19 +810,19 @@
 \c 11
 
 \p
-\v 1 When King Ahaziah's mother Athaliah saw that her son had been killed, she commanded that all the members of Ahaziah's family who might become king must be executed.
-\v 2 So Ahaziah's sons were all about to be murdered. But Jehosheba, who was King Jehoram's daughter and Ahaziah's half-sister, took Ahaziah's very young son Joash and hid him and his nursemaid in a bedroom in the temple. So he was not killed.
+\v 1 When King Ahaziah’s mother Athaliah saw that her son had been killed, she commanded that all the members of Ahaziah’s family who might become king must be executed.
+\v 2 So Ahaziah’s sons were all about to be murdered. But Jehosheba, who was King Jehoram’s daughter and Ahaziah’s half-sister, took Ahaziah’s very young son Joash and hid him and his nursemaid in a bedroom in the temple. So he was not killed.
 \v 3 He stayed with Jehosheba for six years. All during that time, he remained hidden in the temple, while Athaliah ruled Judah.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 Six years later, Jehoiada the high priest summoned the officers who supervised the royal bodyguards and the palace guards. He told them to come to the temple. There he required them to solemnly promise that they would do what he told them to do. And he showed King Ahaziah's son Joash to them.
-\v 5 He gave them these instructions: "There are three groups of you guards. When one group finishes their work on the Sabbath day, divide yourselves into three smaller groups. One group must guard the palace.
+\v 4 Six years later, Jehoiada the high priest summoned the officers who supervised the royal bodyguards and the palace guards. He told them to come to the temple. There he required them to solemnly promise that they would do what he told them to do. And he showed King Ahaziah’s son Joash to them.
+\v 5 He gave them these instructions: “There are three groups of you guards. When one group finishes their work on the Sabbath day, divide yourselves into three smaller groups. One group must guard the palace.
 \v 6 Another group must guard at the Sur Gate. The other group must guard at the gate behind the other groups.
 
 \s5
 \v 7 The two groups that are not working on the Sabbath day must guard the temple to protect little King Joash.
-\v 8 You must stand around the king wherever he goes, with your weapons in your hands. You must kill anyone who comes near you."
+\v 8 You must stand around the king wherever he goes, with your weapons in your hands. You must kill anyone who comes near you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -832,15 +832,15 @@
 \s5
 \v 11 Then he commanded all the guards to stand in their positions, each one with his sword in his hand, all around the king.
 \p
-\v 12 Then he brought Joash out. He put the crown on his head and gave him a scroll on which were written the rules that the kings needed to obey. Then he poured some olive oil on Joash's head and proclaimed that he was now the king. The people all clapped their hands and shouted, "We desire that the king will live for many years!"
+\v 12 Then he brought Joash out. He put the crown on his head and gave him a scroll on which were written the rules that the kings needed to obey. Then he poured some olive oil on Joash’s head and proclaimed that he was now the king. The people all clapped their hands and shouted, “We desire that the king will live for many years!”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 13 When Athaliah heard the noise that was being made by the guards and the other people, she ran to the temple where the people were gathered.
-\v 14 She saw the new king standing there alongside one of the big pillars, which was the place at the temple where the kings usually stood. She saw that he was surrounded by the temple officers and men blowing trumpets, and that the people were shouting joyfully, and some of them were also blowing trumpets. She tore her clothes to show her distress and shouted, "You are traitors! You have betrayed me!"
+\v 14 She saw the new king standing there alongside one of the big pillars, which was the place at the temple where the kings usually stood. She saw that he was surrounded by the temple officers and men blowing trumpets, and that the people were shouting joyfully, and some of them were also blowing trumpets. She tore her clothes to show her distress and shouted, “You are traitors! You have betrayed me!”
 
 \s5
-\v 15 Jehoiada immediately said, "Kill her, but do not do it here at the temple of Yahweh! Take her away between two rows of guards. And kill anyone who tries to rescue her!"
+\v 15 Jehoiada immediately said, “Kill her, but do not do it here at the temple of Yahweh! Take her away between two rows of guards. And kill anyone who tries to rescue her!”
 \v 16 She tried to flee, but the guards seized her and took her to the palace, to the place where horses enter the courtyard. They killed her there.
 
 \s5
@@ -850,7 +850,7 @@
 \p Jehoiada stationed guards at the temple of Yahweh.
 
 \s5
-\v 19 Then he and the officers of the temple, the officers who supervised the royal bodyguards, and the king's bodyguards brought the king from the temple to the palace. All the people followed them. Joash entered the palace at the Guard Gate and sat down on the throne, where the kings had always sat.
+\v 19 Then he and the officers of the temple, the officers who supervised the royal bodyguards, and the king’s bodyguards brought the king from the temple to the palace. All the people followed them. Joash entered the palace at the Guard Gate and sat down on the throne, where the kings had always sat.
 \v 20 All the people of Judah rejoiced. And because Athaliah had been killed, the city was quiet.
 
 \s5
@@ -868,19 +868,19 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 Joash said to the priests, "You must take all the money which the people give, both the money they are required to pay and the money that they themselves decide to give, as sacred offerings to buy things for the temple.
-\v 5 Each priest must take the money from the people who come to him, and he must use that money to repair the temple whenever he sees that there is something that needs to be repaired."
+\v 4 Joash said to the priests, “You must take all the money which the people give, both the money they are required to pay and the money that they themselves decide to give, as sacred offerings to buy things for the temple.
+\v 5 Each priest must take the money from the people who come to him, and he must use that money to repair the temple whenever he sees that there is something that needs to be repaired.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 But after Joash had been ruling for almost twenty-three years, the priests still had not repaired anything in the temple.
-\v 7 So Joash summoned Jehoiada and the other priests and said to them, "Why are you not repairing things in the temple? Do not take any more money from those who are paying taxes. Take the money that was collected for the purpose of repairing the temple and pay that money to the workers who will do the repairs."
+\v 7 So Joash summoned Jehoiada and the other priests and said to them, “Why are you not repairing things in the temple? Do not take any more money from those who are paying taxes. Take the money that was collected for the purpose of repairing the temple and pay that money to the workers who will do the repairs.”
 \v 8 The priests agreed to do that, and they also agreed that they themselves would not do the repair work.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 9 Then Jehoiada took a chest and bored a hole in the lid. He placed it alongside the altar for burning incense that was on the right as anyone enters the temple. The priests who guarded the entrance to the temple put in the box the money that was brought to the temple.
-\v 10 Whenever they saw that there was a lot of money in the chest, the king's secretary and the high priest would come and count the money. Then they would put it in bags and tie the bags shut.
+\v 10 Whenever they saw that there was a lot of money in the chest, the king’s secretary and the high priest would come and count the money. Then they would put it in bags and tie the bags shut.
 
 \s5
 \v 11 Then they would distribute the money to the men who supervised the work in the temple. The supervisors would use that money to pay the carpenters and builders who did the repair work in the temple,
@@ -892,7 +892,7 @@
 \v 14 All that money was given to the men who were doing the work of repairing the temple.
 
 \s5
-\v 15 The men who supervised the work always did things honestly, so the king's secretary and the high priest never required that the supervisors report what they had spent the money for.
+\v 15 The men who supervised the work always did things honestly, so the king’s secretary and the high priest never required that the supervisors report what they had spent the money for.
 \v 16 But the money that people gave to pay for sacrifices for their sins was not put in the chest. That money belonged to the priests.
 
 \s5
@@ -903,21 +903,21 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 19 If you want to read more of what Joash did, it is all written in Book of the Events of the Kings of Judah.
-\v 20-21 Joash's officials plotted against him, and two of them killed Joash on the road that goes down to the district of Silla. The two men who did that were Jozabad son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad son of Shomer. Joash was buried in the place where his ancestors were buried, in the part of Jerusalem called the city of David. Then Joash's son Amaziah became the king of Judah.
+\v 20-21 Joash’s officials plotted against him, and two of them killed Joash on the road that goes down to the district of Silla. The two men who did that were Jozabad son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad son of Shomer. Joash was buried in the place where his ancestors were buried, in the part of Jerusalem called the city of David. Then Joash’s son Amaziah became the king of Judah.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 13
 
 \p
-\v 1 After Joash had been ruling Judah for almost twenty-three years, Jehu's son Jehoahaz became the king of Israel. He ruled in the city of Samaria for seventeen years.
+\v 1 After Joash had been ruling Judah for almost twenty-three years, Jehu’s son Jehoahaz became the king of Israel. He ruled in the city of Samaria for seventeen years.
 \v 2 He did many things that Yahweh said were evil and committed the same kind of sins that Jeroboam had committed, sins that had induced the people of Israel to sin. He did not stop committing those sins.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 So Yahweh became very angry with the Israelite people, and he allowed the army of King Hazael of Aram and his son Ben Hadad to defeat the Israelites many times.
 \p
 \v 4 Then Jehoahaz prayed to Yahweh for help, and Yahweh listened to him, because he saw that the army of the king of Aram was oppressing the Israelites.
-\v 5 Yahweh sent a leader to Israel, who enabled them to be free from Aram's power. After that, the Israelites lived peacefully as they had done previously.
+\v 5 Yahweh sent a leader to Israel, who enabled them to be free from Aram’s power. After that, the Israelites lived peacefully as they had done previously.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 But they still continued to commit the same kind of sins that Jeroboam and his family had committed and that had led the Israelites to sin. Also, the statue of the goddess Asherah remained in Samaria.
@@ -937,29 +937,29 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 The other things that happened while Jehoash was king and all the things that he did are written in Book of the Events of the Kings of Israel. In that account they wrote about his army's victories, and their war with the army of King Amaziah of Judah.
+\v 12 The other things that happened while Jehoash was king and all the things that he did are written in Book of the Events of the Kings of Israel. In that account they wrote about his army’s victories, and their war with the army of King Amaziah of Judah.
 \v 13 When Jehoash died, he was buried in Samaria where the other kings of Israel were buried. Then his son Jeroboam became king.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Then Elisha became very ill. Just before he died, King Joash went to Elisha and cried in front of him. Saying the same words that Elisha had said when Elijah was taken to heaven, he said, "My father! The chariots of us Israelite people and their drivers are taking my master away!"
+\v 14 Then Elisha became very ill. Just before he died, King Joash went to Elisha and cried in front of him. Saying the same words that Elisha had said when Elijah was taken to heaven, he said, “My father! The chariots of us Israelite people and their drivers are taking my master away!”
 \p
-\v 15 Elisha said to him, "Bring to me a bow and some arrows!" So the king did that.
-\v 16 Then Elisha told the king to put his hands on the bow and prepare to shoot some arrows. And then Elisha put his own hands on the king's hands.
+\v 15 Elisha said to him, “Bring to me a bow and some arrows!” So the king did that.
+\v 16 Then Elisha told the king to put his hands on the bow and prepare to shoot some arrows. And then Elisha put his own hands on the king’s hands.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 Then Elisha told him, "Have someone open that window toward the east." So a servant opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot!" So the king did. Then Elisha said, "That is the arrow that indicates that your army will defeat the Aramean army. Your army will completely defeat their army at the city of Aphek."
+\v 17 Then Elisha told him, “Have someone open that window toward the east.” So a servant opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” So the king did. Then Elisha said, “That is the arrow that indicates that your army will defeat the Aramean army. Your army will completely defeat their army at the city of Aphek.”
 \p
-\v 18 Then Elisha said, "Pick up the other arrows and strike the ground with them!" So the king picked up the arrows and struck the ground three times.
-\v 19 But Elisha was angry with him. He exclaimed, "You should have struck the ground five or six times! If you had done that, your army would have defeated the Aramean army until they were completely wiped out! But now, because you struck the ground only three times, your army will defeat them only three times!"
+\v 18 Then Elisha said, “Pick up the other arrows and strike the ground with them!” So the king picked up the arrows and struck the ground three times.
+\v 19 But Elisha was angry with him. He exclaimed, “You should have struck the ground five or six times! If you had done that, your army would have defeated the Aramean army until they were completely wiped out! But now, because you struck the ground only three times, your army will defeat them only three times!”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 Then Elisha died and was buried.
 \p Groups of raiders from Moab came to Israel each year during spring.
-\v 21 One year, when some Israelite people were burying a man's body, they saw a group of those raiders. They were afraid, so quickly they threw that man's body into the grave where Elisha had been buried, and they ran away.
-\p But as soon as the man's body touched Elisha's bones, the dead man became alive again and jumped up!
+\v 21 One year, when some Israelite people were burying a man’s body, they saw a group of those raiders. They were afraid, so quickly they threw that man’s body into the grave where Elisha had been buried, and they ran away.
+\p But as soon as the man’s body touched Elisha’s bones, the dead man became alive again and jumped up!
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -969,14 +969,14 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 24 When Hazael the king of Aram died, his son Ben Hadad became the king.
-\v 25 The army of King Jehoash of Israel defeated the army of King Ben Hadad three times; they also recaptured the cities that Ben Hadad's army had seized during the time that Jehoash's father Jehoahaz was ruling Israel.
+\v 25 The army of King Jehoash of Israel defeated the army of King Ben Hadad three times; they also recaptured the cities that Ben Hadad’s army had seized during the time that Jehoash’s father Jehoahaz was ruling Israel.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 14
 
 \p
-\v 1 After Jehoash had been ruling Israel for almost two years, Joash's son Amaziah became the king of Judah.
+\v 1 After Jehoash had been ruling Israel for almost two years, Joash’s son Amaziah became the king of Judah.
 \v 2 He was twenty-five years old when he started to rule, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother was Jehoaddin. She was from Jerusalem.
 \v 3 Amaziah did many things that pleased Yahweh, but he did not do as many things that pleased Yahweh as King David had done. He did some of the good things that his father Joash had done.
 
@@ -986,25 +986,25 @@
 \v 5 As soon as he was completely in control of his kingdom, he made his servants execute the officials who had murdered his father.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 But he did not tell his servants to execute those officials' children. He obeyed what was written in the laws that God gave to Moses, "Parents must not be executed for the crimes committed by their parents. People must be executed only for the sins that they themselves have committed."
+\v 6 But he did not tell his servants to execute those officials’ children. He obeyed what was written in the laws that God gave to Moses, “Parents must not be executed for the crimes committed by their parents. People must be executed only for the sins that they themselves have committed.”
 \p
-\v 7 Amaziah's soldiers killed ten thousand soldiers of the Edom people group in the Valley of Salt south of the Dead Sea, and they captured the city of Sela and gave it a new name, Joktheel. That is still its name.
+\v 7 Amaziah’s soldiers killed ten thousand soldiers of the Edom people group in the Valley of Salt south of the Dead Sea, and they captured the city of Sela and gave it a new name, Joktheel. That is still its name.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to King Jehoash of Israel, saying, "Come here and let us and our armies fight each other in battle."
+\v 8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to King Jehoash of Israel, saying, “Come here and let us and our armies fight each other in battle.”
 \p
-\v 9 But King Jehoash replied with this parable to King Amaziah: "Once a thornbush growing in the mountains in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar tree, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son in order that he may marry her.' But a wild animal in Lebanon passed by the thornbush and trampled it."
-\v 10 The meaning of what I am saying is that your army has defeated the army of Edom, so now you have become very proud. But you should be content with defeating the people of Edom; you should allow your soldiers to stay at home. If you cause trouble by fighting against us, you will surely cause a disaster to happen to you and to your people."
+\v 9 But King Jehoash replied with this parable to King Amaziah: “Once a thornbush growing in the mountains in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar tree, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in order that he may marry her.’ But a wild animal in Lebanon passed by the thornbush and trampled it.”
+\v 10 The meaning of what I am saying is that your army has defeated the army of Edom, so now you have become very proud. But you should be content with defeating the people of Edom; you should allow your soldiers to stay at home. If you cause trouble by fighting against us, you will surely cause a disaster to happen to you and to your people.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 But Amaziah refused to pay attention to Jehoash's message. So Jehoash and Amaziah led their armies to Beth Shemesh in Judah, and it was there that their armies came together to fight each other. 
+\v 11 But Amaziah refused to pay attention to Jehoash’s message. So Jehoash and Amaziah led their armies to Beth Shemesh in Judah, and it was there that their armies came together to fight each other. 
 \v 12 The Israelite army defeated the army of Judah, and all the soldiers of Judah fled and ran back home.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 Jehoash's army also captured King Amaziah there, and they also marched to Jerusalem and tore down the wall that was around the city, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. That was a section of wall about 180 meters long.
-\v 14 Jehoash's soldiers seized all the gold and silver that they found, all the objects that were in the temple, and all the valuable things that were in the palace; they took them to Samaria. They also took to Samaria some prisoners to make sure that Amaziah would cause them no more trouble.
+\v 13 Jehoash’s army also captured King Amaziah there, and they also marched to Jerusalem and tore down the wall that was around the city, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. That was a section of wall about 180 meters long.
+\v 14 Jehoash’s soldiers seized all the gold and silver that they found, all the objects that were in the temple, and all the valuable things that were in the palace; they took them to Samaria. They also took to Samaria some prisoners to make sure that Amaziah would cause them no more trouble.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1022,18 +1022,18 @@
 \v 20 They took his corpse back to Jerusalem and buried it where his ancestors had been buried, in the part of Jerusalem called the city of David.
 \p
 \v 21 Then all the people of Judah appointed Azariah, whose father was Amaziah, to be their king. He became king when he was sixteen years.
-\v 22 After Amaziah's father Amaziah died, Azariah's army captured the city of Elath, and it came under the control of Judah again.
+\v 22 After Amaziah’s father Amaziah died, Azariah’s army captured the city of Elath, and it came under the control of Judah again.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 23 When Amaziah had been ruling Judah for almost fifteen years, Jeroboam became the king of Israel. He ruled in the city of Samaria for forty-one years.
 \v 24 He did many things that Yahweh said were evil. He did not stop committing the same kind of sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat, had committed, sins that had induced the Israelite people to sin also.
-\v 25 Jeroboam's soldiers conquered again some of the territory that had previously belonged to Israel, from the city of Hamath in the north to the Dead Sea in the south. That is what Yahweh, the God whom the Israelites worshiped, promised the prophet Jonah son of Amittai, from the city of Gath Hepher, would happen.
+\v 25 Jeroboam’s soldiers conquered again some of the territory that had previously belonged to Israel, from the city of Hamath in the north to the Dead Sea in the south. That is what Yahweh, the God whom the Israelites worshiped, promised the prophet Jonah son of Amittai, from the city of Gath Hepher, would happen.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 26 That happened because Yahweh saw that the Israelites' enemies were causing the Israelites to suffer very much. And there was absolutely no one who would help them.
+\v 26 That happened because Yahweh saw that the Israelites’ enemies were causing the Israelites to suffer very much. And there was absolutely no one who would help them.
 \v 27 But Yahweh said that he would not destroy Israel completely, so he enabled King Jeroboam to rescue them.
 
 \s5
@@ -1070,7 +1070,7 @@
 \p
 \v 10 Then Shallum son of Jabesh, made plans to assassinate Zechariah. He killed him in the city of Ibleam, and then he became the king.
 \v 11 Everything else that Zechariah did is written in the book of the events of the Kings of Israel.
-\v 12 When Zechariah died, the dynasty of King Jehu was finished. This fulfilled what Yahweh said to King Jehu would happen, "Your son and grandson and great-grandson and great-great-grandson will all be kings of Israel."
+\v 12 When Zechariah died, the dynasty of King Jehu was finished. This fulfilled what Yahweh said to King Jehu would happen, “Your son and grandson and great-grandson and great-great-grandson will all be kings of Israel.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1103,11 +1103,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 When King Azariah had been ruling Judah for almost fifty years, Menahem's son Pekahiah became the king of Israel. He ruled in Samaria for only two years.
+\v 23 When King Azariah had been ruling Judah for almost fifty years, Menahem’s son Pekahiah became the king of Israel. He ruled in Samaria for only two years.
 \v 24 He did many things that Yahweh said were evil. He committed the same kind of sins that King Jeroboam had committed, sins that induced the people of Israel to sin.
 
 \s5
-\v 25 Then one of Pekahiah's army commanders whose name was Pekah son of Remaliah, planned with fifty men, from the region of Gilead to kill Pekahiah and two of his assistants, Argob and Arieh. They assassinated the king in a fortified place in the king's palace in Samaria. Then Pekah became the king.
+\v 25 Then one of Pekahiah’s army commanders whose name was Pekah son of Remaliah, planned with fifty men, from the region of Gilead to kill Pekahiah and two of his assistants, Argob and Arieh. They assassinated the king in a fortified place in the king’s palace in Samaria. Then Pekah became the king.
 \p
 \v 26 Everything else that Pekahiah did is written in the book of the events of the Kings of Israel.
 
@@ -1121,19 +1121,19 @@
 \p
 \v 29 While Pekah was the king, Tiglath-Pileser, the king of Assyria, came with his army and captured the cities of Ijon, Abel of Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, and the regions of Gilead, Galilee, and Naphtali. His army forced the Israelite people to leave their country and go to live in Assyria.
 \p
-\v 30 Then Hoshea son of Elah, planned to kill Pekah. He assassinated him when Amaziah's son Jotham had been ruling Judah for almost twenty years. Then Hoshea became the king of Israel.
+\v 30 Then Hoshea son of Elah, planned to kill Pekah. He assassinated him when Amaziah’s son Jotham had been ruling Judah for almost twenty years. Then Hoshea became the king of Israel.
 \p
 \v 31 Everything else that Pekah did is written in the book of the events of the Kings of Israel.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 32 When Pekah had been ruling Israel for almost two years, Azariah's son Jotham began to rule Judah.
+\v 32 When Pekah had been ruling Israel for almost two years, Azariah’s son Jotham began to rule Judah.
 \v 33 He was twenty-five years old when he started to rule, and he ruled from Jerusalem for sixteen years. His mother was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.
 
 \s5
 \v 34 He did many things that pleased Yahweh, as his father Azariah had done.
-\v 35 But he did not destroy the places where the people worshiped Yahweh, and the people continued to burn incense there to honor Yahweh. Jotham's workers built the Upper Gate of the temple.
+\v 35 But he did not destroy the places where the people worshiped Yahweh, and the people continued to burn incense there to honor Yahweh. Jotham’s workers built the Upper Gate of the temple.
 \p
 \v 36 If you want to know more about everything else that Jotham did, it is written in the book of the events of the Kings of Judah.
 
@@ -1160,7 +1160,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 King Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria, to tell this message to him: "I promise that I will completely do what you tell me to do, as though I were your son. Please come and rescue us from the armies of Aram and Israel who are attacking my country."
+\v 7 King Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria, to tell this message to him: “I promise that I will completely do what you tell me to do, as though I were your son. Please come and rescue us from the armies of Aram and Israel who are attacking my country.”
 \v 8 Ahaz took the silver and gold that was in the palace and in the temple and sent it to Assyria to be a present for the king of Assyria.
 \v 9 So Tiglath-Pileser did what Ahaz requested. His army marched to Damascus and captured it, and they took the people of Damascus as prisoners to live in the capital city of Assyria.
 
@@ -1175,12 +1175,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 Then King Ahaz ordered Uriah: "Each morning put on this new altar the sacrifices that the priests will burn completely, and in the evening put on it the flour offering, along with my offering and the offerings that the people bring, ones that they will burn completely, and my flour offering and the people's grain and wine offerings. Pour against the sides of the altar the blood of all the animals that are sacrificed. But the old bronze altar will be only for me to use for divination."
+\v 15 Then King Ahaz ordered Uriah: “Each morning put on this new altar the sacrifices that the priests will burn completely, and in the evening put on it the flour offering, along with my offering and the offerings that the people bring, ones that they will burn completely, and my flour offering and the people’s grain and wine offerings. Pour against the sides of the altar the blood of all the animals that are sacrificed. But the old bronze altar will be only for me to use for divination.”
 \v 16 So Uriah did what the king commanded him to do.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 King Ahaz told his workers to take off the frames of the carts that were outside the temple and to take down the basins that were on them. They also took down the large bronze tank called "The Sea" and removed it from the backs of the bronze statues of the oxen and put it on a stone foundation.
+\v 17 King Ahaz told his workers to take off the frames of the carts that were outside the temple and to take down the basins that were on them. They also took down the large bronze tank called “The Sea” and removed it from the backs of the bronze statues of the oxen and put it on a stone foundation.
 \v 18 Then to please the king of Assyria, Ahaz had them remove from the temple the roof under which the people walked into the temple on the Sabbath day, and closed up the private entrance into the temple for the kings of Judah.
 
 \s5
@@ -1193,7 +1193,7 @@
 \c 17
 
 \p
-\v 1 Elah's son Hoshea began to rule Israel after King Ahaz had ruled Judah for twelve years. Hoshea ruled in Samaria for nine years.
+\v 1 Elah’s son Hoshea began to rule Israel after King Ahaz had ruled Judah for twelve years. Hoshea ruled in Samaria for nine years.
 \v 2 He did many things that Yahweh said were evil, but he did not do as many evil things as the previous kings of Israel had done—the ones who had ruled Israel previously.
 \p
 \v 3 The army of King Shalmaneser of Assyria attacked and defeated the army of King Hoshea. As a result, the Israelites were forced to pay much tribute to Assyria each year.
@@ -1218,16 +1218,16 @@
 \v 12 Yahweh warned them many times that they should not worship idols, but they did it anyway.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 Yahweh frequently sent his prophets and seers to warn the people of Israel and the people of Judah. The message that Yahweh gave them was, "Stop doing all the evil things you have been doing. Obey my commands and my laws, the laws that I told your ancestors to obey and that I told the prophets who served me to tell to you again."
+\v 13 Yahweh frequently sent his prophets and seers to warn the people of Israel and the people of Judah. The message that Yahweh gave them was, “Stop doing all the evil things you have been doing. Obey my commands and my laws, the laws that I told your ancestors to obey and that I told the prophets who served me to tell to you again.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 14 But the Israelite people would not pay attention. They were stubborn, just as their ancestors were. Just as their ancestors did, they refused to trust in Yahweh their God.
-\v 15 They rejected Yahweh's laws and the covenant that he had made with their ancestors. They ignored Yahweh's warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and as a result they themselves became worthless. Although Yahweh had commanded them not to imitate the behavior of the peoples that lived near them, they disobeyed that command.
+\v 15 They rejected Yahweh’s laws and the covenant that he had made with their ancestors. They ignored Yahweh’s warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and as a result they themselves became worthless. Although Yahweh had commanded them not to imitate the behavior of the peoples that lived near them, they disobeyed that command.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 The Israelite people disobeyed all of Yahweh's commands. They made two metal calves to worship. They set up two poles to worship the goddess Asherah, and they worshiped the god Baal, and the sun, the moon, and the stars.
+\v 16 The Israelite people disobeyed all of Yahweh’s commands. They made two metal calves to worship. They set up two poles to worship the goddess Asherah, and they worshiped the god Baal, and the sun, the moon, and the stars.
 \v 17 They also burned their own sons and daughters to be sacrifices to those gods. They went to fortune tellers and they practiced sorcery. They continually chose to do all kinds of evil things that caused Yahweh to become angry.
 \p
 \v 18 So because Yahweh was very angry with the Israelite people, he allowed their enemies to take them away from their country. Only the people of the tribe of Judah were left in the land.
@@ -1238,7 +1238,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 Earlier, when Yahweh had forced the ten tribes of Israel away from the rule of David's descendants, those tribes had chosen Jeroboam son of Nebat, to be their king. Then Jeroboam enticed the people of Israel to stop worshiping Yahweh and to worship idols instead. He induced them to commit great sins.
+\v 21 Earlier, when Yahweh had forced the ten tribes of Israel away from the rule of David’s descendants, those tribes had chosen Jeroboam son of Nebat, to be their king. Then Jeroboam enticed the people of Israel to stop worshiping Yahweh and to worship idols instead. He induced them to commit great sins.
 \v 22 And the Israelite people continued to do the evil things that Jeroboam introduced. They did not turn away from those sins,
 \v 23 so finally Yahweh got rid of them. That was just what his prophets had warned would happen. The Israelite people were taken away to the land of Assyria, and they are still there.
 
@@ -1247,11 +1247,11 @@
 \p
 \v 24 The king of Assyria ordered his soldiers to take groups of people from the cities of Babylon, Kuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim to the region of Samaria, and to resettle them in the cities there, to take the place of the Israelites who lived there previously. Those people took control over Samaria and lived in the cities of Samaria.
 \v 25 But those people who came from other countries did not worship Yahweh when they first arrived in Samaria. So Yahweh sent lions to kill some of them.
-\v 26 Then those people sent a message to the king of Assyria. They wrote, "We people who have resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know how to worship the God that the Israelites worshiped in this land. So he has sent lions among us to kill us, because we have not worshiped him correctly."
+\v 26 Then those people sent a message to the king of Assyria. They wrote, “We people who have resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know how to worship the God that the Israelites worshiped in this land. So he has sent lions among us to kill us, because we have not worshiped him correctly.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 27 When the king of Assyria read this letter, he commanded his officers, "Send one of the priests whom you brought here from Samaria to go back there. Tell him to teach the people who are now living there how to worship correctly the God whom the Israelites worshiped in that land."
+\v 27 When the king of Assyria read this letter, he commanded his officers, “Send one of the priests whom you brought here from Samaria to go back there. Tell him to teach the people who are now living there how to worship correctly the God whom the Israelites worshiped in that land.”
 \v 28 So the officers did that. They sent one of the Israelite priests back to Samaria. That priest went to live in the city of Bethel, and he taught the people there how to worship Yahweh.
 
 \s5
@@ -1270,12 +1270,12 @@
 \v 35 Yahweh had previously made an covenant with the ancestors of Israel, commanding them not to worship other gods or bow down to honor them or do other things to please them or offer sacrifices to them.
 
 \s5
-\v 36 He had said to them, "You must have a sincere respect for me, Yahweh, the one who brought you out of Egypt with my very great power. I am the one whom you must bow down to honor, and I am the one to whom you must offer sacrifices.
+\v 36 He had said to them, “You must have a sincere respect for me, Yahweh, the one who brought you out of Egypt with my very great power. I am the one whom you must bow down to honor, and I am the one to whom you must offer sacrifices.
 \v 37 You must always obey the laws and decrees that I told Moses to write for you. You must not worship other gods.
 \v 38 And you must not forget the covenant that I made with your ancestors. You must not fear or respect other gods.
 
 \s5
-\v 39 Instead, you must have a sincere respect for me, Yahweh, your God. If you do that, I will rescue you from the power of all your enemies."
+\v 39 Instead, you must have a sincere respect for me, Yahweh, your God. If you do that, I will rescue you from the power of all your enemies.”
 \p
 \v 40 But, the Israelites refused to pay attention to what Yahweh said. Instead, they continued to adhere to their old customs.
 \v 41 So, those people worshiped Yahweh, but they also worshiped their idols. And their descendants still do the same thing.
@@ -1312,49 +1312,49 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 13 After King Hezekiah had been ruling Judah for almost fourteen years, the army of King Sennacherib of Assyria attacked all the cities in Judah that had walls around them. They did not capture Jerusalem, but they captured all the other cities.
-\v 14 King Hezekiah sent a message to Sennacherib, while Sennacherib was in the city of Lachish, saying, "What I have done was wrong. Please tell your soldiers to stop attacking us. If you do that, I will pay you whatever you tell me to." So the king of Assyria said that Hezekiah must pay to him 10,000 kilograms (or about ten metric tons) of silver and 1,000 kilograms (about one metric ton) of gold.
+\v 14 King Hezekiah sent a message to Sennacherib, while Sennacherib was in the city of Lachish, saying, “What I have done was wrong. Please tell your soldiers to stop attacking us. If you do that, I will pay you whatever you tell me to.” So the king of Assyria said that Hezekiah must pay to him 10,000 kilograms (or about ten metric tons) of silver and 1,000 kilograms (about one metric ton) of gold.
 \p
 \v 15 So Hezekiah gave to him all the silver that was in the temple and that was stored in his palace.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 Hezekiah's men also stripped the gold from the doors of the temple and the gold that he himself had put on the doorposts, and he sent all that gold to the king of Assyria.
+\v 16 Hezekiah’s men also stripped the gold from the doors of the temple and the gold that he himself had put on the doorposts, and he sent all that gold to the king of Assyria.
 \v 17 But the king of Assyria sent a large army with some of his important officials from the city of Lachish to persuade King Hezekiah to surrender. When they arrived at Jerusalem, they stood alongside the aqueduct in which water flows from the upper pool into Jerusalem, near the road to the field where the women wash clothes.
-\v 18 They sent a message requesting King Hezekiah to come to them, but the king sent three of his officials to talk to them. He sent Hilkiah's son Eliakim, who supervised the palace, Shebna, the official secretary, and Asaph's son Joah, who communicated the king's messages to the people.
+\v 18 They sent a message requesting King Hezekiah to come to them, but the king sent three of his officials to talk to them. He sent Hilkiah’s son Eliakim, who supervised the palace, Shebna, the official secretary, and Asaph’s son Joah, who communicated the king’s messages to the people.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 One of Sennacherib's important officials told them to take this message to Hezekiah:
-\p "This is what the king of Assyria, the great king, says: 'What are you trusting in to rescue you ?
+\v 19 One of Sennacherib’s important officials told them to take this message to Hezekiah:
+\p “This is what the king of Assyria, the great king, says: ‘What are you trusting in to rescue you ?
 \v 20 You say that you have weapons to fight us and that some country has promised to help you, but that is only talk. Who do you think will help you to rebel against my soldiers from Assyria?
 \v 21 Listen to me! You are relying on the army of Egypt. But that is like using a broken reed for a walking stick on which you could lean. It would pierce the hand of anyone who would lean on it! That is what the king of Egypt would be like for anyone who relied on him for help.
 
 \s5
-\v 22 But perhaps you will say to me, "No, we are relying on Yahweh our God to help us." I would reply, "Is he not the one whom you insulted by tearing down his houses on the hills where the idols were worshiped and the altars on which you offered sacrifices, forcing everyone in Jerusalem and other places in Judah to worship only in front of the altar in Jerusalem?"
+\v 22 But perhaps you will say to me, “No, we are relying on Yahweh our God to help us.” I would reply, “Is he not the one whom you insulted by tearing down his houses on the hills where the idols were worshiped and the altars on which you offered sacrifices, forcing everyone in Jerusalem and other places in Judah to worship only in front of the altar in Jerusalem?”
 \p
 \v 23 So I suggest that you make a deal between you and my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses, but I do not think that you are able to find two thousand of your men who can ride on them!
 
 \s5
 \v 24 You are hoping that the king of Egypt will send chariots and men riding horses to assist you. But they certainly would not be able to defeat even the most unimportant official in my army!
-\v 25 Furthermore, do you think that we have come to destroy Jerusalem without Yahweh's help? It is Yahweh himself who told us to come here and destroy this land!"
+\v 25 Furthermore, do you think that we have come to destroy Jerusalem without Yahweh’s help? It is Yahweh himself who told us to come here and destroy this land!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 26 Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to the official from Assyria, "Sir, please speak to us in your Aramaic language, because we understand it. Do not speak to us in our Hebrew language, because the people who are standing on the wall will understand it and be frightened."
+\v 26 Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to the official from Assyria, “Sir, please speak to us in your Aramaic language, because we understand it. Do not speak to us in our Hebrew language, because the people who are standing on the wall will understand it and be frightened.”
 \p
-\v 27 But the official replied, "Do you think that my master sent me to say these things only to you and not to the people who are standing on the wall? If you reject this message, the people in this city will soon need to eat their own dung and drink their own urine, just like you will, because there will be nothing more for you to eat or drink."
+\v 27 But the official replied, “Do you think that my master sent me to say these things only to you and not to the people who are standing on the wall? If you reject this message, the people in this city will soon need to eat their own dung and drink their own urine, just like you will, because there will be nothing more for you to eat or drink.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 28 Then the official stood up and shouted in the Hebrew language to the people sitting on the wall. He said, "Listen this message from the great king, the king of Assyria. He says this:
-\v 29 'Do not allow Hezekiah to deceive you. He will not be able to rescue you from my power.
-\v 30 Do not allow him to persuade you to rely on Yahweh, saying that Yahweh will rescue you, and that the army of Assyria will never capture this city!'
+\v 28 Then the official stood up and shouted in the Hebrew language to the people sitting on the wall. He said, “Listen this message from the great king, the king of Assyria. He says this:
+\v 29 ‘Do not allow Hezekiah to deceive you. He will not be able to rescue you from my power.
+\v 30 Do not allow him to persuade you to rely on Yahweh, saying that Yahweh will rescue you, and that the army of Assyria will never capture this city!’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 31 Do not pay attention to what Hezekiah says! This is what the king of Assyria says: 'Come out of the city and surrender to me. If you do that, I will arrange for each of you to drink the juice from you own grapevines, and to eat figs from your own trees, and to drink water from your own wells.
-\v 32 You will be able to do that until we come and take you to a land that is like your land—a land where there is grain to make bread and vineyards to produce grapes for making wine. It will be a land that has plenty of olive trees and honey.' If you do what the king of Assyria commands, you will not die. You will continue to live.
+\v 31 Do not pay attention to what Hezekiah says! This is what the king of Assyria says: ‘Come out of the city and surrender to me. If you do that, I will arrange for each of you to drink the juice from you own grapevines, and to eat figs from your own trees, and to drink water from your own wells.
+\v 32 You will be able to do that until we come and take you to a land that is like your land—a land where there is grain to make bread and vineyards to produce grapes for making wine. It will be a land that has plenty of olive trees and honey.’ If you do what the king of Assyria commands, you will not die. You will continue to live.
 \p Do not allow Hezekiah to persuade you to trust in Yahweh, saying that he will rescue you!
 
 \s5
@@ -1363,7 +1363,7 @@
 \v 35 None of these gods kept their people from being destroyed by the king of Assyria. Do you think your God Yahweh, can do any better?
 \s5
 \p
-\v 36 But the people who were listening were silent. No one said anything, because King Hezekiah had told them, "When the official from Assyria talks to you, do not answer him."
+\v 36 But the people who were listening were silent. No one said anything, because King Hezekiah had told them, “When the official from Assyria talks to you, do not answer him.”
 \p
 \v 37 Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah went back to Hezekiah with their clothes torn because they were extremely distressed, and they told him what the official from Assyria had said.
 
@@ -1376,14 +1376,14 @@
 \v 2 Then he summoned Eliakim and Shebna and the older priests, who were also wearing clothes made of rough sackcloth, and told them to talk to Isaiah the prophet, son of Amoz.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 He said to them to say these things to Isaiah: "King Hezekiah says that this is a day when we have great distress. Other nations are causing us to be insulted and disgraced like a woman who is about to give birth to a child, but she is not strong enough to do it.
-\v 4 Perhaps Yahweh our God has heard everything that the official from Assyria said. Perhaps he knows that his master, the king of Assyria, sent him to insult the all-powerful God and that Yahweh will punish him for what he said. And Hezekiah requests that you pray for the few of us who are still alive here in Jerusalem."
+\v 3 He said to them to say these things to Isaiah: “King Hezekiah says that this is a day when we have great distress. Other nations are causing us to be insulted and disgraced like a woman who is about to give birth to a child, but she is not strong enough to do it.
+\v 4 Perhaps Yahweh our God has heard everything that the official from Assyria said. Perhaps he knows that his master, the king of Assyria, sent him to insult the all-powerful God and that Yahweh will punish him for what he said. And Hezekiah requests that you pray for the few of us who are still alive here in Jerusalem.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 5 When the messengers from Hezekiah came to Isaiah, and
-\v 6 Isaiah instructed them to go back to their master and tell him what Yahweh says: "Those messengers from the king of Assyria have said evil things about me. But you should not be disturbed because of what they said.
-\v 7 Listen to this: I will cause Sennacherib to hear a rumor that will worry him, that other armies are about to attack his country. So he will return to his own country, and there I will cause him to be assassinated by some men."
+\v 6 Isaiah instructed them to go back to their master and tell him what Yahweh says: “Those messengers from the king of Assyria have said evil things about me. But you should not be disturbed because of what they said.
+\v 7 Listen to this: I will cause Sennacherib to hear a rumor that will worry him, that other armies are about to attack his country. So he will return to his own country, and there I will cause him to be assassinated by some men.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1392,18 +1392,18 @@
 \v 9 Soon after that, King Sennacherib received a report that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was leading his army to attack them. But before King Sennacherib left Libnah to fight against the army from Ethiopia, he sent other messengers to King Hezekiah with a letter.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 In the letter he wrote this to Hezekiah: "Do not allow your god on whom you are relying to deceive you by promising that my army will never capture Jerusalem.
+\v 10 In the letter he wrote this to Hezekiah: “Do not allow your god on whom you are relying to deceive you by promising that my army will never capture Jerusalem.
 \v 11 You have certainly heard what the armies of the kings of Assyria have done to all the other countries. Our armies have completely destroyed them. So do you think that you will escape?
 
 \s5
 \v 12 Did the gods of the nations that were about to be destroyed by the armies of the previous kings of Assyria rescue them? Did those gods rescue the people in the region of Gozan or in the cities of Haran and Rezeph in northern Aram? Did they rescue the people of Eden who had been deported to the city of Tel Assar? None of the gods of those cities was able to rescue them.
-\v 13 What happened to the kings of the cities of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, and Ivvah? They are all dead."
+\v 13 What happened to the kings of the cities of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, and Ivvah? They are all dead.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 14 Hezekiah received the letter that the messengers gave him, and he read it. Then he went up to the temple and spread out the letter in front of Yahweh.
-\v 15 Then Hezekiah prayed this: "Yahweh, the God to whom we Israelites belong, you are seated on your throne above the statues of creatures with wings, above the sacred chest. Only you are truly God. You rule all the kingdoms on this earth. You are the one who created everything on the earth and in the sky.
+\v 15 Then Hezekiah prayed this: “Yahweh, the God to whom we Israelites belong, you are seated on your throne above the statues of creatures with wings, above the sacred chest. Only you are truly God. You rule all the kingdoms on this earth. You are the one who created everything on the earth and in the sky.
 
 \s5
 \v 16 So, Yahweh, please listen to what I am saying, and look at what is happening. And listen to what King Sennacherib has said to insult you, the all-powerful God.
@@ -1412,12 +1412,12 @@
 \v 18 And they have thrown the idols of those nations into fires and burned them. But that was not difficult to do, because they were not gods. They were only statues made of wood and stone, idols that were shaped by humans, and that is why they were destroyed easily.
 
 \s5
-\v 19 So now, Yahweh our God, please rescue us from the power of the king of Assyria, in order that the people in all the kingdoms of the world may know that you, Yahweh, are the only one who is truly God."
+\v 19 So now, Yahweh our God, please rescue us from the power of the king of Assyria, in order that the people in all the kingdoms of the world may know that you, Yahweh, are the only one who is truly God.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Then Isaiah sent this message to Hezekiah to tell him what Yahweh, the God to whom the Israelites belonged, said in response: "I have heard what you prayed to me about Sennacherib, the king of Assyria.
+\v 20 Then Isaiah sent this message to Hezekiah to tell him what Yahweh, the God to whom the Israelites belonged, said in response: “I have heard what you prayed to me about Sennacherib, the king of Assyria.
 \v 21 This is what I say to that king:
 \q The people of Jerusalem
 \q2 despise you and make fun of you.
@@ -1433,7 +1433,7 @@
 \q
 \v 23 The messengers whom you sent
 \q2 made fun of me.
-\q You said, 'With my many chariots
+\q You said, ‘With my many chariots
 \q2 I have gone to the highest mountains,
 \q2 to the highest mountains in Lebanon.
 \q We have cut down its tallest cedar trees
@@ -1444,11 +1444,11 @@
 \v 24 We have dug wells in other countries
 \q2 and drunk water from them.
 \q And by marching through the streams of Egypt,
-\q2 we dried them all up!'
+\q2 we dried them all up!’
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 25 But I reply, 'Have you never heard that long ago
+\v 25 But I reply, ‘Have you never heard that long ago
 \q2 I planned that those things would happen?
 \q I planned it long ago,
 \q2 and now I have been causing it to occur.
@@ -1477,12 +1477,12 @@
 \q in order that I can take you where I want you to go.
 \q2 I will force you to return to your own country
 \q on the same road on which you came here,
-\q2 without conquering Jerusalem.'
+\q2 without conquering Jerusalem.’
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 29 Now I say this to Hezekiah:
-\q2 'This is what will happen to prove that I am telling the truth:
+\q2 ‘This is what will happen to prove that I am telling the truth:
 \q This year and next year you and your people
 \q2 will be able to harvest only wild grain.
 \q But the following year, you Israelites will be able
@@ -1503,7 +1503,7 @@
 \q
 \v 32 So this is what I, Yahweh, say
 \q2 about the king of Assyria:
-\q "His armies will not enter this city;
+\q “His armies will not enter this city;
 \q2 they will not even shoot any arrows into it.
 \q His soldiers will not march outside the city gates carrying shields,
 \q2 and they will not even build high mounds of earth
@@ -1518,44 +1518,44 @@
 \v 34 I will defend this city and prevent it from being destroyed.
 \q2 I will do this for the sake of my own reputation
 \q2 and because of what I promised to King David,
-\q3 who served me well.'"
+\q3 who served me well.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 35 That night, an angel from Yahweh went out to where the army of Assyria had put up their tents, and killed 185,000 of their soldiers. When the rest of the soldiers woke up the next morning, they saw that there were corpses everywhere.
 \v 36 Then King Sennacherib left and went home to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria.
 \p
-\v 37 One day, when he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisrok, his two sons, Adrammelek and Sharezer, killed him with their swords. Then they escaped and went to the region of Ararat, northwest of Nineveh. And another of Sennacherib's sons, Esarhaddon, became the king of Assyria.
+\v 37 One day, when he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisrok, his two sons, Adrammelek and Sharezer, killed him with their swords. Then they escaped and went to the region of Ararat, northwest of Nineveh. And another of Sennacherib’s sons, Esarhaddon, became the king of Assyria.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 20
 
 \p
-\v 1 About that time, Hezekiah became very ill. He thought that he was about to die. Isaiah the prophet came to him and said, "This is what Yahweh says: 'You should tell the people in your palace what you want them to do after you die, because you are not going to recover from this illness. You are going to die.'"
+\v 1 About that time, Hezekiah became very ill. He thought that he was about to die. Isaiah the prophet came to him and said, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘You should tell the people in your palace what you want them to do after you die, because you are not going to recover from this illness. You are going to die.’”
 \p
 \v 2 Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed this:
-\v 3 "Yahweh, do not forget that I have always served you faithfully with all my inner being, and I have done things that pleased you." Then Hezekiah started to cry loudly.
+\v 3 “Yahweh, do not forget that I have always served you faithfully with all my inner being, and I have done things that pleased you.” Then Hezekiah started to cry loudly.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 Isaiah left the king, but before he had crossed the middle courtyard of the palace, Yahweh gave him a message.
-\v 5 He said, "Go back to Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, and say to him, 'I, Yahweh, the God whom your ancestor King David worshiped, have heard what you prayed. And I have seen your tears. So, listen, I am going to heal you. Two days from now you will be able to go up to my temple.
+\v 5 He said, “Go back to Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, and say to him, ‘I, Yahweh, the God whom your ancestor King David worshiped, have heard what you prayed. And I have seen your tears. So, listen, I am going to heal you. Two days from now you will be able to go up to my temple.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 I will enable you to live for fifteen more years. And I will rescue you and this city again from the power of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for the sake of my own reputation and because of what I promised King David, who served me well.'"
+\v 6 I will enable you to live for fifteen more years. And I will rescue you and this city again from the power of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for the sake of my own reputation and because of what I promised King David, who served me well.’”
 \p
-\v 7 Isaiah returned to the palace and told Hezekiah what Yahweh had said. Then he said to Hezekiah's servants, "Bring a paste made of boiled figs. Put some of it on his boils, and he will get well." The servants did that, and the king recovered.
+\v 7 Isaiah returned to the palace and told Hezekiah what Yahweh had said. Then he said to Hezekiah’s servants, “Bring a paste made of boiled figs. Put some of it on his boils, and he will get well.” The servants did that, and the king recovered.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 Then Hezekiah replied to Isaiah, "What will Yahweh do to prove that he will heal me and that two days from now I will be able to go up to the temple?"
+\v 8 Then Hezekiah replied to Isaiah, “What will Yahweh do to prove that he will heal me and that two days from now I will be able to go up to the temple?”
 \p
-\v 9 Isaiah replied, "Yahweh will do something that will prove to you that he will do what he promised. Do you want him to cause the shadow on the stairway to go back ten steps or to go forward ten steps ?"
+\v 9 Isaiah replied, “Yahweh will do something that will prove to you that he will do what he promised. Do you want him to cause the shadow on the stairway to go back ten steps or to go forward ten steps ?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 Hezekiah replied, "It is easy to for the shadow to move forward, because that is what it always does. Aks Yahweh to make it move backward ten steps on the stairway that King Ahaz ordered his servants to build."
+\v 10 Hezekiah replied, “It is easy to for the shadow to move forward, because that is what it always does. Aks Yahweh to make it move backward ten steps on the stairway that King Ahaz ordered his servants to build.”
 \p
 \v 11 So Isaiah prayed earnestly to Yahweh, and Yahweh caused the shadow to go backward ten steps.
 
@@ -1566,21 +1566,21 @@
 \v 13 When the messengers arrived, Hezekiah welcomed them gladly. Then he showed them all the treasure that was in his palace and treasuries—the silver and gold, the spices, the nice-smelling olive oil, and all the weapons for his soldiers. There were no valuable things in his storerooms or anywhere else in his kingdom that he did not show them.
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Then the prophet Isaiah went to Hezekiah and asked him, "Where did those men come from, and what did they say to you?"
-\p Hezekiah replied, "They came from a country very far from here. They came from Babylonia."
+\v 14 Then the prophet Isaiah went to Hezekiah and asked him, “Where did those men come from, and what did they say to you?”
+\p Hezekiah replied, “They came from a country very far from here. They came from Babylonia.”
 \p
-\v 15 Isaiah asked, "What did they see in your palace?"
-\p Hezekiah replied, "They saw everything. I showed them absolutely everything that I own—all my valuable things."
+\v 15 Isaiah asked, “What did they see in your palace?”
+\p Hezekiah replied, “They saw everything. I showed them absolutely everything that I own—all my valuable things.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 Isaiah knew that Hezekiah had done a very foolish thing. So Isaiah said to him, "Listen to what Yahweh says to you.
+\v 16 Isaiah knew that Hezekiah had done a very foolish thing. So Isaiah said to him, “Listen to what Yahweh says to you.
 \v 17 There will be a time when everything that is still in your palace, all the valuable things that were put there by you and your ancestors, will be carried away to Babylon. There will be nothing left here! That is what Yahweh says to you!
-\v 18 Furthermore, some of your own descendants will be forced to go there, and they will be castrated in order that they may become servants in the palace of the king of Babylon."
+\v 18 Furthermore, some of your own descendants will be forced to go there, and they will be castrated in order that they may become servants in the palace of the king of Babylon.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 Then Hezekiah replied to Isaiah, "The message from Yahweh that you have given to me is good." He said that because he was thinking, "Even if that happens, there will be peace and security in Israel all during the remaining time that I remain alive."
+\v 19 Then Hezekiah replied to Isaiah, “The message from Yahweh that you have given to me is good.” He said that because he was thinking, “Even if that happens, there will be peace and security in Israel all during the remaining time that I remain alive.”
 \p
 \v 20 If you want to know more about all the other things that Hezekiah did, about his brave deeds in battle, about how he commanded his people to build a reservoir in the city and a tunnel to be dug to bring water into the reservoir, they are all written in the book of the events of the Kings of Judah.
 \v 21 Later Hezekiah died, and his son Manasseh became the king.
@@ -1595,26 +1595,26 @@
 \v 3 He commanded his workers to rebuild the places of idol worship built on the hills. Those were the very high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed. He directed his workers to build altars to offer sacrifices of living creatures to Baal. Manasseh made a statue of the goddess Asherah, as Ahab the king of Israel had done previously. And Manasseh worshiped the stars and he served them.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 He directed his workers to build altars for worshiping foreign gods in the temple of Yahweh, even though Yahweh had said, "It is here in Jerusalem where I want people to worship me, forever."
+\v 4 He directed his workers to build altars for worshiping foreign gods in the temple of Yahweh, even though Yahweh had said, “It is here in Jerusalem where I want people to worship me, forever.”
 \v 5 He directed that altars for worshiping the stars be built in both of the courtyards in the temple grounds.
 \v 6 He even sacrificed his own son and burned him in the fire. He performed rituals to practice sorcery and spells. He also went to people who consulted the spirits of dead people to find out what would happen in the future. He did many things that Yahweh said are extremely evil, things that caused Yahweh to become very angry.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 He placed the statue of the goddess Asherah in the temple, the place about which Yahweh had said to David and his son Solomon, "My temple will be here in Jerusalem. This is the city that I have chosen from all the territory of the twelve tribes of Israel, where I want people to worship me forever.
-\v 8 And if the Israelite people obey all my commands and all the laws that I gave to Moses, the man who served me very well, I will not again force them to leave this land that I gave to their ancestors."
+\v 7 He placed the statue of the goddess Asherah in the temple, the place about which Yahweh had said to David and his son Solomon, “My temple will be here in Jerusalem. This is the city that I have chosen from all the territory of the twelve tribes of Israel, where I want people to worship me forever.
+\v 8 And if the Israelite people obey all my commands and all the laws that I gave to Moses, the man who served me very well, I will not again force them to leave this land that I gave to their ancestors.”
 \v 9 But the people did not pay attention to Yahweh. Manasseh persuaded them to commit sins that were more evil than the sins that were committed by the people of the nations that Yahweh had driven from the land as the Israelite people advanced.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 10 These are some of the things that Yahweh said through his prophets. Many times Yahweh had given them these messages:
-\v 11 "Manasseh, the king of Judah, has done these abominable things, things that are much worse than the things that the Amor people group did in this land long ago. He has lead the people of Judah to sin against Yahweh by worshiping the idols that he worshiped.
+\v 11 “Manasseh, the king of Judah, has done these abominable things, things that are much worse than the things that the Amor people group did in this land long ago. He has lead the people of Judah to sin against Yahweh by worshiping the idols that he worshiped.
 \v 12 Therefore, this is what I, Yahweh, the God whom you Israelite people worship, says to you: I am about to cause disaster to come to Jerusalem and the rest of Judah. It will be terrible, with the result that everyone who hears about it will be stunned.
 
 \s5
 \v 13 I will judge and punish the people of Jerusalem as I punished the family of King Ahab of Israel. I will remove the people of Jerusalem as people wipe a plate clean and then turn it upside down to show that they are now satisfied.
 \v 14 And I will abandon the people who remain alive, and I will allow their enemies to conquer them and steal everything valuable from their land.
-\v 15 I will do this because my people have done things that I say are very evil, things which have caused me to become very angry. They have caused me to become angry continually, ever since the time that their ancestors left Egypt."
+\v 15 I will do this because my people have done things that I say are very evil, things which have caused me to become very angry. They have caused me to become angry continually, ever since the time that their ancestors left Egypt.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1625,7 +1625,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king. He ruled Judah from Jerusalem for only two years. His mother's name was Meshullemeth. She was from the city of Jotbah, and was the daughter of Haruz.
+\v 19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king. He ruled Judah from Jerusalem for only two years. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth. She was from the city of Jotbah, and was the daughter of Haruz.
 \v 20 He did many things that Yahweh said were evil, as his father Manasseh had done.
 
 \s5
@@ -1651,39 +1651,39 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 3 After Josiah had been ruling for almost eighteen years, he sent his secretary Shaphan son of Azaliah and grandson of Meshullam, to the temple with these instructions:
-\v 4 "Go to Hilkiah, the high priest, and tell him to give me a report, telling me how much money the men who guard the doors of the temple have collected from the people as offerings.
+\v 4 “Go to Hilkiah, the high priest, and tell him to give me a report, telling me how much money the men who guard the doors of the temple have collected from the people as offerings.
 \v 5 Then tell him to give all that money to the men who are supervising the work of repairing the temple.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 They must give that money to the carpenters, the builders, and the masons, and they should also buy the timber and the stones that they will use to repair the temple."
+\v 6 They must give that money to the carpenters, the builders, and the masons, and they should also buy the timber and the stones that they will use to repair the temple.”
 \v 7 But the men who supervise the work will not be required to make a report on the money that is given to them, saying what they spent it for, because those men are completely honest.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 After Shaphan the king's secretary said that to Hilkiah, Hilkiah said to Shaphan, "I have found in the temple a scroll on which is written the laws that God gave to Moses!" Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan, and he started to read it.
-\v 9 Then Shaphan took the scroll to the king and said to him, "Your temple guards have taken the money that was in the temple, and they have given it to the men who will supervise the work of repairing the temple."
-\v 10 Then Shaphan said to the king, "I have brought to you a scroll that Hilkiah gave to me." And Shaphan started to read it to the king.
+\v 8 After Shaphan the king’s secretary said that to Hilkiah, Hilkiah said to Shaphan, “I have found in the temple a scroll on which is written the laws that God gave to Moses!” Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan, and he started to read it.
+\v 9 Then Shaphan took the scroll to the king and said to him, “Your temple guards have taken the money that was in the temple, and they have given it to the men who will supervise the work of repairing the temple.”
+\v 10 Then Shaphan said to the king, “I have brought to you a scroll that Hilkiah gave to me.” And Shaphan started to read it to the king.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 11 When the king heard the laws that were written in the scroll that Shaphan was reading to him, he tore his clothes because he was very upset.
-\v 12 Then he gave these instructions to Hilkiah, to Shaphan's son Ahikam, to Micaiah's son Akbor, and to Asaiah, the king's special advisor:
-\v 13 "Go and ask Yahweh for me and for all the people of Judah, about what is written in this scroll that has been found. Because it is clear that Yahweh is very angry with us because our ancestors disobeyed the things that are written on this scroll, things that we should have done."
+\v 12 Then he gave these instructions to Hilkiah, to Shaphan’s son Ahikam, to Micaiah’s son Akbor, and to Asaiah, the king’s special advisor:
+\v 13 “Go and ask Yahweh for me and for all the people of Judah, about what is written in this scroll that has been found. Because it is clear that Yahweh is very angry with us because our ancestors disobeyed the things that are written on this scroll, things that we should have done.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 14 So Hilkiah, Ahikam, Akbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to consult a woman whose name was Huldah, who was a prophetess who lived in the newer part of Jerusalem. Her husband Shallum son of Tikvah and grandson of Harhas, took care of the robes that were worn in the temple. Those five men told her about the scroll.
 \p
 \v 15 She then told them what Yahweh the God whom the Israelites worship says, 
-"Yahweh has a message for the king who sent you to me, and this is what Yahweh says:
-\v 16 'Listen to this carefully. I am going to bring a disaster on Jerusalem and all the people who live here, which is what was written in the scroll that the king has read.
+“Yahweh has a message for the king who sent you to me, and this is what Yahweh says:
+\v 16 ‘Listen to this carefully. I am going to bring a disaster on Jerusalem and all the people who live here, which is what was written in the scroll that the king has read.
 
 \s5
 \v 17 I will do that because they have abandoned me, and they burn incense to honor other gods. They have caused me to become very angry by all the idols that they have made, and my anger is like a fire that will not be put out.
-\v 18 The king of Judah sent you to inquire what I, Yahweh, want him to do. This is what you should say to him, "You have paid attention to what was written in the scroll.
+\v 18 The king of Judah sent you to inquire what I, Yahweh, want him to do. This is what you should say to him, “You have paid attention to what was written in the scroll.
 \v 19 Also, you have repented and humbled yourself when you heard what I threatened to do to punish this city and the people who live here, I have heard what you prayed. I said that I would cause this city to be abandoned. It will be a city whose name people will use when they curse someone. But because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you.
 \s5
-\v 20 So I will allow you to die and be buried peacefully. I will cause a great disaster to come to this place, but you will not be alive to see it."'"
+\v 20 So I will allow you to die and be buried peacefully. I will cause a great disaster to come to this place, but you will not be alive to see it.”’”
 \p After the men heard that, they returned to King Josiah and gave him that message.
 
 
@@ -1713,7 +1713,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 10 Josiah also desecrated the place named Topheth, in the Ben Hinnom Valley, in order that no one could offer his son or daughter there to be completely burned on the altar as a sacrifice to the god Molech.
-\v 11 He also removed the horses that the previous kings of Judah had dedicated to worshiping the sun, and he burned the chariots that were used in that worship. Those horses and chariots were kept in the courtyard outside the temple, near the entrance to the temple, and near the room where one of Josiah's officials lived, whose name was Nathan-Melek.
+\v 11 He also removed the horses that the previous kings of Judah had dedicated to worshiping the sun, and he burned the chariots that were used in that worship. Those horses and chariots were kept in the courtyard outside the temple, near the entrance to the temple, and near the room where one of Josiah’s officials lived, whose name was Nathan-Melek.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1723,19 +1723,19 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 Furthermore, he commanded them to tear down the place of worship that was near the city of Bethel, the very same place of worship that had been built by King Jeroboam (whose father was Nebat, the same man who made Israel to sin against Yahweh). Josiah led the people of Israel to tear down that altar that was on the high hill, and they also burned the wooden pole used in the worship of the idol that had the name "Asherah."
+\v 15 Furthermore, he commanded them to tear down the place of worship that was near the city of Bethel, the very same place of worship that had been built by King Jeroboam (whose father was Nebat, the same man who made Israel to sin against Yahweh). Josiah led the people of Israel to tear down that altar that was on the high hill, and they also burned the wooden pole used in the worship of the idol that had the name “Asherah.”
 \v 16 Then Josiah looked around and saw some tombs on the hill. He commanded his men to take the bones out of those tombs and burn them on the altar. By doing that, he desecrated the altar. These events were predicted many years before when Yahweh gave his word to Israel by his prophet.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 Josiah asked, "Whose tomb is that?" The people of Bethel replied, "It is the tomb of the prophet who came from Judah and predicted that these things that you have just now done to this altar would happen."
+\v 17 Josiah asked, “Whose tomb is that?” The people of Bethel replied, “It is the tomb of the prophet who came from Judah and predicted that these things that you have just now done to this altar would happen.”
 \p
-\v 18 Josiah replied, "Allow his tomb to remain as it is. Do not remove the prophet's bones from the tomb."
+\v 18 Josiah replied, “Allow his tomb to remain as it is. Do not remove the prophet’s bones from the tomb.”
 \p So the people did not remove those bones, or the bones of the other prophet, the one who had come from Samaria.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 In every city in Israel, at Josiah's command, they tore down the houses build on hills to worship idols. The ones that had been built by the previous kings of Israel, which had caused Yahweh to become very angry. He did to all those places of idols worship the same thing that he had done to the altars at Bethel.
+\v 19 In every city in Israel, at Josiah’s command, they tore down the houses build on hills to worship idols. The ones that had been built by the previous kings of Israel, which had caused Yahweh to become very angry. He did to all those places of idols worship the same thing that he had done to the altars at Bethel.
 \v 20 He ordered that all the priests who offered sacrifices on the places built on the hills where they worshiped idols, and they were to be killed on those altars. Then he burned human bones on every one of those altars to desecrate them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
 
 
@@ -1754,7 +1754,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 26 But Yahweh had become extremely angry with the people of Judah because of all the things that King Manasseh had done to provoke him, and he continued to be very angry.
-\v 27 He said, "I will do to Judah what I have done to Israel. I will drive away the people of Judah, with the result that they will never enter my presence again. And I will reject Jerusalem, the city that I chose to belong to me, and I will reject the temple, the place where I said that I should be worshiped."
+\v 27 He said, “I will do to Judah what I have done to Israel. I will drive away the people of Judah, with the result that they will never enter my presence again. And I will reject Jerusalem, the city that I chose to belong to me, and I will reject the temple, the place where I said that I should be worshiped.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1763,17 +1763,17 @@
 \p
 \v 29 While he was the king of Judah, King Necho of Egypt led his army north to the Euphrates River to help the king of Assyria. King Josiah tried to stop the army of Egypt at the city of Megiddo, but he was killed in a battle there.
 \v 30 His officials placed his corpse in a chariot and took it back to Jerusalem, where it was buried in his own tomb.
-\p Then the people of Judah poured olive oil on Josiah's son Joahaz, to appoint him to be the new king.
+\p Then the people of Judah poured olive oil on Josiah’s son Joahaz, to appoint him to be the new king.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 31 Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he became the king of Judah, but he ruled from Jerusalem for only three months. His mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah from the city of Libnah.
 \v 32 Joahaz did many things that Yahweh said were evil, just like many of his ancestors had done.
-\v 33 King Necho's army captured him and tied him up with chains and took him as a prisoner to the city of Riblah in the district of Hamath, to prevent him from continuing to rule in Jerusalem. Necho forced the people of Judah to pay to him about 3.3 metric tons of silver and thirty three kilograms of gold.
+\v 33 King Necho’s army captured him and tied him up with chains and took him as a prisoner to the city of Riblah in the district of Hamath, to prevent him from continuing to rule in Jerusalem. Necho forced the people of Judah to pay to him about 3.3 metric tons of silver and thirty three kilograms of gold.
 
 \s5
-\v 34 King Necho appointed another son of Josiah, Eliakim, to be the new king, and he changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. Then he took Joahaz to Egypt, and later Joahaz died there in Egypt.
+\v 34 King Necho appointed another son of Josiah, Eliakim, to be the new king, and he changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. Then he took Joahaz to Egypt, and later Joahaz died there in Egypt.
 
 \p
 \v 35 King Jehoiakim collected a tax from the people of Judah. He collected more from the rich people and less from the poor people. He collected silver and gold from them, in order to pay to the king of Egypt what he commanded them to give.
@@ -1806,7 +1806,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became the king of Judah. His mother's name was Nehushta. She was the daughter of a man from Jerusalem named Elnathan. Jehoiachin ruled in Jerusalem for only three months.
+\v 8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became the king of Judah. His mother’s name was Nehushta. She was the daughter of a man from Jerusalem named Elnathan. Jehoiachin ruled in Jerusalem for only three months.
 \v 9 Jehoiachin did many things that Yahweh said were evil, all the evil things that his father had done.
 
 \s5
@@ -1817,19 +1817,19 @@
 \p When Nebuchadnezzar had been king for eight years, he captured Jehoiachin and took him to Babylon.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 Just as Yahweh had said would happen, Nebuchadnezzar's soldiers took to Babylon all the valuable things from Yahweh's temple and from the king's palace. They cut up all the gold items that King Solomon had put in the temple.
+\v 13 Just as Yahweh had said would happen, Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers took to Babylon all the valuable things from Yahweh’s temple and from the king’s palace. They cut up all the gold items that King Solomon had put in the temple.
 \v 14 They took from Jerusalem to Babylon ten thousand people, including the important officials and the best soldiers and the people who made and repaired things that were made of metal. Only the very poor people were left in Judah.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 Nebuchadnezzar's soldiers seized King Jehoiachin and took him to Babylon, along with his wives and officials, his mother, and all the important people.
+\v 15 Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers seized King Jehoiachin and took him to Babylon, along with his wives and officials, his mother, and all the important people.
 \v 16 They also took to Babylon all seven thousand soldiers and one thousand men who knew how to make and repair things that are made from metal. All of these people whom they took were able to fight in battle.
-\v 17 Then the king of Babylon appointed Jehoiachin's uncle, Mattaniah, to be the king of Judah, and he changed Mattaniah's name to Zedekiah.
+\v 17 Then the king of Babylon appointed Jehoiachin’s uncle, Mattaniah, to be the king of Judah, and he changed Mattaniah’s name to Zedekiah.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 When Zedekiah was twenty-one years old, he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother's name was Hamutal. She was the daughter of a man named Jeremiah from the city of Libnah.
+\v 18 When Zedekiah was twenty-one years old, he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal. She was the daughter of a man named Jeremiah from the city of Libnah.
 \v 19 But Zedekiah did many things that Yahweh said were evil, just as Jehoiakim had done.
 \v 20 Because Yahweh was very angry, he finally drove the people out of Jerusalem and the other places in Judah and sent them to Babylon.
 
@@ -1841,20 +1841,20 @@
 \p
 \v 1 After Zedekiah had been ruling for nine years, on the tenth day of the tenth month of that year, King Nebuchadnezzar arrived with his whole army. They surrounded Jerusalem. Against the walls of the city, they built ramps made of earth, so that they could climb up and attack the city.
 \v 2 It took them two years to do that.
-\v 3 After Zedekiah had been ruling for eleven years, by the ninth day of the fourth month of that year, the famine had become very bad. All the people's food was gone.
+\v 3 After Zedekiah had been ruling for eleven years, by the ninth day of the fourth month of that year, the famine had become very bad. All the people’s food was gone.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 Then the Babylonian soldiers broke through part of the city wall, and that enabled them to enter the city. All the soldiers of Judah tried to escape. But the Babylonian soldiers surrounded the city, so the king and the soldiers of Judah waited until it was nighttime. Then they fled through the gate that was between the two walls near the king's park. They ran across the fields and started to go down to the plain along the Jordan River.
+\v 4 Then the Babylonian soldiers broke through part of the city wall, and that enabled them to enter the city. All the soldiers of Judah tried to escape. But the Babylonian soldiers surrounded the city, so the king and the soldiers of Judah waited until it was nighttime. Then they fled through the gate that was between the two walls near the king’s park. They ran across the fields and started to go down to the plain along the Jordan River.
 \v 5 But the Babylonian soldiers chased after them. They caught the king when he was by himself in the plains of Jericho. He was by himself because all his soldiers had abandoned him.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 The Babylonian soldiers took King Zedekiah to the city of Riblah in Babylonia. There the king of Babylon decided what they would do to punish him.
-\v 7 The king of Babylon forced Zedekiah to watch as the Babylonian soldiers killed all of Zedekiah's sons. Then they gouged out Zedekiah's eyes. They put bronze chains on his hands and feet and took him to the city of Babylon.
+\v 7 The king of Babylon forced Zedekiah to watch as the Babylonian soldiers killed all of Zedekiah’s sons. Then they gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes. They put bronze chains on his hands and feet and took him to the city of Babylon.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 On the seventh day in the fifth month of that year, after Nebuchadnezzar had been ruling for nineteen years, Nebuzaradan arrived in Jerusalem. He was one of King Nebuchadnezzar's officials; he was in command of the men who guarded the king.
-\v 9 He ordered his soldiers to burn down Yahweh's temple, the king's palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem. So they burned down all the important buildings in the city.
+\v 8 On the seventh day in the fifth month of that year, after Nebuchadnezzar had been ruling for nineteen years, Nebuzaradan arrived in Jerusalem. He was one of King Nebuchadnezzar’s officials; he was in command of the men who guarded the king.
+\v 9 He ordered his soldiers to burn down Yahweh’s temple, the king’s palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem. So they burned down all the important buildings in the city.
 \v 10 Then Nebuzaradan supervised the Babylonian soldiers as they tore down the walls surrounding Jerusalem.
 
 \s5
@@ -1863,19 +1863,19 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 The Babylonian soldiers broke into pieces the bronze pillars, the bronze stands with wheels, and the large bronze tank known as "The Sea," all of which were in the temple courtyard, and they took all the bronze to Babylon.
+\v 13 The Babylonian soldiers broke into pieces the bronze pillars, the bronze stands with wheels, and the large bronze tank known as “The Sea,” all of which were in the temple courtyard, and they took all the bronze to Babylon.
 \v 14 They also took the pots, the shovels, the instruments for snuffing out the lamps, the dishes, and all the other bronze items that the Israelite priests had used for offering sacrifices in the temple.
 \v 15 The soldiers also took away the pans for the ashes of the sacrifices, the basins, and all the other items made of gold or silver.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 The bronze from the two pillars, the bronze stands with wheels, and the huge tank that was called "The Sea," were all so very heavy that they could not be weighed. These things had been made for the temple when Solomon was the king of Israel.
+\v 16 The bronze from the two pillars, the bronze stands with wheels, and the huge tank that was called “The Sea,” were all so very heavy that they could not be weighed. These things had been made for the temple when Solomon was the king of Israel.
 \v 17 Each of the pillars was eight and one-third meters high. The bronze capital of each pillar was one and one-third meters high. They were each decorated all around with something that looked like a net made of bronze chains connecting bronze pomegranates.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 18 Nebuzaradan took with him to Babylon Seraiah, the high priest; Zephaniah, his assistant; and the three men who guarded the entrance to the temple.
-\v 19 From the people who were still left in Jerusalem, he took one officer from the Judean army, five of the king's advisors, the chief secretary of the army commander who was in charge of recruiting men to join the army, and sixty other important Judean men.
+\v 19 From the people who were still left in Jerusalem, he took one officer from the Judean army, five of the king’s advisors, the chief secretary of the army commander who was in charge of recruiting men to join the army, and sixty other important Judean men.
 
 \s5
 \v 20 Nebuzaradan took them all to the king of Babylon at the city of Riblah.
@@ -1888,7 +1888,7 @@
 \v 22 Then King Nebuchadnezzar appointed a man named Gedaliah to be the governor of the people who he still allowed to live in Judah. Gedaliah was a son of Ahikam and a grandson of Shaphan.
 \v 23 When all the army commanders in Judah and their soldiers found out that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah to be the governor, they met with him at the city of Mizpah. These commanders were Ishmael son of Nethaniah; Johanan son of Kareah; Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, from the city of Netophah; and Jaazaniah, from the region of Maacah.
 \p
-\v 24 Gedaliah solemnly promised them that the officials from Babylon were not planning to harm them. He said, "You may live in this land without being afraid; you should obey the king of Babylon. If you do, everything will go well for you."
+\v 24 Gedaliah solemnly promised them that the officials from Babylon were not planning to harm them. He said, “You may live in this land without being afraid; you should obey the king of Babylon. If you do, everything will go well for you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1898,10 +1898,10 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 27 Thirty-seven years after King Jehoiachin of Judah had been taken to Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar's son Awel-Marduk became the king of Babylon. He was kind to Jehoiachin, and on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of that same year, he released Jehoiachin from prison.
+\v 27 Thirty-seven years after King Jehoiachin of Judah had been taken to Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar’s son Awel-Marduk became the king of Babylon. He was kind to Jehoiachin, and on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of that same year, he released Jehoiachin from prison.
 
 \s5
 \v 28 He always spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and honored him more than the other kings who had been taken to Babylon.
-\v 29 He gave Jehoiachin new clothes to replace the clothes that he had been wearing in prison, and he allowed Jehoiachin to eat at the king's table every day for the rest of his life.
+\v 29 He gave Jehoiachin new clothes to replace the clothes that he had been wearing in prison, and he allowed Jehoiachin to eat at the king’s table every day for the rest of his life.
 \v 30 The king of Babylon also gave him money every day, so that he could buy the things that he needed. The king continued to do that until Jehoiachin died.
 

13-1CH.usfm

@@ -11,10 +11,10 @@
 
 \s2 These are the descendants of Adam
 \p
-\v 1 The first person God created was Adam. Adam's son was Seth. Seth's son was Enosh. Enosh's son was Kenan.
-\v 2 Kenan's son was Mahalalel. Mahalalel's son was Jared. Jared's son was Enoch.
-\v 3 Enoch's son was Methuselah. Methusalah's son was Lamech. Lamech's son was Noah.
-\v 4 Noah's sons were Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
+\v 1 The first person God created was Adam. Adam’s son was Seth. Seth’s son was Enosh. Enosh’s son was Kenan.
+\v 2 Kenan’s son was Mahalalel. Mahalalel’s son was Jared. Jared’s son was Enoch.
+\v 3 Enoch’s son was Methuselah. Methusalah’s son was Lamech. Lamech’s son was Noah.
+\v 4 Noah’s sons were Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
 \s2 These are the sons of Japheth.
 
 \s5
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 13 Canaan's first son was Sidon. He was also the ancestor of the people groups of the Hethites,
+\v 13 Canaan’s first son was Sidon. He was also the ancestor of the people groups of the Hethites,
 \v 14 the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,
 \v 15 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites,
 \v 16 the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites.
@@ -51,11 +51,11 @@
 \s5
 \q
 \v 17 The sons of Shem were Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.
-\q Aram's sons were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech.
+\q Aram’s sons were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech.
 \q
 \v 18 Arphachshad was the father of Shelah, who was the father of Eber.
 \q2
-\v 19 Eber had two sons. One was named Peleg which sounds like the word that means 'divided' because during the time that he lived, the people on the earth were divided into various language groups. Peleg's younger brother was Joktan.
+\v 19 Eber had two sons. One was named Peleg which sounds like the word that means ‘divided’ because during the time that he lived, the people on the earth were divided into various language groups. Peleg’s younger brother was Joktan.
 
 \s5
 \q2
@@ -74,47 +74,47 @@
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 28 Abraham's sons were Isaac and Ishmael.
+\v 28 Abraham’s sons were Isaac and Ishmael.
 \q
-\v 29 The son of Abraham's slave wife Hagar was Ishmael. Ishmael's twelve sons were Nebaioth, his firstborn, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
+\v 29 The son of Abraham’s slave wife Hagar was Ishmael. Ishmael’s twelve sons were Nebaioth, his firstborn, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
 \v 30 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema,
 \v 31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 32 After Abraham's wife Sarah died, he took another wife named Keturah. Her sons were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
-\q2 Jokshan's sons were Sheba and Dedan.
+\v 32 After Abraham’s wife Sarah died, he took another wife named Keturah. Her sons were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
+\q2 Jokshan’s sons were Sheba and Dedan.
 \q2
-\v 33 Midian's sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida, and Eldaah.
+\v 33 Midian’s sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida, and Eldaah.
 \s2 These are the descendants of Esau.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 34 The son of Abraham's wife Sarah was Isaac, and Isaac's sons were Esau and Jacob, whose name was later changed to Israel.
+\v 34 The son of Abraham’s wife Sarah was Isaac, and Isaac’s sons were Esau and Jacob, whose name was later changed to Israel.
 \q
 \v 35 The sons of Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
 \q2
 \v 36 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz, Timna, and Amalek.
 \q2
-\v 37 Reuel's sons were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
+\v 37 Reuel’s sons were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
 \s2 These are the descendants of Seir.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 38 Another descendant of Esau was Seir. His descendants lived in the region of Edom. Seir's sons were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.
+\v 38 Another descendant of Esau was Seir. His descendants lived in the region of Edom. Seir’s sons were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.
 \q2
-\v 39 Lotan's sons were Hori and Homam, and Lotan's sister was Timna.
+\v 39 Lotan’s sons were Hori and Homam, and Lotan’s sister was Timna.
 \q2
-\v 40 Shobal's sons were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
-\q2 Zibeon's sons were Aiah and Anah.
+\v 40 Shobal’s sons were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
+\q2 Zibeon’s sons were Aiah and Anah.
 
 \s5
 \q2
-\v 41 Anah's son was Dishon.
-\q2 1 Dishon's sons were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.
+\v 41 Anah’s son was Dishon.
+\q2 1 Dishon’s sons were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.
 \q2
-\v 42 Ezer's sons were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
-\q2 Dishan's sons were Uz and Aran.
+\v 42 Ezer’s sons were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
+\q2 Dishan’s sons were Uz and Aran.
 \s2 These are the kings of Edom.
 
 \s5
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 46 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, became the king. He ruled in the city of Avith. Hadad's army defeated the army of the Midian people group in the region of Moab.
+\v 46 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, became the king. He ruled in the city of Avith. Hadad’s army defeated the army of the Midian people group in the region of Moab.
 \q
 \v 47 When Hadad died, Samlah became the king. He was from the city of Masrekah.
 \q
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@
 \q
 \v 49 When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Akbor became the king.
 \q
-\v 50 When Baal-Hanan died, Hadar became the king. He was from the city of Pau. His wife's name was Mehetabel; she was the daughter of Matred and the granddaughter of Me-Zahab.
+\v 50 When Baal-Hanan died, Hadar became the king. He was from the city of Pau. His wife’s name was Mehetabel; she was the daughter of Matred and the granddaughter of Me-Zahab.
 
 \s5
 \v 51 Then Hadad died.
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 3 Judah's sons were Er, Onan, and Shelah. Their mother was the daughter of Shua from the Canaan people group. When Judah's oldest son Er grew up, he did something that Yahweh considered to be very wicked, so Yahweh caused him to die.
+\v 3 Judah’s sons were Er, Onan, and Shelah. Their mother was the daughter of Shua from the Canaan people group. When Judah’s oldest son Er grew up, he did something that Yahweh considered to be very wicked, so Yahweh caused him to die.
 \v 4 Judah and his daughter-in-law Tamar had twin boys named Perez and Zerah. So altogether Judah had five sons.
 
 \s5
@@ -167,13 +167,13 @@
 \q
 \v 6 Zerah had five sons: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Kalkol, and Darda.
 \q2
-\v 7 One of the sons of Zimri was Karmi. Karmi's son Achar caused the people of Israel to experience much trouble, because he stole some of the things that were to be destroyed because they were dedicated to God.
+\v 7 One of the sons of Zimri was Karmi. Karmi’s son Achar caused the people of Israel to experience much trouble, because he stole some of the things that were to be destroyed because they were dedicated to God.
 \q2
-\v 8 Ethan's son was Azariah.
+\v 8 Ethan’s son was Azariah.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 9 Hezron's sons were Jerahmeel, Ram, and Caleb.
+\v 9 Hezron’s sons were Jerahmeel, Ram, and Caleb.
 \q2
 \v 10 Ram was the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was a leader of the tribe of Judah.
 \q2
@@ -182,55 +182,55 @@
 
 \s5
 \q2
-\v 13 Jesse's oldest son was Eliab. His other sons were Abinadab, Shimea,
+\v 13 Jesse’s oldest son was Eliab. His other sons were Abinadab, Shimea,
 \v 14 Nethanel, Raddai,
 \v 15 Ozem. The youngest was David.
 
 \s5
 \q2
-\v 16 Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah's three sons were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.
-\v 17 Abigail's husband was Jether, a descendant of Ishmael, and their son was Amasa,
+\v 16 Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah’s three sons were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.
+\v 17 Abigail’s husband was Jether, a descendant of Ishmael, and their son was Amasa,
 \s2 Descendants of Hezron
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 18 Hezron's younger son Caleb had two wives. One of them, Azubah, gave birth to three sons, Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. (The other wife's name was Jerioth.)
+\v 18 Hezron’s younger son Caleb had two wives. One of them, Azubah, gave birth to three sons, Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. (The other wife’s name was Jerioth.)
 \v 19 When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath. Their son was Hur.
 \v 20 Hur was the father of Uri, and Uri was the father of Bezalel.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 21 When Hezron was sixty years old, he married a daughter of Makir, who was also the father of Gilead. The son of Hezron and Makir was Segub.
-\v 22 Segub was the father of Jair. Jair's army controlled twenty-three cities in the region ruled by Gilead.
+\v 22 Segub was the father of Jair. Jair’s army controlled twenty-three cities in the region ruled by Gilead.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 23 But the armies of Geshur and Aram captured those towns controlled by Jair. They also captured the city of Kenath and the nearby towns; altogether they captured sixty towns. The people who lived there were all descendants of Makir, the father of Gilead.
 \q
-\v 24 Shortly after Hezron died, Caleb slept with Ephrathah, his father's widow. She bore a son for Caleb, whose name was Ashhur. Asshur became the father of Tekoa.
+\v 24 Shortly after Hezron died, Caleb slept with Ephrathah, his father’s widow. She bore a son for Caleb, whose name was Ashhur. Asshur became the father of Tekoa.
 
- \s2 Jerahmeel's descendants
+ \s2 Jerahmeel’s descendants
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 25 Hezron's oldest son was Jerahmeel. His sons were Ram, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. Jerahmeel's oldest son was Ram.
+\v 25 Hezron’s oldest son was Jerahmeel. His sons were Ram, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. Jerahmeel’s oldest son was Ram.
 \v 26 Jerahmeel had another wife named Atarah. Their son was Onam.
 \q
-\v 27 The sons of Ram, Jerahmeel's oldest son, were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.
+\v 27 The sons of Ram, Jerahmeel’s oldest son, were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.
 \q
-\v 28 Onam's sons were Shammai and Jada.
-\q Shammai's sons were Nadab and Abishur.
+\v 28 Onam’s sons were Shammai and Jada.
+\q Shammai’s sons were Nadab and Abishur.
 
 \s5
 \q2
-\v 29 Abishur's wife was Abihail. The sons of Abishur and Abihail were Ahban and Molid.
+\v 29 Abishur’s wife was Abihail. The sons of Abishur and Abihail were Ahban and Molid.
 \q2
-\v 30 Nadab's sons were Seled and Appaim. Seled did not have any children.
-\v 31 Appaim's son was Ishi; Ishi's son was Sheshan. One of Sheshan's daughters was Ahlai.
+\v 30 Nadab’s sons were Seled and Appaim. Seled did not have any children.
+\v 31 Appaim’s son was Ishi; Ishi’s son was Sheshan. One of Sheshan’s daughters was Ahlai.
 \li
-\v 32 Shammai's younger brother was Jada. Jada's sons were Jether and Jonathan. Jether did not have any children.
+\v 32 Shammai’s younger brother was Jada. Jada’s sons were Jether and Jonathan. Jether did not have any children.
 \q
-\v 33 Jonathan's sons were Peleth and Zaza.
+\v 33 Jonathan’s sons were Peleth and Zaza.
 \q Those were the descendants of Jerahmeel.
 
 \s5
@@ -259,41 +259,41 @@
 \q
 \v 41 Shallum was the father of Jekamiah.
 \q And Jekamiah was the father of Elishama.
-\s2 Caleb's descendants
+\s2 Caleb’s descendants
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 42 Jerahmeel's younger brother was Caleb.
-\q Caleb's oldest son was Mesha. Mesha was the father of Ziph. Ziph was the father of Mareshah. Mareshah was the father of Hebron.
-\v 43 Hebron's sons were Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema.
+\v 42 Jerahmeel’s younger brother was Caleb.
+\q Caleb’s oldest son was Mesha. Mesha was the father of Ziph. Ziph was the father of Mareshah. Mareshah was the father of Hebron.
+\v 43 Hebron’s sons were Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema.
 \v 44 Shema was the father of Raham. Raham was the father of Jorkeam. Rekem was the father of Shammai.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 45 Shammai was the father of Maon. Maon was the father of Beth Zur.
 \q
-\v 46 Caleb had a slave wife who was named Ephah. Caleb and Ephah's sons were Haran, Moza, and Gazez. Haran had a son whom he also named Gazez.
+\v 46 Caleb had a slave wife who was named Ephah. Caleb and Ephah’s sons were Haran, Moza, and Gazez. Haran had a son whom he also named Gazez.
 \q
-\v 47 Ephah's father was Jahdai. Jahdai was the father of six sons: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.
+\v 47 Ephah’s father was Jahdai. Jahdai was the father of six sons: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 48 Caleb had another slave wife whose name was Maacah. Caleb and Maacah's sons were Sheber, Tirhanah,
-\v 49 Shaaph, and Sheva. Shaaph was the father of Madmannah. Sheva was the father of Makbenah and Gibea. Caleb's daughter was Aksah.
+\v 48 Caleb had another slave wife whose name was Maacah. Caleb and Maacah’s sons were Sheber, Tirhanah,
+\v 49 Shaaph, and Sheva. Shaaph was the father of Madmannah. Sheva was the father of Makbenah and Gibea. Caleb’s daughter was Aksah.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 50-51 These people were also descendants of Caleb: Caleb had another wife whose name was Ephrathah. Their oldest son was Hur. Hur's sons were Shobal, Salma, and Hareph. Shobal started the city of Kiriath Jearim. Salma started the city of Bethlehem. Hareph started the city of Beth Gader.
+\v 50-51 These people were also descendants of Caleb: Caleb had another wife whose name was Ephrathah. Their oldest son was Hur. Hur’s sons were Shobal, Salma, and Hareph. Shobal started the city of Kiriath Jearim. Salma started the city of Bethlehem. Hareph started the city of Beth Gader.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 52 Shobal's descendants were Haroeh, and half of the Manahath people group.
+\v 52 Shobal’s descendants were Haroeh, and half of the Manahath people group.
 \v 53 His descendants also included these clans that lived in Kiriath Jearim: Ithri, Put, Shumath, and Mishra. The clans of Zorath and Eshtaol were descendants of the clan of Mishra.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 54 Salma's descendants were the people of Bethlehem, the clan of Netophath, the clan of Atroth Beth Joab, and the half the clan of Manahath, who were also Zorites. 
-\v 55 Salma's descendants also included the families in the city of Jabez who wrote and copied important documents. These were the clan of Tirath, the clan of Shimeath, and the clan of Sucath. They were all from the Kenite people group who descended from Hammath, the ancestor of the family of Rekab.
+\v 54 Salma’s descendants were the people of Bethlehem, the clan of Netophath, the clan of Atroth Beth Joab, and the half the clan of Manahath, who were also Zorites. 
+\v 55 Salma’s descendants also included the families in the city of Jabez who wrote and copied important documents. These were the clan of Tirath, the clan of Shimeath, and the clan of Sucath. They were all from the Kenite people group who descended from Hammath, the ancestor of the family of Rekab.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -313,7 +313,7 @@
 \q
 \v 4 They were all born in Hebron, where David ruled for seven and one-half years.
 \p After that, David ruled in Jerusalem for thirty-three years.
-\v 5 Many of David's children were born in Jerusalem.
+\v 5 Many of David’s children were born in Jerusalem.
 \q Bathshua, daughter of Ammiel, gave birth to four of his sons: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon.
 
 
@@ -323,38 +323,38 @@
 \v 7 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,
 \v 8 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.
 \q
-\v 9 In addition to all those sons, David's slave wives also gave birth to sons. David also had a daughter named Tamar.
+\v 9 In addition to all those sons, David’s slave wives also gave birth to sons. David also had a daughter named Tamar.
 \s2 The kings of Judah
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 10 Solomon's son was King Rehoboam.
-\q Rehoboam's son was King Abijah.
-\q Abijah's son was King Asa.
-\q Asa's son was King Jehoshaphat.
+\v 10 Solomon’s son was King Rehoboam.
+\q Rehoboam’s son was King Abijah.
+\q Abijah’s son was King Asa.
+\q Asa’s son was King Jehoshaphat.
 \q
-\v 11 Jehoshaphat's son was King Jehoram.
-\q Jehoram's son was King Ahaziah.
-\q Ahaziah's son was King Joash.
+\v 11 Jehoshaphat’s son was King Jehoram.
+\q Jehoram’s son was King Ahaziah.
+\q Ahaziah’s son was King Joash.
 \q
-\v 12 Joash's son was King Amaziah.
-\q Amaziah's son was King Azariah.
-\q Azariah's son was King Jotham.
+\v 12 Joash’s son was King Amaziah.
+\q Amaziah’s son was King Azariah.
+\q Azariah’s son was King Jotham.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 13 Jotham's son was King Ahaz.
-\q Ahaz's son was King Hezekiah.
-\q Hezekiah's son was King Manasseh.
+\v 13 Jotham’s son was King Ahaz.
+\q Ahaz’s son was King Hezekiah.
+\q Hezekiah’s son was King Manasseh.
 \q
-\v 14 Manasseh's son was King Amon.
-\q Amon's son was King Josiah.
+\v 14 Manasseh’s son was King Amon.
+\q Amon’s son was King Josiah.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 15 Josiah's oldest son was Johanan. His other sons were Jehoiakim, Zedekiah, and Shallum.
+\v 15 Josiah’s oldest son was Johanan. His other sons were Jehoiakim, Zedekiah, and Shallum.
 \q
-\v 16 Jehoiakim's son was Jehoiachin. The last king was Zedekiah.
+\v 16 Jehoiakim’s son was Jehoiachin. The last king was Zedekiah.
 \s2 Other descendants of King David after the people of Judah were exiled
 
 \s5
@@ -364,19 +364,19 @@
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 19 Pedaiah's sons were Zerubbabel and Shimei.
-\q Two of Zerubbabel's sons were Meshullam and Hananiah, and their sister was Shelomith.
-\v 20 Zerubbabel's five other sons were Hashubah, Ohel, Berekiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-Hesed.
+\v 19 Pedaiah’s sons were Zerubbabel and Shimei.
+\q Two of Zerubbabel’s sons were Meshullam and Hananiah, and their sister was Shelomith.
+\v 20 Zerubbabel’s five other sons were Hashubah, Ohel, Berekiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-Hesed.
 \q
-\v 21 The sons of Hananiah were Pelatiah and Jeshaiah. Jeshaiah's son was Rephaiah. After him, other descendants of Hananiah were Arnan, Obadiah, and Shecaniah.
+\v 21 The sons of Hananiah were Pelatiah and Jeshaiah. Jeshaiah’s son was Rephaiah. After him, other descendants of Hananiah were Arnan, Obadiah, and Shecaniah.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 22 Shecaniah's son was Shemaiah. Shemaiah's five sons were Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat.
+\v 22 Shecaniah’s son was Shemaiah. Shemaiah’s five sons were Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat.
 \q
-\v 23 Neariah's three sons were Elioenai, Hizkiah, and Azrikam.
+\v 23 Neariah’s three sons were Elioenai, Hizkiah, and Azrikam.
 \q
-\v 24 Elioenai's seven sons were Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani.
+\v 24 Elioenai’s seven sons were Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -385,7 +385,7 @@
 \p
 \v 1 The descendants of Judah were Perez, Hezron, Karmi, Hur, and Shobal.
 \q
-\v 2 Shobal's son was Reaiah. Reaiah was the father of Jahath, and Jahath was the father of Ahumai and Lahad. They were the ancestors of the Zorath people group.
+\v 2 Shobal’s son was Reaiah. Reaiah was the father of Jahath, and Jahath was the father of Ahumai and Lahad. They were the ancestors of the Zorath people group.
 
 \s5
 \q
@@ -394,7 +394,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 5 Hezron's son Ashhur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives whose names were Helah and Naarah.
+\v 5 Hezron’s son Ashhur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives whose names were Helah and Naarah.
 \q
 \v 6 The sons of Asshur and his wife Naarah were Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari.
 \q
@@ -403,8 +403,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 There was another descendant of Judah whose name was Jabez. He was more respected than his brothers were. His mother named him Jabez which means 'pain' because she said, "I was enduring much pain when I gave birth to him."
-\v 10 One day he prayed to God whom his fellow Israelites worshiped, saying, "Please greatly bless me and increase my land. Remain with me, and do not allow anyone to harm me. If you do that for me, I will not have any pain." And God did what Jabez requested him to do.
+\v 9 There was another descendant of Judah whose name was Jabez. He was more respected than his brothers were. His mother named him Jabez which means ‘pain’ because she said, “I was enduring much pain when I gave birth to him.”
+\v 10 One day he prayed to God whom his fellow Israelites worshiped, saying, “Please greatly bless me and increase my land. Remain with me, and do not allow anyone to harm me. If you do that for me, I will not have any pain.” And God did what Jabez requested him to do.
 
 \s5
 \q
@@ -413,37 +413,37 @@
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 13-15 Another descendant of Judah was Jephunneh. His son was Caleb. Caleb's sons were Iru, Elah, and Naam. Elah's son was Kenaz. The sons of Kenaz were Othniel and Seraiah.
-\q2 Othniel's sons were Hathath and Meonothai. Meonothai was the father of Ophrah.
-\q2 Seraiah was the father of Joab. Joab was the ancestor of the people who lived in Craftsmen's Valley. The valley was named that because many of the people who lived there were craftsmen.
+\v 13-15 Another descendant of Judah was Jephunneh. His son was Caleb. Caleb’s sons were Iru, Elah, and Naam. Elah’s son was Kenaz. The sons of Kenaz were Othniel and Seraiah.
+\q2 Othniel’s sons were Hathath and Meonothai. Meonothai was the father of Ophrah.
+\q2 Seraiah was the father of Joab. Joab was the ancestor of the people who lived in Craftsmen’s Valley. The valley was named that because many of the people who lived there were craftsmen.
 \q
 \v 16 Another descendant of Judah was Jehallelel. His sons were Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 17-18 Another descendant of Judah was Ezrah. Ezrah's sons were Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. Mered married Bithiah, who was the daughter of the king of Egypt. The children of Mered and Bithiah were Miriam, Shammai and Ishbah. Ishbah was the father of Eshtemoa. Mered had a wife from Judah. She gave birth to Jered, Heber, and Jekuthiel. Jered was the father of Gedor; Heber was the father of Soko, and Jekuthiel was the father of Zanoah.
+\v 17-18 Another descendant of Judah was Ezrah. Ezrah’s sons were Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. Mered married Bithiah, who was the daughter of the king of Egypt. The children of Mered and Bithiah were Miriam, Shammai and Ishbah. Ishbah was the father of Eshtemoa. Mered had a wife from Judah. She gave birth to Jered, Heber, and Jekuthiel. Jered was the father of Gedor; Heber was the father of Soko, and Jekuthiel was the father of Zanoah.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 19 Hodiah's wife was Naham's sister. Hodiah's wife was the mother of two sons. One of them was the father of Keilah, the ancestor of the Gar people group, and the other one was the father of Eshtemoa, the ancestor of the Maacath people group.
+\v 19 Hodiah’s wife was Naham’s sister. Hodiah’s wife was the mother of two sons. One of them was the father of Keilah, the ancestor of the Gar people group, and the other one was the father of Eshtemoa, the ancestor of the Maacath people group.
 \q
-\v 20 Another descendant of Judah was Shimon. Shimon's sons were Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan, and Tilon.
+\v 20 Another descendant of Judah was Shimon. Shimon’s sons were Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan, and Tilon.
 \q Another descendant of Judah was Ishi. His descendants were Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 21 One of Judah's sons was Shelah. Shelah's descendants were Er the father of Lekah, Laadah the father of Mareshah and the families of those who made things from linen at Beth Ashbea,
+\v 21 One of Judah’s sons was Shelah. Shelah’s descendants were Er the father of Lekah, Laadah the father of Mareshah and the families of those who made things from linen at Beth Ashbea,
 \v 22 Jokim, and the men of the city of Kozeba, and Joash and Saraph, two men who married women from the region of Moab and ruled in Jashubi Lehem. All their names and a record of what they did are written in scrolls.
 \v 23 Some of these descendants of Shelah made pottery for the king. Some of them lived in the city of Netaim, and some lived in the city of Gederah.
 
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 24 Simeon's sons were Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul.
+\v 24 Simeon’s sons were Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul.
 \q2
-\v 25 Shaul's son was Shallum. Shallum's son was Mibsam. Mibsam's son was Mishma.
+\v 25 Shaul’s son was Shallum. Shallum’s son was Mibsam. Mibsam’s son was Mishma.
 \q2
-\v 26 Mishma's son was Hammuel. Hammuel's son was Zaccur. Zaccur's son was Shimei.
+\v 26 Mishma’s son was Hammuel. Hammuel’s son was Zaccur. Zaccur’s son was Shimei.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -467,12 +467,12 @@
 \s5
 \v 39 They went near the city of Gedor on the east side of the valley to look for pastureland for their flocks of sheep.
 \v 40 They found good pastureland with plenty of grass. The place was peaceful and quiet.
-\p Previously the descendants of Noah's son Ham had lived there.
+\p Previously the descendants of Noah’s son Ham had lived there.
 \v 41 But while Hezekiah was the king of Judah, those leaders of the tribe of Simeon came to Gedor and fought against the descendants of Ham and destroyed their tents. They also fought against the descendants of Meun who were living there and they killed all of them. So now there are no descendants of Meun living there. The descendants of Simeon started to live there, because there was good pastureland there for their sheep.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 42 Ishi's four sons Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah and Uzziel led five hundred other descendants of Simeon and attacked the people who were living in the hill country of Edom.
+\v 42 Ishi’s four sons Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah and Uzziel led five hundred other descendants of Simeon and attacked the people who were living in the hill country of Edom.
 \v 43 They killed the few descendants of Amalek who were still alive. From that time until now, the descendants of Simeon have lived in the region of Edom.
 
 
@@ -480,22 +480,22 @@
 \c 5
 \s2 These are the descendants of Reuben.
 \p
-\v 1 Reuben was the oldest son of Jacob. Therefore, he should have received the special rights that belonged to firstborn sons. But he slept with his father's slave wife, so his father gave those rights to the sons of his younger brother Joseph. And in the family records, Reuben is not mentioned first, as the firstborn sons always are.
-\v 2 Although Judah became more influential than his brothers, and a ruler of Judah descended from him, Joseph's family received the rights that belonged to firstborn sons.
-\v 3 But Reuben was Jacob's oldest son.
-\q Reuben's sons were Hanok, Pallu, Hezron, and Karmi.
+\v 1 Reuben was the oldest son of Jacob. Therefore, he should have received the special rights that belonged to firstborn sons. But he slept with his father’s slave wife, so his father gave those rights to the sons of his younger brother Joseph. And in the family records, Reuben is not mentioned first, as the firstborn sons always are.
+\v 2 Although Judah became more influential than his brothers, and a ruler of Judah descended from him, Joseph’s family received the rights that belonged to firstborn sons.
+\v 3 But Reuben was Jacob’s oldest son.
+\q Reuben’s sons were Hanok, Pallu, Hezron, and Karmi.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 4 Another descendant of Reuben was Joel. Joel's son was Shemaiah. Shemaiah's son was Gog. Gog's son was Shimei.
-\v 5 Shimei's son was Micah. Micah's son was Reaiah. Reaiah's son was Baal.
-\v 6 Baal's son was Beerah. Beerah was a leader of the tribe of Reuben. But Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria captured him and took him to Assyria.
+\v 4 Another descendant of Reuben was Joel. Joel’s son was Shemaiah. Shemaiah’s son was Gog. Gog’s son was Shimei.
+\v 5 Shimei’s son was Micah. Micah’s son was Reaiah. Reaiah’s son was Baal.
+\v 6 Baal’s son was Beerah. Beerah was a leader of the tribe of Reuben. But Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria captured him and took him to Assyria.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 7 The names of these clans are listed here according to what is written in their family records.
 \q The names written were: Jeiel (the leader), then Zechariah,
-\v 8 and then Bela son of Azaz, son of Shema, son of Joel. Reuben's clan was very large. Some of them lived near the city of Aroer as far north as the city of Nebo and the city of Baal Meon.
+\v 8 and then Bela son of Azaz, son of Shema, son of Joel. Reuben’s clan was very large. Some of them lived near the city of Aroer as far north as the city of Nebo and the city of Baal Meon.
 \v 9 Some of them lived further east, as far as the edge of the desert south of the Euphrates River. They went there because they had a huge amount of cattle, with the result that there was not enough pastureland for them in the region of Gilead.
 
 \s5
@@ -514,7 +514,7 @@
 \q2
 \v 14 They were descendants of Abihail. Abihail was son of Huri, Huri was the son of Jaroah, Jaroah was the son of Gilead, Gilead was son of Michael, Michael was the son of Jeshishai, Jeshishai was the son of Jahdo, and Jahdo was the son of Buz.
 \q2
-\v 15 Ahi was Abdiel's son. Abdiel was Guni's son. Ahi was the leader of their clan.
+\v 15 Ahi was Abdiel’s son. Abdiel was Guni’s son. Ahi was the leader of their clan.
 
 \s5
 \q
@@ -541,19 +541,19 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 25 But they sinned against God, the one whom their ancestors had worshiped. They began to worship the gods that the people of that region had worshiped, the people whom God had enabled them to destroy.
-\v 26 So the God whom the Israelites worshiped incited Pul, the king of Assyria, to want to conquer those tribes. Pul's other name was Tiglath-Pileser. His army captured the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the eastern half of the tribe of Manasseh, and took them to various places in Assyria: Halah, Habor, Hara and near the Gozan River. They have lived in those places from that time to the present time.
+\v 26 So the God whom the Israelites worshiped incited Pul, the king of Assyria, to want to conquer those tribes. Pul’s other name was Tiglath-Pileser. His army captured the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the eastern half of the tribe of Manasseh, and took them to various places in Assyria: Halah, Habor, Hara and near the Gozan River. They have lived in those places from that time to the present time.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 6
 \s2 These are the descendants of Levi.
 \p
-\v 1 Levi's sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
+\v 1 Levi’s sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
 \q
-\v 2 Kohath's sons were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
+\v 2 Kohath’s sons were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
 \q
-\v 3 Amram's children were Miriam and her younger brothers Aaron and Moses.
-\q Aaron's sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
+\v 3 Amram’s children were Miriam and her younger brothers Aaron and Moses.
+\q Aaron’s sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
 
 \s5
 \q2
@@ -594,80 +594,80 @@
 \q2
 \v 14 Azariah was the father of Seraiah.
 \q2 Seraiah was the father of Jozadak.
-\v 15 Jozadak was forced to leave his home when Yahweh sent King Nebuchadnezzar's army to capture many people in Jerusalem and other places in Judah and compel them to go to Babylonia.
+\v 15 Jozadak was forced to leave his home when Yahweh sent King Nebuchadnezzar’s army to capture many people in Jerusalem and other places in Judah and compel them to go to Babylonia.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 16 Levi's sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
+\v 16 Levi’s sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
 \q2
-\v 17 Gershon's sons were Libni and Shimei.
+\v 17 Gershon’s sons were Libni and Shimei.
 \q2
-\v 18 Kohath's sons were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
+\v 18 Kohath’s sons were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 19 Merari's sons were Mahli and Mushi.
+\v 19 Merari’s sons were Mahli and Mushi.
 \m Here is a list of the descendants of Levi, who became leaders of their clans.
 \q
-\v 20 Gershon's oldest son was Libni.
-\q2 Libni's son was Jahath.
-\q2 Jehath's son was Zimmah.
+\v 20 Gershon’s oldest son was Libni.
+\q2 Libni’s son was Jahath.
+\q2 Jehath’s son was Zimmah.
 \q2
-\v 21 Zimmah's son was Joah.
-\q2 Joah's son was Iddo.
-\q2 Iddo's son was Zerah.
-\q2 Zerah's son was Jeatherai.
+\v 21 Zimmah’s son was Joah.
+\q2 Joah’s son was Iddo.
+\q2 Iddo’s son was Zerah.
+\q2 Zerah’s son was Jeatherai.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 22 Kohath's other son was Amminadab.
-\q2 Amminadab's son was Korah.
-\q2 Korah's son was Assir.
+\v 22 Kohath’s other son was Amminadab.
+\q2 Amminadab’s son was Korah.
+\q2 Korah’s son was Assir.
 \q2
-\v 23 Assir's son was Elkanah.
-\q2 Elkanah's son was Ebiasaph.
-\q2 Ebiasaph's son was Assir.
+\v 23 Assir’s son was Elkanah.
+\q2 Elkanah’s son was Ebiasaph.
+\q2 Ebiasaph’s son was Assir.
 \q2
-\v 24 Assir's son was Tahath.
-\q2 Tahath's son was Uriel.
-\q2 Uriel's son was Uzziah.
-\q2 Uzziah's son was Shaul.
+\v 24 Assir’s son was Tahath.
+\q2 Tahath’s son was Uriel.
+\q2 Uriel’s son was Uzziah.
+\q2 Uzziah’s son was Shaul.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 25 Elkanah's sons were Amasai, Ahimoth,
+\v 25 Elkanah’s sons were Amasai, Ahimoth,
 \q2
 \v 26 and a son also named Elkana.
-\q2 Elkanah's son was Zophai.
-\q2 Zophai's son was Nahath.
+\q2 Elkanah’s son was Zophai.
+\q2 Zophai’s son was Nahath.
 \q2
-\v 27 Nahath's son was Eliab.
-\q2 Eliab's son was Jeroham.
-\q2 Jeroham's son was Elkanah.
+\v 27 Nahath’s son was Eliab.
+\q2 Eliab’s son was Jeroham.
+\q2 Jeroham’s son was Elkanah.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 28 Samuel's oldest son was Joel; his other son was Abijah.
+\v 28 Samuel’s oldest son was Joel; his other son was Abijah.
 \q
-\v 29 Merari's oldest son was Mahli.
-\q2 Mahli's son was Libni.
-\q2 Libni's son was Shimei.
-\q2 Shimei's son was Uzzah.
+\v 29 Merari’s oldest son was Mahli.
+\q2 Mahli’s son was Libni.
+\q2 Libni’s son was Shimei.
+\q2 Shimei’s son was Uzzah.
 \q2
-\v 30 Uzzah's son was Shimea.
-\q2 Shimea's son was Haggiah.
-\q2 Haggiah's son was Asaiah.
+\v 30 Uzzah’s son was Shimea.
+\q2 Shimea’s son was Haggiah.
+\q2 Haggiah’s son was Asaiah.
 \s2 These are the temple musicians.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 31 After the sacred chest was brought to Jerusalem, King David appointed some of the men who were descendants of Levi to be in charge of the music in the place where the people worshiped Yahweh.
-\v 32 Those musicians first sang and played their instruments in the sacred tent, which was also called the tent of meeting, and they continued to do that until Solomon's workers built the temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem. In all their work, they obeyed the instructions that David had given them.
+\v 32 Those musicians first sang and played their instruments in the sacred tent, which was also called the tent of meeting, and they continued to do that until Solomon’s workers built the temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem. In all their work, they obeyed the instructions that David had given them.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 33 Here is a list of the musicians and their sons:
-\q From Kohath's descendants there was Heman, the leader of the singers.
+\q From Kohath’s descendants there was Heman, the leader of the singers.
 \q2 Heman was the son of Joel.
 \q2 Joel was the son of Samuel.
 \q2
@@ -700,7 +700,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 39 Heman's helper was Asaph. His group stood at the right side of Heman.
+\v 39 Heman’s helper was Asaph. His group stood at the right side of Heman.
 \q2 Asaph was the son of Berekiah.
 \q2 Berekiah was the son of Shimea.
 \q2
@@ -722,7 +722,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 44 A group of singers from Merari's family helped Heman and Asaph. They stood at the left of Heman. The leader of this group was Ethan son of Kishi.
+\v 44 A group of singers from Merari’s family helped Heman and Asaph. They stood at the left of Heman. The leader of this group was Ethan son of Kishi.
 \q2 Kishi was the son of Abdi.
 \q2 Abdi was the son of Malluk.
 \q2
@@ -750,28 +750,28 @@
 \s5
 \q
 \v 50 These were the descendants of Aaron:
-\q2 Aaron's son was Eleazar.
-\q2 Eleazar's son was Phinehas.
-\q2 Phinehas's son was Abishua.
+\q2 Aaron’s son was Eleazar.
+\q2 Eleazar’s son was Phinehas.
+\q2 Phinehas’s son was Abishua.
 \q2
-\v 51 Abishua's son was Bukki.
-\q2 Bukki's son was Uzzi.
-\q2 Uzzi's son was Zerahiah.
+\v 51 Abishua’s son was Bukki.
+\q2 Bukki’s son was Uzzi.
+\q2 Uzzi’s son was Zerahiah.
 \q2
-\v 52 Zerahiah's son was Meraioth.
-\q2 Meraioth's son was Amariah.
-\q2 Amariah's son was Ahitub.
+\v 52 Zerahiah’s son was Meraioth.
+\q2 Meraioth’s son was Amariah.
+\q2 Amariah’s son was Ahitub.
 \q2
-\v 53 Ahitub's son was Zadok,
-\q2 and Zadok's son was Ahimaaz.
+\v 53 Ahitub’s son was Zadok,
+\q2 and Zadok’s son was Ahimaaz.
 \s2 This is the land for the descendants of Levi.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 54 Here is a list of the places where Aaron's descendants lived. Those who were descendants of Kohath were the first group to be allotted cities to live in.
+\v 54 Here is a list of the places where Aaron’s descendants lived. Those who were descendants of Kohath were the first group to be allotted cities to live in.
 \pi
 \v 55 They were allotted the city of Hebron in Judah and the pastureland around the city,
-\v 56 but the fields farther from the city and the villages near the city were given to Caleb's son of Jephunneh.
+\v 56 but the fields farther from the city and the villages near the city were given to Caleb’s son of Jephunneh.
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -840,16 +840,16 @@ Bev
 \c 7
 \s2 These are the descendants of Issachar.
 \p
-\v 1 Issachar's four sons were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.
+\v 1 Issachar’s four sons were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.
 \q
-\v 2 Tola's sons were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Samuel. They were all leaders of the clans descended from them.
-\q2 In the record of Tola's descendants were the names of 22,600 men who were able to be in the army during the time that David was the king of Israel.
+\v 2 Tola’s sons were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Samuel. They were all leaders of the clans descended from them.
+\q2 In the record of Tola’s descendants were the names of 22,600 men who were able to be in the army during the time that David was the king of Israel.
 \q
-\v 3 Uzzi's son was Izrahiah. Izrahiah's five sons were Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Ishiah. Izrahiah and his sons were all leaders of their clans.
+\v 3 Uzzi’s son was Izrahiah. Izrahiah’s five sons were Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Ishiah. Izrahiah and his sons were all leaders of their clans.
 
 \s5
 \q2
-\v 4 In the record of Izrahiah's descendants were the names of thirty-six thousand men who were able to be in the army because they had many wives and children.
+\v 4 In the record of Izrahiah’s descendants were the names of thirty-six thousand men who were able to be in the army because they had many wives and children.
 \q
 \v 5 In the records of the clans descended from Issachar were the names of eighty-seven thousand men able to be in the army.
 \s2 The descendants of Benjamin are listed next.
@@ -858,16 +858,16 @@ Bev
 \q2
 \v 6 These are the descendants of Benjamin. The three sons of Benjamin were Bela, Beker, and Jediael.
 \q
-\v 7 Bela's five sons were Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri. They were all leaders of clans.
+\v 7 Bela’s five sons were Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri. They were all leaders of clans.
 \q2 In the records of the clans descended from Bela there were names of 22,034 men who were able to be in the army.
 
 \s5
 \q2
-\v 8 Beker's sons were Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth.
+\v 8 Beker’s sons were Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth.
 \q2
 \v 9 In the records of the clans descended from Beker were the names of 20,200 men and leaders of the clans who were able to be in the army.
 \q
-\v 10 Jediael's son was Bilhan. Bilhan's sons were Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Kenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar.
+\v 10 Jediael’s son was Bilhan. Bilhan’s sons were Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Kenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar.
 
 \s5
 \q
@@ -880,7 +880,7 @@ Bev
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 13 These are the descendants of Naphtali. Naphtali's sons were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. They were all descendants of Jacob's slave wife Bilhah.
+\v 13 These are the descendants of Naphtali. Naphtali’s sons were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. They were all descendants of Jacob’s slave wife Bilhah.
 \s2 The descendants of Manasseh are listed next.
 
 \s5
@@ -889,17 +889,17 @@ Bev
 \q Makir was the father of Gilead.
 \q2
 \v 15 Makir had two wives. They were from the clans of Huppim and Shuppim.
-\q2 One of Makir's wives was named Maacah.
+\q2 One of Makir’s wives was named Maacah.
 \q2 Makir had another son whose name was Zelophehad. Zelophehad had no sons; he had only daughters.
 \q2
-\v 16 Makir's wife Maacah gave birth to two sons whom she named Peresh and Sheresh. Sheresh's sons were Ulam and Rakem.
+\v 16 Makir’s wife Maacah gave birth to two sons whom she named Peresh and Sheresh. Sheresh’s sons were Ulam and Rakem.
 
 \s5
 \q2
-\v 17 Ulam's son was Bedan.
+\v 17 Ulam’s son was Bedan.
 \q Those were descendants of Gilead son of Makir and grandson of Manasseh.
 \q
-\v 18 Makir's sister was Hammoleketh, who was the mother of Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah.
+\v 18 Makir’s sister was Hammoleketh, who was the mother of Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah.
 \q
 \v 19 Another son of Gilead was Shemida, whose sons were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.
 \s2 The descendants of Ephraim are listed next.
@@ -908,34 +908,34 @@ Bev
 \q
 \v 20 These are the descendants of Ephraim.
 \q2 One son of Ephraim was Shuthelah.
-\q2 Shuthelah's son was Bered.
-\q2 Bered's son was Tahath.
-\q2 Tahath's son was Eleadah.
-\q2 Eleadah's son was also named Tahath.
+\q2 Shuthelah’s son was Bered.
+\q2 Bered’s son was Tahath.
+\q2 Tahath’s son was Eleadah.
+\q2 Eleadah’s son was also named Tahath.
 \q2
-\v 21 Tahath's son was Zabad.
-\q2 Zabad's son was Shuthelah.
-\q Ephraim's other sons, Ezer and Elead, went to the city of Gath to steal some cows and sheep. But they were both killed by some of the men from that city.
+\v 21 Tahath’s son was Zabad.
+\q2 Zabad’s son was Shuthelah.
+\q Ephraim’s other sons, Ezer and Elead, went to the city of Gath to steal some cows and sheep. But they were both killed by some of the men from that city.
 \v 22 Their father Ephraim cried for them for many days, and his family came to comfort him.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 23 Then he and his wife slept together again; she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Ephraim named him Beriah which resembles the word 'trouble' because of the trouble that his family had experienced.
-\v 24 Ephraim's daughter was Sheerah. Her workers built three towns: Lower Beth Horon, Upper Beth Horon, and Uzzen Sheerah.
+\v 23 Then he and his wife slept together again; she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Ephraim named him Beriah which resembles the word ‘trouble’ because of the trouble that his family had experienced.
+\v 24 Ephraim’s daughter was Sheerah. Her workers built three towns: Lower Beth Horon, Upper Beth Horon, and Uzzen Sheerah.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 25 Another son of Ephraim was Rephah.
-\q2 Rephah's son was Resheph.
-\q2 Resheph's son was Telah.
-\q2 Telah's son was Tahan.
+\q2 Rephah’s son was Resheph.
+\q2 Resheph’s son was Telah.
+\q2 Telah’s son was Tahan.
 \q2
-\v 26 Tahan's son was Ladan.
-\q2 Ladan's son was Ammihud.
-\q2 Ammihud's son was Elishama.
+\v 26 Tahan’s son was Ladan.
+\q2 Ladan’s son was Ammihud.
+\q2 Ammihud’s son was Elishama.
 \q2
-\v 27 Elishama's son was Nun.
-\q2 Nun's son was Joshua, the man who led the Israelites after Moses died.
+\v 27 Elishama’s son was Nun.
+\q2 Nun’s son was Joshua, the man who led the Israelites after Moses died.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -946,32 +946,32 @@ Bev
 \q Shechem and the nearby villages. Those villages extended north as far as Ayyah and the nearby villages.
 \q
 \v 29 Along the border of the area where the descendants of Manasseh lived were these towns: Beth Shan, Taanach, Megiddo, and Dor, and the nearby villages.
-\m The people who lived in all those places were descendants of Jacob's son Joseph.
+\m The people who lived in all those places were descendants of Jacob’s son Joseph.
 \s2 These are the descendants of Asher.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 30 Asher's sons were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. Their sister was Serah.
+\v 30 Asher’s sons were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. Their sister was Serah.
 \q
-\v 31 Beriah's sons were Heber and Malkiel.
+\v 31 Beriah’s sons were Heber and Malkiel.
 \q2 Malkiel was the father of Birzaith
 \q2
 \v 32 Heber was the father of Japhlet, Shomer, and Hotham. Their sister was Shua.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 33 Japhlet's sons were Pasak, Bimhal, and Ashvath.
+\v 33 Japhlet’s sons were Pasak, Bimhal, and Ashvath.
 \q
-\v 34 Japhlet's younger brother was Shomer. Shomer's sons were Rohgah, Hubbah, and Aram.
+\v 34 Japhlet’s younger brother was Shomer. Shomer’s sons were Rohgah, Hubbah, and Aram.
 \q
-\v 35 Shomer's younger brother was Helem. Helem's sons were Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal.
+\v 35 Shomer’s younger brother was Helem. Helem’s sons were Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal.
 
 \s5
 \q2
-\v 36 Zophah's sons were Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah,
+\v 36 Zophah’s sons were Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah,
 \v 37 Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran whose other name was Jether, and Beera.
 \q2
-\v 38 Jether's sons were Jephunneh, Pispah, and Ara.
+\v 38 Jether’s sons were Jephunneh, Pispah, and Ara.
 
 \s5
 \q
@@ -987,14 +987,14 @@ Bev
 \v 1 Benjamin had five sons: Bela, Ashbel, Aharah,
 \v 2 Nohah, and Rapha.
 \q
-\v 3 Bela's sons were Addar, Gera, Abihud,
+\v 3 Bela’s sons were Addar, Gera, Abihud,
 \v 4 Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah,
 \v 5 Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.
 
 \s5
 \q2
-\v 6 One of Gera's sons was Ehud. The descendants of Ehud were leaders of their clans who lived in the city of Geba, but they were forced to move to the city of Manahath.
-\v 7 Ehud's sons were Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera.
+\v 6 One of Gera’s sons was Ehud. The descendants of Ehud were leaders of their clans who lived in the city of Geba, but they were forced to move to the city of Manahath.
+\v 7 Ehud’s sons were Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera.
 \q2 Gera was the one who led them when they moved to Manahath. Gera was the father of Uzza and Ahihud.
 
 \s5
@@ -1003,22 +1003,22 @@ Bev
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 12-13 Elpaal's sons were Eber, Misham, Shemed, Beriah, and Shema. Shemed built the cities of Ono and Lod and their nearby villages. Beriah and Shema were leaders of their clans, who lived in the city of Aijalon. They forced the people who lived in the city of Gath to leave their city.
+\v 12-13 Elpaal’s sons were Eber, Misham, Shemed, Beriah, and Shema. Shemed built the cities of Ono and Lod and their nearby villages. Beriah and Shema were leaders of their clans, who lived in the city of Aijalon. They forced the people who lived in the city of Gath to leave their city.
 
 \s5
 \q2
-\v 14-16 Beriah's sons were Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth, Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, Michael, Ishpah, and Joha.
+\v 14-16 Beriah’s sons were Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth, Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, Michael, Ishpah, and Joha.
 \q
 \v 17-18 Other descendants of Elpaal were also named Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber,
 \q Ishmerai, Izliah, and Jobab.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 19-21 Another descendant of Benjamin was Shimei. Shimei's descendants included Jakim, Zicri, Zabdi, Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath.
+\v 19-21 Another descendant of Benjamin was Shimei. Shimei’s descendants included Jakim, Zicri, Zabdi, Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 22-25 Shashak's sons were Ishpan, Eber, Eliel,
+\v 22-25 Shashak’s sons were Ishpan, Eber, Eliel,
 Abdon, Zicri, Hanan,
 Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah,
 Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
@@ -1041,12 +1041,12 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \v 33 Ner was the father of Kish, and Kish was the father of King Saul.
 \q Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal.
 \q
-\v 34 Jonathan's son was Merib-Baal.
+\v 34 Jonathan’s son was Merib-Baal.
 \q Merib-Baal was the father of Micah.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 35 Micah's sons were Pithon, Melek, Tarea, and Ahaz.
+\v 35 Micah’s sons were Pithon, Melek, Tarea, and Ahaz.
 \q
 \v 36 Ahaz was the father of Jehoaddah.
 \q Jehoaddah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri.
@@ -1061,17 +1061,17 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \q
 \v 38 Azel had six sons: Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan.
 \q
-\v 39 Azel's younger brother was Eshek.
-\q Eshek's oldest son was Ulam. His other sons were Jeush and Eliphelet.
+\v 39 Azel’s younger brother was Eshek.
+\q Eshek’s oldest son was Ulam. His other sons were Jeush and Eliphelet.
 \q2
-\v 40 Ulam's sons were brave warriors and good archers. Altogether they had 150 sons and grandsons.
+\v 40 Ulam’s sons were brave warriors and good archers. Altogether they had 150 sons and grandsons.
 \m All these were the descendants of Benjamin.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 9
 \p
-\v 1 The names of all the people of Israel were listed in the scroll named "The Record of the Kings of Israel."
+\v 1 The names of all the people of Israel were listed in the scroll named “The Record of the Kings of Israel.”
 
 \p Many of the people of Judah were captured and forced to go to Babylon. That happened because of the sins they had committed.
 \v 2 The first people who returned to Judah many years later and lived in their own land and in their own cities and towns were some Israelite priests, other descendants of Levi, and men who worked in the temple.
@@ -1084,7 +1084,7 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \q
 \v 5 Asaiah and his sons were descendants of Shelan. Asaiah was the oldest son in his family.
 \q
-\v 6 Jeuel and others of his relatives in Zerah's clan. There were 690 people in this clan.
+\v 6 Jeuel and others of his relatives in Zerah’s clan. There were 690 people in this clan.
 
 \s5
 \q
@@ -1126,7 +1126,7 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \v 14 From the descendants of Levi who returned to Judah there was: Shemaiah son of Hasshub;
 \q2 Hasshub son of Azrikam;
 \q2 Azrikam son of Hashabiah;
-\q2 Hashabiah was a descendant of Levi's youngest son Merari.
+\q2 Hashabiah was a descendant of Levi’s youngest son Merari.
 \q
 \v 15 Other descendants of Levi who returned to Judah were: Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, and Mattaniah son of Mika;
 \q2 Mika son of Zicri;
@@ -1141,7 +1141,7 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \s5
 \q
 \v 17 From the descendants of Levi who returned to Judah who guarded the temple gates there were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and some of their relatives. Shallum was their leader.
-\v 18 Those gatekeepers from the tribe of Levi stood at the King's Gate on the east side of the city:
+\v 18 Those gatekeepers from the tribe of Levi stood at the King’s Gate on the east side of the city:
 \q2
 \v 19 Shallum son of Kore:
 \q2 Kore son of Ebiasaph;
@@ -1184,7 +1184,7 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 35 One of the descendants of Benjamin, Jeiel, lived in the city of Gibeon. He was the city leader. His wife's name was Maacah.
+\v 35 One of the descendants of Benjamin, Jeiel, lived in the city of Gibeon. He was the city leader. His wife’s name was Maacah.
 \q
 \v 36 His oldest son was Abdon.
 \q His other sons were Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab,
@@ -1192,15 +1192,15 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 
 \s5
 \q2
-\v 38 Mikloth was the father of Shimeam. Jeiel's family lived near their relatives in Jerusalem.
+\v 38 Mikloth was the father of Shimeam. Jeiel’s family lived near their relatives in Jerusalem.
 \q
 \v 39 Ner was the father of Kish. Kish was the father of King Saul. Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal.
 \q
-\v 40 Jonathan's son was Merib-Baal. Merib-Baal was the father of Mikah.
+\v 40 Jonathan’s son was Merib-Baal. Merib-Baal was the father of Mikah.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 41 Mikah's sons were Pithon, Melek, Tahrea, and Ahaz.
+\v 41 Mikah’s sons were Pithon, Melek, Tahrea, and Ahaz.
 \q2
 \v 42 Ahaz was the father of Jadah. Jadah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri.
 \q2 Zimri was the father of Moza.
@@ -1220,7 +1220,7 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 Saul said to the man who was carrying his weapons, "Take out your sword and kill me with it, in order that these heathen Philistines will not be able to injure me further and make fun of me while I am dying." But the man who was carrying Saul's weapons was terrified and refused to do that. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it and died.
+\v 4 Saul said to the man who was carrying his weapons, “Take out your sword and kill me with it, in order that these heathen Philistines will not be able to injure me further and make fun of me while I am dying.” But the man who was carrying Saul’s weapons was terrified and refused to do that. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it and died.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1234,12 +1234,12 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \v 8 The next day, when the Philistines came to take away the weapons of the dead Israelite soldiers, they found the corpses of Saul and his three sons on Mount Gilboa.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 They took the clothes off Saul's corpse and cut off his head and took it and Saul's armor.
-\v 10 Then they sent messengers throughout their land, to proclaim the news throughout their own area, to their idols and to the other people. They put Saul's armor in the temple where their idols were, and they hung Saul's head in the temple of their god Dagon.
+\v 9 They took the clothes off Saul’s corpse and cut off his head and took it and Saul’s armor.
+\v 10 Then they sent messengers throughout their land, to proclaim the news throughout their own area, to their idols and to the other people. They put Saul’s armor in the temple where their idols were, and they hung Saul’s head in the temple of their god Dagon.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 All the people who lived in Jabesh in the region of Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul's corpse.
+\v 11 All the people who lived in Jabesh in the region of Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul’s corpse.
 \v 12 So the bravest men of Jabesh went and got the corpses of Saul and his sons and brought them back to Jabesh. They buried their bones under a large tree in Jabesh. Then the people of Jabesh fasted for seven days.
 
 \s5
@@ -1252,8 +1252,8 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \c 11
 
 \p
-\v 1 Then the people of Israel came to David at the city of Hebron and said to him, "Listen, we have the same ancestors that you have.
-\v 2 In the past, when Saul was our king, it was you who led our Israelite soldiers in our battles. You are the one to whom Yahweh our God promised, 'You will be the leader of my people; you will be their king.'"
+\v 1 Then the people of Israel came to David at the city of Hebron and said to him, “Listen, we have the same ancestors that you have.
+\v 2 In the past, when Saul was our king, it was you who led our Israelite soldiers in our battles. You are the one to whom Yahweh our God promised, ‘You will be the leader of my people; you will be their king.’”
 \p
 \v 3 So all the Israelite elders came to David at Hebron. There David made a sacred agreement with them while Yahweh was listening. They anointed him with olive oil to set him apart to be the king of the Israelite people. That is what Yahweh had previously told the prophet Samuel would happen.
 
@@ -1261,50 +1261,50 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 David and all the Israelite soldiers went to Jerusalem. At that time, Jerusalem was called Jebus, and the people who lived there were the Jebus people group.
-\v 5 They said to David, "Your soldiers will not be able to get inside our city!" But David's soldiers captured the city, even though it had strong walls around it, and since then it has been called the city of David.
+\v 5 They said to David, “Your soldiers will not be able to get inside our city!” But David’s soldiers captured the city, even though it had strong walls around it, and since then it has been called the city of David.
 \p
-\v 6 What happened was this: David said to his soldiers, "The one who leads our soldiers to attack the Jebus people group will become the commander of all my army." Joab son of Zeruiah, led the soldiers, so he became the commander of all the army.
+\v 6 What happened was this: David said to his soldiers, “The one who leads our soldiers to attack the Jebus people group will become the commander of all my army.” Joab son of Zeruiah, led the soldiers, so he became the commander of all the army.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 After they captured the city with its strong walls around it, David moved there. That is why they named it the city of David.
-\v 8 David's workers rebuilt the city, starting where the land was filled in and extending to the wall that was around the city. Joab's men repaired the other parts of the city.
+\v 8 David’s workers rebuilt the city, starting where the land was filled in and extending to the wall that was around the city. Joab’s men repaired the other parts of the city.
 \v 9 David became more and more powerful because Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, was with him.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 10 Yahweh had promised that David would become the king. And all the Israelite people were happy that David was their king.
-\p There were many soldiers who helped David's kingdom to remain strong.
-\v 11 This is a list of David's most outstanding warriors:
+\p There were many soldiers who helped David’s kingdom to remain strong.
+\v 11 This is a list of David’s most outstanding warriors:
 \p Jashobeam was from the Hachmon clan. He was the leader of the officers. One time he fought against three hundred enemies and killed them all with his spear.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Next was Eleazar son of Dodo, from the clan of Ahoh. He was one of David's three mighty men.
+\v 12 Next was Eleazar son of Dodo, from the clan of Ahoh. He was one of David’s three mighty men.
 \v 13 One day he was with David at Pas Dammim when the soldiers of Philistia gathered there for the battle. There was a field of barley there. At first the Israelite soldiers ran away from the soldiers of Philistia,
 \v 14 but then David and Eleazar stopped in the middle of the field and fought to defend it and killed many of the soldiers of Philistia. Yahweh enabled them to win a great victory on that day.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 One time three of David's thirty greatest warriors came to David when he was camping next to the huge rock outside the cave near Adullam. At that same time, the army of Philistia had camped in the Valley of Rephaim.
+\v 15 One time three of David’s thirty greatest warriors came to David when he was camping next to the huge rock outside the cave near Adullam. At that same time, the army of Philistia had camped in the Valley of Rephaim.
 \v 16 David was in a fortress, and some of the soldiers of Philistia were occupying Bethlehem.
-\v 17 One day David very much wanted some water to drink and said, "I wish that someone would bring me some water from the well near the gate at Bethlehem!"
+\v 17 One day David very much wanted some water to drink and said, “I wish that someone would bring me some water from the well near the gate at Bethlehem!”
 
 \s5
 \v 18 So the three greatest warriors forced through the camp of Philistia soldiers and drew some water from the well, and brought it to David. But he would not drink it. Instead, he poured it out on the ground to be an offering to Yahweh.
-\v 19 He said, "Yahweh, it would certainly not be right for me to drink this water! That would be like drinking the blood of these men who were willing to die for me!" So he refused to drink it.
-\p That was one of the things that David's three greatest warriors did.
+\v 19 He said, “Yahweh, it would certainly not be right for me to drink this water! That would be like drinking the blood of these men who were willing to die for me!” So he refused to drink it.
+\p That was one of the things that David’s three greatest warriors did.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Joab's younger brother Abishai was the leader of the greatest warriors (called "The Three") and they gave him the great honor. One time Abishai fought three hundred enemy soldiers with his spear, and he killed them all.
-\v 21 So he became as famous as the three greatest warriors (called "The Three"). He became their commander, even though "The Three" did not count him in their number.
+\v 20 Joab’s younger brother Abishai was the leader of the greatest warriors (called “The Three”) and they gave him the great honor. One time Abishai fought three hundred enemy soldiers with his spear, and he killed them all.
+\v 21 So he became as famous as the three greatest warriors (called “The Three”). He became their commander, even though “The Three” did not count him in their number.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 Jehoiada's son Benaiah was a brave soldier from the city of Kabzeel who did great deeds. He killed two of the best warriors from the Moab people group. One day he went down into a pit when snow was falling on the ground and killed a lion there.
-\v 23 He also killed a soldier from Egypt who was two and one-third meters tall. The soldier from Egypt carried a spear that was as long as a weaver's rod. Benaiah had only a club, but he grabbed the other man's spear and killed him with it.
+\v 22 Jehoiada’s son Benaiah was a brave soldier from the city of Kabzeel who did great deeds. He killed two of the best warriors from the Moab people group. One day he went down into a pit when snow was falling on the ground and killed a lion there.
+\v 23 He also killed a soldier from Egypt who was two and one-third meters tall. The soldier from Egypt carried a spear that was as long as a weaver’s rod. Benaiah had only a club, but he grabbed the other man’s spear and killed him with it.
 
 \s5
 \v 24 Those are some of the things that Benaiah did. So he became as famous as the three greatest warriors.
@@ -1359,11 +1359,11 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \q2 Mibhar son of Hagri;
 \q2
 \v 39 Zelek from the Ammon people group;
-\q2 Naharai, the man who carried Joab's weapons, from Beeroth;
+\q2 Naharai, the man who carried Joab’s weapons, from Beeroth;
 \q2
 \v 40 Ira and Gareb from Jattir;
 \q2
-\v 41 Uriah, Bathsheba's husband, from the Heth people group;
+\v 41 Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, from the Heth people group;
 \q2 Zabad son of Ahlai;
 
 \s5
@@ -1444,23 +1444,23 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \s5
 \p
 \v 16 Some other men from the tribe of Benjamin and from Judah also came to David in his fortress.
-\v 17 David went out of the cave to meet them and said to them, "If you have come peacefully to help me, I am eager to have to join with me. But if you have come to enable my enemies to capture me, even though I have not done anything to harm you, I hope that the God whom our ancestors worshiped will see it and condemn you."
+\v 17 David went out of the cave to meet them and said to them, “If you have come peacefully to help me, I am eager to have to join with me. But if you have come to enable my enemies to capture me, even though I have not done anything to harm you, I hope that the God whom our ancestors worshiped will see it and condemn you.”
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 Then God's Spirit came on Amasai, who was the leader of the thirty greatest warriors, and he said,
-\q1 "David, we want to be with you;
+\v 18 Then God’s Spirit came on Amasai, who was the leader of the thirty greatest warriors, and he said,
+\q1 “David, we want to be with you;
 \q2 you who are the son of Jesse, we will join you.
 \q1 We know that things will go very well for you and for those who are with you,
-\q2 because your God is helping you." So David welcomed those men, and he appointed them to be leaders of his soldiers.
+\q2 because your God is helping you.” So David welcomed those men, and he appointed them to be leaders of his soldiers.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 Some men from the tribe of Manasseh also joined David when he went with the soldiers of Philistia to fight against Saul's army. But David and his men did not really help the army of Philistia. After the leaders of Philistia talked about David and his soldiers, they sent David away. They said, "If David joins his master Saul again, we will all be killed."
-\v 20 When David went to Ziklag, these were the men from the tribe of Manasseh who went with him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, another man whose name was Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai. Each of them had been a commander of one thousand men in Saul's army.
+\v 19 Some men from the tribe of Manasseh also joined David when he went with the soldiers of Philistia to fight against Saul’s army. But David and his men did not really help the army of Philistia. After the leaders of Philistia talked about David and his soldiers, they sent David away. They said, “If David joins his master Saul again, we will all be killed.”
+\v 20 When David went to Ziklag, these were the men from the tribe of Manasseh who went with him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, another man whose name was Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai. Each of them had been a commander of one thousand men in Saul’s army.
 
 \s5
-\v 21 They were all brave soldiers, and they helped David to fight against the groups of men who roamed throughout the country, robbing people. So those men became commanders in David's army.
-\v 22 Every day more men joined David's men, and his army became large, like the army of God.
+\v 21 They were all brave soldiers, and they helped David to fight against the groups of men who roamed throughout the country, robbing people. So those men became commanders in David’s army.
+\v 22 Every day more men joined David’s men, and his army became large, like the army of God.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1481,7 +1481,7 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 29 There were three thousand men from the tribe of Benjamin who were Saul's relatives. Most of them had previously wanted one of Saul's descendants to be the king.
+\v 29 There were three thousand men from the tribe of Benjamin who were Saul’s relatives. Most of them had previously wanted one of Saul’s descendants to be the king.
 \q
 \v 30 There were 20,800 men from the tribe of Ephraim who were all brave warriors and trained for fighting battles and famous in their own clans.
 \q
@@ -1507,7 +1507,7 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 38 All those men were soldiers who volunteered to be in David's army. They came to Hebron wanting very much to enable David to be the king of all of the Israelite people.
+\v 38 All those men were soldiers who volunteered to be in David’s army. They came to Hebron wanting very much to enable David to be the king of all of the Israelite people.
 \v 39 The men spent three days there with David, eating and drinking, because their families had given them food to take with them.
 \v 40 Also, their fellow Israelites came from as far away as the area where the tribes of Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali lived, bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen. They brought a lot of flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine, olive oil, cattle and sheep. And throughout Israel, the people were very joyful.
 
@@ -1517,8 +1517,8 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 
 \p
 \v 1 One day David talked with all his army officers. Some of them were commanders of one hundred soldiers and some were commanders of one thousand soldiers.
-\v 2 Then he summoned the other Israelite leaders and said to all of them, "If it seems to you to be a good thing for us to do, and if it is what Yahweh our God wants, let us send a message to our fellow Israelites in all the areas of our country, including the priests and descendants of Levi who are living among them in their towns and in the nearby pasturelands, to come and join us,
-\v 3 because we want to bring the sacred chest of our God back to us. While Saul was the king, we did not ask God what we should do."
+\v 2 Then he summoned the other Israelite leaders and said to all of them, “If it seems to you to be a good thing for us to do, and if it is what Yahweh our God wants, let us send a message to our fellow Israelites in all the areas of our country, including the priests and descendants of Levi who are living among them in their towns and in the nearby pasturelands, to come and join us,
+\v 3 because we want to bring the sacred chest of our God back to us. While Saul was the king, we did not ask God what we should do.”
 \v 4 All the people agreed with David, because they all thought that it was the right thing to do.
 
 \s5
@@ -1528,21 +1528,21 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 The people put the sacred chest on a new cart and carried it from Abinadab's house. Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the oxen that were pulling the cart.
-\v 8 David and all the Israelite people were celebrating in God's presence. They were singing with all their strength, and playing lyres, harps, tambourines, and cymbals, and blowing trumpets.
+\v 7 The people put the sacred chest on a new cart and carried it from Abinadab’s house. Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the oxen that were pulling the cart.
+\v 8 David and all the Israelite people were celebrating in God’s presence. They were singing with all their strength, and playing lyres, harps, tambourines, and cymbals, and blowing trumpets.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 But when David's men came to the place where Kidon threshed grain, the oxen stumbled. So Uzzah reached out with his hand to prevent the sacred chest from falling off the cart.
+\v 9 But when David’s men came to the place where Kidon threshed grain, the oxen stumbled. So Uzzah reached out with his hand to prevent the sacred chest from falling off the cart.
 \v 10 Yahweh immediately became very angry with Uzzah, and as he was watching, he suddently killed Uzzah. This was because Uzziah had put his hand on the sacred chest, although Yahweh had commanded that only the descendants of Levi who help the priests should touch the sacred chest.
 \p
-\v 11 David was angry because Yahweh had punished Uzzah. And now that place where Uzzah died is called "The Punishment of Uzzah."
+\v 11 David was angry because Yahweh had punished Uzzah. And now that place where Uzzah died is called “The Punishment of Uzzah.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 That day, David was afraid of God. He asked himself, "How can I bring God's sacred chest to my city?
+\v 12 That day, David was afraid of God. He asked himself, “How can I bring God’s sacred chest to my city?
 \v 13 So the men with David did not take the sacred chest to Jerusalem. Instead, they took it to the house of Obed Edom, who was from the city of Gath.
-\v 14 The sacred chest stayed with Obed Edom's family in his house for three months. During that time Yahweh blessed Obed Edom's family and everything that he owned.
+\v 14 The sacred chest stayed with Obed Edom’s family in his house for three months. During that time Yahweh blessed Obed Edom’s family and everything that he owned.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1567,19 +1567,19 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \v 9 The army of Philistia had attacked the people in the Valley of Rephaim southwest of Jerusalem and had robbed them.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 David asked God, "Should my men and I go and attack the army of Philistia? If we go, will you enable us to defeat them?"
-\p Yahweh replied, "Yes, go, and I will enable you to defeat them."
+\v 10 David asked God, “Should my men and I go and attack the army of Philistia? If we go, will you enable us to defeat them?”
+\p Yahweh replied, “Yes, go, and I will enable you to defeat them.”
 \p
-\v 11 So David and his men went up to a town where the soldiers of Philistia were staying and defeated the soldiers of Philistia. Then David said, "God has completely defeated my enemies by using me and my army." So they named that place "Baal Perazim," which means "The Lord breaks through."
+\v 11 So David and his men went up to a town where the soldiers of Philistia were staying and defeated the soldiers of Philistia. Then David said, “God has completely defeated my enemies by using me and my army.” So they named that place “Baal Perazim,” which means “The Lord breaks through.”
 \v 12 As the soldiers of Philistia fled, they left their idols there. So David commanded his soldiers to burn those idols.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 13 But soon the army of Philistia attacked the people in that valley again.
-\v 14 So again David prayed to God to ask him what he should do, and God replied, saying "Do not attack the army of Philistia from the front. Instead, go around them, and attack them from the rear in front of the balsam trees.
+\v 14 So again David prayed to God to ask him what he should do, and God replied, saying “Do not attack the army of Philistia from the front. Instead, go around them, and attack them from the rear in front of the balsam trees.
 
 \s5
-\v 15 When you hear something in the tops of the balsam trees that sounds like soldiers marching, attack them. I, God, will have gone ahead of you to enable you to defeat the army of Philistia."
+\v 15 When you hear something in the tops of the balsam trees that sounds like soldiers marching, attack them. I, God, will have gone ahead of you to enable you to defeat the army of Philistia.”
 \v 16 So David did what God commanded him to do, and he and his army defeated the army of Philistia, all the way from the city of Gibeon west to the city of Gezer.
 \p
 \v 17 So David became famous in all the nearby countries, and Yahweh caused the leaders of all the nations to be afraid of him.
@@ -1590,34 +1590,34 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 
 \p
 \v 1 David commanded his workers to build houses for himself in Jerusalem. He also told them to set up a tent in which to put the sacred chest.
-\v 2 He said, "Only the descendants of Levi are permitted to carry God's sacred chest, because they are the ones whom Yahweh chose to carry it and to serve him forever."
+\v 2 He said, “Only the descendants of Levi are permitted to carry God’s sacred chest, because they are the ones whom Yahweh chose to carry it and to serve him forever.”
 \p
 \v 3 David summoned all the people of Israel to come to Jerusalem. He wanted the sacred chest of Yahweh to be put in the place that he had made for it.
 
 \s5
 \v 4 He summoned the descendants of Aaron, who was the first high priest, and the descendants of Levi.
 \li
-\v 5 120 descendants of Kohath, who was Levi's second son, came, with Uriel their leader.
+\v 5 120 descendants of Kohath, who was Levi’s second son, came, with Uriel their leader.
 \q
-\v 6 There were 220 descendants of Merari, Levi's third son, who came, with Asaiah their leader.
+\v 6 There were 220 descendants of Merari, Levi’s third son, who came, with Asaiah their leader.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 7 There were 130 descendants of Gershon, Levi's first son, who came, with Joel their leader.
+\v 7 There were 130 descendants of Gershon, Levi’s first son, who came, with Joel their leader.
 \q
-\v 8 Also, there were 200 people from Elizaphan's clan who came, with Shemaiah their leader.
+\v 8 Also, there were 200 people from Elizaphan’s clan who came, with Shemaiah their leader.
 \q
-\v 9 There were 80 people from Hebron's clan who came, with Eliel their leader.
+\v 9 There were 80 people from Hebron’s clan who came, with Eliel their leader.
 \q
-\v 10 And there were 112 people from Uzziel's clan who came, with Amminadab their leader.
+\v 10 And there were 112 people from Uzziel’s clan who came, with Amminadab their leader.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 11 David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar and these descendants of Levi: Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.
-\v 12 David said to them, "You are the leaders of the clans descended from Levi. You and the other descendants of Levi must purify yourselves, in order to be able to do this special work for Yahweh. You must bring the sacred chest of Yahweh, the God of us Israelites, up to the place that I have made for it here in Jerusalem.
+\v 12 David said to them, “You are the leaders of the clans descended from Levi. You and the other descendants of Levi must purify yourselves, in order to be able to do this special work for Yahweh. You must bring the sacred chest of Yahweh, the God of us Israelites, up to the place that I have made for it here in Jerusalem.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 The first time that we tried to bring it, we did not ask Yahweh how we should carry it. You descendants of Levi were not the ones who carried it, so Yahweh our God punished us."
+\v 13 The first time that we tried to bring it, we did not ask Yahweh how we should carry it. You descendants of Levi were not the ones who carried it, so Yahweh our God punished us.”
 \p
 \v 14 Then the priests and the descendants of Levi performed the rituals to purify themselves, in order that it would be proper for them to do the work of carrying the sacred chest of Yahweh, the God of the Israelite people.
 \v 15 The descendants of Levi fastened poles to the sacred chest so that they could carry it by fastening poles to it and putting it on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded, and as Yahweh had said that they should.
@@ -1643,7 +1643,7 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 25 David and the Israelite leaders and the officers who commanded one thousand soldiers went to get the sacred chest. They went to bring it from Obed Edom's house. They went very joyfully.
+\v 25 David and the Israelite leaders and the officers who commanded one thousand soldiers went to get the sacred chest. They went to bring it from Obed Edom’s house. They went very joyfully.
 \v 26 God helped the descendants of Levi who carried the sacred chest of Yahweh; therefore David and the leaders sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams to thank him.
 
 \s5
@@ -1652,7 +1652,7 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 29 While they were bringing the sacred chest into Jerusalem, Saul's daughter Michal watched them, looking out of a window. When she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him.
+\v 29 While they were bringing the sacred chest into Jerusalem, Saul’s daughter Michal watched them, looking out of a window. When she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1708,12 +1708,12 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \v 17 It was an covenant for the Israelite people,
 \q2 and he wanted that covenant to endure forever.
 \q1
-\v 18 What he said was, "I will give the region of Canaan to you,
-\q2 to belong to you and your descendants forever."
+\v 18 What he said was, “I will give the region of Canaan to you,
+\q2 to belong to you and your descendants forever.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 19 When Yahweh's people were only a few in number,
+\v 19 When Yahweh’s people were only a few in number,
 \q2 a tiny group of people who were living in that land like strangers,
 \q1
 \v 20 they continued to wander from one place to another,
@@ -1722,8 +1722,8 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \v 21 He did not allow others to oppress them,
 \q2 and he warned kings by saying to them,
 \q1
-\v 22 "Do not harm the people whom I have chosen!
-\q2 Do not harm my prophets!"
+\v 22 “Do not harm the people whom I have chosen!
+\q2 Do not harm my prophets!”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -1759,7 +1759,7 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \q2 He put the earth firmly in its place; and nothing ever will be able to move it.
 \q1
 \v 31 Everything in the sky and on the earth should be happy.
-\q2 People everywhere should say, "Yahweh is our king!"
+\q2 People everywhere should say, “Yahweh is our king!”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -1774,22 +1774,22 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \v 34 Thank Yahweh, because everything that he does is good.
 \q2 He faithfully loves us forever.
 \q1
-\v 35 Say to him, "God, you are the one who rescues us,
+\v 35 Say to him, “God, you are the one who rescues us,
 \q2 so gather us together and save us from the armies of other nations.
 \q1 When you do that, we will thank you ,
-\q2 and we will be happy to praise you."
+\q2 and we will be happy to praise you.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 36 Praise Yahweh, the God of us Israelite people,
 \q2 He has always existed, and he will exist forever.
-\m After the people finished singing that song, they all said "Amen!", and they praised Yahweh.
+\m After the people finished singing that song, they all said “Amen!”, and they praised Yahweh.
 
 \s5
-\v 37 Then David left Asaph and the other members of his clan there in front of the tent in which Yahweh's sacred chest had been placed. He told them that they must do their work there every day.
+\v 37 Then David left Asaph and the other members of his clan there in front of the tent in which Yahweh’s sacred chest had been placed. He told them that they must do their work there every day.
 \v 38 David also left Obed Edom and 68 other descendants of Levi to work with them. Hosah and Obed Edom guarded the entrances of the sacred tent.
 \p
-\v 39 David also told Zadok the high priest and the other priests who worked with him to remain in front of Yahweh's sacred tent, at the place where the Israelite people worshiped Yahweh there in the city of Gibeon.
+\v 39 David also told Zadok the high priest and the other priests who worked with him to remain in front of Yahweh’s sacred tent, at the place where the Israelite people worshiped Yahweh there in the city of Gibeon.
 
 \s5
 \v 40 Every morning and every evening they burned offerings on the altar, obeying the rules that had been written by Moses, rules that Yahweh had given to the Israelite people.
@@ -1805,21 +1805,21 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \c 17
 
 \p
-\v 1 After David began to live in his palace, he said to the prophet Nathan, "It does not seem right that I am here living in a palace made of cedar wood, but Yahweh's sacred chest is kept inside a tent!"
+\v 1 After David began to live in his palace, he said to the prophet Nathan, “It does not seem right that I am here living in a palace made of cedar wood, but Yahweh’s sacred chest is kept inside a tent!”
 \p
-\v 2 Nathan replied to David, "Whatever you are thinking about doing, do it, because God is with you."
+\v 2 Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you are thinking about doing, do it, because God is with you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 3 But that night God spoke to Nathan. He said,
 \pi
-\v 4 "Go and tell my servant David that this is what I, Yahweh, am saying to him: 'You are not the one who should build a temple for me to live in.
+\v 4 “Go and tell my servant David that this is what I, Yahweh, am saying to him: ‘You are not the one who should build a temple for me to live in.
 \v 5 I have not lived in any building, from the day that I brought the people of Israel up out of Egypt until now. Instead, I have lived in my sacred tent, moving from one place to another when the Israelites moved to other places.
-\v 6 Wherever I went with all the Israelites as they traveled, I never said to any of their leaders whom I appointed to lead them, "Why have you not built me a temple made of cedar wood?"'
+\v 6 Wherever I went with all the Israelites as they traveled, I never said to any of their leaders whom I appointed to lead them, “Why have you not built me a temple made of cedar wood?”’
 
 \s5
 \pi
-\v 7 Therefore, this is what you should say to my servant David: 'I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, took you from a pasture where you were taking care of sheep, and I appointed you to be the ruler of my Israelite people.
+\v 7 Therefore, this is what you should say to my servant David: ‘I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, took you from a pasture where you were taking care of sheep, and I appointed you to be the ruler of my Israelite people.
 \v 8 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have gotten rid of all your enemies who were in front of you. And now I will cause you to become very famous, as well known as the names of the greatest men who have ever lived on the earth.
 
 \s5
@@ -1832,7 +1832,7 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 
 \s5
 \v 13 I will be like a father to him, and it will be as though he is a son to me. I stopped loving Saul, the one who was the king before you became king, but I will never stop loving your son.
-\v 14 I will cause him to rule over my people and his kingdom will endure forever.'"
+\v 14 I will cause him to rule over my people and his kingdom will endure forever.’”
 \p
 \v 15 So Nathan reported to David everything that Yahweh had revealed to him.
 
@@ -1840,7 +1840,7 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \s5
 \p
 \v 16 Then David went into the sacred tent and sat in the presence of Yahweh, and prayed this:
-\pi "Yahweh my God, I am certainly not worthy for you to have done of all these things for me, and my family is not worthy, either.
+\pi “Yahweh my God, I am certainly not worthy for you to have done of all these things for me, and my family is not worthy, either.
 \pi
 \v 17 And O God, now, in addition to everything else, you have spoken about what will happen to my descendants in the future for many generations. Yahweh my God, you have acted toward me as though I was the most important man on the earth!
 \pi
@@ -1856,48 +1856,48 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \v 22 You have caused us your Israelite people to belong to you forever, and you, Yahweh, have become our God!
 \pi
 \v 23 And now Yahweh, I pray that you will cause the things that you have promised about me and my descendants to be fulfilled forever, and do the things that you have said that you would do.
-\v 24 When that happens, you will be famous forever. And people will exclaim, 'Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, is the God who rules Israel!' And you will cause that forever there will be descendants of mine who will rule.
+\v 24 When that happens, you will be famous forever. And people will exclaim, ‘Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, is the God who rules Israel!’ And you will cause that forever there will be descendants of mine who will rule.
 
 \s5
 \pi
 \v 25 You, my God, have revealed to me that you will cause some of my descendants to become kings. So I am brave enough to pray like this to you.
 \v 26 Yahweh, you are God! You have promised to do these good things for me.
-\v 27 And now you, Yahweh, have promised to bless my descendants, in order that they will continue to rule forever. That will happen because you, Yahweh, are the one who has blessed them, and you will keep blessing them forever."
+\v 27 And now you, Yahweh, have promised to bless my descendants, in order that they will continue to rule forever. That will happen because you, Yahweh, are the one who has blessed them, and you will keep blessing them forever.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 18
 
 \p
-\v 1 Some time later, David's army attacked the army of Philistia and defeated them. They captured the city of Gath and the surrounding villages.
+\v 1 Some time later, David’s army attacked the army of Philistia and defeated them. They captured the city of Gath and the surrounding villages.
 \p
-\v 2 His army also defeated the army of the Moab people group. The people were forced to accept David to be their ruler, and also to pay money each year to David's government, in order that David's army would protect them.
+\v 2 His army also defeated the army of the Moab people group. The people were forced to accept David to be their ruler, and also to pay money each year to David’s government, in order that David’s army would protect them.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 David's army also fought against the army of Hadadezer, the king of the region of Zobah in Aram near the city of Hamath, when Hadadezer was trying to establish control over the area near the Euphrates River.
-\v 4 David's army captured one thousand of Hadadezer's chariots, seven thousand chariot drivers, and twenty thousand soldiers. They hamstrung most of their horses; there were only one hundred horses that they did not cripple.
+\v 3 David’s army also fought against the army of Hadadezer, the king of the region of Zobah in Aram near the city of Hamath, when Hadadezer was trying to establish control over the area near the Euphrates River.
+\v 4 David’s army captured one thousand of Hadadezer’s chariots, seven thousand chariot drivers, and twenty thousand soldiers. They hamstrung most of their horses; there were only one hundred horses that they did not cripple.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 When the army of Aram came from the city of Damascus to help Hadadezer's army, David's soldiers killed twenty-two thousand of them.
-\v 6 Then David stationed groups of his soldiers in Damascus, and the people of Aram were forced to accept David to be their ruler, and to pay to David's government each year the payment that he demanded. And Yahweh enabled David's army to win battles everywhere they went.
+\v 5 When the army of Aram came from the city of Damascus to help Hadadezer’s army, David’s soldiers killed twenty-two thousand of them.
+\v 6 Then David stationed groups of his soldiers in Damascus, and the people of Aram were forced to accept David to be their ruler, and to pay to David’s government each year the payment that he demanded. And Yahweh enabled David’s army to win battles everywhere they went.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 David soldiers took the gold shields that were carried by the officers of Hadadezer's army and brought them to Jerusalem.
-\v 8 They also brought from Tebah and Kun, two cities that belonged to Hadadezer, a lot of bronze, which David's son Solomon later used to make the huge bronze basin called "The Sea" and the pillars and other bronze items for the temple.
+\v 7 David soldiers took the gold shields that were carried by the officers of Hadadezer’s army and brought them to Jerusalem.
+\v 8 They also brought from Tebah and Kun, two cities that belonged to Hadadezer, a lot of bronze, which David’s son Solomon later used to make the huge bronze basin called “The Sea” and the pillars and other bronze items for the temple.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 When Tou, the king of the city of Hamath in Aram, heard that David's army had defeated the entire army of King Hadadezer,
-\v 10 he sent his son Hadoram to King David, to greet him and congratulate him about his defeating Hadadezer's army, which had been fighting the army of Tou. Hadoram brought to David many items made of gold, silver, and bronze.
+\v 9 When Tou, the king of the city of Hamath in Aram, heard that David’s army had defeated the entire army of King Hadadezer,
+\v 10 he sent his son Hadoram to King David, to greet him and congratulate him about his defeating Hadadezer’s army, which had been fighting the army of Tou. Hadoram brought to David many items made of gold, silver, and bronze.
 \p
 \v 11 King David dedicated those thngs to Yahweh, like he had done with the silver and gold that his soldiers had taken from the Edom and Moab people groups, and from the Ammon people group and from the people of Philistia, and from the descendants of Amalek.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 The army of David's army commander Abishai, whose mother was Zeruiah, killed eighteen thousand soldiers from Edom in the Valley of Salt.
+\v 12 The army of David’s army commander Abishai, whose mother was Zeruiah, killed eighteen thousand soldiers from Edom in the Valley of Salt.
 \v 13 Then David stationed groups of his soldiers there in Edom, and the people of Edom were forced to become the servants of David.
 
 
@@ -1906,22 +1906,22 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \v 14 David ruled over all the Israelite people, and he always did for them what was just and fair.
 \v 15 Joab son of Zeruiah was the chief army commander. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the record keeper.
 \v 16 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests. Shavsha was the official secretary.
-\v 17 Benaiah son of Jehoiada ruled over the Kereth and Peleth groups who were David's bodyguards. And David's sons were his most important officials.
+\v 17 Benaiah son of Jehoiada ruled over the Kereth and Peleth groups who were David’s bodyguards. And David’s sons were his most important officials.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 19
 \p
 \v 1 Some time later, Nahash, the king of the Ammon people group, died. Then his son Hanun became their king.
-\v 2 When David heard about that, he thought to himself, "Nahash was kind to me, so I will be kind to his son." So David sent some officials there, to tell Hanun that he was sorry to hear that Hanun's father had died.
-\p But when David's officials came to Hanun in the land where the Ammonite lived,
-\v 3 the leaders of the Ammon people group said to Hanun, "Do you think that David is really to honor your father that King David is sending these men to say that he is sorry that your father died? We think that his men have come to look around our city in order to determine how his army can conquer us."
+\v 2 When David heard about that, he thought to himself, “Nahash was kind to me, so I will be kind to his son.” So David sent some officials there, to tell Hanun that he was sorry to hear that Hanun’s father had died.
+\p But when David’s officials came to Hanun in the land where the Ammonite lived,
+\v 3 the leaders of the Ammon people group said to Hanun, “Do you think that David is really to honor your father that King David is sending these men to say that he is sorry that your father died? We think that his men have come to look around our city in order to determine how his army can conquer us.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 Hanun believed what they said; so he commanded some soldiers who seized the officials whom David had sent, and shaved off their beards, and insulted them by cutting off the lower part of their robes, and then sent them away.
 \p
-\v 5 The officials were greatly humiliated. When David found out about what had happened to his officials, he sent some messengers to them to tell them, "Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown again, and then return home."
+\v 5 The officials were greatly humiliated. When David found out about what had happened to his officials, he sent some messengers to them to tell them, “Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown again, and then return home.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1939,8 +1939,8 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \v 11 He appointed his older brother Abishai to be the commander of his other soldiers and he told them to stand in their positions in front of the army of the Ammon people group.
 
 \s5
-\v 12 Joab said to them, "If the soldiers from Aram are too strong for us to defeat them, then your soldiers must come and help us. But if the soldiers from the Ammon people group are too strong for you to defeat them, then my soldiers will come and help your men.
-\v 13 We must be strong and fight hard to defend our people and our cities that belong to our God. Yahweh will do what he considers to be good."
+\v 12 Joab said to them, “If the soldiers from Aram are too strong for us to defeat them, then your soldiers must come and help us. But if the soldiers from the Ammon people group are too strong for you to defeat them, then my soldiers will come and help your men.
+\v 13 We must be strong and fight hard to defend our people and our cities that belong to our God. Yahweh will do what he considers to be good.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1949,12 +1949,12 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 After the leaders of the army of Aram realized that they had been defeated by the army of Israel, they sent messengers to another part of Aram on the east side of the Euphrates river, and brought troops from there to the battle area, with Shophak, the commander of Hadadezer's army, leading them.
+\v 16 After the leaders of the army of Aram realized that they had been defeated by the army of Israel, they sent messengers to another part of Aram on the east side of the Euphrates river, and brought troops from there to the battle area, with Shophak, the commander of Hadadezer’s army, leading them.
 \p
 \v 17 When David heard about that, he gathered all the Israelite soldiers, and they crossed the Jordan River. They advanced and took their battle positions to attack the army of Aram.
 
 \s5
-\v 18 But the army of Aram ran away from the soldiers of Israel. However, David's soldiers killed seven thousand of their chariot drivers and forty thousand other soldiers. They also killed Shophak, their army commander.
+\v 18 But the army of Aram ran away from the soldiers of Israel. However, David’s soldiers killed seven thousand of their chariot drivers and forty thousand other soldiers. They also killed Shophak, their army commander.
 \p
 \v 19 When the kings who had been ruled by Hadadezer realized that they had been defeated by the Israelite army, they made peace with David, and agreed to allow him to rule them.
 \p So the rulers of Aram did not want to help the rulers of the Ammon people group anymore.
@@ -1968,19 +1968,19 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 
 \s5
 \v 2 Then David took the crown from the head of the king of Rabbah and put it on his own head. It was very heavy; it weighed thirty-three kilograms, and it had many very valuable stones. They also took many other valuable things from the city.
-\v 3 Then they brought the people out of the city and forced them to work for their army, using saws and iron picks and axes. David's soldiers did this in all the cities of the Ammon people group. Then David and all of his army returned to Jerusalem.
+\v 3 Then they brought the people out of the city and forced them to work for their army, using saws and iron picks and axes. David’s soldiers did this in all the cities of the Ammon people group. Then David and all of his army returned to Jerusalem.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 Later, David's army fought a battle with the army of Philistia, at the city of Gezer. During the battle Sibbekai, from Hushah clan, killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the of the Rapha giants. So the armies of Philistia were defeated.
+\v 4 Later, David’s army fought a battle with the army of Philistia, at the city of Gezer. During the battle Sibbekai, from Hushah clan, killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the of the Rapha giants. So the armies of Philistia were defeated.
 \p
-\v 5 In another battle against the soldiers of Philistia, Elhanan son of Jair, killed Lahmi, the younger brother of the giant Goliath from the city of Gath, who had a spear which was as thick as a weaver's rod.
+\v 5 In another battle against the soldiers of Philistia, Elhanan son of Jair, killed Lahmi, the younger brother of the giant Goliath from the city of Gath, who had a spear which was as thick as a weaver’s rod.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 There was another battle near Gath. A huge man was there who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. He was descended from the Rapha giants.
-\v 7 When he made fun of the soldiers of Israel, Jehonadab son of Shimea killed him. Shimea was David's older brother.
+\v 7 When he made fun of the soldiers of Israel, Jehonadab son of Shimea killed him. Shimea was David’s older brother.
 \p
 \v 8 Those were some of the descendants of the Rapha giants who had lived in Gath, who were killed by David and his soldiers.
 
@@ -1991,9 +1991,9 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \p
 \v 1 Satan decided to cause the Israelite people to have trouble. So he incited David to find out how many men in Israel were able to be in the army.
 \p
-\v 2 So David commanded Joab and the other army commanders, "Count all the men in Israel who are able to be in the army. Start at Beersheba in the south and go all the way to Dan in the north. Then come back and report to me, in order that I may know how many men there are."
+\v 2 So David commanded Joab and the other army commanders, “Count all the men in Israel who are able to be in the army. Start at Beersheba in the south and go all the way to Dan in the north. Then come back and report to me, in order that I may know how many men there are.”
 \p
-\v 3 But Joab replied, "Your Majesty, I hope that Yahweh will make our army a hundred times larger than it is now. But we all serve you. So you should not commit this sin and make Israel suffer for it."
+\v 3 But Joab replied, “Your Majesty, I hope that Yahweh will make our army a hundred times larger than it is now. But we all serve you. So you should not commit this sin and make Israel suffer for it.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2004,31 +2004,31 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \v 6 However, Joab did not count the men from the tribes of Levi and Benjamin, because he was disgusted with what the king had commanded.
 
 \p
-\v 7 David's command to count the people caused God to become angry, so he told David that he had decided to punish the people of Israel.
-\v 8 Then David prayed to God. He said to him, "What I did was very foolish. I have sinned greatly by what I have done. So now I plead with you, please forgive me."
+\v 7 David’s command to count the people caused God to become angry, so he told David that he had decided to punish the people of Israel.
+\v 8 Then David prayed to God. He said to him, “What I did was very foolish. I have sinned greatly by what I have done. So now I plead with you, please forgive me.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 Then Yahweh said to Gad, David's prophet,
-\v 10 "Go and tell this to David: 'I am allowing you to choose one of three things to punish you. I will do whichever one you choose.'"
+\v 9 Then Yahweh said to Gad, David’s prophet,
+\v 10 “Go and tell this to David: ‘I am allowing you to choose one of three things to punish you. I will do whichever one you choose.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 So Gad went to David and said to him, "This is what Yahweh says: 'You can choose one of these punishments:
-\v 12 three years of famine in Israel, or three months during which your armies will run away from their enemies who will attack them with swords, or three days during which I will send my angel to cause many people in the country to die because of a plague.' So you must decide what I will say to answer Yahweh, the one who sent me."
+\v 11 So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘You can choose one of these punishments:
+\v 12 three years of famine in Israel, or three months during which your armies will run away from their enemies who will attack them with swords, or three days during which I will send my angel to cause many people in the country to die because of a plague.’ So you must decide what I will say to answer Yahweh, the one who sent me.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 David replied to Gad, "I am very distressed. But allow Yahweh to punish me, because he is very merciful. Do not allow humans to punish me, because they will not be merciful."
+\v 13 David replied to Gad, “I am very distressed. But allow Yahweh to punish me, because he is very merciful. Do not allow humans to punish me, because they will not be merciful.”
 \p
 \v 14 So Yahweh sent a plague on the people of Israel, and seventy thousand of them died because of it.
-\v 15 And God sent an angel to destroy the people in Jerusalem by the plague. But when the angel was standing at the ground where Ornan, from the Jebus people group, threshed grain, Yahweh saw all the suffering that the people had endured, and he was grieved. So he said to the angel, "Stop what you are doing! That is enough!"
+\v 15 And God sent an angel to destroy the people in Jerusalem by the plague. But when the angel was standing at the ground where Ornan, from the Jebus people group, threshed grain, Yahweh saw all the suffering that the people had endured, and he was grieved. So he said to the angel, “Stop what you are doing! That is enough!”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 16 David looked up and saw the angel whom Yahweh had sent, standing between the sky and the ground. The angel had a sword in his hand that was pointed toward Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of the city, who were wearing clothes made of rough sackcloth, prostrated themselves on the ground.
 \p
-\v 17 David said to God, "I am the one who ordered the men who could be in the army to be counted. I am the one who has sinned and done what is very wrong, but these people are as innocent as sheep. They have certainly not done anything that is wrong. So Yahweh my God, punish me and my family, but do not allow this plague to continue to cause your people to become sick and die."
+\v 17 David said to God, “I am the one who ordered the men who could be in the army to be counted. I am the one who has sinned and done what is very wrong, but these people are as innocent as sheep. They have certainly not done anything that is wrong. So Yahweh my God, punish me and my family, but do not allow this plague to continue to cause your people to become sick and die.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2040,13 +2040,13 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \s5
 \v 21 Then David approached. When Ornan saw him, he left the place where he was threshing grain and prostrated himself, with his face touching the ground.
 \p
-\v 22 David said to him, "Please sell me this place for threshing in order that I can build an altar here to worship Yahweh, in order that he will stop this plague. I will pay the full price."
+\v 22 David said to him, “Please sell me this place for threshing in order that I can build an altar here to worship Yahweh, in order that he will stop this plague. I will pay the full price.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 Ornan replied, "Take it! Your Majesty, do whatever you want to. I will give you the oxen that thresh the grain for an offering to be completely burned on the altar. And I will give you the threshing boards to use as wood on the altar, and I will give you flour for a flour offering. I will give all those things to you."
+\v 23 Ornan replied, “Take it! Your Majesty, do whatever you want to. I will give you the oxen that thresh the grain for an offering to be completely burned on the altar. And I will give you the threshing boards to use as wood on the altar, and I will give you flour for a flour offering. I will give all those things to you.”
 \p
-\v 24 But the king said to Ornan, "No, I will not take these things as a gift. I will pay you the full price for it. I will not take what belongs to you, and offer sacrifices that have cost me nothing and offer them to Yahweh to be completely burned on the altar."
+\v 24 But the king said to Ornan, “No, I will not take these things as a gift. I will pay you the full price for it. I will not take what belongs to you, and offer sacrifices that have cost me nothing and offer them to Yahweh to be completely burned on the altar.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2057,14 +2057,14 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 
 \s5
 \v 28 And when David saw that Yahweh had answered him there at the place where Ornan threshed grain and had ended the plague, he offered sacrifices there.
-\v 29 Yahweh's sacred tent, which Moses had commanded to be set up in the wilderness, and the altar for burning sacrifices completely, were at that time on a hill at the city of Gibeon.
+\v 29 Yahweh’s sacred tent, which Moses had commanded to be set up in the wilderness, and the altar for burning sacrifices completely, were at that time on a hill at the city of Gibeon.
 \v 30 But David did not want to go there to request God to tell him what he wanted David to do, because he was afraid that the angel sent from Yahweh might strike him with his sword; he realized that this was the place that Yahweh now wanted sacrifices to be made.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 22
 \p
-\v 1 Then David said, "Here, at the edge of Jerusalem, is where we will build the temple for our God Yahweh, and where we will make the altar for burning the offerings that the Israelite people will bring."
+\v 1 Then David said, “Here, at the edge of Jerusalem, is where we will build the temple for our God Yahweh, and where we will make the altar for burning the offerings that the Israelite people will bring.”
 
 \p
 \v 2 So David commanded that the foreigners who lived in Israel must gather together. When they did that, he appointed some of those men to cut huge stones from the quarries and to smooth their surfaces, to be used to build the temple of God.
@@ -2073,17 +2073,17 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \v 3 David provided a large amount of iron for making nails and hinges for the doors in the gates of the temple. He also provided a huge amount of bronze for making various utensils; and because there was a huge amount of it, no one could weigh it all.
 \v 4 He also provided money for buying a large amount of cedar logs. Because there was a huge number of them, no one counted them. Those were logs that men from Tyre and Sidon cities sent to David.
 \p
-\v 5 David provided all those things because he thought, "My son Solomon is still young and he does not know what he needs to know about building buildings, and the temple of Yahweh must be magnificent. It must be a glorious building that will become famous, and people throughout the world must consider it to be glorious. So now I will begin to prepare for it to be built, and Solomon will be responsible for finishing it." So David collected a great amount of building materials before he died.
+\v 5 David provided all those things because he thought, “My son Solomon is still young and he does not know what he needs to know about building buildings, and the temple of Yahweh must be magnificent. It must be a glorious building that will become famous, and people throughout the world must consider it to be glorious. So now I will begin to prepare for it to be built, and Solomon will be responsible for finishing it.” So David collected a great amount of building materials before he died.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 Then David summoned his son Solomon, and told him that he should arrange for a temple to be built for Yahweh, the God whom the Israelites worshiped.
-\v 7 He said to him, "I wanted to build a temple to honor Yahweh, my God.
-\v 8 But Yahweh told a prophet to tell me, 'You have killed many men in the big battles that you have fought. I have seen the blood of all the people whom you killed, so you will not be the one who will arrange for a temple to be built to honor me.
+\v 7 He said to him, “I wanted to build a temple to honor Yahweh, my God.
+\v 8 But Yahweh told a prophet to tell me, ‘You have killed many men in the big battles that you have fought. I have seen the blood of all the people whom you killed, so you will not be the one who will arrange for a temple to be built to honor me.
 
 \s5
 \v 9 But you will have a son who will be king of Israel after you die. He will be a man who is peaceful and quiet, not a man who kills others. And I will cause that there will be peace between him and his enemies who are in all the nearby lands. His name will be Solomon, which sounds like the word for peace. During the time that he is king, people in Israel will be peaceful and safe.
-\v 10 He is the one who will arrange for a temple to be built to honor me. He will be like a son to me, and I will cause some of his descendants to rule over Israel forever.'
+\v 10 He is the one who will arrange for a temple to be built to honor me. He will be like a son to me, and I will cause some of his descendants to rule over Israel forever.’
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2097,13 +2097,13 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 
 \s5
 \v 15 There are many men in Israel who have good ability to cut big stones for making stone walls, and carpenters, and men who are very skilled at making various kinds of things.
-\v 16 There are many men who know how to make things from gold and silver and bronze and iron. So now I say to you, begin the work of building the temple, and I hope that Yahweh will be with you."
+\v 16 There are many men who know how to make things from gold and silver and bronze and iron. So now I say to you, begin the work of building the temple, and I hope that Yahweh will be with you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 Then David commanded that all the Israelite leaders must assist Solomon. He said to them,
-\v 18 "Yahweh our God is certainly with you. He has allowed you to have peace with all the nearby nations. He has enabled my army to conquer them, so now Yahweh and my people control them.
-\v 19 Now you must obey Yahweh with your entire inner beings. Help Solomon to arrange for building the temple for Yahweh God, in order that you can bring the sacred chest that contains the Ten Commandments and the other sacred items that belong to Yahweh into the temple that you will build to honor him."
+\v 18 “Yahweh our God is certainly with you. He has allowed you to have peace with all the nearby nations. He has enabled my army to conquer them, so now Yahweh and my people control them.
+\v 19 Now you must obey Yahweh with your entire inner beings. Help Solomon to arrange for building the temple for Yahweh God, in order that you can bring the sacred chest that contains the Ten Commandments and the other sacred items that belong to Yahweh into the temple that you will build to honor him.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -2116,8 +2116,8 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \v 3 He commanded some of his officials to count the descendants of Levi who were at least thirty years old, and they found out that there were thirty-eight thousand of them.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 Then David said, "From those thirty-eight thousand men, I want twenty-four thousand of them to supervise the work at the temple of Yahweh, and I want six thousand of them to be officials and judges.
-\v 5 I want four thousand to be guards at the gates, and four thousand to praise Yahweh, using the musical instruments that I have provided for them."
+\v 4 Then David said, “From those thirty-eight thousand men, I want twenty-four thousand of them to supervise the work at the temple of Yahweh, and I want six thousand of them to be officials and judges.
+\v 5 I want four thousand to be guards at the gates, and four thousand to praise Yahweh, using the musical instruments that I have provided for them.”
 \p
 \v 6 David divided the descendants of Levi into three groups; each group consisted of men who were descendants of one of the three sons of Levi—Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
 \s2 The descendants of Gershon are listed next.
@@ -2180,13 +2180,13 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \s5
 \p
 \v 24 Those were the descendants of Levi, whose names were listed according to their families. They were chosen for special jobs by casting lots. Each person who was at least twenty years old was listed. They all worked in the temple of Yahweh.
-\v 25 David had said previously, "Yahweh, the God to whom we Israelite people belong, has enabled us to have peace, and he has come to live in Jerusalem forever.
-\v 26 Therefore, the descendants of Levi no longer need to carry the sacred tent and the items used in the work there."
+\v 25 David had said previously, “Yahweh, the God to whom we Israelite people belong, has enabled us to have peace, and he has come to live in Jerusalem forever.
+\v 26 Therefore, the descendants of Levi no longer need to carry the sacred tent and the items used in the work there.”
 
 \s5
 \v 27 Obeying the final instructions of David before he died, instructions for doing this work at the temple, they counted only the descendants of Levi who were at least twenty years old.
 \p
-\v 28 The work of those descendants of Levi was to assist the descendants of Aaron in their work in Yahweh's temple. They were to be in charge of the temple courtyards and the side rooms, the ceremonies for purifying all the sacred things, and to do other work at the temple.
+\v 28 The work of those descendants of Levi was to assist the descendants of Aaron in their work in Yahweh’s temple. They were to be in charge of the temple courtyards and the side rooms, the ceremonies for purifying all the sacred things, and to do other work at the temple.
 \v 29 They were also in charge of the loaves of bread on display before God, the loaves that were placed each week on the table in the temple, the flour for the flour offerings, and the wafers that were made without yeast. They also had to measure the ingredients, mix them, and bake the bread and wafers.
 
 \s5
@@ -2201,13 +2201,13 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \s5
 \c 24
 \p
-\v 1 These are the divisions of the descendants of Aaron the first high priest: Aaron's four sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
+\v 1 These are the divisions of the descendants of Aaron the first high priest: Aaron’s four sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
 \p
 \v 2 But Nadab and Abihu died before their father died, and they had no children. So their younger brothers Eleazar and Ithamar became the priests.
 \v 3 Zadok, who was a descendant of Eleazar, and Ahimelech, who was a descendant of Ithamar, helped David to separate the family groups into two groups. Each group had certain duties.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 There were more leaders among the descendants of Eleazar than there were among the descendants of Ithamar. So they appointed sixteen leaders from Eleazar's descendants and eight leaders from Ithamar's descendants.
+\v 4 There were more leaders among the descendants of Eleazar than there were among the descendants of Ithamar. So they appointed sixteen leaders from Eleazar’s descendants and eight leaders from Ithamar’s descendants.
 \v 5 There were temple officials and priests who were there, including descendants of both Eleazar and Ithamar, to make sure that the work was divided fairly. So they decided what work each group would do by casting lots.
 
 \s5
@@ -2269,17 +2269,17 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \q
 \v 21 From Rehabiah son of Eleazar there was Isshiah, his oldest son.
 \q
-\v 22 From the descendants of Kohath's son Izhar there was Shelomoth.
+\v 22 From the descendants of Kohath’s son Izhar there was Shelomoth.
 \q2 From the descendants of Shelomoth there was Jahath.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 23 From the descendants of Kohath's son Hebron there was his oldest son Jeriah and Jeriah's younger brothers Amariah, Jahaziel, and Jekameam.
+\v 23 From the descendants of Kohath’s son Hebron there was his oldest son Jeriah and Jeriah’s younger brothers Amariah, Jahaziel, and Jekameam.
 \q
-\v 24 From the descendants of Kohath's son Uzziel there was Micah.
+\v 24 From the descendants of Kohath’s son Uzziel there was Micah.
 \q2 From the descendants of Micah there was Shamir.
 \q2
-\v 25 And Micah's younger brother was Isshiah.
+\v 25 And Micah’s younger brother was Isshiah.
 \q2 From the descendants of Isshiah was Zechariah.
 
 \s5
@@ -2288,7 +2288,7 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \q2
 \v 27 From the descendants of Jaaziah there were Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.
 \q2
-\v 28 Mahli's son Eleazar did not have any sons.
+\v 28 Mahli’s son Eleazar did not have any sons.
 
 \s5
 \q
@@ -2312,7 +2312,7 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \s5
 \q
 \v 4 From the sons of Heman they chose Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-Eze, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth.
-\v 5 They were all sons of Heman, who was King David's prophet. God promised to cause Heman to be strong, so altogether, God gave him fourteen sons and three daughters.
+\v 5 They were all sons of Heman, who was King David’s prophet. God promised to cause Heman to be strong, so altogether, God gave him fourteen sons and three daughters.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2394,11 +2394,11 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \q2 His oldest son was Shemaiah. His other sons were Jehozabad, Joah, Sakar, Nethanel,
 \v 5 Ammiel, Issachar, and Peullethai. It was because God had blessed him that he had many sons.
 \q2
-\v 6 Obed Edom's son Shemaiah also had sons. They were leaders in their father's family because they were capable of doing many things well.
+\v 6 Obed Edom’s son Shemaiah also had sons. They were leaders in their father’s family because they were capable of doing many things well.
 
 \s5
 \q2
-\v 7 The sons of Shemaiah were Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad. Shemaiah's relatives Elihu and Semakiah were also capable men.
+\v 7 The sons of Shemaiah were Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad. Shemaiah’s relatives Elihu and Semakiah were also capable men.
 \q2
 \v 8 All of those descendants of Obed Edom and their sons and relatives were capable people and strong workers. Altogether there were 62 of them.
 \q
@@ -2406,20 +2406,20 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 10 Another guard was Hosah's son Shimri, a descendant of Merari. Hosah appointed Shimri to be the leader, even though he was not Hosah's oldest son.
-\v 11 Hosah's other sons were Hilkiah, Tabaliah, and Zechariah. Altogether there were 13 sons and relatives of Hosah.
+\v 10 Another guard was Hosah’s son Shimri, a descendant of Merari. Hosah appointed Shimri to be the leader, even though he was not Hosah’s oldest son.
+\v 11 Hosah’s other sons were Hilkiah, Tabaliah, and Zechariah. Altogether there were 13 sons and relatives of Hosah.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 Those men were leaders of the groups of men who guarded the gates of the temple. They worked at the temple like their relatives did.
 \v 13 By casting lots, the leader of each family chose one gate for their group to guard. All of them, including young men and old men, cast lots.
-\v 14 Shelemiah's group was selected to guard the east gate. The group of Shelemiah's son Zechariah, who was a wise counselor, was selected to guard the north gate.
+\v 14 Shelemiah’s group was selected to guard the east gate. The group of Shelemiah’s son Zechariah, who was a wise counselor, was selected to guard the north gate.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 15 Then Obed Edom's group was selected to guard the south gate, and his sons were selected to guard the entrances to the temple storerooms.
+\v 15 Then Obed Edom’s group was selected to guard the south gate, and his sons were selected to guard the entrances to the temple storerooms.
 \li
-\v 16 Then Shuppim's group and Hosah's group were selected to guard the west gate and the Shalleketh Gate on the upper road to the temple.
+\v 16 Then Shuppim’s group and Hosah’s group were selected to guard the west gate and the Shalleketh Gate on the upper road to the temple.
 \p The work for the guards was divided evenly.
 
 \s5
@@ -2438,13 +2438,13 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \p
 \v 23 Others who did that work were descendants of Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.
 \q
-\v 24 Shubuel, a descendant of Moses's son Gershom, was the leader who was in charge of the money chests.
-\v 25 Others who did that work were the descendants of Gershom's younger brother Eliezer. Those men were Eliezer's son Rehabiah, Rehabiah's son Jeshaiah, Jeshaiah's son Joram, Joram's son Zichri, and Zichri's son Shelomith.
+\v 24 Shubuel, a descendant of Moses’s son Gershom, was the leader who was in charge of the money chests.
+\v 25 Others who did that work were the descendants of Gershom’s younger brother Eliezer. Those men were Eliezer’s son Rehabiah, Rehabiah’s son Jeshaiah, Jeshaiah’s son Joram, Joram’s son Zichri, and Zichri’s son Shelomith.
 
 \s5
 \v 26 Shelomith and his relatives were in charge of all the valuable things that had been dedicated to Yahweh by King David, by the leaders of the family groups, by the army commanders of one thousand soldiers and commanders of 100 soldiers, and by other army commanders.
-\v 27 Some of the things that those army officers had taken from Israel's enemies in battles they dedicated for the repair of the temple of Yahweh.
-\v 28 And Shelomith and his relatives were also in charge of everything that had been dedicated to Yahweh by the prophet Samuel, by King Saul, and by David's two army commanders Abner and Joab.
+\v 27 Some of the things that those army officers had taken from Israel’s enemies in battles they dedicated for the repair of the temple of Yahweh.
+\v 28 And Shelomith and his relatives were also in charge of everything that had been dedicated to Yahweh by the prophet Samuel, by King Saul, and by David’s two army commanders Abner and Joab.
 \q
 
 \s5
@@ -2471,11 +2471,11 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \v 4 Dodai, from the clan of Ahohi, was the commander of the group that served during the following.
 \q
 \v 5 Benaiah, son of Jehoiada the high priest, was the commander of the group that served during the following month.
-\v 6 He was the one who was a mighty warrior among David's thirty greatest soldiers, and he was their leader. His son Ammizabad was his assistant.
+\v 6 He was the one who was a mighty warrior among David’s thirty greatest soldiers, and he was their leader. His son Ammizabad was his assistant.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 7 Asahel, Joab's younger brother, was the commander of the group that served during the following month. Asahel's son Zebadiah became the commander after Asahel was killed.
+\v 7 Asahel, Joab’s younger brother, was the commander of the group that served during the following month. Asahel’s son Zebadiah became the commander after Asahel was killed.
 \q
 \v 8 The commander for the following month was Shamhuth, a descendant of Izrah.
 \q
@@ -2507,7 +2507,7 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \v 17 Hashabiah, theson of Kemuel, was the administrator of the tribe of Levi.
 \q Zadok was the administrator of the tribe of Aaron.
 \q
-\v 18 Elihu, David's older brother, was the administrator of the tribe of Judah.
+\v 18 Elihu, David’s older brother, was the administrator of the tribe of Judah.
 \q Omri, son of Michael, was the administrator of the tribe of Issachar.
 
 \s5
@@ -2526,17 +2526,17 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \s5
 \p
 \v 23 David did not tell Joab to count the men who were less then twenty years old, because Yahweh had promised many years previously that there would be as many people in Israel as there are stars in the sky.
-\v 24 Joab and his helpers started to count the men of Israel, but they did not finish counting them because Joab knew that Yahweh was angry about their being counted. Yahweh punished the people of Israel because of this counting, and as a result the total number of Israelite men able to serve in the army was not written on the scroll about King David's rule.
+\v 24 Joab and his helpers started to count the men of Israel, but they did not finish counting them because Joab knew that Yahweh was angry about their being counted. Yahweh punished the people of Israel because of this counting, and as a result the total number of Israelite men able to serve in the army was not written on the scroll about King David’s rule.
 
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 25 Azmaveth, son of Adiel, was in charge of the king's storehouses.
+\v 25 Azmaveth, son of Adiel, was in charge of the king’s storehouses.
 \li Jonathan, son of Uzziah, was in charge of the storehouses in other towns and villages in Israel, and also in charge of the watchtowers.
 \li
 \v 26 Ezri son of Kelub was in charge of the workers who farmed the land that belonged to the king.
 \li
-\v 27 Shimei from the city of Ramath was in charge of the king's vineyards.
+\v 27 Shimei from the city of Ramath was in charge of the king’s vineyards.
 \li Zabdi from the city of Shepham was in charge of storing the wine from the grapes produced in vineyards.
 
 \s5
@@ -2551,18 +2551,18 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \v 30 Obil, a descendant of Ishmael, was in charge of the camels.
 \li Jehdeiah from the city of Meronoth was in charge of the donkeys.
 \li
-\v 31 Jaziz, a descendant of Hagar, was in charge of the king's flocks of sheep.
+\v 31 Jaziz, a descendant of Hagar, was in charge of the king’s flocks of sheep.
 \p All of those officials were in charge of the things that belonged to King David.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 32 David's uncle Jonathan was a wise counselor for him.
-\li Jehiel, son of Hacmoni, taught the king's sons.
+\v 32 David’s uncle Jonathan was a wise counselor for him.
+\li Jehiel, son of Hacmoni, taught the king’s sons.
 \li
-\v 33 Ahithophel was the king's official counselor.
+\v 33 Ahithophel was the king’s official counselor.
 \li
-\v 34 Hushai from the Ark people group was the king's special friend.
-\q Benaiah's son Jehoiada became the king's advisor after Ahithophel died, and later Abiathar became his advisor.
+\v 34 Hushai from the Ark people group was the king’s special friend.
+\q Benaiah’s son Jehoiada became the king’s advisor after Ahithophel died, and later Abiathar became his advisor.
 \li Joab was the chief commander of the army.
 
 
@@ -2570,12 +2570,12 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \c 28
 
 \p
-\v 1 David summoned all the leaders of Israel to come to Jerusalem. He summoned the leaders of the tribes, the leaders of the groups that worked for the king, the commanders of one hundred soldiers, the commanders of one thousand soldiers, those who were in charge of the king's property and his livestock, those who taught his sons, all the palace officials, and his mighty soldiers and bravest warriors.
+\v 1 David summoned all the leaders of Israel to come to Jerusalem. He summoned the leaders of the tribes, the leaders of the groups that worked for the king, the commanders of one hundred soldiers, the commanders of one thousand soldiers, those who were in charge of the king’s property and his livestock, those who taught his sons, all the palace officials, and his mighty soldiers and bravest warriors.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 2 David stood up and said, "My fellow Israelites, listen to me. I wanted to build a temple to be a place where we would put the sacred chest containing Yahweh's covenant, where the sacred chest would stay permanently. And I made plans to build it.
-\v 3 But God said to me, 'You are not the one who will arrange to build a temple, because you have fought battles and have killed people.'
+\v 2 David stood up and said, “My fellow Israelites, listen to me. I wanted to build a temple to be a place where we would put the sacred chest containing Yahweh’s covenant, where the sacred chest would stay permanently. And I made plans to build it.
+\v 3 But God said to me, ‘You are not the one who will arrange to build a temple, because you have fought battles and have killed people.’
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2583,8 +2583,8 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \v 5 Yahweh has given me many sons, but from them he chose my son Solomon to be the next king to rule his kingdom of Israel.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 He said to me, 'Solomon your son is the one who will arrange to build my temple and the courtyards around it, because I have chosen him to be like my son and I will be like his father.
-\v 7 I will enable his kingdom to endure forever if he continues to obey my laws and decrees, like you are doing now.'
+\v 6 He said to me, ‘Solomon your son is the one who will arrange to build my temple and the courtyards around it, because I have chosen him to be like my son and I will be like his father.
+\v 7 I will enable his kingdom to endure forever if he continues to obey my laws and decrees, like you are doing now.’
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2593,7 +2593,7 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \s5
 \p
 \v 9 And you, my son Solomon, must know God like I know him, and you must serve him faithfully and because you want to. You must do that because he knows what everyone is thinking and he understands the reasons that people do what they do. If you seek to know him, he will heed your prayers. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you forever.
-\v 10 Yahweh has chosen you to arrange to build a temple for him. So think about what I have said, and be strong and do what he is wanting you to do."
+\v 10 Yahweh has chosen you to arrange to build a temple for him. So think about what I have said, and be strong and do what he is wanting you to do.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2601,7 +2601,7 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \v 12 David wrote for him the plans that he had made for building the courtyards and all the rooms that surrounded the temple, including the room where the money and other valuable things that were dedicated to God were kept.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 He gave Solomon instructions for the work groups of priests and other descendants of Levi, about all the work that they must do to serve in Yahweh's temple, and about taking care of all the things that would be used in the work at the temple.
+\v 13 He gave Solomon instructions for the work groups of priests and other descendants of Levi, about all the work that they must do to serve in Yahweh’s temple, and about taking care of all the things that would be used in the work at the temple.
 \v 14 He wrote down how much gold and how much silver should be used to make all the items in the temple.
 \v 15 This was a list of how much gold would be needed for making the gold lampstands and the lamps, how much silver to make the silver lamps and lampstands.
 
@@ -2612,25 +2612,25 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \s5
 \v 18 There was a list for how much pure gold would be needed to make the altar for burning incense. He also gave to Solomon his plans for making the golden statues of winged creatures that would be above the sacred chest of Yahweh, like a chariot for him.
 \p
-\v 19 Then David said, "I have written all these plans while Yahweh was directing me. He has enabled me to understand all the details of his plan for the temple that is to be built."
+\v 19 Then David said, “I have written all these plans while Yahweh was directing me. He has enabled me to understand all the details of his plan for the temple that is to be built.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 David also said to his son Solomon, "Be strong and courageous, and do this work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, because Yahweh our God, whom I worship, will be with you. He will not fail to help you or abandon you until you finish all the work of making the temple of his.
-\v 21 The groups of priests and other descendants of Levi are ready to begin their work at God's temple, and every man who has a special skill will help you in all the work. And my officials and the other people will obey you, whatever you command them to do."
+\v 20 David also said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and do this work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, because Yahweh our God, whom I worship, will be with you. He will not fail to help you or abandon you until you finish all the work of making the temple of his.
+\v 21 The groups of priests and other descendants of Levi are ready to begin their work at God’s temple, and every man who has a special skill will help you in all the work. And my officials and the other people will obey you, whatever you command them to do.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 29
 
 \p
-\v 1 Then King David said to all the people who had gathered there, "My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen to be the next king, is young and does not have much experience. This work of building the temple is great, because this glorious building will not be to honor people, but to honor Yahweh our God.
+\v 1 Then King David said to all the people who had gathered there, “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen to be the next king, is young and does not have much experience. This work of building the temple is great, because this glorious building will not be to honor people, but to honor Yahweh our God.
 \v 2 From all the things that I possess, I have provided what will be needed to build the temple of my God—gold for the things to be made of gold, silver for the things to be made of silver, bronze for the things to be made of bronze, iron for the things to be made of iron, wood for the things to be made of wood, and large amounts of onyx and turquoise and other valuable stones of various colors, and marble and all kinds of valuable stones.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 In addition to all these things that I have given for the temple, I am giving my own treasures of gold and silver, because I very earnestly desire that this holy temple for my God be built.
 \v 4 I am giving about 100 metric tons of gold from Ophir and 230 metric tons of refined silver to cover the walls of the buildings,
-\v 5 for making the other items of gold and silver, and for the other work to be done by the craftsmen. So now, I ask you, who is willing to show by contributing other gifts for the building of the temple that he has dedicated himself to Yahweh?"
+\v 5 for making the other items of gold and silver, and for the other work to be done by the craftsmen. So now, I ask you, who is willing to show by contributing other gifts for the building of the temple that he has dedicated himself to Yahweh?”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2645,7 +2645,7 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \s5
 \p
 \v 10 Then, while all the people there were listening, David praised Yahweh. He said,
-\q1 "We praise you, Yahweh,
+\q1 “We praise you, Yahweh,
 \q2 the God whom our ancestor Jacob worshiped.
 \q2 We will praise you forever!
 \q1
@@ -2691,29 +2691,29 @@ Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
 \q1
 \v 19 And now, please enable my son Solomon to faithfully and sincerely
 \q2 do everything that is needed to build this beautiful building
-\q2 for which I have provided all these things."
+\q2 for which I have provided all these things.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Then David said to all the people who were gathered there, "Praise Yahweh our God!" So they all praised Yahweh the God whom their ancestors also worshiped. They prostrated themselves on the ground in front of Yahweh and in front of the king.
+\v 20 Then David said to all the people who were gathered there, “Praise Yahweh our God!” So they all praised Yahweh the God whom their ancestors also worshiped. They prostrated themselves on the ground in front of Yahweh and in front of the king.
 
 \p
 \v 21 The next day the people offered sacrifices to Yahweh. They presented many animals to be completely burned on the altar: A thousand bulls, a thousand rams, a thousand male sheep, offerings of wine, and many other sacrifices for all the people of Israel to eat.
 
 \s5
-\v 22 On that day the people were joyful and ate and drank in Yahweh's honor.
+\v 22 On that day the people were joyful and ate and drank in Yahweh’s honor.
 \p Then for the second time they declared that Solomon was now the king. As Yahweh had commanded, they anointed him with olive oil to be the king, and they anointed Zadok to be the high priest.
 \v 23 So Solomon sat on the throne because Yahweh wanted him to be the king to succeed his father David. During the following years Solomon prospered, and all the Israelite people obeyed him.
 
 \s5
-\v 24 King David's other sons and all the officers and mighty warriors accepted Solomon to be their king, and they solemnly promised to obey him.
+\v 24 King David’s other sons and all the officers and mighty warriors accepted Solomon to be their king, and they solemnly promised to obey him.
 \p
 \v 25 Yahweh caused Solomon to be highly respected by all the Israelite people, and they honored him very much. No king of Israel had been honored as much as Solomon was.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 26 Jesse's son David was the king who ruled all of Israel.
+\v 26 Jesse’s son David was the king who ruled all of Israel.
 \v 27 He ruled for forty years: seven years in the city of Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
 \v 28 He was very rich and very much honored, and he became an old man. Then he died, and his son Solomon became the king of Israel.
 

14-2CH.usfm

@@ -10,27 +10,27 @@
 \c 1
 
 \p
-\v 1 King Solomon, David's son, was able to gain complete control over his kingdom, because Yahweh his God was with him and enabled him to become a very strong king.
+\v 1 King Solomon, David’s son, was able to gain complete control over his kingdom, because Yahweh his God was with him and enabled him to become a very strong king.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 2-5 When David had been king, he arranged for a new sacred tent to be made in Jerusalem. Then David and the Israelite leaders brought God's sacred chest from the city of Kiriath Jearim to the new sacred tent. But when Solomon became the king, the first sacred tent was still in the city of Gibeon. There was a bronze altar there that Bezalel son of Uri and grandson of Hur, had made was also still at Gibeon, in front of the first sacred tent.
+\v 2-5 When David had been king, he arranged for a new sacred tent to be made in Jerusalem. Then David and the Israelite leaders brought God’s sacred chest from the city of Kiriath Jearim to the new sacred tent. But when Solomon became the king, the first sacred tent was still in the city of Gibeon. There was a bronze altar there that Bezalel son of Uri and grandson of Hur, had made was also still at Gibeon, in front of the first sacred tent.
 \p Solomon called together the army commanders who directed thousands of soldiers, and the commanders who directed hundreds of soldiers, with the judges and all the other leaders in Israel. He told them to go with him to Gibeon. So they all went to the place on the hill where idols were worshiped at Gibeon. That was the same place where God had met with his people in the tent which Moses had made. There Solomon and all the others with him prayed to Yahweh.
 \s5
 \v 6 Then Solomon went up to the bronze altar in front of the sacred tent, and he offered one thousand animals to be killed and completely burned on the altar.
 \p
-\v 7 That night God appeared to Solomon in a dream and said to him, "Request whatever you want me to give to you."
+\v 7 That night God appeared to Solomon in a dream and said to him, “Request whatever you want me to give to you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 Solomon replied to God, "You were very kind to David my father, and now you have appointed me to be the next king.
+\v 8 Solomon replied to God, “You were very kind to David my father, and now you have appointed me to be the next king.
 \v 9 So Yahweh my God, you have caused me to become the king to rule people who are as many as the dust of the earth. So do what you promised to my father David.
-\v 10 Please enable me to be wise and to know what I should do, in order that I may rule these people well, because there is no one who can rule all this great nation of yours without your help."
+\v 10 Please enable me to be wise and to know what I should do, in order that I may rule these people well, because there is no one who can rule all this great nation of yours without your help.”
 \p
-\v 11 God replied to Solomon, "You have not requested a huge amount of money or to be honored or that your enemies be killed. And you have not requested that you be enabled to live for a long time. Instead, you have requested that I enable you to be wise and to know what you should do in order that you may govern well my people whom I have appointed you to rule.
+\v 11 God replied to Solomon, “You have not requested a huge amount of money or to be honored or that your enemies be killed. And you have not requested that you be enabled to live for a long time. Instead, you have requested that I enable you to be wise and to know what you should do in order that you may govern well my people whom I have appointed you to rule.
 
 \s5
-\v 12 So I will enable you to be wise and to know what you should do to rule my people well. But I will also enable you to have a huge amount of money and for people everywhere to honor you, more any king before you, and more than any king who will come after you."
+\v 12 So I will enable you to be wise and to know what you should do to rule my people well. But I will also enable you to have a huge amount of money and for people everywhere to honor you, more any king before you, and more than any king who will come after you.”
 \v 13 Then Solomon and the people who were with him all left the sacred tent at Gibeon, and they returned to Jerusalem. There he ruled the Israelite people.
 
 
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@
 \v 15 During the years that Solomon was king, silver and gold were as common in Jerusalem as stones, and lumber from cedar trees were as plentiful as lumber from ordinary sycamore trees in the foothills.
 
 \s5
-\v 16 Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and from the region of Kue.
+\v 16 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from the region of Kue.
 \v 17 In Egypt his men paid seven kilograms of silver for each chariot and one and seven-tenths kilograms of silver for each horse. They also sold many of them to the kings of the Heth and Aram people groups.
 
 
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@
 \v 2 He commanded seventy thousand men to carry the building supplies and eighty thousand men to cut stones from quarries in the hills. He also chose 3,600 men to supervise them.
 \p
 \v 3 Solomon sent this message to King Hiram of the city of Tyre:
-\pi "Many years ago when my father David was building his palace, you sent him cedar logs. Will you send me cedar logs, too?
+\pi “Many years ago when my father David was building his palace, you sent him cedar logs. Will you send me cedar logs, too?
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -68,12 +68,12 @@
 \pi
 \v 8 I know that your workers are skilled in cutting timber, so also please send me cedar logs, pine logs, and algum from the Lebanon mountains. My workers will work with your workers.
 \v 9 In that way, they will provide me with plenty of lumber. We will need plenty, because I want the temple that we will build to be large and beautiful.
-\v 10 I will pay to your workers, the men who cut the logs, 4,400 kiloliters of bushels of ground wheat, 4,400 kiloliters of barley, and 440 kiloliters of wine, and 440 kiloliters of olive oil."
+\v 10 I will pay to your workers, the men who cut the logs, 4,400 kiloliters of bushels of ground wheat, 4,400 kiloliters of barley, and 440 kiloliters of wine, and 440 kiloliters of olive oil.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 11 When Hiram received this message, he replied by sending a message back to Solomon:
-\pi "Because Yahweh loves his people, he has appointed you to be their king.
+\pi “Because Yahweh loves his people, he has appointed you to be their king.
 \v 12 Let everyone praise Yahweh, the God to whom the Israelite people belong, the one who created the sky and the earth! He has given King David a wise son, one who is very intelligent and who has good skill and understanding. He wants to build a temple for Yahweh and a palace for himself.
 
 \s5
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@
 \s5
 \pi
 \v 15 Now please send us the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine that you promised to send to us.
-\v 16 When you do that, my workers will cut in the Lebanon mountains all the logs that you need and bring them down to the sea. Then we will tie the logs together to form rafts with them, and float them in the sea to the city of Joppa. From there, you can arrange for men to take them up to Jerusalem."
+\v 16 When you do that, my workers will cut in the Lebanon mountains all the logs that you need and bring them down to the sea. Then we will tie the logs together to form rafts with them, and float them in the sea to the city of Joppa. From there, you can arrange for men to take them up to Jerusalem.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -95,15 +95,15 @@
 \c 3
 
 \p
-\v 1 Then Solomon's workers started to build the temple for Yahweh in Jerusalem. They built it on Mount Moriah, where an angel from Yahweh had appeared to his father David. They built it on the ground that Ornan, a descendant of the Jebus people group, had sold to David and where David said that it should be built.
+\v 1 Then Solomon’s workers started to build the temple for Yahweh in Jerusalem. They built it on Mount Moriah, where an angel from Yahweh had appeared to his father David. They built it on the ground that Ornan, a descendant of the Jebus people group, had sold to David and where David said that it should be built.
 \v 2 They began the work on the second day of the second month, when Solomon had been ruling almost four years.
 \p
 \v 3 The foundation of the temple was twenty-seven meters long and nine meters wide.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 The entrance room across the front of the temple was also nine meters long, the same as the temple's width. The entrance room was also nine meters high. Solomon caused workmen to coat the interior of the entrance room with thin sheets of pure gold.
+\v 4 The entrance room across the front of the temple was also nine meters long, the same as the temple’s width. The entrance room was also nine meters high. Solomon caused workmen to coat the interior of the entrance room with thin sheets of pure gold.
 \p
-\v 5 Solomon's workers used panels of pine wood to line the main hall of the temple. Then they covered those panels with very thin sheets of pure gold. On them they carved images of palm trees and designs that resembled chains.
+\v 5 Solomon’s workers used panels of pine wood to line the main hall of the temple. Then they covered those panels with very thin sheets of pure gold. On them they carved images of palm trees and designs that resembled chains.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 They decorated the temple with very valuable stones. The gold that they used was from the land of Parvaim.
@@ -111,19 +111,19 @@
 \v 7 They covered the ceiling beams, doorframes, walls and doors of the temple with very thin sheets of gold. They also carved statues of winged creatures on the walls.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 They also built the very holy place inside the temple. It was nine meters long, the same as the temple's width. The width of the very holy place was the same. They covered its walls with sheets of pure gold that altogether weighed about twenty metric tons.
+\v 8 They also built the very holy place inside the temple. It was nine meters long, the same as the temple’s width. The width of the very holy place was the same. They covered its walls with sheets of pure gold that altogether weighed about twenty metric tons.
 \v 9 Each gold nails weighed about one-half a kilogram. They also covered the walls of the upper rooms with thin sheets of gold.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 Solomon's workers made two statues of creatures with wings to put inside the very holy place. They covered those statues with very thin sheets of gold.
+\v 10 Solomon’s workers made two statues of creatures with wings to put inside the very holy place. They covered those statues with very thin sheets of gold.
 \v 11-12 Each statue had two long wings. One wing of each statue touched the wall of the temple. The other wing of each statue touched a wing of the other statue. The wingspan of each cherub was about four and three-fifths meters across. One wing of each cherub touched the wall, while the other reached to the middle of room and touched the inner wing of the other cherub. Each wing was two and one-third meters long.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 13 It was nine meters from the outer wing of the one statue to the outer wing of the other statue. The statues faced the doorway leading to the main room.
 \p
-\v 14 Solomon's workers made a curtain to separate the main room from the very holy place. It was made of blue, purple, and red thread and fine linen. Figures of winged creatures were embroidered on the curtain.
+\v 14 Solomon’s workers made a curtain to separate the main room from the very holy place. It was made of blue, purple, and red thread and fine linen. Figures of winged creatures were embroidered on the curtain.
 
 \s5
 \v 15 They made two bronze pillars and put them at the entrance of the temple. They were each sixteen meters high. A separate piece was attached to the top of each pillar; each of the top pieces was two and one-third meters high.
@@ -135,16 +135,16 @@
 \c 4
 
 \p
-\v 1 Solomon's workers made a square bronze altar, nine meters long on each side, and four and three-fifths meters high.
-\v 2 They also made a very large round tank that was called "The Sea," and it had a circumference of fourteen meters.
-\v 3 Below the outer rim there were small figures of bulls that were set in a circle, the bulls were placed 45 centimeters apart around the whole circle. The bulls were cast together in two rows, and they were also cast together with the metal basin that was called "The Sea." (Each row had three hundred figures of bulls.)
+\v 1 Solomon’s workers made a square bronze altar, nine meters long on each side, and four and three-fifths meters high.
+\v 2 They also made a very large round tank that was called “The Sea,” and it had a circumference of fourteen meters.
+\v 3 Below the outer rim there were small figures of bulls that were set in a circle, the bulls were placed 45 centimeters apart around the whole circle. The bulls were cast together in two rows, and they were also cast together with the metal basin that was called “The Sea.” (Each row had three hundred figures of bulls.)
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 "The Sea" was set on twelve large figures of bulls, with the bulls facing outward. Three bulls faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east.
-\v 5 The sides of the tank were eight centimeters thick. The tank's brim was fashioned like the brim of a cup; it resembled a lily blossom. The tank held sixty-six kiloliters of water.
+\v 4 “The Sea” was set on twelve large figures of bulls, with the bulls facing outward. Three bulls faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east.
+\v 5 The sides of the tank were eight centimeters thick. The tank’s brim was fashioned like the brim of a cup; it resembled a lily blossom. The tank held sixty-six kiloliters of water.
 \p
-\v 6 The craftsmen also made ten basins for washing the articles that were to be used in making offerings, and they set five on the south side, and five on the north side. In them the utensils used for the burnt offering were washed, and the priests washed themselves in the large bronze tank that was called "The Sea." 
+\v 6 The craftsmen also made ten basins for washing the articles that were to be used in making offerings, and they set five on the south side, and five on the north side. In them the utensils used for the burnt offering were washed, and the priests washed themselves in the large bronze tank that was called “The Sea.” 
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 9 They constructed one courtyard for the priests, and a larger courtyard for the other people. They made doors for the courtyards and covered them with thin sheets of bronze.
-\v 10 They placed the large tank that was called "The Sea" at the southeast corner of the temple.
+\v 10 They placed the large tank that was called “The Sea” at the southeast corner of the temple.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@
 \q
 \v 14 The pomegranate carvings also were used to decorate the stands, and the basins that were placed on them,
 \q
-\v 15 the very large tank called "The Sea," and the figures of twelve bulls underneath it,
+\v 15 the very large tank called “The Sea,” and the figures of twelve bulls underneath it,
 \q
 \v 16 the pots, shovels, meat forks, and all the other things needed for the work at the altar.
 \p All those things that Huram-Abi and his craftsmen made for King Solomon were of bronze that they polished for it to gleam brightly.
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 Solomon's workers also made all these things that they later put into the temple:
+\v 19 Solomon’s workers also made all these things that they later put into the temple:
 \q the golden altar,
 \q the tables on which the priests put the bread to display before God,
 \q
@@ -202,11 +202,11 @@
 \s5
 \c 5
 \p
-\v 1 After Solomon's workers had finished building the temple, Solomon put in the temple storerooms everything that his father David had dedicated to Yahweh—all the silver and gold and all the other things that were used at the temple.
+\v 1 After Solomon’s workers had finished building the temple, Solomon put in the temple storerooms everything that his father David had dedicated to Yahweh—all the silver and gold and all the other things that were used at the temple.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 2 Then King Solomon summoned to Jerusalem all the elders of Israel, all the leaders of the tribes and of the families. He wanted them to join in bringing to the temple Yahweh's sacred chest from Mount Zion, where it was in the part of the city called the city of David.
+\v 2 Then King Solomon summoned to Jerusalem all the elders of Israel, all the leaders of the tribes and of the families. He wanted them to join in bringing to the temple Yahweh’s sacred chest from Mount Zion, where it was in the part of the city called the city of David.
 \v 3 So all the leaders of Israel gathered together with the king, during the Festival of Shelters, in the seventh month.
 
 \s5
@@ -231,8 +231,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 13 The men blowing trumpets, those playing the cymbals and other musical instruments, and the singers, made music together, praising Yahweh and singing this song:
-\q1 "Yahweh is good to us;
-\q2 he faithfully loves us forever."
+\q1 “Yahweh is good to us;
+\q2 he faithfully loves us forever.”
 \p Then suddenly the temple was filled with a cloud.
 \v 14 The glory of Yahweh filled the temple, with the result that the priests were not able to continue doing their work.
 
@@ -240,28 +240,28 @@
 \s5
 \c 6
 \p
-\v 1 Then Solomon prayed, "Yahweh, you said that you would live in a dark cloud.
-\v 2 But now I have built a glorious temple for you to live in forever!"
+\v 1 Then Solomon prayed, “Yahweh, you said that you would live in a dark cloud.
+\v 2 But now I have built a glorious temple for you to live in forever!”
 \p
 \v 3 Then while all the people stood there, Solomon turned toward the people and asked God to bless them.
 
 \s5
 \v 4 He said to them,
-\p "Let us praise Yahweh, the God to whom we Israelites belong, who has caused to happen what he promised to my father David. What he said to David was this:
+\p “Let us praise Yahweh, the God to whom we Israelites belong, who has caused to happen what he promised to my father David. What he said to David was this:
 \pi
-\v 5 'From the time that I brought my people out of Egypt, I have never chosen a city in Israel in which a temple should be built for people to worship me there. Nor did I choose anyone to be the leader of my Israelite people.
-\v 6 But now I have chosen Jerusalem to be the place for people to worship me, and I have chosen you, David, to rule my Israelite people.'"
+\v 5 ‘From the time that I brought my people out of Egypt, I have never chosen a city in Israel in which a temple should be built for people to worship me there. Nor did I choose anyone to be the leader of my Israelite people.
+\v 6 But now I have chosen Jerusalem to be the place for people to worship me, and I have chosen you, David, to rule my Israelite people.’”
 
 \s5
 \pi
-\v 7 Then Solomon said further, "My father David wanted to build a temple for Yahweh, the God to whom we Israelites belong.
-\v 8 But Yahweh said to him, 'It is good that you wanted to build a house for me.
-\v 9 However, you are not the one who I want to build the temple, It is one of your own sons who will build it.'
+\v 7 Then Solomon said further, “My father David wanted to build a temple for Yahweh, the God to whom we Israelites belong.
+\v 8 But Yahweh said to him, ‘It is good that you wanted to build a house for me.
+\v 9 However, you are not the one who I want to build the temple, It is one of your own sons who will build it.’
 
 \s5
 \pi
 \v 10 And Yahweh has done what he promised to do. I have become the king of Israel to rule after my father, and I am ruling the people, as Yahweh promised, and I have arranged for this temple to be built for us to worship Yahweh, the God to whom we Israelites belong.
-\v 11 I have put the sacred chest in the temple, in which are the stone tablets showing the covenant that Yahweh made with us Israelite people."
+\v 11 I have put the sacred chest in the temple, in which are the stone tablets showing the covenant that Yahweh made with us Israelite people.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 14 Then he prayed,
-\p "Yahweh, the God to whom we Israelite people belong, there is no God like you in heaven or on the earth. You solemnly promised in your covenant that you would faithfully love us, and that is what you have done for us who earnestly do what you want us to do.
+\p “Yahweh, the God to whom we Israelite people belong, there is no God like you in heaven or on the earth. You solemnly promised in your covenant that you would faithfully love us, and that is what you have done for us who earnestly do what you want us to do.
 \pi
 \v 15 You have done the things that you promised my father David, who served you very well, that you would do. Truly, you promised to do those things for him, and today we see that by your power you have caused it all to happen.
 
@@ -292,7 +292,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \pi
-\v 22 If people accuse someone of doing something wrong to another person, and if they bring him in front of your altar outside this holy temple, and if he says, 'I did not do that; may God punish me if I am not telling the truth,'
+\v 22 If people accuse someone of doing something wrong to another person, and if they bring him in front of your altar outside this holy temple, and if he says, ‘I did not do that; may God punish me if I am not telling the truth,’
 \v 23 then please listen from heaven and decide who is telling the truth. Then punish the person who is guilty as he deserves to be punished, and do good to the other person as a reward for his innocence.
 
 \s5
@@ -325,7 +325,7 @@
 \s5
 \pi
 \v 36 It is true that everyone sins. So when your people sin against you, and you become angry with them, you might allow their enemies to capture them and take them to their countries, even to countries that are far away.
-\v 37 When that happens, while they are in those distant countries, if they say 'We have sinned; we have done things that are wrong and have done things that are very wicked,'
+\v 37 When that happens, while they are in those distant countries, if they say ‘We have sinned; we have done things that are wrong and have done things that are very wicked,’
 \v 38 suppose that they repent very sincerely and pray facing this land that you gave their ancestors, and facing this city that you chose, and facing this temple that I have built for you to be present in.
 \v 39 Then from your home in heaven listen to their prayer, and listen to them while they plead for your help, and do what they ask you to do, and forgive your people who have sinned against you.
 
@@ -339,7 +339,7 @@
 \q2 Cause us your people to rejoice because of all the good things that you do for us.
 \q1
 \v 42 Yahweh God, do not reject me, the king whom you have appointed to be the king of Israel;
-\q2 do not forget how faithfuly were to David, your servant, because of your covenant with him."
+\q2 do not forget how faithfuly were to David, your servant, because of your covenant with him.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -348,13 +348,13 @@
 \v 1 When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from the sky and burned up the animals that the people had sacrificed, as well as the other offerings. And the power and light of Yahweh filled the temple.
 \v 2 The light was extremely bright, with the result that the priests could not enter the temple of Yahweh.
 \v 3 When all the Israelite people who were there saw the fire coming down and the light of Yahweh above the temple, they prostrated themselves with their faces touching the stone pavement. They worshiped and thanked Yahweh, saying,
-\q1 'Yahweh is always good to us;
-\q2 he will love us forever, as he promised to do.'
+\q1 ‘Yahweh is always good to us;
+\q2 he will love us forever, as he promised to do.’
 \m
 
 \s5
 \v 4-5 Then the king and all the people who were there dedicated the temple to Yahweh by offering more sacrifices to him. King Solomon offered twenty-two thousand cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats to be sacrificed.
-\v 6 The priests stood in their positions, and the other descendants of Levi stood in their positions holding the musical instruments to praise Yahweh, instruments that King David had ordered to be made for praising Yahweh and thanking him. They sang, "He faithfully loves us forever." Opposite the other descendants of Levi the priests stood, blowing their trumpets, while all the Israelite people were standing and listening.
+\v 6 The priests stood in their positions, and the other descendants of Levi stood in their positions holding the musical instruments to praise Yahweh, instruments that King David had ordered to be made for praising Yahweh and thanking him. They sang, “He faithfully loves us forever.” Opposite the other descendants of Levi the priests stood, blowing their trumpets, while all the Israelite people were standing and listening.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -369,8 +369,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 In this way, Solomon's workers finished building the temple and Solomon's palace. And Solomon finished doing everything else that he had planned to do.
-\v 12 Then Yahweh appeared to him one night in a dream and said to him, "I have heard your prayer, and I have chosen this temple to be the place where my people will offer sacrifices to me.
+\v 11 In this way, Solomon’s workers finished building the temple and Solomon’s palace. And Solomon finished doing everything else that he had planned to do.
+\v 12 Then Yahweh appeared to him one night in a dream and said to him, “I have heard your prayer, and I have chosen this temple to be the place where my people will offer sacrifices to me.
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -382,7 +382,7 @@
 \v 16 I have decided to be present in this temple, and I have set apart it for myself. I will protect it for all time.
 \pi
 \v 17 And as for you, if you obey me as David, your father, did, and if you do all that I command you to do, and if you obey all my laws and decrees,
-\v 18 I will make sure that your descendants will always be kings, which is what I promised to David your father, when I told him, 'Persons from your descendants will always be the kings of Israel.'
+\v 18 I will make sure that your descendants will always be kings, which is what I promised to David your father, when I told him, ‘Persons from your descendants will always be the kings of Israel.’
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -390,24 +390,24 @@
 \v 20 This is what I will do: I will cause you to be driven away from this land that I have given to you, and I will reject the temple that I have set apart for myself. I will make people from all the other people groups laugh about what happened to house where Yahweh was worshiped.
 
 \s5
-\v 21 Although this temple is now so magnificent, when that happens, all the people who pass by will be appalled, and they will say, 'Why has Yahweh done terrible things like this to this country and to this temple?'
-\v 22 And others will reply, 'It happened because they rejected Yahweh, the God to whom their ancestors belonged, the one who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and they have chosen to worship other gods and try to please them. And that is why Yahweh has caused them to experience all these disasters.'"
+\v 21 Although this temple is now so magnificent, when that happens, all the people who pass by will be appalled, and they will say, ‘Why has Yahweh done terrible things like this to this country and to this temple?’
+\v 22 And others will reply, ‘It happened because they rejected Yahweh, the God to whom their ancestors belonged, the one who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and they have chosen to worship other gods and try to please them. And that is why Yahweh has caused them to experience all these disasters.’”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 8
 
 \p
-\v 1 Solomon's workers took twenty years to build the temple and his palace.
+\v 1 Solomon’s workers took twenty years to build the temple and his palace.
 \v 2 Then his workers rebuilt the cities that King Hiram had given back to him, and Solomon sent Israelites to live in those cities.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 Solomon's army then went to the town of Hamathzobah and captured it.
+\v 3 Solomon’s army then went to the town of Hamathzobah and captured it.
 \v 4 They also rebuilt walls around the city of Tadmor in the wilderness, and in the region of Hamath, for all the towns where they kept supplies.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 They rebuilt the cities of Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon, and built walls around them with gates and bars for the gates.
-\v 6 They also rebuilt the city of Baalath and all the cities where supplies were kept, and the cities where Solomon's chariots and horses were kept. Solomon's workers built whatever he wanted them to build, in Jerusalem and in Lebanon, and in other places in the area that he ruled.
+\v 6 They also rebuilt the city of Baalath and all the cities where supplies were kept, and the cities where Solomon’s chariots and horses were kept. Solomon’s workers built whatever he wanted them to build, in Jerusalem and in Lebanon, and in other places in the area that he ruled.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -416,19 +416,19 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 9 But Solomon did not force Israelites to work for him. Israelites became his soldiers and commanders of his chariots and his chariot drivers.
-\v 10 They were also King Solomon's chief officials. There were 250 of them, and they supervised the workers.
+\v 10 They were also King Solomon’s chief officials. There were 250 of them, and they supervised the workers.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 Solomon brought his wife, who was the daughter of the king of Egypt, to the place that his workers had built for her in the place outside Jerusalem called the city of David. He said, "I do not want my wife to live in the palace that my father King David's workers built, because the sacred chest was in that palace for a while, and any place where the sacred chest has been is holy."
+\v 11 Solomon brought his wife, who was the daughter of the king of Egypt, to the place that his workers had built for her in the place outside Jerusalem called the city of David. He said, “I do not want my wife to live in the palace that my father King David’s workers built, because the sacred chest was in that palace for a while, and any place where the sacred chest has been is holy.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 On the altar that Solomon's workers had built in front of the entrance to the temple, Solomon brought many offerings that were to be completely burned.
+\v 12 On the altar that Solomon’s workers had built in front of the entrance to the temple, Solomon brought many offerings that were to be completely burned.
 \v 13 He did that obeying what sacrifices Moses had declared should be made every day, on the Sabbath days, to celebrate each day on which there was a new moon, and on the three other festivals that were celebrated each year: the Festival of Bread with No Yeast, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Shelters.
 
 \s5
-\v 14 Obeying what his father David had commanded, Solomon appointed the groups of priests for their work, and he appointed the descendants of Levi to lead the people while they sang to praise Yahweh, and while they assisted the priests in their daily work. He also appointed groups of them to guard all the gates, because that was also what David, God's servant, had commanded.
+\v 14 Obeying what his father David had commanded, Solomon appointed the groups of priests for their work, and he appointed the descendants of Levi to lead the people while they sang to praise Yahweh, and while they assisted the priests in their daily work. He also appointed groups of them to guard all the gates, because that was also what David, God’s servant, had commanded.
 \v 15 The priests and other descendants of Levi obeyed completely everything that the king commanded, including the order to take care of the storerooms.
 
 \s5
@@ -437,8 +437,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 Then some of Solomon's men went to the cities of Ezion Geber and Elath on the coast of the Sea of Reeds, next to a region that belonged to the Edom people group.
-\v 18 King Hiram sent him from the city of Tyre some ships that were commanded by his officers. They were men who were experienced sailors. These men went in the ships with Solomon's men to the region of Ophir and brought back about fifteen metric tons of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.
+\v 17 Then some of Solomon’s men went to the cities of Ezion Geber and Elath on the coast of the Sea of Reeds, next to a region that belonged to the Edom people group.
+\v 18 King Hiram sent him from the city of Tyre some ships that were commanded by his officers. They were men who were experienced sailors. These men went in the ships with Solomon’s men to the region of Ophir and brought back about fifteen metric tons of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -455,12 +455,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 She said to the king, "Everything that I heard in my own country about you and about how wise you are is true!
+\v 5 She said to the king, “Everything that I heard in my own country about you and about how wise you are is true!
 \v 6 But I did not believe it was true until I came here and saw it myself. You are extremely wise and rich, even more than what people told me.
 
 \s5
 \v 7 The men who work for you are very fortunate! Your servants who are constantly standing in front of you and listening to the wise things that you say are also fortunate!
-\v 8 I praise Yahweh your God, who has shown that he is pleased with you by appointing you to be the king of Israel for him. God has always loved the Israelite people, and he desires to assist them forever, so he has appointed you to be their king, in order that you will rule them fairly and righteously."
+\v 8 I praise Yahweh your God, who has shown that he is pleased with you by appointing you to be the king of Israel for him. God has always loved the Israelite people, and he desires to assist them forever, so he has appointed you to be their king, in order that you will rule them fairly and righteously.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -478,7 +478,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 King Solomon's workers took this gold and hammered it into thin sheets and covered two hundred large shields with those thin sheets of gold; they put about six and one-half kilograms of gold on each shield.
+\v 15 King Solomon’s workers took this gold and hammered it into thin sheets and covered two hundred large shields with those thin sheets of gold; they put about six and one-half kilograms of gold on each shield.
 \v 16 His workers made three hundred smaller shields. They covered each of them with one and three-quarters kilograms of gold. Then the king put those shields in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
 
 \s5
@@ -488,8 +488,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 19 So there were twelve statues of lions. No throne like that had ever existed in any other kingdom.
-\v 20 All of Solomon's cups were made of gold, and all the various dishes in the House of the Forest of Lebanon were made of gold. They did not make things from silver, because during the years that Solomon ruled, silver was not considered to be valuable.
-\v 21 The king had a fleet of ships capable of sailing far out on the ocean. It sailed along with Hiram's merchant fleet. Every three years the fleet brought gold, silver, ivory, apes, and baboons.
+\v 20 All of Solomon’s cups were made of gold, and all the various dishes in the House of the Forest of Lebanon were made of gold. They did not make things from silver, because during the years that Solomon ruled, silver was not considered to be valuable.
+\v 21 The king had a fleet of ships capable of sailing far out on the ocean. It sailed along with Hiram’s merchant fleet. Every three years the fleet brought gold, silver, ivory, apes, and baboons.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -504,14 +504,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 27 During the years that Solomon was king, he caused silver to become as common in Jerusalem as stone; and he caused cedar trees in the foothills of Judah to become as plentiful as sycamore fig trees.
-\v 28 Solomon's agents brought horses to the land of Judah from Egypt and from many other lands.
+\v 28 Solomon’s agents brought horses to the land of Judah from Egypt and from many other lands.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 29 Lists of all the other things that Solomon did are written in the scrolls written by the prophet Nathan, and by the prophet Ahijah from the city of Shiloh, and in the scroll in which was written the visions of the prophet Iddo (a scroll in which Iddo's visions about Jeroboam son of Nebat were also written).
+\v 29 Lists of all the other things that Solomon did are written in the scrolls written by the prophet Nathan, and by the prophet Ahijah from the city of Shiloh, and in the scroll in which was written the visions of the prophet Iddo (a scroll in which Iddo’s visions about Jeroboam son of Nebat were also written).
 \v 30 Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all of Israel for forty years.
-\v 31 Then Solomon died; they buried him in the part of Jerusalem called 'the city of David.' And his son Rehoboam became the next king.
+\v 31 Then Solomon died; they buried him in the part of Jerusalem called ‘the city of David.’ And his son Rehoboam became the next king.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -523,42 +523,42 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 3 So the leaders of the northern tribes summoned Jeroboam, and he went with them to talk to Rehoboam. They said to Rehoboam,
-\v 4 "Your father Solomon forced us to work very hard, but if you charge us fewer taxes than we were paying to him, and if you make us work not so much we will serve you faithfully."
+\v 4 “Your father Solomon forced us to work very hard, but if you charge us fewer taxes than we were paying to him, and if you make us work not so much we will serve you faithfully.”
 \p
-\v 5 He replied, "Come back three days from now, and I will give you my answer." So those leaders and Jeroboam left.
+\v 5 He replied, “Come back three days from now, and I will give you my answer.” So those leaders and Jeroboam left.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Then King Rehoboam consulted his older men who had advised his father Solomon while he was still alive. He asked them, "What shall I say to answer these men?"
+\v 6 Then King Rehoboam consulted his older men who had advised his father Solomon while he was still alive. He asked them, “What shall I say to answer these men?”
 \p
-\v 7 They replied, "If you will be kind to these people and do things that will please them, and if you say kind things to them when you answer them, they will always serve you."
+\v 7 They replied, “If you will be kind to these people and do things that will please them, and if you say kind things to them when you answer them, they will always serve you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 But he did not agree with what the older men advised him to do. Instead, he consulted the younger men who had grown up with him, who were now his advisors.
-\v 9 He said to them, "What do you say that I should answer the men who are asking me to reduce the work and taxes that my father required from them?"
+\v 9 He said to them, “What do you say that I should answer the men who are asking me to reduce the work and taxes that my father required from them?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 The young men who had grown up with him replied, "Those men have said that your father forced them to work very hard for him, so they want you to reduce the work and taxes that your father required from them. But this is what you should tell them: 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist.'
-\v 11 My father required you people to work hard and pay high taxes, but I will make the loads you carry even heavier. My father whipped you with leather whips, but I will whip you with scorpions."
+\v 10 The young men who had grown up with him replied, “Those men have said that your father forced them to work very hard for him, so they want you to reduce the work and taxes that your father required from them. But this is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist.’
+\v 11 My father required you people to work hard and pay high taxes, but I will make the loads you carry even heavier. My father whipped you with leather whips, but I will whip you with scorpions.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 Three days later, Jeroboam and all the leaders came to King Rehoboam again, as he had instructed them to do.
 \v 13 The king ignored the advice of the older men and spoke harshly to the Israelite leaders.
-\v 14 He told them what the younger men had advised. He said, "My father put heavy burdens of work and taxes on you, but I will put heavier burdens on you. It was as though he beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions!"
+\v 14 He told them what the younger men had advised. He said, “My father put heavy burdens of work and taxes on you, but I will put heavier burdens on you. It was as though he beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions!”
 
 \s5
-\v 15 So the king did not pay any attention to the people's leaders. All this happened in order that what Yahweh wanted would occur, what he had told the prophet Ahijah about Jeroboam becoming king of the ten tribes out of the twelve.
+\v 15 So the king did not pay any attention to the people’s leaders. All this happened in order that what Yahweh wanted would occur, what he had told the prophet Ahijah about Jeroboam becoming king of the ten tribes out of the twelve.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 16 When the Israelite leaders realized that the king did not pay any attention to what they said, they shouted,
-\q1 "We do not want anything to do with this descendant of King David!
+\q1 “We do not want anything to do with this descendant of King David!
 \q2 We will not pay attention to what this grandson of Jesse says!
 \q1 You people of Israel, let us go home!
-\q2 As for this descendant of David, he can look after his family himself!"
+\q2 As for this descendant of David, he can look after his family himself!”
 \m So the Israelite leaders returned to their homes.
 
 \s5
@@ -577,8 +577,8 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 2 But Yahweh spoke to the prophet Shemaiah and said this to him:
-\v 3 "Go and tell this to Solomon's son Rehoboam, the king of Judah, and to all the Israelite people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin:
-\v 4 'Yahweh says that you must not go to fight against the people of Israel; it is as though they are your own relatives. All of you must go home. What has happened is what Yahweh wanted to happen.'" So Shemaiah went and told that to them, and they all paid attention to what Yahweh had commanded them to do; they did not attack Jeroboam and his soldiers.
+\v 3 “Go and tell this to Solomon’s son Rehoboam, the king of Judah, and to all the Israelite people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin:
+\v 4 ‘Yahweh says that you must not go to fight against the people of Israel; it is as though they are your own relatives. All of you must go home. What has happened is what Yahweh wanted to happen.’” So Shemaiah went and told that to them, and they all paid attention to what Yahweh had commanded them to do; they did not attack Jeroboam and his soldiers.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -602,12 +602,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 16 And people from every tribe in Israel who wanted to worship Yahweh, the God to whom the Israelites belonged, went with the descendants of Levi to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors worshiped.
-\v 17 They caused the kingdom of Judah to be strong, and for three years they were happy that Solomon's son Rehoboam was the king. During that time they conducted their lives righteously as David and Solomon had done previously.
+\v 17 They caused the kingdom of Judah to be strong, and for three years they were happy that Solomon’s son Rehoboam was the king. During that time they conducted their lives righteously as David and Solomon had done previously.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 Rehoboam married Mahalath. She was the daughter of David's son Jerimoth, and her mother was Abihail, the daughter of Eliab and granddaughter of Jesse.
+\v 18 Rehoboam married Mahalath. She was the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth, and her mother was Abihail, the daughter of Eliab and granddaughter of Jesse.
 \v 19 Rehoboam and Mahalath had three sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.
 
 \s5
@@ -632,29 +632,29 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 Then the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and the other leaders of Judah who had gathered in Jerusalem because they were afraid of the army of Shishak. Shemaiah said to them, "Yahweh says this: 'You have abandoned me; so now I am abandoning you, to allow you to be captured by the army of Shishak.'"
+\v 5 Then the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and the other leaders of Judah who had gathered in Jerusalem because they were afraid of the army of Shishak. Shemaiah said to them, “Yahweh says this: ‘You have abandoned me; so now I am abandoning you, to allow you to be captured by the army of Shishak.’”
 \p
-\v 6 Then the king and the other Israelite leaders humbled themselves and said, "What Yahweh is doing to us is just."
+\v 6 Then the king and the other Israelite leaders humbled themselves and said, “What Yahweh is doing to us is just.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 When Yahweh realized that they had humbled themselves, he gave this message to Shemaiah: "Because they have humbled themselves, I will not allow them to be destroyed. Instead, I will soon rescue them. I will not use Shishak's army to completely destroy the people of Jerusalem,
-\v 8 but they will conquer Jerusalem and force the people there to do what Shishak wants them to do. As a result, the people of Jerusalem will learn that it is better to serve me than to serve the kings of other countries."
+\v 7 When Yahweh realized that they had humbled themselves, he gave this message to Shemaiah: “Because they have humbled themselves, I will not allow them to be destroyed. Instead, I will soon rescue them. I will not use Shishak’s army to completely destroy the people of Jerusalem,
+\v 8 but they will conquer Jerusalem and force the people there to do what Shishak wants them to do. As a result, the people of Jerusalem will learn that it is better to serve me than to serve the kings of other countries.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 When Shishak's army attacked Jerusalem, they took away the valuable things that were in the temple of Yahweh and in the king's palace. They took everything that was valuable, including the gold shields that Solomon's workers had made.
-\v 10 So King Rehoboam's workers made bronze shields to be used instead of the gold ones, and gave the bronze shields to the commanders of the men who guarded the entrance to the his palace.
+\v 9 When Shishak’s army attacked Jerusalem, they took away the valuable things that were in the temple of Yahweh and in the king’s palace. They took everything that was valuable, including the gold shields that Solomon’s workers had made.
+\v 10 So King Rehoboam’s workers made bronze shields to be used instead of the gold ones, and gave the bronze shields to the commanders of the men who guarded the entrance to the his palace.
 
 \s5
-\v 11 After that, whenever the king went to the temple, the guards went with him, carrying those bronze shields. Then when the king left, they would return the shields to the guards' room.
+\v 11 After that, whenever the king went to the temple, the guards went with him, carrying those bronze shields. Then when the king left, they would return the shields to the guards’ room.
 \p
 \v 12 Because Rehoboam humbled himself, Yahweh stopped being angry with him, and did not get rid of him. Instead, he caused good things to happen in Judah.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 13 King Rehoboam again obtained complete control in Jerusalem, and continued to be the king of Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became the king. He ruled for seventeen years in Jerusalem, which is the city that Yahweh had chosen from all the tribes in Israel to be the place in which people were to worship him.
-\v 14 Rehoboam's mother's name was Naamah. She was from the Ammon people group. Rehoboam did evil things because he did not try to find out what Yahweh wanted him to do.
+\v 14 Rehoboam’s mother’s name was Naamah. She was from the Ammon people group. Rehoboam did evil things because he did not try to find out what Yahweh wanted him to do.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -673,16 +673,16 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 Abijah stood on the top of Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country that belonged to the tribe of Ephraim, and he shouted, "Jeroboam and all you other people of Israel, listen to me!
+\v 4 Abijah stood on the top of Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country that belonged to the tribe of Ephraim, and he shouted, “Jeroboam and all you other people of Israel, listen to me!
 \v 5 You certainly know that Yahweh, whom we Israelites are to worship, made a covenant with David by which he promised that his descendants would always rule over Israel.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 But Jeroboam, who was only an official of David's son King Solomon, rebelled against his king.
-\v 7 And when Solomon's son Rehoboam became king and was still young and inexperienced, a group of worthless scoundrels gathered around you and rebelled against him.
+\v 6 But Jeroboam, who was only an official of David’s son King Solomon, rebelled against his king.
+\v 7 And when Solomon’s son Rehoboam became king and was still young and inexperienced, a group of worthless scoundrels gathered around you and rebelled against him.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 And now you are planning to fight against the kingdom that Yahweh established to be governed by David's descendants. It is true that you have a huge army, and you and your soldiers have brought with you the golden statues of calves that Jeroboam's workers made to be your gods.
+\v 8 And now you are planning to fight against the kingdom that Yahweh established to be governed by David’s descendants. It is true that you have a huge army, and you and your soldiers have brought with you the golden statues of calves that Jeroboam’s workers made to be your gods.
 \v 9 But you drove out the priests that Yahweh appointed, men who are descendants of Aaron the first high priest. You also drove out the descendants of Levi, and you appointed the priests that you wanted, like the people of other countries do. And so one may even come to set himself apart for the work of a priest, even sacrificing a young bull and seven rams as a sign of his ordination and his dedication to become a priest. But what kind of priest is he? He is consecrated to serve idols that are not gods at all!
 
 \s5
@@ -691,7 +691,7 @@
 \v 11 Every morning and every evening they present to Yahweh offerings to be completely burned on the altar, and they burn fragrant incense. Each week they place on the sacred table the bread to display before Yahweh, and each morning they light the lamps that are on the gold lampstand. We are obeying what Yahweh our God requires us to do. But you have abandoned him; you no longer worship him.
 
 \s5
-\v 12 Yahweh is with us; he is our leader. The priests whom he has appointed will blow their trumpets to signal that we are ready to fight a battle against you. You Israelite men, do not fight against Yahweh, the God to whom your ancestors belonged, because you will not be successful against him."
+\v 12 Yahweh is with us; he is our leader. The priests whom he has appointed will blow their trumpets to signal that we are ready to fight a battle against you. You Israelite men, do not fight against Yahweh, the God to whom your ancestors belonged, because you will not be successful against him.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -707,7 +707,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 Abijah's army pursued the army of Jeroboam, and they captured from the people of Israel the cities of Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, and the surrounding villages.
+\v 19 Abijah’s army pursued the army of Jeroboam, and they captured from the people of Israel the cities of Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, and the surrounding villages.
 \v 20 During the remaining time that Abijah ruled, Jeroboam did not become powerful again. Then Yahweh caused him to become very ill, and he died.
 \p
 \v 21 But Abijah became more powerful. He married fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
@@ -731,7 +731,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 Asa said to the people of Judah, "We should protect these towns by building walls around them, with watchtowers and gates that have bars. This country still belongs to us because we have requested Yahweh our God to help us. We requested him for his help, and he has given us peace in our entire country." So they built buildings and succeeded in what they did.
+\v 7 Asa said to the people of Judah, “We should protect these towns by building walls around them, with watchtowers and gates that have bars. This country still belongs to us because we have requested Yahweh our God to help us. We requested him for his help, and he has given us peace in our entire country.” So they built buildings and succeeded in what they did.
 \p
 \v 8 Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah. They all carried large shields and spears. He also had 280,000 men from the tribe of Benjamin in his army. They also carried shields, and also bows and arrows. They were all brave soldiers.
 
@@ -740,7 +740,7 @@
 \v 9 Zerah, a man from Ethiopia, attacked Judah with an army of one million men and three hundred chariots. He came to Mareshah, southwest of Jerusalem.
 \v 10 Asa went with his army to fight against them, and both armies took their positions in the Zephathah Valley.
 \p
-\v 11 Then Asa cried out to Yahweh his God, saying, "Yahweh, there is no one like you who can help those who have very little power to resist large armies. We have come to fight against this huge army. Yahweh, you are our God; do not allow anyone to defeat you."
+\v 11 Then Asa cried out to Yahweh his God, saying, “Yahweh, there is no one like you who can help those who have very little power to resist large armies. We have come to fight against this huge army. Yahweh, you are our God; do not allow anyone to defeat you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -757,20 +757,20 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded.
-\v 2 Azariah went to talk with Asa and said to him, "Asa and all you men of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, listen to me. Yahweh is with you whenever you are with him. If you request him to help you, he will help you, but if you abandon him, he will abandon you.
+\v 2 Azariah went to talk with Asa and said to him, “Asa and all you men of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, listen to me. Yahweh is with you whenever you are with him. If you request him to help you, he will help you, but if you abandon him, he will abandon you.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 For many years the Israelite people did not have the true God, and they did not have priests or God's laws.
+\v 3 For many years the Israelite people did not have the true God, and they did not have priests or God’s laws.
 \v 4 But when they experienced trouble, they turned to Yahweh, our God, and requested him to help them. And he helped them.
 \v 5 At that time, people were not safe when they traveled, because all the people who lived in those countries were experiencing many difficulties.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 The people of various nations were crushed by armies of other nations, and people in some cities were crushed by armies from other cities, because God was allowing them to experience many difficulties.
-\v 7 But you people, you must be strong and do not become discouraged, because God will reward you for what you do to please him."
+\v 7 But you people, you must be strong and do not become discouraged, because God will reward you for what you do to please him.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 Asa was encouraged when he heard what Azariah son of Oded, prophesied. Asa commanded his workers to remove all the detestable idols from everywhere in the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and from the towns that his soldiers had captured in the hills of the tribe of Ephraim. Asa's workers repaired the altar where people offered sacrifices to Yahweh that was in front of the entrance to the temple in Jerusalem.
+\v 8 Asa was encouraged when he heard what Azariah son of Oded, prophesied. Asa commanded his workers to remove all the detestable idols from everywhere in the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and from the towns that his soldiers had captured in the hills of the tribe of Ephraim. Asa’s workers repaired the altar where people offered sacrifices to Yahweh that was in front of the entrance to the temple in Jerusalem.
 \v 9 He gathered together all the people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and many people had come from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were living among them. He was able to do that because many people had left those tribes in Israel, when they realized that Yahweh was helping him.
 
 \s5
@@ -788,11 +788,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 King Asa's grandmother Maacah had made a disgusting pole for worshiping the goddess Asherah. So Asa commanded his workers to cut down that pole, chop it into pieces, and burn it in the Kidron Valley. He did not allow Maacah to continue to influence the people because she was the mother of the previous king.
-\v 17 Although Asa's workers did not get rid of places where people worshiped idols, and those high places remained on the hills throughout Asa's reign. But still, Asa was determined to do what pleased Yahweh all during the years that he was alive.
+\v 16 King Asa’s grandmother Maacah had made a disgusting pole for worshiping the goddess Asherah. So Asa commanded his workers to cut down that pole, chop it into pieces, and burn it in the Kidron Valley. He did not allow Maacah to continue to influence the people because she was the mother of the previous king.
+\v 17 Although Asa’s workers did not get rid of places where people worshiped idols, and those high places remained on the hills throughout Asa’s reign. But still, Asa was determined to do what pleased Yahweh all during the years that he was alive.
 
 \s5
-\v 18 He ordered his workers to bring into God's temple all the silver and gold and other valuable items that he and his father had dedicated to God.
+\v 18 He ordered his workers to bring into God’s temple all the silver and gold and other valuable items that he and his father had dedicated to God.
 \p
 \v 19 There were no more wars in Judah until Asa had been ruling Judah almost thirty-five years.
 
@@ -806,21 +806,21 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 2 So Asa told his workers to take all the silver and gold that was in the storerooms of the temple and in his own palace, and take and give it to Ben Hadad, the king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus. He sent him a message, saying,
-\v 3 "I want there to be a peace treaty between me and you, like there was between my father and your father. Look, I am sending you much silver and gold. So please cancel the treaty that you have made with Baasha, the king of Israel, in order that he will take his soldiers away from attacking mine, because he will be afraid of your army."
+\v 3 “I want there to be a peace treaty between me and you, like there was between my father and your father. Look, I am sending you much silver and gold. So please cancel the treaty that you have made with Baasha, the king of Israel, in order that he will take his soldiers away from attacking mine, because he will be afraid of your army.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 Ben Hadad agreed to do what King Asa suggested. He sent the commanders of his armies with their soldiers to attack some of the towns in Israel. They captured Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim, and all the cities in the tribe of Naphtali where supplies were kept.
 \v 5 When Baasha heard about that, he commanded his troops to stop fortifying Ramah.
-\v 6 Then King Asa gathered all the men of Judah, and they took away from Ramah all the stones and timber that Baasha's men had been using to build the wall around that town. They took those materials to the cities of Geba and Mizpah north of Jerusalem and built walls around them.
+\v 6 Then King Asa gathered all the men of Judah, and they took away from Ramah all the stones and timber that Baasha’s men had been using to build the wall around that town. They took those materials to the cities of Geba and Mizpah north of Jerusalem and built walls around them.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 At that time the prophet Hanani went to King Asa and said to him, "Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on Yahweh our God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from you.
+\v 7 At that time the prophet Hanani went to King Asa and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on Yahweh our God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from you.
 \v 8 Remember that the huge armies from Ethiopia were very powerful. But when you relied on Yahweh, he enabled your army to defeat them.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 That happened because Yahweh sees what is happening all over the earth, and he strengthens those who completely trust him. You have done a very foolish thing, so from now on other armies will be fighting your army."
+\v 9 That happened because Yahweh sees what is happening all over the earth, and he strengthens those who completely trust him. You have done a very foolish thing, so from now on other armies will be fighting your army.”
 \p
 \v 10 Asa was very angry with the prophet because of what the prophet had said. So he commanded his officials to put Hanani in prison. At that same time, he started to treat some of his people very cruelly.
 
@@ -831,20 +831,20 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 13 Asa had been ruling for about forty-one years when he died. 
-\v 14 People buried him in the tomb that his workers had made for him in the part of Jerusalem called "the city of David." They laid his corpse on a bed covered with spices and various perfumes that had been mixed together. They also lit a huge fire to honor him.
+\v 14 People buried him in the tomb that his workers had made for him in the part of Jerusalem called “the city of David.” They laid his corpse on a bed covered with spices and various perfumes that had been mixed together. They also lit a huge fire to honor him.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 17
 
 \p
-\v 1 Then Asa's son Jehoshaphat became the king of Judah, and he enabled his army to become very strong, with the result that they could resist attacks from the army of Israel.
+\v 1 Then Asa’s son Jehoshaphat became the king of Judah, and he enabled his army to become very strong, with the result that they could resist attacks from the army of Israel.
 \v 2 He put soldiers in all the cities in Judah around which they had built walls, and he put soldiers in other places in Judah and in the towns in the tribe of Ephraim that soldiers of his father Asa had captured.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 3 Yahweh helped Jehoshaphat because in his earlier years, when he first began his rule, he did the things that pleased Yahweh just as his ancestor King David had done. Jehoshaphat did not worship Baal.
-\v 4 Instead, he sought advice from the God whom his father had worshiped, and he obeyed God's commands and he did not do the evil things that the kings of Israel kept doing.
+\v 4 Instead, he sought advice from the God whom his father had worshiped, and he obeyed God’s commands and he did not do the evil things that the kings of Israel kept doing.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 Yahweh enabled him to completely control his kingdom. All the people of Judah brought gifts to him, with the result that he became very rich and was greatly honored.
@@ -858,7 +858,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 The people in all the kingdoms surrounding Judah became very afraid of what Yahweh might do to punish them if they fought against Judah, so they did not try to fight Jehoshaphat's army.
+\v 10 The people in all the kingdoms surrounding Judah became very afraid of what Yahweh might do to punish them if they fought against Judah, so they did not try to fight Jehoshaphat’s army.
 \v 11 Some people from Philistia brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, and they also brought to him the silver that he demanded that they pay to him. Some Arabs brought to him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats.
 
 \s5
@@ -873,7 +873,7 @@
 \q
 \v 15 His assistant was Jehohanan, who commanded 280,000 soldiers.
 \q
-\v 16 Next was Zicri's son Amasiah, who volunteered to serve Yahweh in this way; he commanded 200,000 courageous soldiers.
+\v 16 Next was Zicri’s son Amasiah, who volunteered to serve Yahweh in this way; he commanded 200,000 courageous soldiers.
 
 \s5
 \q
@@ -889,20 +889,20 @@
 \p
 \v 1 Jehoshaphat became very wealthy and was greatly honored. But then he arranged for one of his family to marry someone from the family of King Ahab of Israel.
 \v 2 Several years later, he went down from Jerusalem to Samaria to visit Ahab. Ahab welcomed him, and the people who had come with him by slaughtering many sheep and cattle for a feast.
-\v 3 Then he asked Jehoshaphat, "Will you and your army go with my army to attack the city of Ramoth in the region of Gilead?" Jehoshaphat replied, "My soldiers and I are at your orders. We will go to war when you tell us to go."
+\v 3 Then he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you and your army go with my army to attack the city of Ramoth in the region of Gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied, “My soldiers and I are at your orders. We will go to war when you tell us to go.”
 
 \s5
-\v 4 Then he added, "But we should ask Yahweh first, to find out what he wants us to do."
+\v 4 Then he added, “But we should ask Yahweh first, to find out what he wants us to do.”
 \p
-\v 5 So the king of Israel gathered all his four hundred prophets and asked them, "Should we go to fight the people of Ramoth, or should we not?"
-\p They replied, "Yes, go and attack them because God will enable your army to defeat them."
+\v 5 So the king of Israel gathered all his four hundred prophets and asked them, “Should we go to fight the people of Ramoth, or should we not?”
+\p They replied, “Yes, go and attack them because God will enable your army to defeat them.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there no prophet of Yahweh here whom we can ask?"
+\v 6 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of Yahweh here whom we can ask?”
 \p
-\v 7 The king of Israel replied, "There is still one man here, whom we can ask to find out what Yahweh wants, His name is Micaiah son of Imlah. But I hate him because he never says that anything good about me. He always predicts that bad things will happen to me."
-\p Jehoshaphat replied, "King Ahab, you should not say that!"
+\v 7 The king of Israel replied, “There is still one man here, whom we can ask to find out what Yahweh wants, His name is Micaiah son of Imlah. But I hate him because he never says that anything good about me. He always predicts that bad things will happen to me.”
+\p Jehoshaphat replied, “King Ahab, you should not say that!”
 \p
 \v 8 So the king of Israel told one of his officials to summon Micaiah immediately.
 
@@ -910,72 +910,72 @@
 \p
 \v 9 Now the king of Israel and the king of Judah were sitting there on thrones, wearing their royal robes. They were sitting by the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were busy saying words of prophecy to them.
 \p
-\v 10 One of them whose name was Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, had made from iron something that resembled the horns of a bull. He proclaimed to Ahab, "This is what Yahweh says: 'With horns like these, your army will keep attacking the army of Aram like a bull attacks another animal, until you completely destroy them.'"
-\v 11 All the other prophets of Ahab agreed. They said, "Yes! If you attack Ramoth in Gilead, you will be successful, because Yahweh will enable you to defeat them."
+\v 10 One of them whose name was Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, had made from iron something that resembled the horns of a bull. He proclaimed to Ahab, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘With horns like these, your army will keep attacking the army of Aram like a bull attacks another animal, until you completely destroy them.’”
+\v 11 All the other prophets of Ahab agreed. They said, “Yes! If you attack Ramoth in Gilead, you will be successful, because Yahweh will enable you to defeat them.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 The messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, "Listen to me! All the other prophets are predicting the same thing. You had better do as they are doing!"
+\v 12 The messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Listen to me! All the other prophets are predicting the same thing. You had better do as they are doing!”
 \p
-\v 13 But Micaiah said, "As surely as Yahweh lives, I will tell him only what he tells me to say."
+\v 13 But Micaiah said, “As surely as Yahweh lives, I will tell him only what he tells me to say.”
 \p
-\v 14 When Micaiah arrived, the king of Israel asked him, "Should we go to attack Ramoth, or not?"
-\p Micaiah replied, "Sure, go! Yahweh will enable your army to defeat them!"
+\v 14 When Micaiah arrived, the king of Israel asked him, “Should we go to attack Ramoth, or not?”
+\p Micaiah replied, “Sure, go! Yahweh will enable your army to defeat them!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 But King Ahab wished to appear reverent toward Yahweh in front of Jehoshaphat. He said to Miciaiah, "I keep telling you to say only what Yahweh tells you to say!"
+\v 15 But King Ahab wished to appear reverent toward Yahweh in front of Jehoshaphat. He said to Miciaiah, “I keep telling you to say only what Yahweh tells you to say!”
 \p
-\v 16 Then Micaiah replied, "The truth is that in a vision I saw all the troops of Israel scattered on the mountains. They seemed to be like sheep that did not have a shepherd. And Yahweh said, 'Their master has been killed. So tell them all to go home peacefully.'"
+\v 16 Then Micaiah replied, “The truth is that in a vision I saw all the troops of Israel scattered on the mountains. They seemed to be like sheep that did not have a shepherd. And Yahweh said, ‘Their master has been killed. So tell them all to go home peacefully.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 Ahab turned to Jehoshaphat and said, "I told you that Micaiah never says anything good will happen to me! He only predicts bad things for me."
+\v 17 Ahab turned to Jehoshaphat and said, “I told you that Micaiah never says anything good will happen to me! He only predicts bad things for me.”
 \p
-\v 18 But Micaiah continued, saying, "Listen to what Yahweh showed to me! In a vision I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, with all the armies of heaven standing around him, on his right side and on his left side.
+\v 18 But Micaiah continued, saying, “Listen to what Yahweh showed to me! In a vision I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, with all the armies of heaven standing around him, on his right side and on his left side.
 
 \s5
-\v 19 And Yahweh said, 'Who can persuade Ahab, the king of Israel, to go to fight against the people of Ramoth, in order that he may be killed there?'
+\v 19 And Yahweh said, ‘Who can persuade Ahab, the king of Israel, to go to fight against the people of Ramoth, in order that he may be killed there?’
 \p Some suggested one thing, and others suggested something else.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Finally one spirit forward and said, 'I can do it!'
-\p Yahweh asked him, 'How will you do it?'
+\v 20 Finally one spirit forward and said, ‘I can do it!’
+\p Yahweh asked him, ‘How will you do it?’
 \p
-\v 21 The spirit replied, 'I will go and inspire all of Ahab's prophets to tell lies.' Yahweh said, 'You will be successful; go and do it!'
+\v 21 The spirit replied, ‘I will go and inspire all of Ahab’s prophets to tell lies.’ Yahweh said, ‘You will be successful; go and do it!’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 So now I tell you that Yahweh has caused your prophets to lie to you. Yahweh has decided that something terrible will happen to you."
+\v 22 So now I tell you that Yahweh has caused your prophets to lie to you. Yahweh has decided that something terrible will happen to you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 Then Zedekiah walked over to Micaiah and slapped him on his face. He said, "Do you think that Yahweh's spirit left me in order to speak to you?"
+\v 23 Then Zedekiah walked over to Micaiah and slapped him on his face. He said, “Do you think that Yahweh’s spirit left me in order to speak to you?”
 \p
-\v 24 Micaiah replied, "You will find out for yourself to which of us Yahweh's spirit has truly spoken on the day when you go into a room of some house to hide from the Aramean soldiers!"
+\v 24 Micaiah replied, “You will find out for yourself to which of us Yahweh’s spirit has truly spoken on the day when you go into a room of some house to hide from the Aramean soldiers!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 25 King Ahab commanded his soldiers, "Arrest Micaiah and take him to Amon, the governor of this city, and to my son Joash.
-\v 26 Tell them that I have commanded that they should put this man in prison and give him only bread and water. Do not give him anything else to eat until I return safely from the battle!"
+\v 25 King Ahab commanded his soldiers, “Arrest Micaiah and take him to Amon, the governor of this city, and to my son Joash.
+\v 26 Tell them that I have commanded that they should put this man in prison and give him only bread and water. Do not give him anything else to eat until I return safely from the battle!”
 \p
-\v 27 Micaiah replied, "If you return safely, it will be clear that it was not Yahweh who told me what to say to you!" Then he said to all those who were standing there, "Do not forget what I have said to King Ahab!"
+\v 27 Micaiah replied, “If you return safely, it will be clear that it was not Yahweh who told me what to say to you!” Then he said to all those who were standing there, “Do not forget what I have said to King Ahab!”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 28 So the king of Israel and the king of Judah led their armies to Ramoth in Gilead.
-\v 29 King Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "I will put on different clothes, in order that no one will recognize that I am the king. But you should wear your royal robe." So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they both went into the battle.
+\v 29 King Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “I will put on different clothes, in order that no one will recognize that I am the king. But you should wear your royal robe.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they both went into the battle.
 \p
-\v 30 The king of Aram had told his soldiers who were driving the chariots, "Attack only the king of Israel! Do not attack anyone else."
+\v 30 The king of Aram had told his soldiers who were driving the chariots, “Attack only the king of Israel! Do not attack anyone else.”
 
 \s5
-\v 31 So when the soldiers who were driving the Aramean chariots saw Jehoshaphat wearing the royal robes, they thought, "He must be the king of Israel!"
+\v 31 So when the soldiers who were driving the Aramean chariots saw Jehoshaphat wearing the royal robes, they thought, “He must be the king of Israel!”
 \v 32 So they turned to attack him. But when Jehoshaphat cried out, Yahweh helped him, and they realized that he was not the king of Israel. And God caused them to stop pursuing him.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 33 But one Aramean soldier shot an arrow at Ahab, without knowing who he was. The arrow struck Ahab between the places where the parts of his armor joined together. Ahab told the driver of his chariot, "Turn the chariot around and take me out of here! I have been severely wounded!"
+\v 33 But one Aramean soldier shot an arrow at Ahab, without knowing who he was. The arrow struck Ahab between the places where the parts of his armor joined together. Ahab told the driver of his chariot, “Turn the chariot around and take me out of here! I have been severely wounded!”
 \v 34 The battle continued all the day. Ahab was sitting propped up in his chariot, facing the Aramean soldiers. And late in the afternoon, when the sun was setting, he died.
 
 
@@ -983,8 +983,8 @@
 \c 19
 \p
 \v 1 When King Jehoshaphat returned safely to his palace in Jerusalem,
-\v 2 the prophet Jehu son of the prophet Hanani, went out of the city to meet the king, and said to him, "It was not right for you to help a wicked man and to love those who hate Yahweh. Because of what you have done, Yahweh is angry with you.
-\v 3 But you have done some good things; you got rid of the poles in this country for worshiping the goddess Asherah, and you have been determined to do what pleases God."
+\v 2 the prophet Jehu son of the prophet Hanani, went out of the city to meet the king, and said to him, “It was not right for you to help a wicked man and to love those who hate Yahweh. Because of what you have done, Yahweh is angry with you.
+\v 3 But you have done some good things; you got rid of the poles in this country for worshiping the goddess Asherah, and you have been determined to do what pleases God.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -993,29 +993,29 @@
 \v 5 He appointed judges throughout Judah, in each of the cities that had walls around them.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 He told them, "Make your decisions carefully, because you are judging cases not in order to please people, but to please Yahweh. And he will be watching you whenever you make a decision.
-\v 7 So now revere Yahweh and judge cases carefully and do not forget that Yahweh our God never acts unjustly, and that he never does what people want because they offer him money."
+\v 6 He told them, “Make your decisions carefully, because you are judging cases not in order to please people, but to please Yahweh. And he will be watching you whenever you make a decision.
+\v 7 So now revere Yahweh and judge cases carefully and do not forget that Yahweh our God never acts unjustly, and that he never does what people want because they offer him money.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 In Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat also appointed some priests and other descendants of Levi and some leaders of Israelite families to be judges. He told them to do what Yahweh's laws said was right when they settled disputes. Those men lived in Jerusalem.
-\v 9 He told them this: "You must always do your work faithfully, honoring Yahweh.
+\v 8 In Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat also appointed some priests and other descendants of Levi and some leaders of Israelite families to be judges. He told them to do what Yahweh’s laws said was right when they settled disputes. Those men lived in Jerusalem.
+\v 9 He told them this: “You must always do your work faithfully, honoring Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \v 10 In every dispute that your fellow Israelites who live in the cities want you to settle, you must warn them to not sin against Yahweh by telling lies during the trial—regardless of whether the trial is about murder, or about various laws, or about various royal decress. If you do not warn them, God will punish you. Do this so that he does not become angry with you or your fellow Israelites.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 Amariah, the high priest, will supervise you in any matter that Yahweh is concerned about, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the tribe of Judah, will supervise you in any matter that I am concerned about. And the descendants of Levi will assist you. Act courageously, and I pray that Yahweh will help those who do their work well."
+\v 11 Amariah, the high priest, will supervise you in any matter that Yahweh is concerned about, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the tribe of Judah, will supervise you in any matter that I am concerned about. And the descendants of Levi will assist you. Act courageously, and I pray that Yahweh will help those who do their work well.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 20
 
 \p
-\v 1 Later armies from Moab and Ammon and some soldiers from region of Meun, near Edom, came to fight against Jehoshaphat's army.
+\v 1 Later armies from Moab and Ammon and some soldiers from region of Meun, near Edom, came to fight against Jehoshaphat’s army.
 \p
-\v 2 Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A huge army is coming to attack your army. They are coming from the region of Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. They have already come to Hazezon Tamar!" Another name for that place is Engedi.
+\v 2 Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A huge army is coming to attack your army. They are coming from the region of Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. They have already come to Hazezon Tamar!” Another name for that place is Engedi.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 Jehoshaphat became very afraid, so he decided to ask Yahweh what he should do. He also proclaimed that all the people of Judah should fast.
@@ -1025,12 +1025,12 @@
 \p
 \v 5 Then Jehoshaphat stood up in front of the people of Judah in front of the new courtyard of the temple,
 \v 6 and he prayed this:
-\pi "Yahweh, the God whom our ancestors belonged to, you rule from heaven. You rule over all the kings and nations on earth. You can do anything; no one can successfully oppose you.
+\pi “Yahweh, the God whom our ancestors belonged to, you rule from heaven. You rule over all the kings and nations on earth. You can do anything; no one can successfully oppose you.
 \v 7 Our God, you drove out the people who lived in this land while your Israelite people advanced into it, and you certainly gave it to us who are descendants of Abraham, so that the land would belong to us forever.
 
 \s5
 \v 8 Our ancestors lived here and built a temple at which to worship you. At that time they prayed:
-\v 9 'If we experience disasters, either from our enemies attacking us, or from disease or hunger, we will assemble at this temple in your presence, for you agreed to be present here. We will plead with you because of the things we are suffering, and you will hear us and will rescue us.'
+\v 9 ‘If we experience disasters, either from our enemies attacking us, or from disease or hunger, we will assemble at this temple in your presence, for you agreed to be present here. We will plead with you because of the things we are suffering, and you will hear us and will rescue us.’
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -1038,18 +1038,18 @@
 \v 11 We did good things for them. But now look at how they are repaying us by trying to drive out us from the land that you gave to our ancestors to belong to them and their descendants forever!
 
 \s5
-\v 12 So, our God, please punish them. We cannot defeat the enormous army that is coming to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are depending on you to help us."
+\v 12 So, our God, please punish them. We cannot defeat the enormous army that is coming to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are depending on you to help us.”
 \p
 \v 13 All the men of Judah and their wives, children, and babies were standing there in the presence of Yahweh while Jehoshaphat prayed.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 14 Then the Spirit of Yahweh came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, who was son of Benaiah, who was son of Jeiel, who was son of Mattaniah. He was a descendant of Levi and a descendant of Asaph. He stood up in front of the whole group that was gathered there,
-\v 15 and said, "King Jehoshaphat and all you who live in Jerusalem and in other places in Judah, listen! This is what Yahweh says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this huge army that is coming to attack you, because it is not you who will win this battle. It is God who will win it.
+\v 15 and said, “King Jehoshaphat and all you who live in Jerusalem and in other places in Judah, listen! This is what Yahweh says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this huge army that is coming to attack you, because it is not you who will win this battle. It is God who will win it.
 
 \s5
 \v 16 Tomorrow march down toward them. They will be climbing up through the pass of Ziz north of En Gedi. You will meet them at the end of the gorge near wilderness of Jeruel.
-\v 17 But you will not need to fight this battle. You soldiers from Jerusalem and other places in Judah, just take your positions, and then stand still and watch what will happen. You will see Yahweh rescue you. Do not be afraid or discouraged. March toward them tomorrow, and Yahweh will be with you.'"
+\v 17 But you will not need to fight this battle. You soldiers from Jerusalem and other places in Judah, just take your positions, and then stand still and watch what will happen. You will see Yahweh rescue you. Do not be afraid or discouraged. March toward them tomorrow, and Yahweh will be with you.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1058,10 +1058,10 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Early the next morning the army left to go to the desert near the town of Tekoa. While they were leaving, Jehoshaphat stood up and said to them, "You people of Jerusalem and other places in Judah, listen to me! Trust in Yahweh our God; if you do that, you will be strong. Trust in what his prophets have said; if you do that, you will be successful."
-\v 21 Then, after consulting with the people's leaders, Jehoshaphat assigned some persons to sign praise ot Yahweh for his greatness, and for these individuals to lead the entire army to the enemy. They were singing,
-\q2 "Thank Yahweh,
-\q2 because he faithfully loves us forever."
+\v 20 Early the next morning the army left to go to the desert near the town of Tekoa. While they were leaving, Jehoshaphat stood up and said to them, “You people of Jerusalem and other places in Judah, listen to me! Trust in Yahweh our God; if you do that, you will be strong. Trust in what his prophets have said; if you do that, you will be successful.”
+\v 21 Then, after consulting with the people’s leaders, Jehoshaphat assigned some persons to sign praise ot Yahweh for his greatness, and for these individuals to lead the entire army to the enemy. They were singing,
+\q2 “Thank Yahweh,
+\q2 because he faithfully loves us forever.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1090,7 +1090,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 31 Jehoshaphat continued to rule Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother's name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.
+\v 31 Jehoshaphat continued to rule Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.
 \v 32 He did things that were pleasing to Yahweh, like his father Asa had done, and he did not stop doing those things.
 \v 33 But he did not get rid of the places where idols were worshiped on the hills in the countryside, and most of the people still not erious about obeying the God whom their ancestors had worshiped.
 
@@ -1102,24 +1102,24 @@
 \p
 \v 35 Later, Jehoshaphat made a treaty with Ahaziah, the king of Israel, who was a very wicked king.
 \v 36 They agreed that their workers would build a fleet of ships to use to buy and sell things with other countries. After those ships were built at Ezion Geber,
-\v 37 Eliezer son of Dodavahu of the city of Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat. He said, "You have made an alliance with Ahaziah, who is a wicked king. Therefore, Yahweh will destroy the ships that your workers have made." And the ships were wrecked, and were never able to sail to other countries.
+\v 37 Eliezer son of Dodavahu of the city of Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat. He said, “You have made an alliance with Ahaziah, who is a wicked king. Therefore, Yahweh will destroy the ships that your workers have made.” And the ships were wrecked, and were never able to sail to other countries.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 21
 \p
 \v 1 Then Jehoshaphat died and was buried where his ancestors were buried in the part of Jerusalem called the city of David. His son Jehoram became the next king of Judah.
-\v 2 Jehoram's younger brothers were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah.
+\v 2 Jehoram’s younger brothers were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah.
 \v 3 Before Jehoshaphat died, he had given them large gifts of silver and gold and other valuable things. He also appointed them to rule various cities in Judah that had walls around them. But he appointed Jehoram to be the king of Judah, because Jehoram was his oldest son.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 After Jehoram was completely in control of his father's kingdom, he caused all of his younger brothers to be killed, along with some of the leaders of the nation.
+\v 4 After Jehoram was completely in control of his father’s kingdom, he caused all of his younger brothers to be killed, along with some of the leaders of the nation.
 \v 5 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became the king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eight years.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 But he did many of the evil things that the kings of Israel had done. He did many things that Yahweh said were evil, things that the family of Ahab had done, because he married one of Ahab's daughters.
+\v 6 But he did many of the evil things that the kings of Israel had done. He did many things that Yahweh said were evil, things that the family of Ahab had done, because he married one of Ahab’s daughters.
 \v 7 However, because of the covenant that Yahweh had made with King David, Yahweh did not want to get rid of the descendants Judah.
 
 \s5
@@ -1135,16 +1135,16 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 One day, Jehoram received a letter from the prophet Elijah. Elijah had written this:
-\li "This is what Yahweh, the God whom your ancestor King David worshiped, says: 'You have not done things that please me like your father Jehoshaphat did or what King Asa did.
-\v 13 Instead, you have continually done the evil things that the kings of Israel have done. You have encouraged the people in Jerusalem and other places in Judah to stop worshiping Yahweh and to be unfaithful to him. And you have killed your brothers, men who were better than you are.'
+\li “This is what Yahweh, the God whom your ancestor King David worshiped, says: ‘You have not done things that please me like your father Jehoshaphat did or what King Asa did.
+\v 13 Instead, you have continually done the evil things that the kings of Israel have done. You have encouraged the people in Jerusalem and other places in Judah to stop worshiping Yahweh and to be unfaithful to him. And you have killed your brothers, men who were better than you are.’
 \li
 \v 14 So now Yahweh is about to cause disasters to strike very severely the people in your kingdom and even your own children and your wives, and everything that you own.
-\v 15 And you yourself will have an intestinal disease that will continue to become worse, and you will suffer from it until you die."
+\v 15 And you yourself will have an intestinal disease that will continue to become worse, and you will suffer from it until you die.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 16 Then Yahweh stirred up some men from the Philistia people group and some Arabs who lived near the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, where people from Ethiopia had settled, to come against Jehoram.
-\v 17 Their army invaded Judah and took away from Jerusalem all the valuable things that they found in the king's palace; they also took away his sons and wives. His youngest son, Jehoahaz, was the only one of his sons whom they did not take away.
+\v 17 Their army invaded Judah and took away from Jerusalem all the valuable things that they found in the king’s palace; they also took away his sons and wives. His youngest son, Jehoahaz, was the only one of his sons whom they did not take away.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1158,14 +1158,14 @@
 \c 22
 
 \p
-\v 1 The people of Jerusalem appointed Jehoram's youngest son Ahaziah to be their king, because the men from Philistia who had invaded Judah with some Arabs had killed all of Jehoram's other sons. So Ahaziah started to rule Judah.
+\v 1 The people of Jerusalem appointed Jehoram’s youngest son Ahaziah to be their king, because the men from Philistia who had invaded Judah with some Arabs had killed all of Jehoram’s other sons. So Ahaziah started to rule Judah.
 \p
-\v 2 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for one year. His mother's name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of King Omri of Israel.
+\v 2 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of King Omri of Israel.
 \p
-\v 3 King Ahab conducted his life just like the members of Ahab's family had done, because his mother encouraged him to do things that are wrong.
+\v 3 King Ahab conducted his life just like the members of Ahab’s family had done, because his mother encouraged him to do things that are wrong.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 He did many things that Yahweh said were evil, like the descendants of Ahab had done, because after Ahaziah's father died, they became his advisors. And Ahaziah died as a result of heeding their bad advice.
+\v 4 He did many things that Yahweh said were evil, like the descendants of Ahab had done, because after Ahaziah’s father died, they became his advisors. And Ahaziah died as a result of heeding their bad advice.
 \v 5 Before he died, he did what they encourage him to do by going with Joram son of King Ahab of Israel, to fight against the army of Hazael, the king of Aram, at Ramoth Gilead. Joram was wounded there by the Arameans.
 
 \s5
@@ -1175,16 +1175,16 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 God caused Ahaziah to die as a result of his going to visit Joram. When Ahaziah arrived, he went with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom Yahweh had appointed to kill all the descendants of Ahab.
-\v 8 While Jehu and the men who were with him were killing Ahab's descendants, they found the leaders of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's relatives who had been working for Ahaziah, and they killed all of them also.
+\v 8 While Jehu and the men who were with him were killing Ahab’s descendants, they found the leaders of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s relatives who had been working for Ahaziah, and they killed all of them also.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 Then Jehu went to find Ahaziah, and his soldiers found Ahaziah while he was hiding in the city of Samaria. They brought him to Jehu and executed him. Then they buried his corpse, because they said, "He deserves to be buried, because he was a descendant of Jehoshaphat, who tried hard to please Yahweh." After that, there were no descendants of Ahaziah who were powerful enough to become the kings of Judah.
+\v 9 Then Jehu went to find Ahaziah, and his soldiers found Ahaziah while he was hiding in the city of Samaria. They brought him to Jehu and executed him. Then they buried his corpse, because they said, “He deserves to be buried, because he was a descendant of Jehoshaphat, who tried hard to please Yahweh.” After that, there were no descendants of Ahaziah who were powerful enough to become the kings of Judah.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 When Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son had been killed, she commanded that all the members of Ahaziah's family who might become king must be executed.
-\v 11 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Joash, Ahaziah's very young son, away from the other sons of the king who were about to be murdered, and she hid him and his nursemaid in a bedroom in the temple. Because Jehosheba, who was the daughter of King Jehoram and the wife of the high priest Jehoiada, was Ahaziah's sister, she was able to hide the child, with the result that Athaliah could not kill him.
+\v 10 When Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son had been killed, she commanded that all the members of Ahaziah’s family who might become king must be executed.
+\v 11 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Joash, Ahaziah’s very young son, away from the other sons of the king who were about to be murdered, and she hid him and his nursemaid in a bedroom in the temple. Because Jehosheba, who was the daughter of King Jehoram and the wife of the high priest Jehoiada, was Ahaziah’s sister, she was able to hide the child, with the result that Athaliah could not kill him.
 \v 12 He remained hidden there for six years while Athaliah ruled Judah.
 
 
@@ -1194,16 +1194,16 @@
 \p
 \v 1 The next year, Jehoiada decided that it was necessary to do something. So he made an agreement with the army commanders of groups of one hundred soldiers: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zicri.
 \v 2 They went throughout Judah and gathered the descendants of Levi and the leaders of Israelite families from all the cities. When they came to Jerusalem,
-\v 3 the whole group went to the temple and made an agreement with the young king there. Jehoiada said to them, "This is the son of the previous king of Judah. So he is the one who must rule, like Yahweh promised that the descendants of King David must do.
+\v 3 the whole group went to the temple and made an agreement with the young king there. Jehoiada said to them, “This is the son of the previous king of Judah. So he is the one who must rule, like Yahweh promised that the descendants of King David must do.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 So this is what you must do: One-third of you priests and other descendants of Levi who are starting to work on the Sabbath day must guard the temple doors.
-\v 5 One-third of you must guard the king's palace, and one-third of you must guard the Foundation Gate. All the other people will be in the courtyard outside the temple.
+\v 5 One-third of you must guard the king’s palace, and one-third of you must guard the Foundation Gate. All the other people will be in the courtyard outside the temple.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 Only the priests and the descendants of Levi who work there are allowed to enter the temple, because they are set apart for that work. All the others must remain in the courtyard, obeying what Yahweh has commanded.
-\v 7 You descendants of Levi must stand around the young king, each of you with your weapon in your hand. You must kill anyone else who tries to enter the temple. And stay close to the king, wherever he goes."
+\v 7 You descendants of Levi must stand around the young king, each of you with your weapon in your hand. You must kill anyone else who tries to enter the temple. And stay close to the king, wherever he goes.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1213,20 +1213,20 @@
 \s5
 \v 10 He commanded all the guards to stand in their positions, each with his sword in his hand, all around the king—near the altar and near the temple, from the north side to the south side.
 \p
-\v 11 Then Jehoiada and his sons brought Joash out. They put a crown on his head and gave him a scroll on which were written the rules that the kings needed to obey, and they proclaimed that he was now the king. They anointed him with olive oil and shouted, "We desire that the king will live for many years!"
+\v 11 Then Jehoiada and his sons brought Joash out. They put a crown on his head and gave him a scroll on which were written the rules that the kings needed to obey, and they proclaimed that he was now the king. They anointed him with olive oil and shouted, “We desire that the king will live for many years!”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 When Athaliah heard the noise being made by the people running toward the king and cheering, she ran to the temple.
-\v 13 She saw the young king there standing alongside the pillar at the entrance of the temple, which is the place at the temple where the kings usually stood. The army commanders and trumpet players were standing beside the king, and all the people of Judah were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and singers with their musical instruments were leading the people while they praised God. Then Athaliah tore her robes and started screaming, "You are committing treason!"
+\v 13 She saw the young king there standing alongside the pillar at the entrance of the temple, which is the place at the temple where the kings usually stood. The army commanders and trumpet players were standing beside the king, and all the people of Judah were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and singers with their musical instruments were leading the people while they praised God. Then Athaliah tore her robes and started screaming, “You are committing treason!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Jehoiada the high priest said to the army commanders, "Kill her, but do not kill her at the temple of Yahweh!" Then he said to them, "Bring Athaliah out between your ranks and kill anyone who tries to follow her!"
+\v 14 Jehoiada the high priest said to the army commanders, “Kill her, but do not kill her at the temple of Yahweh!” Then he said to them, “Bring Athaliah out between your ranks and kill anyone who tries to follow her!”
 \v 15 She tried to flee, but they seized her as she reached the Horse Gate, before the palace, and they killed her there.
 
 \s5
-\v 16 Then Jehoiada made an agreement that he and the king and all the other people would be Yahweh's people.
+\v 16 Then Jehoiada made an agreement that he and the king and all the other people would be Yahweh’s people.
 \v 17 Then all the people who were there went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars of Baal. They also killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of those altars.
 
 \s5
@@ -1244,18 +1244,18 @@
 \c 24
 
 \p
-\v 1 Joash was seven years old when he became the king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother's name was Zibiah; she was from the city of Beersheba.
+\v 1 Joash was seven years old when he became the king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from the city of Beersheba.
 \v 2 Joash did what pleased Yahweh all during the years that Jehoiada was the high priest.
-\v 3 Jehoiada chose two women to be Joash's wives. And they bore Joash sons and daughters.
+\v 3 Jehoiada chose two women to be Joash’s wives. And they bore Joash sons and daughters.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 Some years later, Joash decided that the temple should be repaired.
-\v 5 He summoned the priests and other descendants of Levi and said to them, "Go to the cities of Judah and collect from the people the tax money that they are required to pay each year, and use that money to pay for repairing the temple. Do it immediately." But the descendants of Levi did not do it immediately.
+\v 5 He summoned the priests and other descendants of Levi and said to them, “Go to the cities of Judah and collect from the people the tax money that they are required to pay each year, and use that money to pay for repairing the temple. Do it immediately.” But the descendants of Levi did not do it immediately.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 So the king summoned Jehoiada and said to him, "Why have you not required the descendants of Levi to bring to Jerusalem from various places in Judah the annual tax that Moses said that the people of Judah must pay, for taking care of the sacred tent?"
+\v 6 So the king summoned Jehoiada and said to him, “Why have you not required the descendants of Levi to bring to Jerusalem from various places in Judah the annual tax that Moses said that the people of Judah must pay, for taking care of the sacred tent?”
 \p
 \v 7 The temple needed to be repaired because the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had entered into the temple and had wrecked some of the things, and had also used some of the sacred items that were in it for the worship of Baal.
 
@@ -1266,7 +1266,7 @@
 \v 10 All the officials and the other people agreed, and they brought their contributions gladly. They put the money into the chest until it was full.
 
 \s5
-\v 11 Whenever the descendants of Levi brought the chest to the king's officials, and they saw that there was a lot of money in it, the king's secretary and the assistant to the high priest would take all the money from the chest and then put the chest back in its place. They did this frequently, and they collected a huge amount of money.
+\v 11 Whenever the descendants of Levi brought the chest to the king’s officials, and they saw that there was a lot of money in it, the king’s secretary and the assistant to the high priest would take all the money from the chest and then put the chest back in its place. They did this frequently, and they collected a huge amount of money.
 \v 12 The king and Jehoiada gave the money to the men who were supervising the work of repairing the temple. Those men hired stoneworkers and carpenters to repair the temple. They also hired men who worked with iron and bronze to repair the things in the temple that were broken.
 
 \s5
@@ -1277,7 +1277,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 Jehoiada became very old. He died when he was 130 years old.
-\v 16 He was buried where the kings had been buried, in the part of Jerusalem called the city of David. He was buried there because of the good things that he had done in Judah for God and for God's temple.
+\v 16 He was buried where the kings had been buried, in the part of Jerusalem called the city of David. He was buried there because of the good things that he had done in Judah for God and for God’s temple.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1288,10 +1288,10 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Then God's Spirit came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the high priest. He stood up front of the people and said, "This is what God says: Why are you violating Yahweh's commandments? You will not be able prosper if you do that. Since you have stopped obeying Yahweh, he will stop taking care of you."
+\v 20 Then God’s Spirit came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the high priest. He stood up front of the people and said, “This is what God says: Why are you violating Yahweh’s commandments? You will not be able prosper if you do that. Since you have stopped obeying Yahweh, he will stop taking care of you.”
 \p
 \v 21 But the people planned to kill Zechariah. And the king permitted them to kill him. They killed him by throwing stones at him in the temple courtyard.
-\v 22 King Joash forgot about how Zechariah's father Jehoiada had been kind to him. So he commanded them to kill Jehoiada's son Zechariah, who said as he was dying, "I hope that Yahweh will see what you are doing to me and punish you for doing it."
+\v 22 King Joash forgot about how Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had been kind to him. So he commanded them to kill Jehoiada’s son Zechariah, who said as he was dying, “I hope that Yahweh will see what you are doing to me and punish you for doing it.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1316,7 +1316,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 3 As soon as he was in complete control of his kingdom, he caused others to execute the officials who had murdered his father.
-\v 4 But he did not order their sons to be executed; he obeyed what was in the laws that Moses had written. In those laws Yahweh had commanded, "People must not be executed because of what their children have done, and children must not be executed for what their parents have done. People must be executed only for the sins that they themselves have committed."
+\v 4 But he did not order their sons to be executed; he obeyed what was in the laws that Moses had written. In those laws Yahweh had commanded, “People must not be executed because of what their children have done, and children must not be executed for what their parents have done. People must be executed only for the sins that they themselves have committed.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1325,13 +1325,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 But a prophet came to him and said, "Your Majesty, you must not allow those soldiers from Israel to march with your soldiers, because Yahweh does not help the people of the tribe of Ephraim or from anywhere else in Israel.
-\v 8 Even if your soldiers go and fight courageously in battles, God will cause your enemies to defeat you; do not forget that God has the power to help armies or to cause them to be defeated."
+\v 7 But a prophet came to him and said, “Your Majesty, you must not allow those soldiers from Israel to march with your soldiers, because Yahweh does not help the people of the tribe of Ephraim or from anywhere else in Israel.
+\v 8 Even if your soldiers go and fight courageously in battles, God will cause your enemies to defeat you; do not forget that God has the power to help armies or to cause them to be defeated.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 Amaziah asked that prophet, "If I do that, what about 3,300 kilograms of silver that I paid to hire those soldiers from Israel?"
-\p The prophet replied, "Yahweh is able to pay you back more money than you paid to hire those soldiers."
+\v 9 Amaziah asked that prophet, “If I do that, what about 3,300 kilograms of silver that I paid to hire those soldiers from Israel?”
+\p The prophet replied, “Yahweh is able to pay you back more money than you paid to hire those soldiers.”
 \p
 \v 10 So Amaziah told those soldiers from Israel to return home. They left to go home, but they were very angry with the king of Judah for not allowing them to stay and fight.
 
@@ -1347,30 +1347,30 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 14 When Amaziah returned to Jerusalem after his army had slaughtered the soldiers from Edom, he brought the idols that his enemies had worshiped. He set them up to be his own gods. Then he bowed down to worship them and offered sacrifices to them.
-\v 15 Because of that, Yahweh was very angry with Amaziah. He sent a prophet to him, who said, "Why do you worship these foreign gods who were not even able to save their own people when your army attacked them?"
+\v 15 Because of that, Yahweh was very angry with Amaziah. He sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why do you worship these foreign gods who were not even able to save their own people when your army attacked them?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 While he was still speaking, the king said to him, "We certainly did not appoint you to be one of my advisors. So stop talking! If you say anything more, I will tell my soldiers to kill you!"
-\p So the prophet said, "I know that God has determined to get rid of you, because you have begun to worship idols, and have not heeded my advice." Then the prophet said nothing more.
+\v 16 While he was still speaking, the king said to him, “We certainly did not appoint you to be one of my advisors. So stop talking! If you say anything more, I will tell my soldiers to kill you!”
+\p So the prophet said, “I know that God has determined to get rid of you, because you have begun to worship idols, and have not heeded my advice.” Then the prophet said nothing more.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 Some time later Amaziah, the king of Judah, consulted his advisors. Then he sent a message to Jehoash, the king of Israel. He wrote, "Come and meet me face to face in battle."
+\v 17 Some time later Amaziah, the king of Judah, consulted his advisors. Then he sent a message to Jehoash, the king of Israel. He wrote, “Come and meet me face to face in battle.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 But Jehoash replied this to King Amaziah: "One time a thistle growing in the mountains in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar tree, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son in order that he can marry her.' But a wild animal in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle under his feet.
-\v 19 What I mean is that you are saying to yourself that your army has defeated the army of Edom, so you have become very proud. You can be proud of your victory, but you should not fight me. If you do, you will only make trouble for yourself. I will defeat you, and Judah with you."
+\v 18 But Jehoash replied this to King Amaziah: “One time a thistle growing in the mountains in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar tree, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in order that he can marry her.’ But a wild animal in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle under his feet.
+\v 19 What I mean is that you are saying to yourself that your army has defeated the army of Edom, so you have become very proud. You can be proud of your victory, but you should not fight me. If you do, you will only make trouble for yourself. I will defeat you, and Judah with you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 But Amaziah paid no attention to Jehoash's message. This happened because God wanted Jehoash's army to defeat them, because they were worshiping the gods of Edom.
-\v 21 So Jehoash's army attacked. Their two armies faced each other at the city of Beth Shemesh in Judah.
+\v 20 But Amaziah paid no attention to Jehoash’s message. This happened because God wanted Jehoash’s army to defeat them, because they were worshiping the gods of Edom.
+\v 21 So Jehoash’s army attacked. Their two armies faced each other at the city of Beth Shemesh in Judah.
 \v 22 The army of Judah was badly defeated by the army of Israel, and all the soldiers of Judah fled to their homes.
 
 \s5
-\v 23 King Jehoash's army also captured King Amaziah there. Then he brought Amaziah to Jerusalem, and his soldiers tore down the wall that was around the city, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. That was a section that was one-hundred and eighty meters long.
+\v 23 King Jehoash’s army also captured King Amaziah there. Then he brought Amaziah to Jerusalem, and his soldiers tore down the wall that was around the city, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. That was a section that was one-hundred and eighty meters long.
 \v 24 His soldiers also carried away the gold, silver, and other valuable objects from the temple that the descendants of Obed Edom had been guarding. They also took away the valuable things in the palace, and they took to Samaria some prisoners whom they had captured.
 
 \s5
@@ -1404,14 +1404,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 Uzziah's workers built watchtowers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the place where the wall turns, and they placed weapons in those towers.
-\v 10 They also built watchtowers in the wilderness and dug many wells. They did that to provide water for a lot of the king's cattle that were in the foothills and in the plains. Uzziah was very interested in farming, so he also stationed workers to take care of his fields, vineyards in the hills, and in the fertile areas.
+\v 9 Uzziah’s workers built watchtowers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the place where the wall turns, and they placed weapons in those towers.
+\v 10 They also built watchtowers in the wilderness and dug many wells. They did that to provide water for a lot of the king’s cattle that were in the foothills and in the plains. Uzziah was very interested in farming, so he also stationed workers to take care of his fields, vineyards in the hills, and in the fertile areas.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 Uzziah's army was trained for fighting battles. They were in groups that were always ready to go into battles. Jeiel, the king's secretary, and Maaseiah, one of the army officers, counted the men and placed them in groups. Hananiah, one of the king's officials, was their commander.
+\v 11 Uzziah’s army was trained for fighting battles. They were in groups that were always ready to go into battles. Jeiel, the king’s secretary, and Maaseiah, one of the army officers, counted the men and placed them in groups. Hananiah, one of the king’s officials, was their commander.
 \v 12 The total number of the family leaders who led the strongest soldiers in battle was 2,600 in number.
-\v 13 In the groups that those leaders commanded there was a total of 307,500 well-trained soldiers. It was a very powerful army, ready to fight the king's enemies.
+\v 13 In the groups that those leaders commanded there was a total of 307,500 well-trained soldiers. It was a very powerful army, ready to fight the king’s enemies.
 
 \s5
 \v 14 Uzziah gave to each soldier a shield, a spear, a helmet, a vest made of iron plates, a bow and arrows, and a sling for throwing stones.
@@ -1421,7 +1421,7 @@
 \p
 \v 16 But because Uzziah was very powerful, he became very proud, and that caused him to be punished. He disobeyed what Yahweh his God had commanded. He went into the temple to burn incense on the altar where God had said that only the priests should burn incense.
 \v 17 Azariah, the high priest, and eighty other brave priests followed him into the temple.
-\v 18 They rebuked him and said to him, "Uzziah, it is not right for you to burn incense to Yahweh because you are not set apart to serve as a priest, and only a priest can burn incense to Yahweh. The priests are the descendants of Aaron our first high priest, and you are not one of them! You must leave immediately, because you have disobeyed Yahweh our God, and he will not honor you for what you have done!"
+\v 18 They rebuked him and said to him, “Uzziah, it is not right for you to burn incense to Yahweh because you are not set apart to serve as a priest, and only a priest can burn incense to Yahweh. The priests are the descendants of Aaron our first high priest, and you are not one of them! You must leave immediately, because you have disobeyed Yahweh our God, and he will not honor you for what you have done!”
 
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 \p
@@ -1447,7 +1447,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 Jotham's workers rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple, and they did a lot of work to repair the wall near the hill of Ophel.
+\v 3 Jotham’s workers rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple, and they did a lot of work to repair the wall near the hill of Ophel.
 \v 4 They built cities in the hills of Judah, and they built forts and towers for defense in the forests.
 
 \s5
@@ -1479,22 +1479,22 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 5 Therefore Yahweh his God allowed his army to be defeated by the army of the king of Aram. They captured many soldiers of Judah and took them as prisoners to Damascus. The army of the king of Israel also defeated the army of Judah and killed very many of their soldiers.
-\v 6 In one day the army of Remaliah's son, King Pekah of Israel, killed 120,000 fine soldiers in Judah. That happened because the people of Judah had abandoned Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors worshiped.
+\v 6 In one day the army of Remaliah’s son, King Pekah of Israel, killed 120,000 fine soldiers in Judah. That happened because the people of Judah had abandoned Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors worshiped.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 Zicri, a warrior from the tribe of Ephraim, killed King Ahaz's son Maaseiah, Azrikam, who was in charge of the palace, and Elkanah, the king's assistant.
+\v 7 Zicri, a warrior from the tribe of Ephraim, killed King Ahaz’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam, who was in charge of the palace, and Elkanah, the king’s assistant.
 \v 8 The soldiers of Israel captured 200,000 of the people of Judah, including many wives and sons and daughters of the soldiers of Judah. They also seized and took back to Samaria many valuable things.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 But a prophet of Yahweh, whose name was Oded, was in Samaria. He went out of the city to meet the army as it was returning. He said to them, "Yahweh, the God to whom your ancestors belonged, was angry with the people of Judah, so he has handed them over to you, and you have slaughtered so many in a towering rage.
+\v 9 But a prophet of Yahweh, whose name was Oded, was in Samaria. He went out of the city to meet the army as it was returning. He said to them, “Yahweh, the God to whom your ancestors belonged, was angry with the people of Judah, so he has handed them over to you, and you have slaughtered so many in a towering rage.
 \v 10 And now you want to sin by causing men and women from Judah to become your slaves, but you have certainly offended Yahweh, our God, in this matter.
-\v 11 So listen to me! Send back to Judah your fellow countrymen whom you have captured, because Yahweh is extremely angry with you for what you did to them."
+\v 11 So listen to me! Send back to Judah your fellow countrymen whom you have captured, because Yahweh is extremely angry with you for what you did to them.”
 
 \s5
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 \v 12 Then some of the leaders of the tribe of Ephraim—Azariah son of Johanan, Berekiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai—rebuked those who were returning from the battle.
-\v 13 They said to them, "You must not bring those prisoners here! If you do that, Yahweh will consider that we are guilty of sinning. We are already guilty of committing many sins; do you want to cause us to be even more guilty by committing another sin? God is already very angry with us people of Israel!"
+\v 13 They said to them, “You must not bring those prisoners here! If you do that, Yahweh will consider that we are guilty of sinning. We are already guilty of committing many sins; do you want to cause us to be even more guilty by committing another sin? God is already very angry with us people of Israel!”
 
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@@ -1510,12 +1510,12 @@
 \s5
 \v 19 Yahweh allowed those things to happen in order to humble King Ahaz, because he had encouraged the people of Judah to do wicked things and had disobeyed Yahweh very much.
 \v 20 Tiglath-Pileser, the king of Assyria, sent his army saying that they would help Ahaz, but instead of helping him, they caused him trouble.
-\v 21 Ahaz's soldiers took some of the valuable things from the temple and from the king's palace and from other leaders of Judah, and sent them to the king of Assyria to pay him to help them, but the king of Assyria refused to help Ahaz.
+\v 21 Ahaz’s soldiers took some of the valuable things from the temple and from the king’s palace and from other leaders of Judah, and sent them to the king of Assyria to pay him to help them, but the king of Assyria refused to help Ahaz.
 
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 \p
 \v 22 While King Ahaz was experiencing those troubles, he disobeyed Yahweh even more.
-\v 23 He offered sacrifices to the gods that were worshiped in Damascus, whose army had defeated his army. He thought, "The gods that are worshiped by the kings of Aram have helped them, so I will offer sacrifices to those gods in order that they will help me." But worshiping those gods caused Ahaz and all of Israel to be ruined.
+\v 23 He offered sacrifices to the gods that were worshiped in Damascus, whose army had defeated his army. He thought, “The gods that are worshiped by the kings of Aram have helped them, so I will offer sacrifices to those gods in order that they will help me.” But worshiping those gods caused Ahaz and all of Israel to be ruined.
 
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 \p
@@ -1540,7 +1540,7 @@
 \p
 \v 3 During the first month of the first year that Hezekiah was ruling Judah, he unlocked the doors of the temple, and his workers repaired them.
 \v 4 Then he gathered the priests and other descendants of Levi in the courtyard on the east side of the temple,
-\v 5 and he said to them, "You descendants of Levi, listen to me! Set yourselves apart, and prepare the house of Yahweh so it is a place that honors Yahweh, whom your ancestors worshiped; carry out all the filthiness that is in the holy place.
+\v 5 and he said to them, “You descendants of Levi, listen to me! Set yourselves apart, and prepare the house of Yahweh so it is a place that honors Yahweh, whom your ancestors worshiped; carry out all the filthiness that is in the holy place.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 Our ancestors disobeyed God; they did many things that he says are evil, and they did things that are not pleasing to him. They abandoned this place where Yahweh lives, and they have stopped worshiping him.
@@ -1552,7 +1552,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 10 But now I intend to make a covenant with Yahweh, our God, in order that he will no longer be angry with us.
-\v 11 You who are like my sons, do not waste any time. Do immediately what Yahweh wants you to do. Yahweh has chosen you to stand in his presence and offer sacrifices and burn incense."
+\v 11 You who are like my sons, do not waste any time. Do immediately what Yahweh wants you to do. Yahweh has chosen you to stand in his presence and offer sacrifices and burn incense.”
 
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@@ -1569,14 +1569,14 @@
 
 \s5
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-\v 15 Those men gathered their fellow descendants of Levi and together they prepared themselves for the work of the priesthood. They took all the steps to prepare themselves so they could serve the king in Yahweh's house, because the king was following Yahweh's commands. And the Levites entered the temple to clean it up.
+\v 15 Those men gathered their fellow descendants of Levi and together they prepared themselves for the work of the priesthood. They took all the steps to prepare themselves so they could serve the king in Yahweh’s house, because the king was following Yahweh’s commands. And the Levites entered the temple to clean it up.
 \v 16 The worked within the temple to purify it. They brought out into the courtyard of the temple everything that they had found in the temple that was not pleasing to Yahweh. Then the descendants of Levi took those things down to the Kidron Valley and burned them there.
 \v 17 The priests and other descendants of Levi started this work on the first day of the first month and finished setting apart for the honor of Yahweh, the courtyard of the temple on the eighth day of that month, and they finished the work of setting the temple apart for the honor of Yahweh, one week later.
 
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-\v 18 Then they went to King Hezekiah and reported this: "We have purified all parts of the temple, and the altar where sacrifices are completely burned, and all the items used at the altar, the table on which the priests display the bread before Yahweh, and the things used at that table.
-\v 19 Ahaz ruled over us, he disobeyed what Yahweh had commanded, and he threw away many of the tools and implements from the temple many things that should be there, but now we have brought them back, we dedicated them to Yahweh's service, and then we placed them in front of the altar of Yahweh, where they can be seen."
+\v 18 Then they went to King Hezekiah and reported this: “We have purified all parts of the temple, and the altar where sacrifices are completely burned, and all the items used at the altar, the table on which the priests display the bread before Yahweh, and the things used at that table.
+\v 19 Ahaz ruled over us, he disobeyed what Yahweh had commanded, and he threw away many of the tools and implements from the temple many things that should be there, but now we have brought them back, we dedicated them to Yahweh’s service, and then we placed them in front of the altar of Yahweh, where they can be seen.”
 
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@@ -1605,7 +1605,7 @@
 
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-\v 31 Then Hezekiah said, "You have now set yourselves apart for the honor of Yahweh. So come close to the temple and bring animals to be sacrificed, and also bring the other offerings to thank Yahweh for what he has done for you." Then those who wanted to bring animals to be completely burned on the altar brought them.
+\v 31 Then Hezekiah said, “You have now set yourselves apart for the honor of Yahweh. So come close to the temple and bring animals to be sacrificed, and also bring the other offerings to thank Yahweh for what he has done for you.” Then those who wanted to bring animals to be completely burned on the altar brought them.
 
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@@ -1636,12 +1636,12 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
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 \v 6 Obeying what the king commanded, messengers went throughout Judah and Israel, taking messages that had been written by the king and his officials. This is what they wrote:
-\li "You Israelite people, you who survived after being slaves of the kings of Assyria, return to Yahweh, the God whom our great ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob worshiped, in order that he may return to you. Your fathers and your fellow countrymen did not faithfully obey Yahweh, the God whom our ancestors worshiped.
+\li “You Israelite people, you who survived after being slaves of the kings of Assyria, return to Yahweh, the God whom our great ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob worshiped, in order that he may return to you. Your fathers and your fellow countrymen did not faithfully obey Yahweh, the God whom our ancestors worshiped.
 
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 \v 7 Do not act like they did, because what they did caused Yahweh to punish them so severely that other people were horrified when they heard of what he had done.
 \v 8 Do not be stubborn as our ancestors were. Do what Yahweh desires. Come to Jerusalem to the temple, which he has set apart for his honor forever. Do what pleases Yahweh our God, in order that he will no longer be angry with you.
-\v 9 If you return to Yahweh, the people who have captured our brothers and sisters and our children will act kindly toward them, and allow them to return to this land. Do not forget that Yahweh our God is kind and merciful. If you return to him, he will no longer reject you."
+\v 9 If you return to Yahweh, the people who have captured our brothers and sisters and our children will act kindly toward them, and allow them to return to this land. Do not forget that Yahweh our God is kind and merciful. If you return to him, he will no longer reject you.”
 
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@@ -1663,8 +1663,8 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 \v 17 Many people in the crowd had not purified themselves, and therefore they were not able to kill the lambs and dedicate them to Yahweh. So it was necessary for the descendants of Levi to kill the lambs for them.
 
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-\v 18 Although most of the people who had come from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Issachar had not purified themselves, they ate the food of the Passover Festival anyway, ignoring the rules written by Moses. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying "Yahweh, you always do what is good; I pray that you will forgive everyone
-\v 19 who sincerely wants to honor you, the God whom our ancestors worshiped, even if they have not purified themselves by obeying the sacred laws that you gave to us."
+\v 18 Although most of the people who had come from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Issachar had not purified themselves, they ate the food of the Passover Festival anyway, ignoring the rules written by Moses. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying “Yahweh, you always do what is good; I pray that you will forgive everyone
+\v 19 who sincerely wants to honor you, the God whom our ancestors worshiped, even if they have not purified themselves by obeying the sacred laws that you gave to us.”
 \v 20 And Yahweh heard what Hezekiah prayed; he forgave the people, and did not punish them.
 
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@@ -1680,7 +1680,7 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 
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 \v 25 All the people of Judah rejoiced, including the priests and other descendants of Levi and all the people from Israel who had come, and including some from other countries who were living in Israel and some from other countries who were living in Judah.
-\v 26 Everyone in Jerusalem was very joyful, because nothing like this had happened in Jerusalem since the time when David's son Solomon was the king of Israel.
+\v 26 Everyone in Jerusalem was very joyful, because nothing like this had happened in Jerusalem since the time when David’s son Solomon was the king of Israel.
 \v 27 The priests and the other descendants of Levi stood up to bless the people, and God heard them, because their prayers reached up to heaven, the holy place where God lives.
 
 
@@ -1705,8 +1705,8 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 
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-\v 9 But Hezekiah asked the priests and other descendants of Levi, "What are these heaps of things?"
-\v 10 Then Azariah the high priest, a descendant of Zadok, replied, "Since the time that the people started to bring their offerings to the temple, we have had even more food than we need. This has happened because Yahweh has greatly blessed our fellow Israelites, with the result that all this is left over after we priests and other descendants of Levi took all that we need!"
+\v 9 But Hezekiah asked the priests and other descendants of Levi, “What are these heaps of things?”
+\v 10 Then Azariah the high priest, a descendant of Zadok, replied, “Since the time that the people started to bring their offerings to the temple, we have had even more food than we need. This has happened because Yahweh has greatly blessed our fellow Israelites, with the result that all this is left over after we priests and other descendants of Levi took all that we need!”
 
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@@ -1724,7 +1724,7 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 \v 16 They also distributed things to the males who were at least three years old, those whose names were on the scrolls where lists of family names were written. They were males who were allowed to enter the temple to perform their tasks each day, the tasks that each group had been assigned to do.
 
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-\v 17 The names of the priests were on the scrolls where their families'' names were written. They also distributed things to groups of descendants of Levi, those who were at least twenty years old.
+\v 17 The names of the priests were on the scrolls where their families’’ names were written. They also distributed things to groups of descendants of Levi, those who were at least twenty years old.
 \v 18 They included all their little children and wives and other sons and daughters whose names were on the scrolls where the family names were written, because they also faithfully had set themselves apart for the honor of Yahweh and his requirements for holiness.
 \p
 \v 19 Hezekiah also appointed other men to distribute portions of those offerings to the priests and other descendants of Levi who were living in the pasturelands around the towns of Judah. But they gave things only to those who were descendants of Aaron the first high priest, whose names were on the scrolls containing the names of their families.
@@ -1732,18 +1732,18 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
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 \v 20 That is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah. He always faithfully did things that Yahweh his God says are right and good.
-\v 21 In everything that he did for the worship in the temple, and as he obeyed God's laws and commands, he tried to find out what his God wanted, and he worked energetically. So he was successful.
+\v 21 In everything that he did for the worship in the temple, and as he obeyed God’s laws and commands, he tried to find out what his God wanted, and he worked energetically. So he was successful.
 
 
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 \p
-\v 1 After King Hezekiah had obeyed Yahweh's instructions and had done all those things, King Sennacherib of Assyria came with his army and invaded Judah. He commanded his soldiers to surround the cities that had walls around them, thinking that they would break through those walls and conquer those cities.
+\v 1 After King Hezekiah had obeyed Yahweh’s instructions and had done all those things, King Sennacherib of Assyria came with his army and invaded Judah. He commanded his soldiers to surround the cities that had walls around them, thinking that they would break through those walls and conquer those cities.
 
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 \v 2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come with his army and that they intended to attack Jerusalem,
-\v 3-4 he consulted with his officials and army leaders. They said to themselves, "Why should allow the king of Assyria and his army to come and find plenty of water to drink?" So they decided to stop the water from flowing outside the city. A large group of men gathered together and blocked all the springs and the stream that flowed through that area.
+\v 3-4 he consulted with his officials and army leaders. They said to themselves, “Why should allow the king of Assyria and his army to come and find plenty of water to drink?” So they decided to stop the water from flowing outside the city. A large group of men gathered together and blocked all the springs and the stream that flowed through that area.
 
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 \v 5 Then they worked hard to repair all the sections of the city wall that had been broken, and they built watchtowers on the walls higher. They strengthened the Millo, a massive supporting wall on the east side of the city of David. They also made a large number of weapons and shields.
@@ -1751,28 +1751,28 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
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 \v 6 Hezekiah appointed army commanders, and he gathered them in front of him in the square at one of the city gates, and he encouraged them by saying this to them:
-\v 7 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the huge army that is with him, because Yahweh is with us, and his power is greater than their power.
-\v 8 They have to rely on the power of humans , but we have Yahweh our God to help us and to fight battles for us." So the people became more confident because of what Hezekiah, the king of Judah, said.
+\v 7 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the huge army that is with him, because Yahweh is with us, and his power is greater than their power.
+\v 8 They have to rely on the power of humans , but we have Yahweh our God to help us and to fight battles for us.” So the people became more confident because of what Hezekiah, the king of Judah, said.
 
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 \v 9 Later, when Sennacherib and all his soldiers were surrounding the city of Lachish, he sent some officers to Jerusalem to give this message to King Hezekiah and to all the people of Judah who were there:
 \pi
-\v 10 "I am Sennacherib, the great king of Assyria, and this is what I say: While you are staying in Jerusalem, my soldiers are surrounding the city. So what are you depending on to keep you safe?
+\v 10 “I am Sennacherib, the great king of Assyria, and this is what I say: While you are staying in Jerusalem, my soldiers are surrounding the city. So what are you depending on to keep you safe?
 
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-\v 11 Hezekiah says to you, 'Yahweh our God will save us from being defeated by the army of you.' He wants you to die from having no food or water.
-\v 12 Hezekiah is the one who told his men to get rid of that god's high places on the hills, and his altars in the countryside, saying to you people of Jerusalem and other places in Judah, 'You must worship at only one altar and burn sacrifices on only that altar.'
+\v 11 Hezekiah says to you, ‘Yahweh our God will save us from being defeated by the army of you.’ He wants you to die from having no food or water.
+\v 12 Hezekiah is the one who told his men to get rid of that god’s high places on the hills, and his altars in the countryside, saying to you people of Jerusalem and other places in Judah, ‘You must worship at only one altar and burn sacrifices on only that altar.’
 
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 \pi
 \v 13-14 Do you people not know what I and my ancestors have done to all the people groups in other countries? We destroyed them all, and their gods could not save them from me.
-\v 15 So do not allow Hezekiah to deceive you like this. Do not believe what he says, because no god of any nation or kingdom has ever been able to rescue his people from being conquered by my army and the armies of my ancestors. So certainly your god will not be able to rescue you from my power."
+\v 15 So do not allow Hezekiah to deceive you like this. Do not believe what he says, because no god of any nation or kingdom has ever been able to rescue his people from being conquered by my army and the armies of my ancestors. So certainly your god will not be able to rescue you from my power.”
 
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-\v 16 Sennacherib's officers said more things to insult Yahweh their God and Hezekiah, who served God well.
-\v 17 King Sennacherib wrote more letters insulting Yahweh, the God whom the Israelites belonged to. He wrote, "No god of any of these nations I have conquered could save his people from me. Similarly, the god of Hezekiah will not save his people from my power."
+\v 16 Sennacherib’s officers said more things to insult Yahweh their God and Hezekiah, who served God well.
+\v 17 King Sennacherib wrote more letters insulting Yahweh, the God whom the Israelites belonged to. He wrote, “No god of any of these nations I have conquered could save his people from me. Similarly, the god of Hezekiah will not save his people from my power.”
 
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 \v 18 Then the officers shouted in the Hebrew language to the people who were on the wall, in order to cause them to be very terrified , thinking that as a result the army of Assyria could capture the city without a battle.
@@ -1806,7 +1806,7 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
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 \v 30 Hezekiah was the one who told his workers to block the place where the water flows out of the spring of Gihon, and to build a tunnel through which the water flowed to the west side of the area called the city of David. He was able to do everything that he wanted to do.
-\v 31 But when messengers who were sent by the rulers of Babylon came and asked about the miracle that God had performed in the land, it was then that God left Hezekiah alone in order to test him. God tested him so that he would know everything that was in Hezekiah's heart. 
+\v 31 But when messengers who were sent by the rulers of Babylon came and asked about the miracle that God had performed in the land, it was then that God left Hezekiah alone in order to test him. God tested him so that he would know everything that was in Hezekiah’s heart. 
 
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@@ -1822,14 +1822,14 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 \v 3 He commanded his workers to rebuild the high places upon the hills for worshiping idols, the same ones that his father Hezekiah had destroyed. He told them to set up poles to honor the god Baal, and to make poles to honor the goddess Asherah. He also bowed down to worship all the stars.
 
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-\v 4 He directed his workers to build altars for foreign gods in the temple itself, about which Yahweh had said, "It is here in Jerusalem that I want people to worship me, forever."
+\v 4 He directed his workers to build altars for foreign gods in the temple itself, about which Yahweh had said, “It is here in Jerusalem that I want people to worship me, forever.”
 \v 5 He directed that altars for worshiping all the stars be built in both of the courtyards outside the temple
 \v 6 He even sacrificed some of his own sons by burning them in a fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. He performed rituals to practice sorcery. He asked fortune tellers for advice. He performed witchcraft. He talked to people who consulted the spirits of people who had died to find out what would happen in the future. He did many things that Yahweh says are very evil, things that caused Yahweh to become very angry.
 
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-\v 7 Manasseh took the carved idol that his workers had made and put it in the temple. That is the temple concerning which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, "My temple will be here in Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen where I want people to worship me, forever.
-\v 8 If they will obey all the laws and decrees and regulations that I told Moses to give to them, I will not again force the Israelite people to leave this land that I gave to their ancestors."
+\v 7 Manasseh took the carved idol that his workers had made and put it in the temple. That is the temple concerning which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, “My temple will be here in Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen where I want people to worship me, forever.
+\v 8 If they will obey all the laws and decrees and regulations that I told Moses to give to them, I will not again force the Israelite people to leave this land that I gave to their ancestors.”
 \v 9 But Manasseh led the people of Jerusalem and other places in Judah to do things that are wrong, with the result that they did more evil than had been done by the people in the people groups that Yahweh had driven out as the Israelite people advanced through the land.
 
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@@ -1843,8 +1843,8 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 
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-\v 14 Later, Manasseh's workers rebuilt the eastern section of the outer wall around Jerusalem, and they made it higher. That section extended from spring of Gihon north to the Fish Gate, and around the part of the city that they called Ophel Hill. Manasseh also appointed army officers to guard each of the cities in Judah that had walls around them.
-\v 15 Manasseh's workers removed from the temple the idols and the figures of gods of other nations. He also told them to remove the altars that they had previously built on Mount Zion and in other places in Jerusalem. He had all those things thrown out of the city.
+\v 14 Later, Manasseh’s workers rebuilt the eastern section of the outer wall around Jerusalem, and they made it higher. That section extended from spring of Gihon north to the Fish Gate, and around the part of the city that they called Ophel Hill. Manasseh also appointed army officers to guard each of the cities in Judah that had walls around them.
+\v 15 Manasseh’s workers removed from the temple the idols and the figures of gods of other nations. He also told them to remove the altars that they had previously built on Mount Zion and in other places in Jerusalem. He had all those things thrown out of the city.
 
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 \v 16 Then he told them to repair the altar of Yahweh, and he offered sacrifices to restore fellowship with Yahweh and to thank him. And he told the people of Judah that they must worship only Yahweh.
@@ -1859,12 +1859,12 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
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 \v 21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for two years.
-\v 22 He did many things that Yahweh said were evil, as his father Manasseh had done. Amon worshiped all the idols that Manasseh's workers had made.
+\v 22 He did many things that Yahweh said were evil, as his father Manasseh had done. Amon worshiped all the idols that Manasseh’s workers had made.
 \v 23 But he did not humble himself and turn to Yahweh like his father did. So he became more sinful than his father had been.
 
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 \p
-\v 24 Then Amon's officials made plans to kill him. They assassinated him in his palace.
+\v 24 Then Amon’s officials made plans to kill him. They assassinated him in his palace.
 \v 25 But then the people of Judah killed all those who had assassinated Amon, and they appointed his son Josiah to be their king.
 
 
@@ -1883,7 +1883,7 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 
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 \v 6 In the towns in the tribes of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far north as the tribe of Naphtali and in the ruins around all those towns,
-\v 7 Josiah's workers tore down the pagan altars and the poles to honor the goddess Asherah, and crushed the idols to powder, idols that craftsmen had carved. They also smashed to pieces all the altars for burning incense throughout Israel. Then Josiah returned to Jerusalem.
+\v 7 Josiah’s workers tore down the pagan altars and the poles to honor the goddess Asherah, and crushed the idols to powder, idols that craftsmen had carved. They also smashed to pieces all the altars for burning incense throughout Israel. Then Josiah returned to Jerusalem.
 
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@@ -1898,26 +1898,26 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 
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-\v 12 The workers did their work faithfully. Their supervisors were Jahath and Obadiah, who were descendants of Levi's son Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, who were descendants of Levi's son Kohath. All the descendants of Levi, who played musical instruments well,
+\v 12 The workers did their work faithfully. Their supervisors were Jahath and Obadiah, who were descendants of Levi’s son Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, who were descendants of Levi’s son Kohath. All the descendants of Levi, who played musical instruments well,
 \v 13 supervised all the workers as they did their various jobs. Some of the descendants of Levi were secretaries; some kept records, and some guarded the temple gates.
 
 
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 \v 14 While they were giving to the supervisors the money that had been taken to the temple, Hilkiah the high priest found a scroll on which was written the laws that Yahweh had given to Moses to give to the people.
-\v 15 So Hilkiah said to Shaphan, "I have found in the temple a scroll on which is written the laws that God gave to Moses!" Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan.
+\v 15 So Hilkiah said to Shaphan, “I have found in the temple a scroll on which is written the laws that God gave to Moses!” Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan.
 \p
-\v 16 Shaphan took the scroll to the king and said to him, "Your officials are doing everything that you told them to do.
+\v 16 Shaphan took the scroll to the king and said to him, “Your officials are doing everything that you told them to do.
 
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-\v 17 They have taken the money that was in the temple, and they have given it to the men who will supervise the men who will repair the temple."
-\v 18 Then Shaphan said to the king, "I have also brought to you a scroll that Hilkiah gave to me." And Shaphan started to read it to the king.
+\v 17 They have taken the money that was in the temple, and they have given it to the men who will supervise the men who will repair the temple.”
+\v 18 Then Shaphan said to the king, “I have also brought to you a scroll that Hilkiah gave to me.” And Shaphan started to read it to the king.
 \p
 \v 19 When the king heard the laws that were written in the scroll, he tore his clothes because he was very upset.
 
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-\v 20 Then he gave these instructions to Hilkiah, to Shaphan's son Ahikam, to Micah's son Abdon, to Shaphan, and to Asaiah, the king's special advisor:
-\v 21 "Go and ask Yahweh for me, and for all his people who are still alive in Judah and Israel, about what is written in this scroll that has been found. Because it is clear that Yahweh is very angry with us because our ancestors disobeyed what Yahweh said; they did not obey the laws that are written on this scroll."
+\v 20 Then he gave these instructions to Hilkiah, to Shaphan’s son Ahikam, to Micah’s son Abdon, to Shaphan, and to Asaiah, the king’s special advisor:
+\v 21 “Go and ask Yahweh for me, and for all his people who are still alive in Judah and Israel, about what is written in this scroll that has been found. Because it is clear that Yahweh is very angry with us because our ancestors disobeyed what Yahweh said; they did not obey the laws that are written on this scroll.”
 
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@@ -1925,19 +1925,19 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 
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-\v 23 When they told her what the king had said, she said to them, "This is what Yahweh, the God whom we Israelites say we worship, says: 'Go back and tell the king who sent you
-\v 24 that this is what Yahweh says: "Listen to this carefully. I am going to bring a disaster on Jerusalem and all the people who live here. I will send on them the curses that were written in the scroll that was read to the king of Judah.
-\v 25 I will do that because they have abandoned me, and they burn incense to honor other gods. They have caused me to become very angry because of all the idols that they have made."'
+\v 23 When they told her what the king had said, she said to them, “This is what Yahweh, the God whom we Israelites say we worship, says: ‘Go back and tell the king who sent you
+\v 24 that this is what Yahweh says: “Listen to this carefully. I am going to bring a disaster on Jerusalem and all the people who live here. I will send on them the curses that were written in the scroll that was read to the king of Judah.
+\v 25 I will do that because they have abandoned me, and they burn incense to honor other gods. They have caused me to become very angry because of all the idols that they have made.”’
 
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 \v 26 The king of Judah sent you to inquire what I, Yahweh, want. Go and tell him that this is what I, Yahweh, the God whom you Israelites worship, say about what you read:
-\v 27 'Because you heeded what was written in the scroll, and you humbled yourself when you heard what I said to warn about what would happen to this city and the people who live here, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have listened to you.
-\v 28 So I will allow you to die in peace, without seeing me punish this place and the people living in it.'"
+\v 27 ‘Because you heeded what was written in the scroll, and you humbled yourself when you heard what I said to warn about what would happen to this city and the people who live here, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have listened to you.
+\v 28 So I will allow you to die in peace, without seeing me punish this place and the people living in it.’”
 \p So they took her reply back to the king.
 
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 \v 29 Then the king summoned all the elders of Jerusalem and other places in Judea.
-\v 30 They went up together to the temple with the leaders of Judah and many other people of Jerusalem and the priests and other descendants of Levi, from the least important to the most important ones. And while they listened, the king read to them everything that was in the scroll containing God's laws that had been found in the temple.
+\v 30 They went up together to the temple with the leaders of Judah and many other people of Jerusalem and the priests and other descendants of Levi, from the least important to the most important ones. And while they listened, the king read to them everything that was in the scroll containing God’s laws that had been found in the temple.
 
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@@ -1958,13 +1958,13 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 \v 2 Josiah assigned to the priests to the tasks that they should perform at the temple, and encouraged them do their work well.
 
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-\v 3 The descendants of Levi were the ones who taught all the Israelite people; they had been set apart for Yahweh. Josiah said to them, "Put the sacred chest in the temple that the workers of David's son King Solomon of Israel built. But carry it on poles; do not carry it on your shoulders. And do well your work for Yahweh your God and for his Israelite people.
+\v 3 The descendants of Levi were the ones who taught all the Israelite people; they had been set apart for Yahweh. Josiah said to them, “Put the sacred chest in the temple that the workers of David’s son King Solomon of Israel built. But carry it on poles; do not carry it on your shoulders. And do well your work for Yahweh your God and for his Israelite people.
 \v 4 Divide yourselves into your traditional clans, obeying the instructions that King David and his son Solomon wrote.
 
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 \v 5 Then stand in the temple area, with each of you in your own Levite clan, ready to help your fellow Israelites when they bring their offerings to the temple.
-\v 6 Slaughter the lambs for the Passover. Do this for your fellow Israelites. Perform the rituals to set yourselves apart for God's honor and to serve Yahweh and do his work. Prepare the sacrifices, doing what Yahweh told Moses to tell you that you should do."
+\v 6 Slaughter the lambs for the Passover. Do this for your fellow Israelites. Perform the rituals to set yourselves apart for God’s honor and to serve Yahweh and do his work. Prepare the sacrifices, doing what Yahweh told Moses to tell you that you should do.”
 
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@@ -1985,7 +1985,7 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 
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-\v 15 The musicians, who were descendants of Asaph, stood in their places, as had been commanded by King David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king's prophet. The men who guarded the gates of the temple did not need to leave their places, because their fellow descendants of Levi prepared food for them to eat.
+\v 15 The musicians, who were descendants of Asaph, stood in their places, as had been commanded by King David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s prophet. The men who guarded the gates of the temple did not need to leave their places, because their fellow descendants of Levi prepared food for them to eat.
 
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@@ -2000,15 +2000,15 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 After Josiah had done all those things to restore the worship at the temple, King Necho of Egypt went with his army to attack the city of Carchemish alongside the Euphrates River, and Josiah marched with his army to fight against them.
-\v 21 Necho sent some messengers to Josiah, to tell him, "You are the king of Judah, and there is certainly no reason for you to fight me; we are attacking the army of Babylonia. God has told me to hurry. So stop opposing God, who is for me. If you do not stop, God will get rid of you."
+\v 21 Necho sent some messengers to Josiah, to tell him, “You are the king of Judah, and there is certainly no reason for you to fight me; we are attacking the army of Babylonia. God has told me to hurry. So stop opposing God, who is for me. If you do not stop, God will get rid of you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 But Josiah would not listen to him. Instead, he disguised himself in order to be able to attack the army of Egypt without anyone recognizing him. He did not pay any attention to what God had told Necho to say. Instead, he and his army went to fight Necho's army at the plain of Megiddo.
+\v 22 But Josiah would not listen to him. Instead, he disguised himself in order to be able to attack the army of Egypt without anyone recognizing him. He did not pay any attention to what God had told Necho to say. Instead, he and his army went to fight Necho’s army at the plain of Megiddo.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 Some archers shot King Josiah. He told his officers, "Take me away from here because I am badly wounded."
+\v 23 Some archers shot King Josiah. He told his officers, “Take me away from here because I am badly wounded.”
 \v 24 So they took him out of his chariot and put him in another chariot that he had brought with him, and they took him to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried in the tombs where his ancestors had been buried, and all the people of Jerusalem and other places in Judah mourned for him.
 
 \s5
@@ -2023,21 +2023,21 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 \s5
 \c 36
 \p
-\v 1 Then the people of Judah chose Josiah's son Jehoahaz and appointed him to be the king in Jerusalem.
+\v 1 Then the people of Judah chose Josiah’s son Jehoahaz and appointed him to be the king in Jerusalem.
 
 \p
 \v 2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became the king, but he ruled from Jerusalem for only three months.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 The king of Egypt captured him and prevented him from ruling any longer. He also forced the people of Judah to pay to him a tax of three and one-third metric tons of silver and thirty-three kilograms of gold.
-\v 4 The king of Egypt appointed Jehoahaz's younger brother Eliakim to be the king of Judah. He changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. But Necho seized Jehoahaz and took him to Egypt.
+\v 4 The king of Egypt appointed Jehoahaz’s younger brother Eliakim to be the king of Judah. He changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Necho seized Jehoahaz and took him to Egypt.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became the king of Judah, and he ruled from Jerusalem for eleven years. He did many things that Yahweh said were evil.
-\v 6 Then the army of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Jehoiakim's army. They captured Jehoiakim, fastened him with bronze chains, and took him to Babylon.
-\v 7 Nebuchadnezzar's soldiers also took valuable things from the temple. They took them to Babylon and put them in King Nebuchadnezzar's palace there.
+\v 6 Then the army of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Jehoiakim’s army. They captured Jehoiakim, fastened him with bronze chains, and took him to Babylon.
+\v 7 Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers also took valuable things from the temple. They took them to Babylon and put them in King Nebuchadnezzar’s palace there.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2047,7 +2047,7 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 \s5
 \p
 \v 9 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became the king of Judah, and he ruled from Jerusalem for only three months and ten days. He did many things that Yahweh said were evil.
-\v 10 During the spring of the next year, King Nebuchadnezzar sent soldiers to bring him to Babylon. They also took to Babylon many valuable things from the temple of Yahweh. Then Nebuchadnezzar appointed Jehoiachin's uncle, Zedekiah, to be the king of Judah.
+\v 10 During the spring of the next year, King Nebuchadnezzar sent soldiers to bring him to Babylon. They also took to Babylon many valuable things from the temple of Yahweh. Then Nebuchadnezzar appointed Jehoiachin’s uncle, Zedekiah, to be the king of Judah.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -2056,30 +2056,30 @@ hundred male lambs to be completely burned on the altar.
 \v 12 He did many things that Yahweh said were evil. He did not humble himself when the prophet Jeremiah spoke to him a message from Yahweh to warn him.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 He would not return to Yahweh, the God that the people of Israel said that they worshiped. Zedekiah also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had forced him to solemnly promise using God's name to be loyal to him. Zedekiah became very stubborn.
+\v 13 He would not return to Yahweh, the God that the people of Israel said that they worshiped. Zedekiah also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had forced him to solemnly promise using God’s name to be loyal to him. Zedekiah became very stubborn.
 \v 14 Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and also the people of Judah became more wicked again, doing all the disgusting things that the people of the other nations did, and causing the temple in Jerusalem that Yahweh had caused to be holy to become an unacceptable place to worship him.
 
 \s5
 
 \p
 \v 15 Yahweh, the God whom the ancestors of the people of Judah worshiped, gave messages to his prophets many times, and the prophets gave those messages to the people of Judah. Yahweh did that because he pitied his people and did not want his temple to be destroyed.
-\v 16 But the people continually made fun of God's messengers. They despised God's messages. They ridiculed his prophets, until finally God became extremely angry with his people, with the result that nothing could stop him from destroying Judah.
+\v 16 But the people continually made fun of God’s messengers. They despised God’s messages. They ridiculed his prophets, until finally God became extremely angry with his people, with the result that nothing could stop him from destroying Judah.
 
 \s5
 \v 17 He incited the king of Babylonia to attack Judah with his army. They killed the young men with their swords, even in the temple. They did not spare anyone, either young men or young women or old people. God enabled the army of Nebuchadnezzar to defeat all of them.
 
 \s5
-\v 18 His soldiers took to Babylon all the things that were used in God's temple, big things and little things, all the valuable things, and the valuable things that belonged to the king and his officials.
+\v 18 His soldiers took to Babylon all the things that were used in God’s temple, big things and little things, all the valuable things, and the valuable things that belonged to the king and his officials.
 \v 19 They burned the temple, and they broke down the wall surrounding Jerusalem. They burned all the palaces in Jerusalem and destroyed all the remaining valuable things there.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Nebuchadnezzar's soldiers took to Babylon the remaining people who had not been killed with their swords, Those people became the king's slaves and his son's slaves, until the army of Persia conquered Babylonia.
+\v 20 Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers took to Babylon the remaining people who had not been killed with their swords, Those people became the king’s slaves and his son’s slaves, until the army of Persia conquered Babylonia.
 \v 21 Moses had said that every seventh year the people must not plant their fields; they must allow the soil to rest. But the people had not done that. So after the army of Babylonia destroyed Judah, the soil was allowed to rest. That continued for seventy years, fulfilling what Yahweh had told Jeremiah would happen.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 22 During the first year that Cyrus was the king of Persia, in order that what Yahweh told Jeremiah would happen would occur, Yahweh motivated Cyrus to write this and proclaim it throughout his kingdom:
 \p
-\v 23 "I, Cyrus, the king of Persia, declare that Yahweh, the God who rules in heaven, has enabled me to become the ruler of all the kingdoms of this world. And he has appointed me to command that my workers build a temple for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. I am allowing any of his people among you to go to Jerusalem. And I will pray that Yahweh will be with them."
+\v 23 “I, Cyrus, the king of Persia, declare that Yahweh, the God who rules in heaven, has enabled me to become the ruler of all the kingdoms of this world. And he has appointed me to command that my workers build a temple for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. I am allowing any of his people among you to go to Jerusalem. And I will pray that Yahweh will be with them.”
 

18-JOB.usfm

@@ -16,52 +16,52 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 Job's sons often held feasts in their houses. Whenever each one made a feast, he would invite all his brothers and sisters to come and eat together.
-\v 5 After each celebration, Job would summon them. He would ask Yahweh to purify them from any action they might have committed during their feasting that would make them unacceptable to him. He would get up early in the morning, kill animals, and burn them on the altar as sacrifices, one for each of his children. For Job always said, "Perhaps my children have sinned and said something evil about God in their hearts."
+\v 4 Job’s sons often held feasts in their houses. Whenever each one made a feast, he would invite all his brothers and sisters to come and eat together.
+\v 5 After each celebration, Job would summon them. He would ask Yahweh to purify them from any action they might have committed during their feasting that would make them unacceptable to him. He would get up early in the morning, kill animals, and burn them on the altar as sacrifices, one for each of his children. For Job always said, “Perhaps my children have sinned and said something evil about God in their hearts.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 One day, the angels came and gathered together in front of Yahweh, and Satan came, too.
-\v 7 Yahweh asked Satan, "Where have you just come from?"
-\p Satan replied, "I have come from the earth, where I been traveling back and forth to see what is happening."
+\v 7 Yahweh asked Satan, “Where have you just come from?”
+\p Satan replied, “I have come from the earth, where I been traveling back and forth to see what is happening.”
 \p
-\v 8 Yahweh said to Satan, "Have you noticed Job, who worships me? No one else on earth honors me and lives in such a right way as he does. He always refuses to do anything evil."
+\v 8 Yahweh said to Satan, “Have you noticed Job, who worships me? No one else on earth honors me and lives in such a right way as he does. He always refuses to do anything evil.”
 
 \s5
-\v 9 Satan replied to Yahweh, "What you say is true, but Job honors you only because of what you have done for him.
+\v 9 Satan replied to Yahweh, “What you say is true, but Job honors you only because of what you have done for him.
 \v 10 You have always protected him, his family, and everything he owns. You make him succeed in whatever work he tries to do, and he has very much livestock all over his land.
-\v 11 But if you attacked what he owns and took it away, he would curse you in front of everyone."
+\v 11 But if you attacked what he owns and took it away, he would curse you in front of everyone.”
 \p
-\v 12 Yahweh replied to Satan, "So this is what you want me to do! All right, I will permit you to take away everything that he has. But do not harm him in his own body."
+\v 12 Yahweh replied to Satan, “So this is what you want me to do! All right, I will permit you to take away everything that he has. But do not harm him in his own body.”
 \p Satan agreed and then left Yahweh in order to plan how he would attack Job.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 One day after that, Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the home of their oldest brother.
-\v 14 While they were doing that, a messenger arrived at Job's home and said to him, "While your oxen were plowing the fields and the donkeys were grazing nearby,
-\v 15 a group of men from the people group of Sheba came and attacked us. They killed all your servants who were working in the fields and took away all the oxen and donkeys! I am the only one who has escaped to come and tell you what happened."
+\v 13 One day after that, Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the home of their oldest brother.
+\v 14 While they were doing that, a messenger arrived at Job’s home and said to him, “While your oxen were plowing the fields and the donkeys were grazing nearby,
+\v 15 a group of men from the people group of Sheba came and attacked us. They killed all your servants who were working in the fields and took away all the oxen and donkeys! I am the only one who has escaped to come and tell you what happened.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 While he was still talking to Job, another messenger arrived. He said to Job, "Lightning from the sky struck and killed all the sheep and all the men who were taking care of them! I am the only one who has escaped to come and tell you what happened."
+\v 16 While he was still talking to Job, another messenger arrived. He said to Job, “Lightning from the sky struck and killed all the sheep and all the men who were taking care of them! I am the only one who has escaped to come and tell you what happened.”
 \p
-\v 17 While he was still talking to Job, a third messenger arrived. He said to Job, "Three groups of robbers from the region of Chaldea came and attacked us. They stole all the camels and killed all the men who were taking care of them. I am the only one who has escaped to come and tell you what happened."
+\v 17 While he was still talking to Job, a third messenger arrived. He said to Job, “Three groups of robbers from the region of Chaldea came and attacked us. They stole all the camels and killed all the men who were taking care of them. I am the only one who has escaped to come and tell you what happened.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 While he was still talking to Job, a fourth messenger arrived. He said to Job: "Your sons and daughters were feasting in the home of their oldest brother.
-\v 19 Suddenly a very strong wind came from the desert and struck the house. The house collapsed on your sons and daughters and killed them all! I am the only one who has escaped to come and tell you what happened."
+\v 18 While he was still talking to Job, a fourth messenger arrived. He said to Job: “Your sons and daughters were feasting in the home of their oldest brother.
+\v 19 Suddenly a very strong wind came from the desert and struck the house. The house collapsed on your sons and daughters and killed them all! I am the only one who has escaped to come and tell you what happened.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 Then Job stood up and tore his robe and shaved his head because he was very sad. Then he laid down on the ground to worship God.
 \v 21 He said,
-\q1 "When I was born, I was wearing no clothes.
+\q1 “When I was born, I was wearing no clothes.
 \q1 When I die, I will not take any clothes with me.
 \q1 It is Yahweh who gave me everything that I possessed,
 \q1 and it is Yahweh who has taken it all away.
-\q1 But we must always praise Yahweh!"
+\q1 But we must always praise Yahweh!”
 \p
 \v 22 So in spite of all the things that happened to Job, he did speak not like a foolish man—he did not sin by saying that what God had done was wrong.
 
@@ -71,19 +71,19 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 On another day, the angels came again and gathered together in front of Yahweh; Satan also came again.
-\v 2 Yahweh asked Satan, "Where have you come from this time?" Satan replied, "I have come from the earth, where I have been traveling back and forth to see what is happening."
+\v 2 Yahweh asked Satan, “Where have you come from this time?” Satan replied, “I have come from the earth, where I have been traveling back and forth to see what is happening.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 Yahweh asked Satan, "You have you noticed my servant Job, who worships me, have you not?
-\p He continues to honor me; he is very exceptional, for he lives in a way that is more right than anyone else on the earth. He does this even though you persuaded me to attack him for no reason."
+\v 3 Yahweh asked Satan, “You have you noticed my servant Job, who worships me, have you not?
+\p He continues to honor me; he is very exceptional, for he lives in a way that is more right than anyone else on the earth. He does this even though you persuaded me to attack him for no reason.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 Satan replied to Yahweh, "He praises you only because you have helped him. People will give up everything they have to save their own lives.
-\v 5 But if you harm his body, he will surely curse you in front of everyone!"
+\v 4 Satan replied to Yahweh, “He praises you only because you have helped him. People will give up everything they have to save their own lives.
+\v 5 But if you harm his body, he will surely curse you in front of everyone!”
 \p
-\v 6 Yahweh replied to Satan, "All right, you may do to him whatever you like, but do not cause him to die."
+\v 6 Yahweh replied to Satan, “All right, you may do to him whatever you like, but do not cause him to die.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -92,14 +92,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 His wife said to him, "Are you still trying to be loyal to God? You should curse God, and then go ahead and die."
+\v 9 His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to be loyal to God? You should curse God, and then go ahead and die.”
 \p
-\v 10 But Job replied, "You talk like people talk who do not know God. We should not only accept the good things that God does for us. We should also accept the bad things." So in spite of all these things that happened to Job, he did not offend God by saying anything against him.
+\v 10 But Job replied, “You talk like people talk who do not know God. We should not only accept the good things that God does for us. We should also accept the bad things.” So in spite of all these things that happened to Job, he did not offend God by saying anything against him.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 Among Job's friends were Eliphaz from the town of Teman, Bildad from the land of Shuah, and Zophar from the land of Naamah. When they heard about all the terrible things that had happened to Job, they left their homes and went together to Job to mourn with him and to comfort him.
+\v 11 Among Job’s friends were Eliphaz from the town of Teman, Bildad from the land of Shuah, and Zophar from the land of Naamah. When they heard about all the terrible things that had happened to Job, they left their homes and went together to Job to mourn with him and to comfort him.
 
 \s5
 \v 12 But when they saw Job from a distance, they almost did not recognize him. They wailed loudly, they tore their robes, and they threw dust into the air that settled on their heads. They did this to show how sorry they were for him.
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@
 \v 1 Finally, Job spoke, and he cursed the day that he was born.
 \v 2 He said,
 \q1
-\v 3 "I wish that the day when I was born could be eradicated,
+\v 3 “I wish that the day when I was born could be eradicated,
 \q2 the night when I was born.
 
 \s5
@@ -145,13 +145,13 @@
 \q2 If only those stars had wished in vain for light to shine,
 \q2 and that they had not shone on that day.
 \q1
-\v 10 That was an evil day because my mother's womb was not closed;
+\v 10 That was an evil day because my mother’s womb was not closed;
 \q2 instead, I was born, and I have now experienced all these terrible things.
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 11 I wish that I had died when I was born;
-\q2 I wish I had perished when I came out from my mother's womb.
+\q2 I wish I had perished when I came out from my mother’s womb.
 \q1
 \v 12 I wish that my mother had never welcomed me.
 \q2 I wish that she had not nursed me at her breasts.
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@
 \v 15 I would be resting with princes who were wealthy,
 \q2 whose palaces were filled with gold and silver.
 \q1
-\v 16 I wish that I had been buried like a child who had died in its mother's womb
+\v 16 I wish that I had been buried like a child who had died in its mother’s womb
 \q2 and never lived to see the light.
 
 \s5
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@
 \v 26 Now I have no peace in my heart;
 \q2 I have no quietness;
 \q1 I cannot rest;
-\q2 instead, I have only troubles."
+\q2 instead, I have only troubles.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@
 \p
 \v 1 Then Eliphaz replied to Job. He said,
 \q1
-\v 2 "Will you please allow me to say something to you?
+\v 2 “Will you please allow me to say something to you?
 \q2 I am not able to remain silent any longer.
 \q1
 \v 3 In the past, you have instructed many people,
@@ -275,7 +275,7 @@
 \q2 But I knew that there was some being in front of me,
 \q1 and it said in a quiet voice,
 \q1
-\v 17 'No human being can be more righteous than God.
+\v 17 ‘No human being can be more righteous than God.
 \q1 No man can be better than God, who made him.
 
 \s5
@@ -292,14 +292,14 @@
 \q2 They are gone forever and no one even pays attention.
 \q1
 \v 21 Their families and possessions are like tents that collapse suddenly when you pull up their stakes;
-\q2 they perish suddenly without anyone ever knowing why.'"
+\q2 they perish suddenly without anyone ever knowing why.’”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 5
 
 \q1
-\v 1 "Job, no one will stop you from calling out for someone to help you,
+\v 1 “Job, no one will stop you from calling out for someone to help you,
 \q2 but I am certain that no angel will come to you!
 \q1
 \v 2 Foolish people die because they are resentful;
@@ -398,7 +398,7 @@
 \q2 like sheaves of grain continue to grow until it is time to harvest and thresh them.
 \q1
 \v 27 My friends and I have thought carefully about these things, and we know that they are true,
-\q2 so pay attention to what I have said!"
+\q2 so pay attention to what I have said!”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -407,7 +407,7 @@
 \p
 \v 1 Then Job spoke again to Eliphaz:
 \q1
-\v 2 "If all my troubles and misery could be put on a scale and weighed,
+\v 2 “If all my troubles and misery could be put on a scale and weighed,
 \q1
 \v 3 they would be heavier than all the sand along the ocean shores.
 \q2 That is why I spoke very rashly about the day that I was born.
@@ -517,14 +517,14 @@ that I am suffering.
 \q2 You should realize that I have not done things that are wrong.
 \q1
 \v 30 Do you think that I am lying?
-\q2 No, I am not lying, because I know what is right to say, and what is wrong."
+\q2 No, I am not lying, because I know what is right to say, and what is wrong.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 7
 
 \q1
-\v 1 "People need to work hard on this earth like soldiers do;
+\v 1 “People need to work hard on this earth like soldiers do;
 \q1 all during the time that we are alive, we need to work as hard as any hired worker.
 \q1
 \v 2 We are like slaves who keep wanting to be in the cool of evening,
@@ -535,7 +535,7 @@ that I am suffering.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 4 When I lie down at night I say, 'How long will it be until I get up?'
+\v 4 When I lie down at night I say, ‘How long will it be until I get up?’
 \q2 But the nights are long, and I toss on my bed until the dawn.
 \q1
 \v 5 My body is covered with maggots and scabs;
@@ -543,7 +543,7 @@ that I am suffering.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 6 My days pass as quickly as a weaver's shuttle;
+\v 6 My days pass as quickly as a weaver’s shuttle;
 \q2 when one day ends, I never expect that things will be better the next day.
 \q1
 \v 7 God, do not forget that my life is as short as a single breath;
@@ -573,8 +573,8 @@ that I am suffering.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 13 When I lie down at night, I say to myself, 'I will go to sleep and stop suffering;
-\q2 my pain will be less while I am sleeping.'
+\v 13 When I lie down at night, I say to myself, ‘I will go to sleep and stop suffering;
+\q2 my pain will be less while I am sleeping.’
 \q1
 \v 14 But then you give me dreams that cause me to be afraid;
 \q2 you give me visions that terrify me;
@@ -608,7 +608,7 @@ examine us every moment to see if we are doing what is right.
 \v 21 If I have sinned, are you not able to forgive me
 \q2 for the wrong things that I have done?
 \q1 Soon I will lie in my grave;
-\q2 you will search for me, but you will not find me because I will be dead and gone."
+\q2 you will search for me, but you will not find me because I will be dead and gone.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -617,7 +617,7 @@ examine us every moment to see if we are doing what is right.
 \p
 \v 1 Then Bildad, from the Shuah area, spoke to Job. He said,
 \q1
-\v 2 "Job, how much longer will you talk like this?
+\v 2 “Job, how much longer will you talk like this?
 \q2 What you say is as useless as a big wind.
 \q1
 \v 3 Almighty God certainly never does anything unfairly.
@@ -665,7 +665,7 @@ examine us every moment to see if we are doing what is right.
 \q2 godless people stop confidently expecting that good things will happen to them.
 \q1
 \v 14 The things they confidently expect to happen do not happen;
-\q2 things they trust will help them are as weak as a spider's web.
+\q2 things they trust will help them are as weak as a spider’s web.
 \q1
 \v 15 If they think they will be safe because they are wealthy, they will not be safe;
 \q2 the things they think will keep them safe—those things will disappear.
@@ -679,7 +679,7 @@ examine us every moment to see if we are doing what is right.
 \q2 and cling tightly to the rocks.
 \q1
 \v 18 But if a gardener pulls those plants out,
-\q2 it is as though the place where they were planted says, 'They were never here!'
+\q2 it is as though the place where they were planted says, ‘They were never here!’
 \q2 That is what happens to wicked people who do not pay attention to what God says.
 
 \s5
@@ -697,7 +697,7 @@ examine us every moment to see if we are doing what is right.
 shout joyfully.
 \q1
 \v 22 But those who hate you will be very ashamed,
-\q2 and the homes of wicked people will disappear."
+\q2 and the homes of wicked people will disappear.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -706,8 +706,8 @@ shout joyfully.
 \p
 \v 1 Then Job replied,
 \q1
-\v 2 "Yes, yes, I know.
-\q2 But how can anyone say to God, 'I am innocent'?
+\v 2 “Yes, yes, I know.
+\q2 But how can anyone say to God, ‘I am innocent’?
 \q1
 \v 3 If someone wanted to argue with God about that,
 \q2 God could ask him a thousand questions
@@ -743,7 +743,7 @@ shout joyfully.
 \q2 he moves further on, but I do not see him go.
 \q1
 \v 12 If he wants to snatch someone away, no one could stop him;
-\q2 no one dares ask him, 'Why are you doing that?'
+\q2 no one dares ask him, ‘Why are you doing that?’
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 13 God will not very easily stop being angry;
@@ -802,8 +802,8 @@ shout joyfully.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 27 If I smile and say to God, 'I will forget what I am complaining about;
-\q2 I will stop looking sad and try to be cheerful,'
+\v 27 If I smile and say to God, ‘I will forget what I am complaining about;
+\q2 I will stop looking sad and try to be cheerful,’
 \q1
 \v 28 then I become afraid because of all that I am suffering
 \q2 because I know that God does not consider that I am innocent.
@@ -846,7 +846,7 @@ shout joyfully.
 \q1 I will not stop saying why I am complaining.
 \q2 Since I am very unhappy, I will speak.
 \q1
-\v 2 I will say to God, 'Do not just say that you must punish me;
+\v 2 I will say to God, ‘Do not just say that you must punish me;
 \q2 in addition, tell me what wrong you saw that I have done.
 \q1
 \v 3 Does it please you to oppress me,
@@ -876,7 +876,7 @@ shout joyfully.
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 10 You certainly formed me when I was conceived,
-\q2 and you put me together inside my mother's womb.
+\q2 and you put me together inside my mother’s womb.
 \q1
 \v 11 You fastened my bones together with sinews,
 \q2 and then you covered them with flesh inside my skin.
@@ -912,7 +912,7 @@ shout joyfully.
 \v 18 God, why did you allow me to be born?
 \q2 I wish had died when I was born, and that no one had ever seen me.
 \q1
-\v 19 I think it would have been better if I had been carried directly from my mother's womb to the grave
+\v 19 I think it would have been better if I had been carried directly from my mother’s womb to the grave
 \q2 than for me to live.
 
 \s5
@@ -924,7 +924,7 @@ shout joyfully.
 \q2 [a place] where it is always gloomy and very dark,
 \q1
 \v 22 a place of darkness and dark shadows where everything is confused
-\q2 [and] where even the small light there is like darkness.'"
+\q2 [and] where even the small light there is like darkness.’”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -933,7 +933,7 @@ shout joyfully.
 \p
 \v 1 Then Zophar, the friend from the region of Naamah, said this to Job:
 \q1
-\v 2 "Should no one answer all that you have said?
+\v 2 “Should no one answer all that you have said?
 \q2 Just because you talk a lot, that fact should not persuade us to declare that you are innocent.
 \q1
 \v 3 Job, should your babbling really cause us to be silent?
@@ -941,8 +941,8 @@ shout joyfully.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 4 You say, 'What I say is true;
-\q2 God knows that I am innocent.'
+\v 4 You say, ‘What I say is true;
+\q2 God knows that I am innocent.’
 \q1
 \v 5 But I wish that God would talk
 \q2 and say something to answer you!
@@ -1006,7 +1006,7 @@ shout joyfully.
 \q1
 \v 20 But wicked people will not be able to understand why bad things are happening to them;
 \q2 they will not have any way to escape from their troubles.
-\q2 The only thing that they will want to do is to die. "
+\q2 The only thing that they will want to do is to die. “
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1015,7 +1015,7 @@ shout joyfully.
 \p
 \v 1 Then Job said to his three friends,
 \q1
-\v 2 "There is no doubt that you are the people to whom everyone should listen,
+\v 2 “There is no doubt that you are the people to whom everyone should listen,
 \q2 and that when you die, there will be no more wise people alive.
 \q1
 \v 3 But I have as much good sense as you do;
@@ -1077,7 +1077,7 @@ shout joyfully.
 \v 16 He is the one who is truly strong and wise;
 \q2 he rules over those who deceive others and those whom they deceive.
 \q1
-\v 17 He sometimes causes the king's officials to lose their wisdom and grieve because of it'
+\v 17 He sometimes causes the king’s officials to lose their wisdom and grieve because of it’
 \q2 and he causes judges to become foolish.
 \q1
 \v 18 He takes from kings the ornaments that they wear
@@ -1110,14 +1110,14 @@ shout joyfully.
 \q2 and then he causes them to wander around, lost, as if they were in the wilderness with no way out.
 \q1
 \v 25 It is as if they were feeling around in the darkness, without any light;
-\q2 as if they were drunk, not knowing what they should do."
+\q2 as if they were drunk, not knowing what they should do.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 13
 
 \q1
-\v 1 "I have seen everything that you have seen,
+\v 1 “I have seen everything that you have seen,
 \q2 and I have heard and understood all that you have said.
 \q1
 \v 2 What you know, I also know;
@@ -1177,10 +1177,10 @@ shout joyfully.
 \q1
 \v 16 No wicked person would dare to stand in the presence of God,
 \q1 but because I say that I have not done things that are wrong,
-\q2 perhaps, if I can prove that to God, he will declare me innocent."
+\q2 perhaps, if I can prove that to God, he will declare me innocent.”
 
 \q1
-\v 17 "God, listen very carefully to what I say; pay attention to me.
+\v 17 “God, listen very carefully to what I say; pay attention to me.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -1314,7 +1314,7 @@ shout joyfully.
 \q2 Or if they become disgraced, we do not know that either.
 \q1
 \v 22 We will feel our own pain; we will not feel anything else;
-\q2 we will be sorry for ourselves, not for anyone else."
+\q2 we will be sorry for ourselves, not for anyone else.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1323,7 +1323,7 @@ shout joyfully.
 \p
 \v 1 Then Eliphaz replied to Job:
 \q1
-\v 2 "If you were truly wise, you would not have replied to us by claiming that you know a lot;
+\v 2 “If you were truly wise, you would not have replied to us by claiming that you know a lot;
 \q2 what you are saying is just a lot of hot air.
 \q1
 \v 3 You should not be saying things that do not benefit anyone;
@@ -1404,11 +1404,11 @@ shout joyfully.
 \v 22 Wicked people do not really think that they will escape from darkness;
 \q2 they are sure that someone is waiting to kill them with a sword.
 \q1
-\v 23 They wander around, searching for food, saying 'Where can I find some?'
+\v 23 They wander around, searching for food, saying ‘Where can I find some?’
 \q2 They know that they will soon experience disasters.
 \q1
 \v 24 Because they are afraid of those things happening to them, they worry
-\q2 that these things will attack them as a king's army waits to attack its enemies and causes them to suffer.
+\q2 that these things will attack them as a king’s army waits to attack its enemies and causes them to suffer.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -1452,7 +1452,7 @@ shout joyfully.
 \q2 and fires will completely burn up the homes of those who took money from bribes.
 \q1
 \v 35 They plan to cause trouble and to do evil things,
-\q2 and in their hearts they are always preparing to deceive people."
+\q2 and in their hearts they are always preparing to deceive people.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1461,7 +1461,7 @@ shout joyfully.
 \p
 \v 1 Job replied to Eliphaz and the others,
 \q1
-\v 2 "I have heard things like that before;
+\v 2 “I have heard things like that before;
 \q2 all of you, instead of helping me, are only causing me to feel more miserable.
 \q1
 \v 3 Will your speeches, which are only wind, never end?
@@ -1513,7 +1513,7 @@ shout joyfully.
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 13 It is as though I were a target, and that people were surrounding me and shooting arrows at me.
-\q1 God's arrows pierce my kidneys
+\q1 God’s arrows pierce my kidneys
 \q2 and cause the bile from my liver to spill onto the ground;
 \q2 God does not pity me at all.
 \q1
@@ -1549,21 +1549,21 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \q2 as a person pleads for his friend.
 \q1
 \v 22 I say this because within a few years I will die;
-\q2 I will walk along the road to a place from which I will never return."
+\q2 I will walk along the road to a place from which I will never return.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 17
 
 \q1
-\v 1 "My time to live is almost ended; I have no strength left;
+\v 1 “My time to live is almost ended; I have no strength left;
 \q2 those who have dug my grave are waiting for me.
 \q1
 \v 2 Those who are around me are making fun of me;
-\q2 I must always see them mocking me."
+\q2 I must always see them mocking me.”
 
 \q1
-\v 3 "God, it is as though I were in prison;
+\v 3 “God, it is as though I were in prison;
 \q1 please pay the money in order that I may be released,
 \q2 because there is certainly no one else who will help me.
 
@@ -1572,8 +1572,8 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \v 4 You have prevented my friends from understanding what is true about me,
 \q2 but you will not allow them to triumph over me, saying that I have done wrong things.
 \q1
-\v 5 Our ancestors said, 'It often happens that when someone betrays his friends in order to get some of their property,
-\q2 it is that person's children who will be punished for it;'
+\v 5 Our ancestors said, ‘It often happens that when someone betrays his friends in order to get some of their property,
+\q2 it is that person’s children who will be punished for it;’
 \q1 so I desire that will be true of these friends of mine who are lying about me.
 
 \s5
@@ -1609,8 +1609,8 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \v 13 I know that my home will be the place where dead people are,
 \q2 where I will sleep in the darkness.
 \q1
-\v 14 I can say to the grave, 'Where I am buried, that place will be like a father to me.'
-\q2 I can say to the maggots, 'You will be like a mother or younger sisters to me because that is where I will always be.'
+\v 14 I can say to the grave, ‘Where I am buried, that place will be like a father to me.’
+\q2 I can say to the maggots, ‘You will be like a mother or younger sisters to me because that is where I will always be.’
 \q1
 \v 15 There is certainly no more hope left for me.
 \q2 No one expects that I will have any more happiness.
@@ -1618,7 +1618,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 16 After I descend to the place where the dead are, I will not be able to expect anything good there.
-\q2 I and the things I hope for will go down together into the soil."
+\q2 I and the things I hope for will go down together into the soil.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1627,7 +1627,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \p
 \v 1 Then Bildad replied again:
 \q1
-\v 2 "Please stop talking!
+\v 2 “Please stop talking!
 \q2 If you would stop talking and listen, we could tell you something.
 
 \s5
@@ -1703,7 +1703,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 21 This is what happens to unrighteous people like you,
-\q2 people who do not know God."
+\q2 people who do not know God.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1712,7 +1712,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \p
 \v 1 Then Job replied:
 \q1
-\v 2 "How long will you three torment me
+\v 2 “How long will you three torment me
 \q2 and discourage me by calling me wicked?
 
 \s5
@@ -1733,7 +1733,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 7 I cry out, 'People are murdering me!',
+\v 7 I cry out, ‘People are murdering me!’,
 \q2 but no one answers me.
 \q1 I call out loudly, but there is no one, not even God, who acts fairly toward me.
 \q1
@@ -1815,12 +1815,12 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 28 If you three men say, 'This is how we will cause him to suffer!'
-\q2 and you say, 'He is the one who has caused his own troubles,'
+\v 28 If you three men say, ‘This is how we will cause him to suffer!’
+\q2 and you say, ‘He is the one who has caused his own troubles,’
 \q1
 \v 29 you should fear that God will punish you;
 \q1 he punishes those like you with whom he is angry;
-\q2 and when that happens, you will know that there is someone who judges people."
+\q2 and when that happens, you will know that there is someone who judges people.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1829,7 +1829,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \p
 \v 1 Then Zophar replied again:
 \q1
-\v 2 "I am very troubled about what you have said,
+\v 2 “I am very troubled about what you have said,
 \q2 so I want to reply very quickly.
 \q1
 \v 3 By saying these things you have insulted me,
@@ -1849,7 +1849,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \q2 and their fame goes up as high as the clouds,
 \q1
 \v 7 they will disappear forever, like their own excrement,
-\q2 and those who knew them will ask, 'Where did they go?'
+\q2 and those who knew them will ask, ‘Where did they go?’
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -1896,7 +1896,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \q1 They will not remain happy because of what they got from their business
 \q1
 \v 19 because they oppressed poor people and refused to help them,
-\q2 and they took other people's houses by cheating them.
+\q2 and they took other people’s houses by cheating them.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -1936,10 +1936,10 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 28 On the day when God punishes people,
-\q2 all the possessions in the wicked people's houses will be carried away, as if a flood had come.
+\q2 all the possessions in the wicked people’s houses will be carried away, as if a flood had come.
 \q1
 \v 29 That is what will happen to wicked people like you;
-\q2 that is what God has decreed for them."
+\q2 that is what God has decreed for them.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1948,7 +1948,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \p
 \v 1 Then Job replied in this way:
 \q1
-\v 2 "Listen to what I say, all of you;
+\v 2 “Listen to what I say, all of you;
 \q2 that is the only thing that you can do that will comfort me.
 \q1
 \v 3 Be patient with me, and allow me to speak.
@@ -1967,8 +1967,8 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 7 But allow me to ask this: 'Why do wicked people continue to live,
-\q2 and become prosperous, and not die until they are very old?'
+\v 7 But allow me to ask this: ‘Why do wicked people continue to live,
+\q2 and become prosperous, and not die until they are very old?’
 \q1
 \v 8 They see their children around them,
 \q2 and they watch them while they grow up and start to live in their own houses.
@@ -1992,11 +1992,11 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \v 13 Wicked people enjoy having good things all the time that they are alive,
 \q2 and they die quietly and go down to the place of the dead.
 \q1
-\v 14 While they are alive, they say to God, 'Leave us alone;
+\v 14 While they are alive, they say to God, ‘Leave us alone;
 \q2 we do not care about how you desire us to conduct our lives!
 \q1
 \v 15 Why do you, Almighty God, think that we should serve you?
-\q2 What advantage do we get if we pray to you?'
+\q2 What advantage do we get if we pray to you?’
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -2012,8 +2012,8 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 19 You say, 'When people have committed sins,
-\q2 God waits and punishes their children because of those sins;'
+\v 19 You say, ‘When people have committed sins,
+\q2 God waits and punishes their children because of those sins;’
 \q1 I say that God should punish those who sin, not their children,
 \q2 in order that the sinners may know that it is because of their own sins that they are being punished.
 \q1
@@ -2048,8 +2048,8 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \v 27 Listen, I know what you three are thinking,
 \q2 and I know the evil things that you plan to do to me.
 \q1
-\v 28 You say, 'What happened to the tents in which wicked people were living?
-\q2 The houses of evil rulers have been destroyed!'
+\v 28 You say, ‘What happened to the tents in which wicked people were living?
+\q2 The houses of evil rulers have been destroyed!’
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -2074,7 +2074,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 34 So how can you comfort me by talking nonsense?
-\q2 Every reply that you give me is full of lies!"
+\q2 Every reply that you give me is full of lies!”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -2083,7 +2083,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \p
 \v 1 Then Eliphaz replied, saying this:
 \q1
-\v 2 "No one can be useful to God!
+\v 2 “No one can be useful to God!
 \q2 People who are wise can be useful to themselves, but not to God.
 \q1
 \v 3 If you were righteous, that would not please Almighty God, would it?
@@ -2105,7 +2105,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \v 7 You must not have given water to those who were thirsty,
 \q2 and you must have refused to give food to those who were hungry.
 \q1
-\v 8 Because you were very powerful, you must have taken over all the people's land,
+\v 8 Because you were very powerful, you must have taken over all the people’s land,
 \q2 and then you began to live on that land, even though others honored you very much.
 
 \s5
@@ -2124,11 +2124,11 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \v 12 But consider this, Job: God lives high up in the heavens.
 \q2 From there he looks down on the highest stars.
 \q1
-\v 13 So why do you say, 'God knows nothing about what we are doing'?
-\q2 And why do you say, 'Dark clouds keep him from seeing us, so he cannot judge us'?
+\v 13 So why do you say, ‘God knows nothing about what we are doing’?
+\q2 And why do you say, ‘Dark clouds keep him from seeing us, so he cannot judge us’?
 \q1
 \v 14 Do you think that while he walks on the dome that covers the sky,
-\q2 where there are thick clouds around him, he cannot see what we do?'
+\q2 where there are thick clouds around him, he cannot see what we do?’
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -2138,8 +2138,8 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \v 16 They suddenly died while they were still young;
 \q2 they disappeared like everything disappears when there is a flood .
 \q1
-\v 17 They kept saying to God, 'Leave us alone,' 'Allow us to be alone,'
-\q2 and they also said defiantly, 'Almighty God can do nothing to harm us!'
+\v 17 They kept saying to God, ‘Leave us alone,’ ‘Allow us to be alone,’
+\q2 and they also said defiantly, ‘Almighty God can do nothing to harm us!’
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -2149,8 +2149,8 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \v 19 When righteous people see that God punishes wicked people, they are glad,
 \q2 and they laugh at those wicked people.
 \q1
-\v 20 They say, 'Now our enemies have been destroyed,
-\q2 and fire has burned up anything left of their wealth.'
+\v 20 They say, ‘Now our enemies have been destroyed,
+\q2 and fire has burned up anything left of their wealth.’
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -2187,7 +2187,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \q2 but he saves those who are downcast.
 \q1
 \v 30 God rescues those who are not innocent;
-\q2 they will be rescued because you do what is right."
+\q2 they will be rescued because you do what is right.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -2196,7 +2196,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \p
 \v 1 Then Job replied and said this:
 \q1
-\v 2 "Today I am again complaining bitterly to God;
+\v 2 “Today I am again complaining bitterly to God;
 \q2 I continue to groan, but I suffer even more.
 
 \s5
@@ -2252,23 +2252,23 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \v 16 Almighty God has made me very afraid.
 \q1
 \v 17 The thick darkness in front of me has not make me silent,
-\q2 even that terrible darkness that covers my face has not kept me from speaking."
+\q2 even that terrible darkness that covers my face has not kept me from speaking.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 24
 
 \q1
-\v 1 "Why does Almighty God not set a time when he will judge evil people?
+\v 1 “Why does Almighty God not set a time when he will judge evil people?
 \q2 The people who obey God never seem to see him judge the evil people.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 2 Some evil people remove the boundary markers of other people's land, in order to take their land;
-\q2 they seize other people's sheep and put them in their own pastures.
+\v 2 Some evil people remove the boundary markers of other people’s land, in order to take their land;
+\q2 they seize other people’s sheep and put them in their own pastures.
 \q1
 \v 3 Some take away the donkeys that belong to orphans,
-\q2 and they take widows' oxen to guarantee that the widows will pay back the money that they loaned to those widows.
+\q2 and they take widows’ oxen to guarantee that the widows will pay back the money that they loaned to those widows.
 \q1
 \v 4 Some shove poor people off the road,
 \q2 and they force poor people to find places to hide from them.
@@ -2278,7 +2278,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \v 5 The result is that poor people have to search for food in the desert plain
 \q2 like wild donkeys do.
 \q1
-\v 6 The poor people harvest leftover grain in other people's fields,
+\v 6 The poor people harvest leftover grain in other people’s fields,
 \q2 and gather leftover grapes from vineyards that belong to wicked men.
 \q1
 \v 7 During the night they have nothing to cover their bodies,
@@ -2290,10 +2290,10 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \q2 so they huddle under the rock ledges to protect themselves from the rain.
 \q1
 \v 9 Some evil men snatch poor, fatherless infants away from their mothers;
-\q2 they say 'I will return your babies to you when you repay the money that I lent to you.'
+\q2 they say ‘I will return your babies to you when you repay the money that I lent to you.’
 \q1
 \v 10 But the poor people walk around with no clothes on;
-\q2 they are hungry while they are working to carry other people's bundles of grain to the places where their grain will be threshed.
+\q2 they are hungry while they are working to carry other people’s bundles of grain to the places where their grain will be threshed.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -2315,7 +2315,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 15 Those who want to commit adultery wait for evening to come;
-\q2 they say, 'I do not want anyone to see me,' so they keep their faces covered.
+\q2 they say, ‘I do not want anyone to see me,’ so they keep their faces covered.
 \q1
 \v 16 It is during the night that robbers break into houses to steal things,
 \q2 but during the day they hide because they want to avoid being seen in the light.
@@ -2358,7 +2358,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \q2 they will be like stalks of grain that the farmers have cut off.
 \q1
 \v 25 If this is not true, is there anyone who will show that I am a liar
-\q2 and prove me wrong?"
+\q2 and prove me wrong?”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -2367,7 +2367,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \p
 \v 1 Then Bildad also replied:
 \q1
-\v 2 "God is very powerful; everyone should honor him very much;
+\v 2 “God is very powerful; everyone should honor him very much;
 \q2 he causes everything to be peaceful high up in heaven, with no confusion at all.
 \q1
 \v 3 Can anyone count the angels who are in his army in heaven?
@@ -2383,7 +2383,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \q1
 \v 6 So what about humans?
 \q2 They are as insignificant as maggots.
-\q2 God does not think more highly of people than he thinks of worms."
+\q2 God does not think more highly of people than he thinks of worms.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -2392,7 +2392,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \p
 \v 1 Job replied to Bildad:
 \q1
-\v 2 "I am a very weak and helpless man;
+\v 2 “I am a very weak and helpless man;
 \q2 you do not really think that you have helped me at all, do you?
 \q1
 \v 3 You certainly do not think that you have given me good advice, do you?—me, who am not wise at all.
@@ -2442,7 +2442,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \q1
 \v 14 But those events show only a small amount of his power;
 \q2 it is as though we were hearing only whispers of his powerful voice.
-\q2 When we hear thunder, we say, 'Who can really understand how great his power is?'"
+\q2 When we hear thunder, we say, ‘Who can really understand how great his power is?’”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -2451,11 +2451,11 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \p
 \v 1 Job continued speaking to his three friends:
 \q1
-\v 2 "Almighty God has refused to treat me justly.
+\v 2 “Almighty God has refused to treat me justly.
 \q2 He has caused me to feel bitter.
 \q2 But just as surely as he lives,
 \q1
-\v 3 I will say this as long as God's Spirit enables me to breathe!
+\v 3 I will say this as long as God’s Spirit enables me to breathe!
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -2486,7 +2486,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 11 I will teach you three something about God's power;
+\v 11 I will teach you three something about God’s power;
 \q2 I will reveal to you what he is thinking.
 \q1
 \v 12 You three have seen for yourselves powerful things that God has done;
@@ -2514,7 +2514,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 18 The houses that they build are as weak as spider webs;
-\q2 they are like flimsy huts that watchmen live in while they guard people's fields.
+\q2 they are like flimsy huts that watchmen live in while they guard people’s fields.
 \q1
 \v 19 The wicked people are rich when they lie down at night,
 \q2 but when they wake up in the morning, they find out that their money has disappeared.
@@ -2533,14 +2533,14 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \q2 while they are running away, trying to escape from its force.
 \q1
 \v 23 That wind is like someone clapping his hands at them to mock them,
-\q2 howling at them and forcing them to run away."
+\q2 howling at them and forcing them to run away.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 28
 
 \q1
-\v 1 "It is true that there are places where men dig to find silver,
+\v 1 “It is true that there are places where men dig to find silver,
 \q2 and there are places where people refine gold that they have dug.
 \q1
 \v 2 People dig iron ore out of the ground,
@@ -2593,7 +2593,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \q2 no one can find it here on this earth where they are living.
 \q1
 \v 14 It is as though the water that is under the earth and water that is in the seas said,
-\q2 'I do not have it!'
+\q2 ‘I do not have it!’
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -2623,7 +2623,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \q2 and birds cannot see it while they are up in the sky.
 \q1
 \v 22 It is as though the places where people go after they die said,
-\q2 'We have only heard rumors about where to find wisdom.'
+\q2 ‘We have only heard rumors about where to find wisdom.’
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -2644,8 +2644,8 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \v 27 At that time he saw wisdom and decided that it is very valuable.
 \q2 He examined it and approved it.
 \q1
-\v 28 And then he said to human beings, 'Listen! If you have much respect for me, you will be able to become wise;
-\q2 to truly understand everything, you must first turn away from doing what is evil.'"
+\v 28 And then he said to human beings, ‘Listen! If you have much respect for me, you will be able to become wise;
+\q2 to truly understand everything, you must first turn away from doing what is evil.’”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -2654,10 +2654,10 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \p
 \v 1 Job spoke again and said this:
 \q1
-\v 2 "I wish that I could be as I was previously
+\v 2 “I wish that I could be as I was previously
 \q2 during the years when God took care of me.
 \q1
-\v 3 During those years, it was as though God's lamp shone on me
+\v 3 During those years, it was as though God’s lamp shone on me
 \q2 and gave me light while I walked in the darkness.
 
 \s5
@@ -2714,7 +2714,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \v 17 I made wicked people stop oppressing others; it was like someone who breaks the teeth of wild animals
 \q2 and forces them to drop their victims from their teeth.
 \q1
-\v 18 At that time I thought, 'Surely I will live in peace until I am very old,
+\v 18 At that time I thought, ‘Surely I will live in peace until I am very old,
 \q2 and I will die at home with my family.
 \q1
 \v 19 I am like a tree whose roots reach down into the water
@@ -2723,7 +2723,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 20 People always honor me,
-\q2 and I am always strong like a new bow.'
+\q2 and I am always strong like a new bow.’
 \q1
 \v 21 When I spoke, people waited to hear what I would say;
 \q2 they remained silent until I advised them what they should do.
@@ -2743,14 +2743,14 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \q1
 \v 25 I was their leader, and I decided what things would be good for them to do;
 \q2 I was among them like a king who is among his troops;
-\q2 I was like someone who comforts others who are mourning."
+\q2 I was like someone who comforts others who are mourning.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 30
 
 \q1
-\v 1 "But now, men who are younger than I am make fun of me—
+\v 1 “But now, men who are younger than I am make fun of me—
 \q2 men whose fathers I greatly despised—
 \q2 their fathers, whom I would not even have allowed to help my dogs guard my sheep.
 \q1
@@ -2766,7 +2766,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \v 4 They pulled up plants in the desert and ate them;
 \q2 they warmed themselves by burning the roots of broom trees.
 \q1
-\v 5 Everyone shouted at them, "Stop, thief!"
+\v 5 Everyone shouted at them, “Stop, thief!”
 \q2 and drove them from their area.
 \q1
 \v 6 They were forced to live in riverbeds,
@@ -2871,14 +2871,14 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \q2 and I have a fever which causes my body to feel as though it were burning up with a fever.
 \q1
 \v 31 Previously, I played joyful music on my harp and with my flute,
-\q2 but now I play only the sad music of those who mourn."
+\q2 but now I play only the sad music of those who mourn.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 31
 
 \q1
-\v 1 "I made to myself a solemn promise
+\v 1 “I made to myself a solemn promise
 \q2 that I would not look at a young woman and want to sleep with her.
 \q1
 \v 2 If I did not do what I promised,
@@ -2913,7 +2913,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 9 If it is true that I have been attracted by some other man's wife,
+\v 9 If it is true that I have been attracted by some other man’s wife,
 \q2 or that I have hidden myself and waited outside the door to her house,
 \q1
 \v 10 I hope another man will sleep with my own wife
@@ -2937,7 +2937,7 @@ I want it to cry out against those who killed me,
 \q2 If he asked me about what I have done, what would I answer?
 \q1
 \v 15 God, who created me, certainly also created my servants;
-\q2 surely he is the one who formed them and me in our mothers' wombs,
+\q2 surely he is the one who formed them and me in our mothers’ wombs,
 \q2 so we all should behave toward each other in the same way.
 
 \s5
@@ -3023,12 +3023,12 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \v 38 If it is true that I have stolen land,
 \q2 so that its furrows were like someone who shouted out to accuse me;
 \q1
-\v 39 or that I have eaten the crops that grew in someone else's fields
+\v 39 or that I have eaten the crops that grew in someone else’s fields
 \q2 without paying for those crops,
 \q2 so that the farmers who grew those crops died from hunger;
 \q1
 \v 40 then I wish that thorns would grow in my fields instead of wheat,
-\q2 and that bad weeds would grow instead of barley!"
+\q2 and that bad weeds would grow instead of barley!”
 \q1 That is the end of what Job said to his three friends.
 
 
@@ -3040,18 +3040,18 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \v 2 Then Elihu son of Barakel, a descendant of Buz, from the clan of Ram, became very angry at Job. He was angry because Job continued to claim that he was innocent, and that God had been wrong to punish him.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 He was also angry with Job's three friends because they had declared that Job must have done many things that were wrong, but they could not convince him.
+\v 3 He was also angry with Job’s three friends because they had declared that Job must have done many things that were wrong, but they could not convince him.
 \v 4 Now Elihu was younger than the others, so he waited until they had finished speaking before he replied to Job.
 \v 5 But when Elihu realized that the three men had no more to say to Job, he became angry.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 This is what he said:
-\q1 "I am young, and you all are much older than I am.
+\q1 “I am young, and you all are much older than I am.
 \q2 So I was timid, and I was afraid to tell you what I was thinking.
 \q1
-\v 7 I said to myself, 'Let those who are much older speak
-\q2 because older people should be able to say things that are wise.'
+\v 7 I said to myself, ‘Let those who are much older speak
+\q2 because older people should be able to say things that are wise.’
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -3060,8 +3060,8 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \v 9 Not all people become wise when they are old;
 \q2 not all old people understand what is right.
 \q1
-\v 10 That is why I say to you now, 'Listen to me,
-\q2 and allow me to declare what I know.'
+\v 10 That is why I say to you now, ‘Listen to me,
+\q2 and allow me to declare what I know.’
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -3074,7 +3074,7 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 13 So do not say to yourselves, 'We have discovered what is wise!'
+\v 13 So do not say to yourselves, ‘We have discovered what is wise!’
 \q2 It is God who must refute Job because you three have not been able to do that.
 \q1
 \v 14 Job was replying to you, not to me,
@@ -3108,14 +3108,14 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \q2 and I will not try to flatter anyone.
 \q1
 \v 22 I really do not know how to flatter people;
-\q2 if I did that, God would soon destroy me."
+\q2 if I did that, God would soon destroy me.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 33
 
 \q1
-\v 1 "Now, Job, listen carefully
+\v 1 “Now, Job, listen carefully
 \q2 to all that I am going to say.
 \q1
 \v 2 I am ready to tell you what I think.
@@ -3144,7 +3144,7 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \v 8 I have heard you speak,
 \q2 and this is what you have said:
 \q1
-\v 9 'I am innocent, and I have not committed any sins;
+\v 9 ‘I am innocent, and I have not committed any sins;
 \q2 I am pure, and I have not done things that are wrong.
 
 \s5
@@ -3153,7 +3153,7 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \q2 and he considers that I am his enemy.
 \q1
 \v 11 It is as though he had put my feet in stocks,
-\q2 and he watches everything that I do.'
+\q2 and he watches everything that I do.’
 \q1
 \v 12 However, what you have said is wrong,
 \q2 and I will tell you what you have said that is wrong.
@@ -3203,27 +3203,27 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \q2 to tell us what are the right things for us to do.
 \q1
 \v 24 The angel is kind to us and says to God,
-\q2 'Please release that person,
+\q2 ‘Please release that person,
 \q1 so that he does not descend to the place where dead people are!
 \q2 Do that because I have found a way for you to keep him from dying!
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 25 Please let his body be strong again;
-\q2 please allow him to be strong like he was when he was young!'
+\q2 please allow him to be strong like he was when he was young!’
 \q1
 \v 26 If that happens, that person will pray to God, and God will accept him;
-\q2 he will enter God's presence joyfully,
+\q2 he will enter God’s presence joyfully,
 \q2 and then he will tell others how God saved him from dying.
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 27 He will sing as he says to everyone,
-\q1 'I sinned, and I did things that were not right,
+\q1 ‘I sinned, and I did things that were not right,
 \q2 but God did not punish me in the way that I deserved.
 \q1
 \v 28 He has saved me from dying and going to the place where dead people are,
-\q2 and I will continue to enjoy being alive.'
+\q2 and I will continue to enjoy being alive.’
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -3241,7 +3241,7 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \q2 say it, because I would like to find a way to declare that you are innocent.
 \q1
 \v 33 However, if you have nothing more that you want to say, then just listen to me,
-\q2 and I will teach you how to become wise."
+\q2 and I will teach you how to become wise.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -3250,7 +3250,7 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \p
 \v 1 Then Elihu continued by saying this:
 \q1
-\v 2 "You men who think that you are very wise, listen to me;
+\v 2 “You men who think that you are very wise, listen to me;
 \q2 listen to what I am saying, you men who say that you know so much.
 \q1
 \v 3 When we hear people talk,
@@ -3262,13 +3262,13 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \v 4 We must decide who is saying what is right,
 \q2 and we must find out together for ourselves what is good.
 \q1
-\v 5 Job has said, 'I am innocent,
+\v 5 Job has said, ‘I am innocent,
 \q2 but God has refused to judge me fairly.
 \q1
 \v 6 Even though I have always done what is right,
 \q2 he is lying about me.
 \q1 Even though I have not done what is wrong,
-\q2 he has caused me to suffer, and I will certainly die because of this.'
+\q2 he has caused me to suffer, and I will certainly die because of this.’
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -3277,7 +3277,7 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \v 8 He habitually associates with people who do what is evil
 \q2 and spends time with wicked people.
 \q1
-\v 9 He certainly does these things, because he has said, 'It is useless for people to try to please God.'
+\v 9 He certainly does these things, because he has said, ‘It is useless for people to try to please God.’
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -3365,12 +3365,12 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 31 Job, have you or anyone else ever said to God, 'I have certainly committed sin,
+\v 31 Job, have you or anyone else ever said to God, ‘I have certainly committed sin,
 \q2 but I will not sin anymore;
 \q1
 \v 32 so teach me what sins I have committed;
 \q1 if I have done anything that is evil,
-\q2 I will not do it anymore'?
+\q2 I will not do it anymore’?
 \q1
 \v 33 Job, you object to what God has done to you,
 \q2 but do you think that he will do what you want him to do?
@@ -3382,8 +3382,8 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \v 34 People who have good sense, those who are wise and who listen to what I say,
 \q2 will say to me,
 \q1
-\v 35 'Job is speaking ignorantly;
-\q2 what he says is nonsense.'
+\v 35 ‘Job is speaking ignorantly;
+\q2 what he says is nonsense.’
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -3392,7 +3392,7 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \q1
 \v 37 To add to the other sins that he has committed, he is rebelling against God;
 \q2 he shows us that he does not honor God;
-\q2 he makes long speeches saying that God has punished him unjustly."
+\q2 he makes long speeches saying that God has punished him unjustly.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -3401,11 +3401,11 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \p
 \v 1 Then Elihu also said this:
 \q1
-\v 2 "Job, do you really think that you have done nothing wrong?
-\q1 You say, 'God knows that I am innocent,'
+\v 2 “Job, do you really think that you have done nothing wrong?
+\q1 You say, ‘God knows that I am innocent,’
 \q1
-\v 3 and you also say, 'What good have I received for not sinning?
-\q2 What benefit have I received that I would not have had, even if I had sinned?'
+\v 3 and you also say, ‘What good have I received for not sinning?
+\q2 What benefit have I received that I would not have had, even if I had sinned?’
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 4 Well, I will answer you,
@@ -3432,11 +3432,11 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \q2 they call for help because of the things that powerful people do to them.
 \q1
 \v 10 But no one calls out to God
-\q2 and says, 'Why does God, my creator, not help me?
+\q2 and says, ‘Why does God, my creator, not help me?
 \q2 He should enable me to sing joyful songs, instead of very sad songs, during the night.
 \q1
 \v 11 He should be able to teach us more than he teaches the wild animals;
-\q2 he should enable us to become wiser than all the birds are!'
+\q2 he should enable us to become wiser than all the birds are!’
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -3457,7 +3457,7 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \q2 he does not become angry and punish them.
 \q1
 \v 16 My friends, you see that Job has said things that are completely useless,
-\q2 that he says many things without knowing what in the world he is talking about."
+\q2 that he says many things without knowing what in the world he is talking about.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -3466,7 +3466,7 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \p
 \v 1 Elihu finished speaking by saying this:
 \q1
-\v 2 "Job, be patient with me a little longer
+\v 2 “Job, be patient with me a little longer
 \q2 because I have something else to teach you.
 \q2 I have something else to say in order to prove that God does no wrong.
 \q1
@@ -3555,7 +3555,7 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \q2 there is certainly no teacher who teaches what he teaches.
 \q1
 \v 23 No one has told him what he should do,
-\q2 and no one has said to him, 'You have done what is wrong!'
+\q2 and no one has said to him, ‘You have done what is wrong!’
 \q1
 \v 24 People have always sung songs to praise him,
 \q2 so you also should never forget to praise him for what he has done.
@@ -3599,10 +3599,10 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \s5
 \c 37
 \q1
-\v 1 "My heart pounds when I think about that.
+\v 1 “My heart pounds when I think about that.
 \q1
 \v 2 Listen, all of you, to the thunder,
-\q2 which is like God's voice.
+\q2 which is like God’s voice.
 \q1
 \v 3 He sends thunder all across the sky,
 \q2 and he sends lighting to the most distant places on the earth.
@@ -3610,7 +3610,7 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 4 After the lightning flashes, we hear the thunder,
-\q2 which is like God's powerful voice;
+\q2 which is like God’s powerful voice;
 \q2 when he speaks, he does not keep back the lightning.
 \q1
 \v 5 When God speaks, it causes us to fear him and admire him, as thunder does;
@@ -3691,7 +3691,7 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \q2 and he will never mistreat us.
 \q1
 \v 24 That is the reason that we have an awesome respect for him;
-\q2 he does not pay attention to those who proudly, but wrongly, think that they are wise."
+\q2 he does not pay attention to those who proudly, but wrongly, think that they are wise.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -3700,7 +3700,7 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \p
 \v 1 Then Yahweh spoke to Job from inside a powerful storm. He said to him,
 \q1
-\v 2 "Who are you to bring confusion to what I plan to do?
+\v 2 “Who are you to bring confusion to what I plan to do?
 \q2 You are speaking ignorantly!
 \q1
 \v 3 I want to ask you some questions,
@@ -3738,8 +3738,8 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \q2 and I put barriers so that the water would not come over the land.
 \q1
 \v 11 I pointed to the shore and said to the water,
-\q2 'I permit you to come up to here, but I do not permit you to come any farther.
-\q2 Your powerful waves must stop here!'
+\q2 ‘I permit you to come up to here, but I do not permit you to come any farther.
+\q2 Your powerful waves must stop here!’
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -3828,7 +3828,7 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \v 34 Can you shout commands up to the clouds and make rain pour down on you?
 \q1
 \v 35 Can you cause flashes of lightning to come down and strike where you want them to strike?
-\q2 Do those flashes say to you, 'Where do you want us to strike?'
+\q2 Do those flashes say to you, ‘Where do you want us to strike?’
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -3856,7 +3856,7 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \s5
 \c 39
 \q1
-\v 1 "Job, do you know at what time of the year the female mountain goats give birth?
+\v 1 “Job, do you know at what time of the year the female mountain goats give birth?
 \q2 Have you watched the wild deer while their calves were being born?
 \q1
 \v 2 Do you know how many months pass from the time they become pregnant until their calves are born?
@@ -3940,7 +3940,7 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \v 22 It is as if they were laughing at the thought of being afraid. They are not afraid of anything!
 \q2 They do not run away when the soldiers in the battle are fighting each other with swords.
 \q1
-\v 23 The quivers containing the riders' arrows rattle against the horses' sides,
+\v 23 The quivers containing the riders’ arrows rattle against the horses’ sides,
 \q2 and the spears and javelins flash in the light of the sun.
 
 \s5
@@ -3972,7 +3972,7 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \q1
 \v 30 After an eagle kills an animal,
 \q2 the baby eagles drink the blood of that animal;
-\q2 they gather wherever there are dead people lying on the ground."
+\q2 they gather wherever there are dead people lying on the ground.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -3981,25 +3981,25 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \p
 \v 1 Then Yahweh said to Job,
 \q1
-\v 2 "Do you still want to argue with me, the Almighty One?
-\q2 Since you criticize me, you should be able to answer my questions!"
+\v 2 “Do you still want to argue with me, the Almighty One?
+\q2 Since you criticize me, you should be able to answer my questions!”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 3 Then Job replied to Yahweh,
 \q1
-\v 4 "Now I realize that I am completely worthless. So how could I answer those questions?
+\v 4 “Now I realize that I am completely worthless. So how could I answer those questions?
 \q2 I will put my hand over my mouth and not say anything.
 \q1
 \v 5 I have already said more than I should have said,
-\q2 so now I will say nothing more."
+\q2 so now I will say nothing more.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 Then Yahweh again spoke to Job from inside a powerful storm. He said,
 \q1
-\v 7 "I want to ask you some questions,
+\v 7 “I want to ask you some questions,
 \q2 so act like a man and
 \q2 get ready to answer my questions.
 \s5
@@ -4074,7 +4074,7 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \c 41
 
 \q1
-\v 1 "Think also about crocodiles.
+\v 1 “Think also about crocodiles.
 \q2 Can you catch them with a fishhook
 \q2 or fasten their jaws with a rope?
 \q1
@@ -4114,7 +4114,7 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \v 11 Also, everything on the earth is mine.
 \q2 Therefore, no one is able to give anything to me and require me to pay money for it!
 \q1
-\v 12 I will tell you about how strong crocodiles' legs are
+\v 12 I will tell you about how strong crocodiles’ legs are
 \q2 and how strong their well formed bodies are.
 
 \s5
@@ -4196,7 +4196,7 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \v 33 There are no creatures on earth that I have created as fearless as crocodiles.
 \q1
 \v 34 They are the proudest of all the creatures;
-\q2 they are like kings over all the other wild animals."
+\q2 they are like kings over all the other wild animals.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -4205,30 +4205,30 @@ All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
 \p
 \v 1 Then Job replied to Yahweh. He said,
 \q1
-\v 2 "I know that you can do everything
+\v 2 “I know that you can do everything
 \q2 and that no one can stop you from doing what you want to do.
 \q1
-\v 3 You asked me, 'Who are you to bring confusion to what I plan to do? You are speaking ignorantly!'
+\v 3 You asked me, ‘Who are you to bring confusion to what I plan to do? You are speaking ignorantly!’
 \q2 It is true that I spoke about things that I did not understand,
 \q2 things that are very amazing,
 \q2 things about which I know nothing.
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 4 You said to me, 'Listen while I talk to you.
+\v 4 You said to me, ‘Listen while I talk to you.
 \q2 I want to ask you some questions,
-\q2 so prepare yourself to answer them.'
+\q2 so prepare yourself to answer them.’
 \q1
 \v 5 I had heard about you previously by rumor,
 \q2 but now it is as though I have seen you with my own eyes.
 \q1
 \v 6 Therefore I am ashamed of what I said,
-\q2 and I sit in dust and ashes to show that I am sorry for what I said."
+\q2 and I sit in dust and ashes to show that I am sorry for what I said.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 After Yahweh said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz, "I am angry with you and your two friends, Bildad and Zophar, because you did not say true things about me, as my servant Job did.
-\v 8 So now you must take to Job seven young bulls and seven rams and kill them and burn them on the altar as a sacrifice for yourselves. Then Job will pray for you, and I will do what he requests me to do. I will forgive you for speaking wrongly about me. I will not punish you, even though you deserve to be punished, because what you said about me was not right."
+\v 7 After Yahweh said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz, “I am angry with you and your two friends, Bildad and Zophar, because you did not say true things about me, as my servant Job did.
+\v 8 So now you must take to Job seven young bulls and seven rams and kill them and burn them on the altar as a sacrifice for yourselves. Then Job will pray for you, and I will do what he requests me to do. I will forgive you for speaking wrongly about me. I will not punish you, even though you deserve to be punished, because what you said about me was not right.”
 \p
 \v 9 So Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar did what Yahweh commanded them to do, and Yahweh did what Job requested him to do for the three of them.
 

19-PSA.usfm

@@ -53,8 +53,8 @@
 \v 2 The kings of the nations on earth prepare to revolt;
 \q2 the rulers plot together to fight against Yahweh and against his Anointed One.
 \q1
-\v 3 They shout, "We should free ourselves from their control;
-\q2 we should not let them rule over us any longer!"
+\v 3 They shout, “We should free ourselves from their control;
+\q2 we should not let them rule over us any longer!”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -66,10 +66,10 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 6 Yahweh says, "I have put my king on a throne on Zion, my sacred hill in Jerusalem."
+\v 6 Yahweh says, “I have put my king on a throne on Zion, my sacred hill in Jerusalem.”
 \q1
-\v 7 His king says, "I will proclaim what Yahweh has decreed.
-\q1 He said to me, 'You are my son;
+\v 7 His king says, “I will proclaim what Yahweh has decreed.
+\q1 He said to me, ‘You are my son;
 \q2 today I have become your father.
 
 \s5
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@
 \q2 There are many people who oppose me.
 \q1
 \v 2 Many people are saying about me,
-\q2 "God will certainly not help him."
+\q2 “God will certainly not help him.”
 
 \s5
 \q2
@@ -170,14 +170,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 6 Some people ask, "Will somone please bring good things to us?"
-\q2 But I say, "Yahweh, continue to act kindly toward us.
+\v 6 Some people ask, “Will somone please bring good things to us?”
+\q2 But I say, “Yahweh, continue to act kindly toward us.
 \q1
 \v 7 You have caused me to be very happy;
 \q2 I am happier than people who have harvested a great amount of grain and grapes.
 \q1
 \v 8 It is in peace and security that I will lie down at night and sleep soundly
-\q2 because I know that it is only you, Yahweh, who will keep me safe."
+\q2 because I know that it is only you, Yahweh, who will keep me safe.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -415,7 +415,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 9
 \m
-\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, to be sung using the tune 'The death of my son'
+\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, to be sung using the tune ‘The death of my son’
 \q1
 \v 1 Yahweh, I will praise you with all of my inner being.
 \q2 I will tell others about all the wonderful things that you have done.
@@ -536,8 +536,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 6 In his mind he thinks, "Nothing bad can happen to me!
-\q2 As long as I live, I will never have troubles."
+\v 6 In his mind he thinks, “Nothing bad can happen to me!
+\q2 As long as I live, I will never have troubles.”
 \q1
 \v 7 When he speaks he always curses and tells lies,
 \q2 and he makes threats against others.
@@ -555,14 +555,14 @@
 \q2 He is like the hunter who spreads out the net
 \q2 so he can catch helpless people and drag them away.
 \q1
-\v 10 The helpless people are crushed by the wicked person's plans
+\v 10 The helpless people are crushed by the wicked person’s plans
 \q2 and all the things he does.
 \q2 He is powerful, and when he opposes the helpless people,
 \q2 he always takes away from them whatever he wants.
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 11 The wicked person says, "God cannot remember what I did.
-\q2 His eyes are covered, and he cannot see anything that I have done."
+\v 11 The wicked person says, “God cannot remember what I did.
+\q2 His eyes are covered, and he cannot see anything that I have done.”
 \q1
 \v 12 Yahweh, arise! God, strike him down!
 \q2 Do not forget those who are suffering!
@@ -570,7 +570,7 @@
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 13 Why does the most wicked person curse you, God, and turn away from you?
-\q2 Does he think, "God can never punish me"?
+\q2 Does he think, “God can never punish me”?
 \q1
 \v 14 God, you do see the trouble and the distress that the wicked person causes.
 \q2 And you will strike the wicked man and punish him for all that he does.
@@ -642,15 +642,15 @@
 \v 3 Yahweh, we wish that you would cut off their tongues
 \q2 so that they cannot continue to boast.
 \q1
-\v 4 They say, "By telling lies we will get what we want;
-\q2 we control what we say, so no one can tell us what we should do!"
+\v 4 They say, “By telling lies we will get what we want;
+\q2 we control what we say, so no one can tell us what we should do!”
 
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 5 But Yahweh replies, "I have seen the violent things that they have done to helpless people;
+\v 5 But Yahweh replies, “I have seen the violent things that they have done to helpless people;
 \q2 I have heard those people groaning,
-\q2 so I will arise and rescue the people who are wanting me to help them."
+\q2 so I will arise and rescue the people who are wanting me to help them.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -684,7 +684,7 @@
 \v 3 Yahweh my God, look at me and answer me.
 \q2 Restore my strength, or I will die.
 \q1
-\v 4 Do not allow my enemies to boast and to say, "We have defeated him!"
+\v 4 Do not allow my enemies to boast and to say, “We have defeated him!”
 \q2 Do not allow them to defeat me,
 \q2 with the result that they will rejoice about it!
 
@@ -703,7 +703,7 @@
 \m
 \d A psalm written by David for the choir director
 \q1
-\v 1 Only foolish people say to themselves, "There is no God!"
+\v 1 Only foolish people say to themselves, “There is no God!”
 \q1 People who say those things only do corrupt deeds;
 \q2 there is not one of them who does what is good.
 
@@ -721,7 +721,7 @@
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 4 Will those evil people never learn what God will do to punish them?
-\q1 They act violently toward Yahweh's people and want to consume them like one who eats food consumes it,
+\q1 They act violently toward Yahweh’s people and want to consume them like one who eats food consumes it,
 \q2 and they never pray to Yahweh.
 
 \s5
@@ -777,8 +777,8 @@
 \v 1 God, protect me
 \q because I go to you to keep me safe!
 \q1
-\v 2 I said to Yahweh, "You are my Lord;
-\q all the good things that I have come from you."
+\v 2 I said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord;
+\q all the good things that I have come from you.”
 \q1
 \v 3 People who try to be holy who live in this land are wonderful;
 \q I delight to be with them.
@@ -901,7 +901,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 18
 \m
-\d A psalm written by God's servant David. He sang it after Yahweh had rescued him from Saul and his other enemies.
+\d A psalm written by God’s servant David. He sang it after Yahweh had rescued him from Saul and his other enemies.
 \q1
 \v 1 Yahweh, I love you, the one who enables me to be strong.
 
@@ -972,7 +972,7 @@
 \q1
 \v 20 Yahweh has rewarded me because I do what is right; he has blessed me because I am innocent.
 \q1
-\v 21 I have obeyed Yahweh's laws; I have not abandoned him.
+\v 21 I have obeyed Yahweh’s laws; I have not abandoned him.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -995,7 +995,7 @@
 \q1
 \v 28 You keep me alive, and you will continue to do so.
 \q1
-\v 29 You enable me to be strong, so that I can attack and defeat a line of enemy soldiers; with your help I can scale the walls that surround my enemies' cities.
+\v 29 You enable me to be strong, so that I can attack and defeat a line of enemy soldiers; with your help I can scale the walls that surround my enemies’ cities.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1100,7 +1100,7 @@
 \q2 We can be sure that the things that Yahweh has told us will never change,
 \q2 and by learning them people who have not been previously taught will become wise.
 \q1
-\v 8 Yahweh's laws are fair;
+\v 8 Yahweh’s laws are fair;
 \q2 when we obey them, we become joyful.
 \q1 The commands of Yahweh are clear,
 \q2 and by reading them we start to understand how God wants us to behave.
@@ -1246,7 +1246,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 22
 \m
-\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, to be sung to the tune 'Doe of the Dawn'
+\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, to be sung to the tune ‘Doe of the Dawn’
 \q1
 \v 1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
 \q2 Why do you stay so far from me,
@@ -1280,15 +1280,15 @@
 \q2 They sneer at me and insult me by shaking their heads at me as though I were an evil man.
 \q1 They say,
 \q1
-\v 8 "He trusts in Yahweh,
+\v 8 “He trusts in Yahweh,
 \q2 so Yahweh should save him!
 \q1 He says that Yahweh is very pleased with him;
-\q2 if that is so, Yahweh should rescue him!"
+\q2 if that is so, Yahweh should rescue him!”
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 9 You, God, have been with me since I was in my mother's womb,
-\q2 and you taught me to trust you when I was at my mother's breasts.
+\v 9 You, God, have been with me since I was in my mother’s womb,
+\q2 and you taught me to trust you when I was at my mother’s breasts.
 \q1
 \v 10 It was as though you had adopted me right when I was born.
 \q2 You have been my God ever since I was born.
@@ -1387,7 +1387,7 @@
 \q2 They will tell their children about what Yahweh has done.
 \q1
 \v 31 People who are not yet born, who will live in future years, will learn how Yahweh rescued his people.
-\q2 People will tell them, "Yahweh did it!"
+\q2 People will tell them, “Yahweh did it!”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1449,7 +1449,7 @@
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 3 Who will be allowed to go up onto Mount Zion in Jerusalem,
-\q2 in order to stand and worship in Yahweh's holy temple?
+\q2 in order to stand and worship in Yahweh’s holy temple?
 \q1
 \v 4 Only those whose actions and thoughts are pure,
 \q2 who have not worshiped idols,
@@ -1660,7 +1660,7 @@
 \q1
 \v 4 There is one thing that I have requested from Yahweh;
 \q2 this is the one thing that I desire:
-\q1 that I may worship in Yahweh's house every day during my life,
+\q1 that I may worship in Yahweh’s house every day during my life,
 \q2 that I may see how wonderful Yahweh is,
 \q2 and that I may ask him what he wants me to do.
 
@@ -1779,13 +1779,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 3 Yahweh's voice is heard above the oceans;
+\v 3 Yahweh’s voice is heard above the oceans;
 \q2 the glorious God thunders.
 \q1 He appears over the huge oceans.
 \q1
 \v 4 His voice is powerful and majestic.
 \q1
-\v 5 Yahweh's voice breaks great cedar trees,
+\v 5 Yahweh’s voice breaks great cedar trees,
 \q2 the cedars that grow in Lebanon.
 
 \s5
@@ -1793,16 +1793,16 @@
 \v 6 He causes earthquakes to shake the region of Lebanon as a young cow jumps;
 \q2 he causes Sirion (also called Mount Hermon) to shake as a young bull jumps.
 \q1
-\v 7 Yahweh's voice tells the lightning to flash.
+\v 7 Yahweh’s voice tells the lightning to flash.
 \q1
 \v 8 His voice causes the desert to shake;
 \q2 he shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 9 Yahweh's voice makes the large trees shake,
+\v 9 Yahweh’s voice makes the large trees shake,
 \q2 and strips the leaves from the trees
-\q2 while the people in the temple shout, "Praise God!"
+\q2 while the people in the temple shout, “Praise God!”
 \q1
 \v 10 Yahweh rules over the flood that covered the earth;
 \q2 he is our king who will rule forever.
@@ -1835,7 +1835,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 6 As for me, I was calm when I said to myself, "No one will defeat me!"
+\v 6 As for me, I was calm when I said to myself, “No one will defeat me!”
 \q1
 \v 7 Yahweh, because you were good to me, at first you caused me to be secure as though I were a high mountain.
 \q1 But then I thought that you had turned away from me, and I became afraid.
@@ -1844,11 +1844,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 9 I said, "Yahweh, what will you gain if I die?
+\v 9 I said, “Yahweh, what will you gain if I die?
 \q1 In what way will it benefit you if I go to the place where the dead people are?
 \q1 When I am dead I will certainly not able to praise you, and I will not able to tell others that you are trustworthy!
 \q1
-\v 10 Yahweh, listen to me, and act mercifully to me! Yahweh, help me!"
+\v 10 Yahweh, listen to me, and act mercifully to me! Yahweh, help me!”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1968,7 +1968,7 @@
 \q2 When my enemies surrounded the city in which I was living,
 \q2 he showed me wonderfully that he faithfully loves me.
 \q1
-\v 22 I was afraid and cried out in a hurry, "I have been separated from Yahweh!"
+\v 22 I was afraid and cried out in a hurry, “I have been separated from Yahweh!”
 \q2 but you heard me and answered my cry for help.
 
 
@@ -2011,7 +2011,7 @@
 \v 5 Then I confessed my sins to you;
 \q2 I stopped trying to hide them.
 \q1 I said to myself,
-\q2 "I will tell Yahweh the wrong things that I have done."
+\q2 “I will tell Yahweh the wrong things that I have done.”
 \q1 When I confessed them, you forgave me,
 \q2 so now I am no longer guilty for my sins.
 \q1
@@ -2026,14 +2026,14 @@
 \q2 and enable me to shout, praising you for saving me from my enemies.
 
 \q1
-\v 8 Yahweh says to me, "I will instruct you about how you should conduct your life.
+\v 8 Yahweh says to me, “I will instruct you about how you should conduct your life.
 \q2 I will teach you and watch over you.
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 9 Do not be stupid like horses and mules that do not understand anything;
 \q2 they need bits
-\q2 so they will go in the direction you want them to go."
+\q2 so they will go in the direction you want them to go.”
 \q1
 \v 10 Wicked people will have many troubles that will make them sad,
 \q2 but those who trust in Yahweh will experience him faithfully loving them all the time.
@@ -2265,9 +2265,9 @@
 \q2 I will be glad that you have rescued me.
 \q1
 \v 10 With my whole inner being I will say,
-\q2 "There is no one like Yahweh!
+\q2 “There is no one like Yahweh!
 \q1 No one else can rescue helpless people from powerful people.
-\q2 No one else can rescue weak and needy people from those who want to rob them."
+\q2 No one else can rescue weak and needy people from those who want to rob them.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -2321,7 +2321,7 @@
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 21 They shout at me in order to accuse me;
-\q2 they say, "We saw the wrong things that you did!"
+\q2 they say, “We saw the wrong things that you did!”
 \q1
 \v 22 Yahweh, you have seen these things, so do not be silent!
 \q2 Do not stay far from me!
@@ -2336,7 +2336,7 @@
 \q2 so that my enemies will not be able to gloat that I was judged to be guilty.
 \q1
 \v 25 Do not allow them to be able to say to themselves,
-\q2 "Yes, we have gotten rid of him just like we desired!"
+\q2 “Yes, we have gotten rid of him just like we desired!”
 \q1
 \v 26 Cause those who rejoice about my misfortunes
 \q2 to be completely confused and disgraced;
@@ -2347,8 +2347,8 @@
 \q1
 \v 27 But cause those who desire that you declare me innocent
 \q2 to be happy and shout joyfully;
-\q1 cause them to always say, "Yahweh is great!
-\q2 He is delighted to cause things to go well for those who serve him."
+\q1 cause them to always say, “Yahweh is great!
+\q2 He is delighted to cause things to go well for those who serve him.”
 \q1
 \v 28 Then I will proclaim that you act in the right way,
 \q2 and I will praise you all the time.
@@ -2446,7 +2446,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 7 Be quiet in Yahweh's presence and wait patiently for him to do what you want him to do.
+\v 7 Be quiet in Yahweh’s presence and wait patiently for him to do what you want him to do.
 \q2 Do not be bothered when what evil men do is successful,
 \q2 when they are able to do the wicked things that they plan.
 
@@ -2552,14 +2552,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 31 They fill their minds with God's laws;
-\q2 they do not stray from walking on God's path.
+\v 31 They fill their minds with God’s laws;
+\q2 they do not stray from walking on God’s path.
 \q1
 \v 32 Those who are evil wait in ambush for righteous people
 \q2 in order to kill them as they walk by.
 \q1
 \v 33 But Yahweh will not abandon righteous people
-\q2 and let them fall into their enemies' hands.
+\q2 and let them fall into their enemies’ hands.
 \q1 He will not allow righteous people to be condemned
 \q2 when someone takes them to a judge to be put on trial.
 
@@ -2668,8 +2668,8 @@
 \v 15 But Yahweh, I trust in you.
 \q2 My Lord God, you will answer me.
 \q1
-\v 16 I said to you, "Do not cause me to die so that my enemies will rejoice!
-\q2 If troubles overwhelm me, my enemies will do very bad things to me!"
+\v 16 I said to you, “Do not cause me to die so that my enemies will rejoice!
+\q2 If troubles overwhelm me, my enemies will do very bad things to me!”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -2703,9 +2703,9 @@
 \m
 \d A psalm written by David for Jeduthun, the choir director
 \q1
-\v 1 I said to myself, "I will be careful not to sin by the things that I say.
+\v 1 I said to myself, “I will be careful not to sin by the things that I say.
 \q1 I will not say anything to complain to you
-\q2 while wicked people are near to me and can hear me."
+\q2 while wicked people are near to me and can hear me.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -2719,7 +2719,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 4 "Yahweh, show me how long I will live.
+\v 4 “Yahweh, show me how long I will live.
 \q2 Tell me when I will die.
 \q2 Tell me how many years I will live!
 \q1
@@ -2764,7 +2764,7 @@
 \q2 like all my ancestors.
 \q1
 \v 13 Now please allow me to be alone and do not punish me anymore
-\q2 so that I may smile and be happy for a while before I die."
+\q2 so that I may smile and be happy for a while before I die.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -2805,9 +2805,9 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 7 So I said to you, "Yahweh, here I am,
+\v 7 So I said to you, “Yahweh, here I am,
 \q2 to obey the laws that have been written in the scroll,
-\q2 things that you want me to do."
+\q2 things that you want me to do.”
 \q1
 \v 8 O my God, I enjoy doing what you desire;
 \q2 I am always thinking about your laws within my inner being.
@@ -2849,7 +2849,7 @@
 \q1
 \v 16 But I hope that all those who go to worship you will be very joyful.
 \q2 I hope that those who love you because you saved them will shout repeatedly,
-\q1 "Yahweh is great!"
+\q1 “Yahweh is great!”
 \q1
 \v 17 As for me, I am poor and needy,
 \q2 but I know that the Lord has not forgotten me.
@@ -2875,11 +2875,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 4 When I was sick, I said, "Yahweh, act mercifully toward me and heal me;
-\q2 I know that I am sick because I have sinned against you."
+\v 4 When I was sick, I said, “Yahweh, act mercifully toward me and heal me;
+\q2 I know that I am sick because I have sinned against you.”
 \q1
 \v 5 My enemies say cruel things about me;
-\q2 they say, "How soon will he die, and then everyone will forget about him?"
+\q2 they say, “How soon will he die, and then everyone will forget about him?”
 \q1
 \v 6 When my enemies come to me, they pretend to be concerned about me.
 \q2 They eagerly listen to all the bad news about me.
@@ -2891,8 +2891,8 @@
 \v 7 All those who hate me whisper to others about me,
 \q2 and they hope that very bad things will happen to me.
 \q1
-\v 8 They say, "He will soon die because of his being sick;
-\q2 he will never get up from his bed before he dies."
+\v 8 They say, “He will soon die because of his being sick;
+\q2 he will never get up from his bed before he dies.”
 \q1
 \v 9 Even a very close friend, whom I trusted very much,
 \q2 who often ate with me,
@@ -2927,15 +2927,15 @@
 \v 1 O God, I need you very much as a deer needs to drink water from a cool stream.
 \q1
 \v 2 I desire to be with you, the all-powerful God.
-\q2 I say to myself, "When will I be able to go back to the temple in Israel
-\q2 and worship in your presence again?"
+\q2 I say to myself, “When will I be able to go back to the temple in Israel
+\q2 and worship in your presence again?”
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 3 Every day and every night I weep;
 \q2 the only thing I have to drink is my tears;
 \q1 and while I do that, my enemies are always asking me,
-\q2 "Why does your God not help you?"
+\q2 “Why does your God not help you?”
 \q1
 \v 4 I pray earnestly to God as I remember
 \q2 when I used to go with the crowd of people to the temple in Jerusalem.
@@ -2946,10 +2946,10 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 5 So now I say to myself, "Why am I in a panic?
+\v 5 So now I say to myself, “Why am I in a panic?
 \q1 I confidently expect God to bless me,
 \q2 and again I will praise him,
-\q2 my God, the one who saves me."
+\q2 my God, the one who saves me.”
 \q1
 \v 6 But now, Yahweh, I was panicking,
 \q2 so I think about you.
@@ -2968,10 +2968,10 @@
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 9 I say to God, who is like a huge rock on top of which I am safe,
-\q1 "Why have you forgotten me? You know the hardships that my enemies bring on me."
+\q1 “Why have you forgotten me? You know the hardships that my enemies bring on me.”
 \q1
 \v 10 They are always making fun of me;
-\q2 they keep asking, "Why does your God not help you?"
+\q2 they keep asking, “Why does your God not help you?”
 \q1 When they insult me like that,
 \q2 it is like wounds that shatter my bones.
 
@@ -2979,10 +2979,10 @@
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 11 But I say to myself,
-\q2 "Why am I in a panic?
+\q2 “Why am I in a panic?
 \q1 I will confidently expect God to bless me,
 \q2 and I will praise him again,
-\q2 my God, the one who saves me."
+\q2 my God, the one who saves me.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -3130,7 +3130,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 45
 \m
-\d A love song written by one of the descendants of Korah for the choir director, to be sung to the tune "Lilies."
+\d A love song written by one of the descendants of Korah for the choir director, to be sung to the tune “Lilies.”
 \q1
 \v 1 In my inner being I am aroused by something beautiful to write about,
 \q2 a song that I will sing to the king.
@@ -3178,7 +3178,7 @@
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 10 Now I will say something to your bride:
-\q1 "Listen to me carefully!
+\q1 “Listen to me carefully!
 \q2 Forget the people who live in your home country,
 \q2 forget your relatives!
 \q1
@@ -3191,8 +3191,8 @@
 \v 12 The people from the city of Tyre will bring gifts to you;
 \q2 their rich people will try to persuade you to do favors for them.
 \q1
-\v 13 You, the king's bride, enter the palace
-\q2 wearing beautiful robes made from gold thread."
+\v 13 You, the king’s bride, enter the palace
+\q2 wearing beautiful robes made from gold thread.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -3262,9 +3262,9 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 10 God says, "Be quiet and remember that I am God!
+\v 10 God says, “Be quiet and remember that I am God!
 \q2 People of all nations will honor me.
-\q2 People all over the earth will honor me."
+\q2 People all over the earth will honor me.”
 \q1
 \v 11 So never forget that Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, is with us;
 \q2 the God whom Jacob worshiped is our refuge.
@@ -3306,7 +3306,7 @@
 \v 8 God sits on his sacred throne
 \q2 as he rules over the people of all ethnic groups.
 \q1
-\v 9 The rulers of those people groups gather in front of God's people, the people descended from Abraham.
+\v 9 The rulers of those people groups gather in front of God’s people, the people descended from Abraham.
 \q1 God has more power than the weapons of all the kings on the earth;
 \q2 he is great, and all people everywhere will honor him.
 
@@ -3371,8 +3371,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 14 Say to your children, "This is the city of our God, the one who lives forever;
-\q2 he will guide us during all of our lives."
+\v 14 Say to your children, “This is the city of our God, the one who lives forever;
+\q2 he will guide us during all of our lives.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -3490,19 +3490,19 @@
 \q1 He shouts to the angels in heaven
 \q2 and to the people on the earth.
 \q1
-\v 5 He says, "Summon those who faithfully worship me,
-\q2 those who made a covenant with me by offering sacrifices to me."
+\v 5 He says, “Summon those who faithfully worship me,
+\q2 those who made a covenant with me by offering sacrifices to me.”
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 6 The angels in heaven declare,
-\q2 "God is righteous,
-\q2 and he is the supreme judge."
+\q2 “God is righteous,
+\q2 and he is the supreme judge.”
 
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 7 God says, "My people, listen!
+\v 7 God says, “My people, listen!
 \q2 You Israelite people, listen,
 \q1 as I, your God, say what you have done that is wrong.
 \q1
@@ -3569,7 +3569,7 @@
 \s5
 \q
 \v 23 The sacrifice that truly honors me is to thank me for what I have done;
-\q2 and I will save those who always do the things that I want them to."
+\q2 and I will save those who always do the things that I want them to.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -3664,7 +3664,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 52
 \m
-\d A psalm written by David for the choir director when Doeg went to Saul and said, "David has gone to talk with Ahimelech, the high priest."
+\d A psalm written by David for the choir director when Doeg went to Saul and said, “David has gone to talk with Ahimelech, the high priest.”
 \q1
 \v 1 You proud man, you think that you are strong;
 \q2 you boast about the trouble that you make for others,
@@ -3695,14 +3695,14 @@
 \v 6 When righteous people see that, they will be awestruck,
 \q2 and they will laugh at what happened to you, and say,
 \q1
-\v 7 "Look what happened to the man who would not ask God to protect him;
+\v 7 “Look what happened to the man who would not ask God to protect him;
 \q2 he trusted that his great wealth would save him;
-\q2 he grew more powerful by wickedly hurting other people."
+\q2 he grew more powerful by wickedly hurting other people.”
 
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 8 But I am secure because I worship in God's temple;
+\v 8 But I am secure because I worship in God’s temple;
 \q2 I am like a strong green olive tree.
 \q1 I trust in God, who faithfully loves us forever.
 \q
@@ -3714,9 +3714,9 @@
 \s5
 \c 53
 \m
-\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, to be sung using a tune called "Mahalath."
+\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, to be sung using a tune called “Mahalath.”
 \q1
-\v 1 Only foolish people say to themselves, "There is no God!"
+\v 1 Only foolish people say to themselves, “There is no God!”
 \q1 People who say that are corrupt; they commit terrible sins;
 \q2 there is not one of them who does what is good.
 \q1
@@ -3731,7 +3731,7 @@
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 4 Will all these evil people never learn what God will do to them?
-\q1 They hurt Yahweh's people with terrible violence. They had no guilt in what they did. They had the same expression on their faces as people eating bread at dinner.
+\q1 They hurt Yahweh’s people with terrible violence. They had no guilt in what they did. They had the same expression on their faces as people eating bread at dinner.
 \q2 And what is worse is that they never prayed to Yahweh.
 \q1
 \v 5 But someday those people will become very terrified,
@@ -3810,7 +3810,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 6 I said, "I wish that I had wings like a dove!
+\v 6 I said, “I wish that I had wings like a dove!
 \q1 If I had wings, I would fly away and find a place to rest.
 \q1
 \v 7 I would fly far away
@@ -3820,7 +3820,7 @@
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 I would quickly find a safe place
-\q2 where my enemies could not strike me like a strong wind and rainstorm."
+\q2 where my enemies could not strike me like a strong wind and rainstorm.”
 \q1
 \v 9 Lord, confuse my enemies and cause their plans to fail.
 \q2 I saw them hurting others by their violence and causing riots throughout the city.
@@ -3845,7 +3845,7 @@
 \q2 someone who was my friend who is doing this to me.
 \q1
 \v 14 We previously had many good talks together;
-\q2 we walked around together in God's temple.
+\q2 we walked around together in God’s temple.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -3889,7 +3889,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 22 Put your troubles in Yahweh's hands,
+\v 22 Put your troubles in Yahweh’s hands,
 \q2 and he will take care of you;
 \q1 he will never allow disaster to destroy righteous people.
 \q1
@@ -3900,7 +3900,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 56
 \m
-\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, concerning the time the Philistines seized David in Gath; to be sung using the tune "Dove on distant oaks."
+\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, concerning the time the Philistines seized David in Gath; to be sung using the tune “Dove on distant oaks.”
 \q1
 \v 1 God, act mercifully toward me because men are attacking me!
 \q2 All day long an enemy presses closer and closer to me because they want to take my life.
@@ -3966,11 +3966,11 @@
 \s5
 \c 57
 \m
-\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, when David went into a cave to escape from Saul; to be sung using the tune "Do not destroy."
+\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, when David went into a cave to escape from Saul; to be sung using the tune “Do not destroy.”
 \q1
 \v 1 God, act mercifully toward me!
 \q1 Act mercifully toward me because I am coming to you to protect me.
-\q2 I request you to protect me as little birds are protected under their mother's wings
+\q2 I request you to protect me as little birds are protected under their mother’s wings
 \q2 until the storm is ended.
 
 
@@ -4029,7 +4029,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 58
 \m
-\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, to be sung using the tune "Do not destroy."
+\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, to be sung using the tune “Do not destroy.”
 \q1
 \v 1 When you rulers speak, you never say what is right;
 \q2 you people never justly decide disputes.
@@ -4068,14 +4068,14 @@
 \v 10 People who do what is right will rejoice when they see God punish the wicked people;
 \q2 they will wash their feet in the blood of wicked people.
 \q1
-\v 11 Then people will say, "It is true that there is a reward for righteous people;
-\q2 and there is indeed a God who judges people justly here on the earth!"
+\v 11 Then people will say, “It is true that there is a reward for righteous people;
+\q2 and there is indeed a God who judges people justly here on the earth!”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 59
 \m
-\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, when Saul, wanting to kill David, sent men to watch David's house.
+\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, when Saul, wanting to kill David, sent men to watch David’s house.
 \q1
 \v 1 God, save me from my enemies!
 \q2 Protect me from those who want to attack me!
@@ -4107,7 +4107,7 @@
 \q
 \v 7 They loudly say terrible things;
 \q2 they say things that destroy as much as swords do,
-\q1 because they are saying, "No one will hear us!"
+\q1 because they are saying, “No one will hear us!”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -4161,9 +4161,9 @@
 \s5
 \c 60
 \m
-\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, a psalm for teaching, to be sung using the tune "Lily of the promise." David wrote it during the wars in northern Syria, and when Joab's army, after returning from the battle, killed twelve thousand of the Edom people group in Salt Valley.
+\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, a psalm for teaching, to be sung using the tune “Lily of the promise.” David wrote it during the wars in northern Syria, and when Joab’s army, after returning from the battle, killed twelve thousand of the Edom people group in Salt Valley.
 \q1
-\v 1 I prayed, "God, you have rejected us Israelites!
+\v 1 I prayed, “God, you have rejected us Israelites!
 \q1 Because you have been angry with us,
 \q2 you have enabled our enemies to break through our ranks.
 \q1 Please enable us to be strong again!
@@ -4181,16 +4181,16 @@
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 4 But you have raised a battle flag for those who honor you.
-\q2 They will show your banner when they face the enemies' arrows.
+\q2 They will show your banner when they face the enemies’ arrows.
 \q1
 \v 5 Answer our prayers and enable us by your power to defeat our enemies
-\q2 so that we, the people you love, will be saved."
+\q2 so that we, the people you love, will be saved.”
 
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 6 Then God answered my prayer and spoke from his temple, saying,
-\q1 "Because I have conquered your enemies, I will divide the city of Shechem,
+\q1 “Because I have conquered your enemies, I will divide the city of Shechem,
 \q2 and I will distribute among my people the land in Succoth Valley.
 \q1
 \v 7 The region of Gilead is mine;
@@ -4205,7 +4205,7 @@
 \q2 I shout triumphantly because I have defeated the people of all the region of Philistia.
 \q1
 \v 9 Because I want to defeat the people of Edom,
-\q1 who will lead my army to their capital city that has strong walls around it?"
+\q1 who will lead my army to their capital city that has strong walls around it?”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -4241,7 +4241,7 @@
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 4 Allow me to live close to your sacred tent all during my life!
-\q1 Allow me to be safe as a little bird is safe under its mother's wings.
+\q1 Allow me to be safe as a little bird is safe under its mother’s wings.
 \q1
 \v 5 God, you heard me when I solemnly promised to give offerings to you;
 \q2 you have given to me the blessings that belong to those who have an awesome respect for you.
@@ -4408,9 +4408,9 @@
 \q1
 \v 5 They encourage each other about doing the evil things that they are planning to do;
 \q2 they talk with each other about where they can set traps to catch people.
-\q2 They say, "No one will see what we are doing
+\q2 They say, “No one will see what we are doing
 \q1
-\v 6 because we have planned very well the things that we are going to do."
+\v 6 because we have planned very well the things that we are going to do.”
 \q2 What people can think and plan in their inner beings is truly amazing!
 
 
@@ -4516,9 +4516,9 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 3 They should say to God, "The things that you do are awesome!
+\v 3 They should say to God, “The things that you do are awesome!
 \q2 Your power is very great,
-\q2 with the result that your enemies cringe in front of you."
+\q2 with the result that your enemies cringe in front of you.”
 \q1
 \v 4 Everyone on the earth will worship God,
 \q2 sing to praise him,
@@ -4648,7 +4648,7 @@
 \q2 may you cause wicked people to disappear.
 \q1
 \v 3 But may the righteous people be joyful;
-\q2 may they rejoice when they are in God's presence;
+\q2 may they rejoice when they are in God’s presence;
 \q2 may they be happy and very joyful.
 
 
@@ -4689,7 +4689,7 @@
 \v 11 The Lord spoke this message,
 \q2 and many people took his message to other places.
 \q1
-\v 12-13 They proclaimed, "Many kings and their armies are running away from our army!"
+\v 12-13 They proclaimed, “Many kings and their armies are running away from our army!”
 \q2 When our army brought back to their homes the things that they captured,
 \q1 the women who were at home divided up those things among themselves and among their families.
 \q2 They got statues of pigeons whose wings were covered with silver
@@ -4736,11 +4736,11 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 22 The Lord said, "I will bring back the corpses of my enemies who were killed in Bashan,
+\v 22 The Lord said, “I will bring back the corpses of my enemies who were killed in Bashan,
 \q1 and I will bring back those who sank deep in the ocean and drowned.
 \q2
 \v 23 I will do that so that you may wash your feet in their blood,
-\q2 and your dogs can also lap up some of your enemies' blood."
+\q2 and your dogs can also lap up some of your enemies’ blood.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -4754,8 +4754,8 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 26 They are all singing, "You Israelite people, praise God when you gather together;
-\q2 praise Yahweh, all you who are descendants of Jacob!"
+\v 26 They are all singing, “You Israelite people, praise God when you gather together;
+\q2 praise Yahweh, all you who are descendants of Jacob!”
 \q1
 \v 27 First come the people of the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe,
 \q2 and following them come the leaders of the tribe of Judah and their group,
@@ -4996,7 +4996,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q1
 \v 4 But I hope that everyone who prays to you will rejoice because of you.
 \q2 I hope that everyone who waits for you to rescue them will say,
-\q1 "God is great!"
+\q1 “God is great!”
 \q1
 \v 5 As for me, I am poor and needy;
 \q2 so God, come quickly to help me!
@@ -5048,9 +5048,9 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 10 My enemies say that they want to kill me;
 \q2 they talk together and plan how they can do that.
 \q1
-\v 11 They say, "God has abandoned him;
+\v 11 They say, “God has abandoned him;
 \q2 so now we can pursue him and seize him
-\q2 because there is no one who will rescue him."
+\q2 because there is no one who will rescue him.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -5169,7 +5169,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 13 He pities those who are weak and needy;
-\q2 he saves the people's lives.
+\q2 he saves the people’s lives.
 \q1
 \v 14 Our king rescues people from being oppressed and from being treated cruelly
 \q2 because their lives are precious to our king.
@@ -5251,8 +5251,8 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 10 The result is that people pay attention to them
 \q2 and listen to everything they say.
 \q1
-\v 11 Wicked people say to themselves, "God will certainly not know what we have done;
-\q2 people say that he is greater than any other god, but he cannot find out."
+\v 11 Wicked people say to themselves, “God will certainly not know what we have done;
+\q2 people say that he is greater than any other god, but he cannot find out.”
 \q1
 \v 12 That is what wicked people are like;
 \q2 they never worry about anything, and they are always becoming richer.
@@ -5359,7 +5359,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 7 Then they burned your temple to the ground;
 \q2 they caused that place where you were worshiped to be unfit for people to worship in.
 \q1
-\v 8 They said to themselves, "We will destroy the Israelites completely,"
+\v 8 They said to themselves, “We will destroy the Israelites completely,”
 \q2 and they also burned down all the other places where we gathered to worship you.
 
 \s5
@@ -5430,14 +5430,14 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \c 75
 \m
 \m
-\d A psalm written by Asaph for the choir director, to be sung using the tune 'Do not destroy'
+\d A psalm written by Asaph for the choir director, to be sung using the tune ‘Do not destroy’
 \q1
 \v 1 We give thanks to you;
 \q2 our God, we thank you.
 \q1 You are close to us,
 \q2 and we proclaim to others the wonderful things that you have done for us.
 \q1
-\v 2 You have said, "I have appointed a time when I will judge people,
+\v 2 You have said, “I have appointed a time when I will judge people,
 \q2 and I will judge everyone fairly.
 \q1
 \v 3 When the earth shakes
@@ -5447,8 +5447,8 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 4 I say to people who boast, 'Stop bragging!'
-\q1 and I say to wicked people, 'Do not proudly do things to show how great you are!'"
+\v 4 I say to people who boast, ‘Stop bragging!’
+\q1 and I say to wicked people, ‘Do not proudly do things to show how great you are!’”
 \q
 \v 5 Do not be arrogant,
 \q2 and do not speak so boastfully!
@@ -5472,8 +5472,8 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 9 But as for me, I will never stop saying what the God whom Jacob worshiped has done;
 \q1 I will never stop singing to praise him.
 \q1
-\v 10 He promises this: "I will destroy the power of wicked people,
-\q1 but I will increase the power of righteous people."
+\v 10 He promises this: “I will destroy the power of wicked people,
+\q1 but I will increase the power of righteous people.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -5565,7 +5565,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 6 I spent all the night thinking about things;
 \q2 I meditated, and this is what I asked myself:
 \q1
-\v 7 "Will the Lord always reject me?
+\v 7 “Will the Lord always reject me?
 \q2 Will he never again be pleased with me?
 
 \s5
@@ -5574,13 +5574,13 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q1 Will he not do for me what he promised to do?
 \q1
 \v 9 God promised to act mercifully toward me; has he forgotten that?
-\q2 Because he is angry with me, has he decided not to be kind to me?"
+\q2 Because he is angry with me, has he decided not to be kind to me?”
 
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 10 I said, "What causes me to be sad the most is that
-\q1 it seems that God, who is greater than any other god, is no longer using his power for us."
+\v 10 I said, “What causes me to be sad the most is that
+\q1 it seems that God, who is greater than any other god, is no longer using his power for us.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -5647,7 +5647,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q1
 \v 4 We will tell these things to our children,
 \q1 but we will also tell our grandchildren
-\q2 about Yahweh's power and the glorious things that he has done.
+\q2 about Yahweh’s power and the glorious things that he has done.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -5712,11 +5712,11 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 19 They insulted God by saying, "Can God supply food for us here in this desert?
+\v 19 They insulted God by saying, “Can God supply food for us here in this desert?
 \q1
 \v 20 It is true that he struck the rock,
 \q2 with the result that water gushed out,
-\q1 but can he also provide bread and meat for us, his people?"
+\q1 but can he also provide bread and meat for us, his people?”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -5732,7 +5732,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q2 and commanded it to open like a door,
 \q1
 \v 24 and then food fell down like rain,
-\q3 food that they named "manna."
+\q3 food that they named “manna.”
 \q2 God gave them grain from heaven.
 \q1
 \v 25 So the people ate the food that angels eat,
@@ -5899,8 +5899,8 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 64 Many priests were killed by their enemies' swords,
-\q2 and the people did not allow the priests' widows to mourn.
+\v 64 Many priests were killed by their enemies’ swords,
+\q2 and the people did not allow the priests’ widows to mourn.
 \q1
 \v 65 Later, it was as though the Lord awoke from sleeping;
 \q1 he was like a strong man who became angry because he drank a lot of wine.
@@ -5926,7 +5926,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 70 He chose David, who served him faithfully,
 \q2 and took him from the pastures
 \q2
-\v 71 where he was taking care of his father's sheep,
+\v 71 where he was taking care of his father’s sheep,
 \q1 and appointed him to be the leader of the Israelites,
 \q2 the people who would always belong to God.
 \q1
@@ -5949,7 +5949,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q2 and they also allowed wild animals to eat the corpses of your people.
 \q1
 \v 3 When they killed your people,
-\q1 your people's blood flowed like water through the streets of Jerusalem,
+\q1 your people’s blood flowed like water through the streets of Jerusalem,
 \q2 and there was almost no one left to bury their corpses.
 
 \s5
@@ -5984,7 +5984,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 10 It is not right that the other people groups say about us,
-\q2 "If their God is very powerful, why does he not help them?"
+\q2 “If their God is very powerful, why does he not help them?”
 \q1 Allow us to see you punishing the people of other nations in return for their shedding our blood
 \q1 and killing many of us, your people.
 \q1
@@ -6005,7 +6005,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \c 80
 \m
 \m
-\d A psalm written by Asaph for the choir director, to be sung using the tune 'Lilies of the covenant'
+\d A psalm written by Asaph for the choir director, to be sung using the tune ‘Lilies of the covenant’
 \q1
 \v 1 Yahweh, you who lead us as a shepherd leads his flock of sheep,
 \q1 you who sit on your throne in the Very Holy Place in the temple, above the figures of winged creatures,
@@ -6114,7 +6114,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 6 "After the rulers of Egypt forced you Israelites to work as slaves,
+\v 6 “After the rulers of Egypt forced you Israelites to work as slaves,
 \q1 I took those heavy burdens off your backs,
 \q2 and I enabled you to lay down those heavy baskets of bricks that you were carrying.
 \q1
@@ -6160,7 +6160,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q2 and then I would punish them forever.
 \q1
 \v 16 But I would give you Israelites very good wheat,
-\q2 and I would fill your stomachs with wild honey."
+\q2 and I would fill your stomachs with wild honey.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -6172,7 +6172,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 1 God stands in heaven in a meeting of all the spirits whom he has placed in charge of what he created.
 \q2 He tells them that he has decided this:
 \q1
-\v 2 "You must stop judging people unfairly;
+\v 2 “You must stop judging people unfairly;
 \q1 you must no longer make decisions that favor wicked people!
 
 
@@ -6181,7 +6181,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 3 You must defend people who are poor and orphans;
 \q2 you must act fairly toward those who are needy and those who have no one to help them.
 \q1
-\v 4 Rescue them from the power of the wicked people!"
+\v 4 Rescue them from the power of the wicked people!”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -6194,11 +6194,11 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 6 I previously said to them, "You think you are gods!
+\v 6 I previously said to them, “You think you are gods!
 \q1 It is as though you are all my sons,
 \q1
 \v 7 but you will die as people do;
-\q2 your lives will end as the lives of all rulers end."
+\q2 your lives will end as the lives of all rulers end.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -6224,8 +6224,8 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 3 They are secretly planning to do things to harm us, your people;
 \q2 they are conspiring together against the people whom you protect.
 \q1
-\v 4 They say, "Come, we must destroy their nation
-\q2 so that no one will remember that Israel ever existed!"
+\v 4 They say, “Come, we must destroy their nation
+\q2 so that no one will remember that Israel ever existed!”
 \q1
 \v 5 They have agreed on what they want to do to destroy Israel,
 \q2 and they have agreed to attack you together.
@@ -6240,7 +6240,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \s5
 \q2
 \v 8 The people of Assyria have joined them;
-\q2 they are strong allies of the Moab and Ammon people groups, who are descendants of Abraham's nephew Lot.
+\q2 they are strong allies of the Moab and Ammon people groups, who are descendants of Abraham’s nephew Lot.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -6256,7 +6256,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 11 Do to them things like you did to kings Oreb and Zeeb;
 \q2 defeat their leaders like you defeated Zebah and Zalmunna,
 \q2
-\v 12 who said, "We will take for ourselves the land that the Israelites say belongs to God!"
+\v 12 who said, “We will take for ourselves the land that the Israelites say belongs to God!”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -6498,18 +6498,18 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 4 And Yahweh said, "I will talk of Rahab and Babyon 
+\v 4 And Yahweh said, “I will talk of Rahab and Babyon 
 \q2 and the people there who know me.
 \q2 There are some who know me among the people of Egypt and Babylonia,
 \q2 and they live in the lands of Philistia and Tyre and Ethiopia,
-\q2 and they will say, 'Our home is Jerusalem and our land is Zion.'" 
+\q2 and they will say, ‘Our home is Jerusalem and our land is Zion.’” 
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 5 Concerning Zion, people will say,
-\q2 "All of these people who were born far away, 
+\q2 “All of these people who were born far away, 
 \q2 they call Jerusalem their home, 
-\q2 and Almighty God will cause that city to remain strong."
+\q2 and Almighty God will cause that city to remain strong.”
 \q1
 \v 6 Yahweh will write a list of the names of the people of various groups who belong to him,
 \q1 and he will say that he considers them all to be citizens of Jerusalem.
@@ -6518,14 +6518,14 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 7 They will all dance and sing, saying,
-\q2 "Jerusalem is the source of all our blessings."
+\q2 “Jerusalem is the source of all our blessings.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 88
 \m
 \m
-\d A psalm that expresses sadness, written for the choir director by Zerah's son Heman, one of the descendants of Korah
+\d A psalm that expresses sadness, written for the choir director by Zerah’s son Heman, one of the descendants of Korah
 \q1
 \v 1 Yahweh God, you who rescue me, all during each day I call out to you to help me,
 \q1 and I cry out to you during each night also.
@@ -6625,11 +6625,11 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 3 Yahweh said, "I have made an agreement with David, whom I chose to serve me.
+\v 3 Yahweh said, “I have made an agreement with David, whom I chose to serve me.
 \q2 I have made this solemn agreement with him:
 \q1
-\v 4 'I will enable various ones of your descendants to always be kings;
-\q2 the line of kings descended from you will never end.'"
+\v 4 ‘I will enable various ones of your descendants to always be kings;
+\q2 the line of kings descended from you will never end.’”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -6694,7 +6694,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 19 Long ago you spoke in a vision to one of your servants, saying,
-\q2 "I have crowned a famous soldier;
+\q2 “I have crowned a famous soldier;
 \q1 I chose him from among all the people to be a king.
 \q1
 \v 20 That man is David, the one who will serve me faithfully,
@@ -6716,8 +6716,8 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q1
 \v 25 I will cause his kingdom to include all the land from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River.
 \q1
-\v 26 He will say to me, 'You are my Father,
-\q2 my God, the one who protects and saves me.'
+\v 26 He will say to me, ‘You are my Father,
+\q2 my God, the one who protects and saves me.’
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -6759,7 +6759,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q2 it will last as long as the sun shines.
 \q1
 \v 37 That line will be as permanent as the moon
-\q2 that is always watching everything here on earth."
+\q2 that is always watching everything here on earth.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -6915,9 +6915,9 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q2 will be able to rest safely under his care.
 \q1
 \v 2 I will declare to Yahweh,
-\q2 "You protect me;
+\q2 “You protect me;
 \q2 you are like a fort in which I am safe.
-\q2 You are my God, the one in whom I trust."
+\q2 You are my God, the one in whom I trust.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -6968,7 +6968,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 14 Yahweh says, "I will rescue those who love me;
+\v 14 Yahweh says, “I will rescue those who love me;
 \q2 I will protect them because they acknowledge that I am Yahweh.
 \q1
 \v 15 When they call out to me, I will answer them.
@@ -6976,7 +6976,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q2 I will rescue them and honor them.
 \q1
 \v 16 I will reward them by enabling them to live a long time,
-\q2 and I will save them."
+\q2 and I will save them.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -7102,8 +7102,8 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 6 They murder widows and orphans
 \q2 and people from other countries who think it is safe to live in our land.
 \q2
-\v 7 Those wicked people say, "Yahweh does not see anything;
-\q2 the God whom those Israelites worship does not see the evil things that we do."
+\v 7 Those wicked people say, “Yahweh does not see anything;
+\q2 the God whom those Israelites worship does not see the evil things that we do.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -7154,7 +7154,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q2 I would have been executed;
 \q2 my life would have gone to the place where dead people say nothing.
 \q1
-\v 18 I said, "I am falling into disaster,"
+\v 18 I said, “I am falling into disaster,”
 \q2 but, Yahweh, you held me up by faithfully loving me.
 \q1
 \v 19 Whenever I am very worried,
@@ -7213,7 +7213,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 
 \s5
 \q2
-\v 8 He says, "Do not become stubborn as your ancestors did at Meribah,
+\v 8 He says, “Do not become stubborn as your ancestors did at Meribah,
 \q2 and as they did at Massah in the wilderness.
 \q1
 \v 9 There your ancestors wanted to see if they could do evil things without my punishing them.
@@ -7222,11 +7222,11 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 10 For forty years I was angry with those people,
-\q2 and I said, 'Those people are unreliable.
-\q2 They refuse to obey my commands.'
+\q2 and I said, ‘Those people are unreliable.
+\q2 They refuse to obey my commands.’
 \q1
 \v 11 So because I was very angry; I solemnly said about them,
-\q2 'They will never enter the land of Canaan where I would have allowed them to rest!'"
+\q2 ‘They will never enter the land of Canaan where I would have allowed them to rest!’”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -7269,9 +7269,9 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 9 Bow down before Yahweh because his holiness shines out from him with wonderful beauty.
 \q2 Everyone on earth should be very afraid in his presence, because he is good and powerful, completely different than us.
 \q1
-\v 10 Say to all the people groups, "Yahweh is the king!
+\v 10 Say to all the people groups, “Yahweh is the king!
 \q2 He put the world in its place, and nothing will ever be able to move it.
-\q1 He will judge all the people groups fairly."
+\q1 He will judge all the people groups fairly.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -7503,7 +7503,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q1 and no one who tells lies will be allowed to continually come to work for me.
 \q1
 \v 8 Every day I will try to get rid of all the wicked people in this land;
-\q1 I will expel them from this city, which is Yahweh's city.
+\q1 I will expel them from this city, which is Yahweh’s city.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -7544,7 +7544,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q1
 \v 8 All during each day my enemies insult me;
 \q2 those who make fun of me mention my name
-\q2 and say, "May you be like him" when they curse people.
+\q2 and say, “May you be like him” when they curse people.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -7596,7 +7596,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q1 and saw what was happening on the earth.
 \q1
 \v 20 They will know that you hear prisoners groaning
-\q2 and that you will set free those who have been told, "You will be executed."
+\q2 and that you will set free those who have been told, “You will be executed.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -7610,7 +7610,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 23 But now you have caused me to become weak while I am still young;
 \q2 I think that I will not remain alive very long.
 \q1
-\v 24 I say to you, "My God, do not take me away from the earth now
+\v 24 I say to you, “My God, do not take me away from the earth now
 \q2 before I become old!
 \q1 You, on the other hand, live forever!
 
@@ -7631,7 +7631,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 28 Someday our children will live safely in Jerusalem,
-\q1 and their descendants will be protected as they live in your presence."
+\q1 and their descendants will be protected as they live in your presence.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -7679,7 +7679,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 11 The skies are very high above the earth,
-\q2 and Yahweh's faithful love for all those who revere him is just as great.
+\q2 and Yahweh’s faithful love for all those who revere him is just as great.
 \q1
 \v 12 He has taken away the guilt for our sins
 \q2 and put it as far from us as the east is from the west.
@@ -7902,7 +7902,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 4 Ask Yahweh to help you and give you his strength,
 \q2 and always seek to be with him!
 \q1
-\v 5-6 You people who are descendants of God's servant Abraham,
+\v 5-6 You people who are descendants of God’s servant Abraham,
 \q2 you descendants of Jacob, the people whom God has chosen,
 \q2 think about all the wonderful things that he has done;
 \q2 he performed miracles, and he punished all our enemies.
@@ -7923,8 +7923,8 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 10 Later he confirmed it again to Jacob
 \q2 as a covenant for the Israelite people that would last forever.
 \q1
-\v 11 What he said was, "I will give you the region of Canaan;
-\q2 it will belong to you and your descendants forever."
+\v 11 What he said was, “I will give you the region of Canaan;
+\q2 it will belong to you and your descendants forever.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -7940,8 +7940,8 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 14 But he did not allow others to oppress them.
 \q2 He warned those kings by saying to them,
 \q1
-\v 15 "Do not do harm to the people whom I have chosen!
-\q2 Do not harm my prophets!"
+\v 15 “Do not do harm to the people whom I have chosen!
+\q2 Do not harm my prophets!”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -7965,14 +7965,14 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 20 The king of Egypt sent servants, who set him free;
 \q2 this ruler released Joseph from prison.
 \q1
-\v 21 Then he appointed him to take care of everything in the king's household,
+\v 21 Then he appointed him to take care of everything in the king’s household,
 \q2 to take care of everything that the king possessed.
 \q1
-\v 22 Joseph was permitted to command the king's important servants
+\v 22 Joseph was permitted to command the king’s important servants
 \q2 to do anything that Joseph wanted them to do,
-\q2 and even to tell the king's advisors the things that they should do for the people of Egypt.
+\q2 and even to tell the king’s advisors the things that they should do for the people of Egypt.
 \q1
-\v 23 Later, Joseph's father Jacob arrived in Egypt.
+\v 23 Later, Joseph’s father Jacob arrived in Egypt.
 \q2 He lived like a foreigner in the land that belonged to the descendants of Ham.
 
 \s5
@@ -7984,7 +7984,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q2 and they began to oppress his people.
 \q1
 \v 26 But then Yahweh sent his servant Moses
-\q2 along with Moses' older brother Aaron, whom Yahweh had also chosen to be his servant.
+\q2 along with Moses’ older brother Aaron, whom Yahweh had also chosen to be his servant.
 \q1
 \v 27 Those two performed amazing miracles among the people of Egypt
 \q2 in that land where the descendants of Ham lived.
@@ -8453,7 +8453,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 3 I prayed, "Yahweh, I will thank you among all the people groups;
+\v 3 I prayed, “Yahweh, I will thank you among all the people groups;
 \q2 I will sing to praise you among the nations
 \q1
 \v 4 because your faithful love for us reaches up to the heavens,
@@ -8465,11 +8465,11 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q2 Show your glory to people all over the earth!
 \q1
 \v 6 Answer our prayers and, by your powe,r help us to defeat our enemies
-\q1 so that we, the people whom you love, may be saved."
+\q1 so that we, the people whom you love, may be saved.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 7 Yahweh answered our prayers and spoke from his temple, saying, "Because I have conquered your enemies, I will joyfully divide the city of Shechem,
+\v 7 Yahweh answered our prayers and spoke from his temple, saying, “Because I have conquered your enemies, I will joyfully divide the city of Shechem,
 \q2 and I will distribute among my people the land in the Valley of Succoth.
 \q1
 \v 8 The region of Gilead is mine;
@@ -8480,7 +8480,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q
 \v 9 The region of Moab is like my washbasin;
 \q2 I throw my sandal over the region of Edom to show that it belongs to me;
-\q2 I shout triumphantly because I have defeated the people of the region of Philistia."
+\q2 I shout triumphantly because I have defeated the people of the region of Philistia.”
 \q1
 \v 10 Because we want to attack the people of Edom,
 \q1 who will lead my army to their capital city that has strong walls around it?
@@ -8574,7 +8574,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q1
 \v 18 He often cursed other people, also;
 \q2 cause the terrible things that he wanted to happen to others to happen to him and enter his body as water does,
-\q2 as olive oil soaks into a person's bones when it is rubbed on his skin.
+\q2 as olive oil soaks into a person’s bones when it is rubbed on his skin.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -8641,9 +8641,9 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \d A psalm written by David.
 \q1
 \v 1 Yahweh said to my lord the king,
-\q1 "Sit here, close to me, in the place of highest honor
+\q1 “Sit here, close to me, in the place of highest honor
 \q2 until I completely defeat your enemies
-\q2 and make them like a stool for your feet!"
+\q2 and make them like a stool for your feet!”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -8654,15 +8654,15 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q1
 \v 3 On the day that you lead your armies into battle,
 \q2 many of your people will volunteer to join your army.
-\q1 Your youthful strength will act for you like the dew that waters the earth early in the morning."
+\q1 Your youthful strength will act for you like the dew that waters the earth early in the morning.”
 
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 4 Yahweh has made a solemn promise
 \q2 and he will never change his mind;
-\q1 he has said to the king, "You will be a priest forever
-\q2 like Melchizedek."
+\q1 he has said to the king, “You will be a priest forever
+\q2 like Melchizedek.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -8841,11 +8841,11 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 5 If someone asks, "What happened at the Sea of Reeds that caused the water to run away?
+\v 5 If someone asks, “What happened at the Sea of Reeds that caused the water to run away?
 \q1 What happened that caused the water in the Jordan River to stop flowing?
 \q1
 \v 6 What happened that caused the mountains to skip like goats
-\q2 and caused the hills to jump around like lambs?"
+\q2 and caused the hills to jump around like lambs?”
 \q1
 \v 7 Indeed, all the earth will tremble before the Lord!
 \q1 Everyone will tremble in the presence of the God whom Jacob worshiped!
@@ -8867,8 +8867,8 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q2 because you faithfully love us and always do what you have promised to do.
 \q1
 \v 2 It is not right that other people groups should say about us,
-\q1 "They claim that their God is very powerful,
-\q2 but if that is true, why does he not help them?"
+\q1 “They claim that their God is very powerful,
+\q2 but if that is true, why does he not help them?”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -8956,7 +8956,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q1 I was very distressed and afraid.
 \q1
 \v 4 But then I called out to Yahweh, saying,
-\q2 "Yahweh, I plead with you to save me!"
+\q2 “Yahweh, I plead with you to save me!”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -8983,9 +8983,9 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q2 I live, knowing that Yahweh is directing me.
 \q1
 \v 10 I continued to believe in Yahweh,
-\q2 even when I said, "I am greatly afflicted."
+\q2 even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted.”
 \q1
-\v 11 Even when I was distressed and said, "I cannot trust anyone,"
+\v 11 Even when I was distressed and said, “I cannot trust anyone,”
 \q2 I continued to trust in Yahweh.
 
 
@@ -9039,15 +9039,15 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q2 He faithfully loves us, his people, forever.
 \q1
 \v 2 You Israelite people should repeatedly shout,
-\q2 "He faithfully loves us, his people, forever!"
+\q2 “He faithfully loves us, his people, forever!”
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 3 You priests who are descendants of Aaron should repeatedly shout,
-\q2 "He faithfully loves us, his people, forever!"
+\q2 “He faithfully loves us, his people, forever!”
 \q1
 \v 4 All you who revere him should repeatedly shout,
-\q2 "He faithfully loves us, his people, forever!"
+\q2 “He faithfully loves us, his people, forever!”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -9078,11 +9078,11 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q2 but Yahweh enabled us to defeat them by his power.
 \q1
 \v 11 They completely surrounded us,
-\q2 but we defeated them all by Yahweh's power.
+\q2 but we defeated them all by Yahweh’s power.
 \q1
 \v 12 They swarmed around me like angry bees;
 \q2 they were like a fire that flares up in a thornbush,
-\q2 but we defeated them by Yahweh's power.
+\q2 but we defeated them by Yahweh’s power.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -9098,10 +9098,10 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 15 Listen to the joyful songs of victory being sung in the tents of the people who honor God!
-\q2 They sing, "Yahweh has defeated our enemies by his mighty power;
+\q2 They sing, “Yahweh has defeated our enemies by his mighty power;
 \q1
 \v 16 he has raised his strong right arm to show he is happy over defeating his enemies.
-\q2 Yahweh has completely defeated them!"
+\q2 Yahweh has completely defeated them!”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -9127,7 +9127,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 22 Yahweh's chosen king is like a stone that the builders rejected
+\v 22 Yahweh’s chosen king is like a stone that the builders rejected
 \q2 when they were building a house,
 \q1 but that stone became the cornerstone.
 \q1
@@ -9498,7 +9498,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q2 I confidently expect that you will tell me what you will do.
 \q1
 \v 82 My eyes are tired from waiting a long time for you to do what you promised that you would do,
-\q2 and I ask, "When will you help me?"
+\q2 and I ask, “When will you help me?”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -9637,7 +9637,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 115 You evil people, go away from me
-\q2 so than I may obey my God's commands!
+\q2 so than I may obey my God’s commands!
 \q1
 \v 116 Enable me to be strong as you promised that you would do,
 \q2 so that I may continue to live.
@@ -9768,7 +9768,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q2 answer me and I will obey your statutes.
 \q1
 \v 146 I call out to you,
-\q2 "Save me, and I will keep your commandments."
+\q2 “Save me, and I will keep your commandments.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -9905,7 +9905,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q2 and he answered me.
 \q1
 \v 2 I prayed,
-\q2 "Yahweh, rescue me from those who lie to me and try to deceive me!"
+\q2 “Yahweh, rescue me from those who lie to me and try to deceive me!”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -9936,7 +9936,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \d A psalm written for people going up to the temple to worship
 \q1
 \v 1 When we travel toward Jerusalem,
-\q2 I look up toward the hills and I ask myself, "Who will help me?"
+\q2 I look up toward the hills and I ask myself, “Who will help me?”
 \q1
 \v 2 My answer is that Yahweh is the one who helps me;
 \q2 he is the one who made heaven and the earth.
@@ -9976,7 +9976,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \d A psalm written by David for people going up to the temple to worship.
 \q1
 \v 1 I was glad when people said to me,
-\q2 "We should go to the temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem!"
+\q2 “We should go to the temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem!”
 \q1
 \v 2 Now we are here,
 \q2 standing inside the gates of Jerusalem.
@@ -10000,18 +10000,18 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 6 Pray that there will be peace in Jerusalem!
-\q1 "I pray that those who love Jerusalem will succeed in life.
+\q1 “I pray that those who love Jerusalem will succeed in life.
 \q1
 \v 7 I pray that there may be peace inside the walls of the city
-\q2 and that people who are inside the palaces may be safe."
+\q2 and that people who are inside the palaces may be safe.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 8 For the sake of my relatives and friends,
-\q2 "I pray that people will live peacefully inside Jerusalem."
+\q2 “I pray that people will live peacefully inside Jerusalem.”
 \q1
 \v 9 And because I love the temple of Yahweh our God,
-\q2 "I pray that things will go well for the people who live in Jerusalem."
+\q2 “I pray that things will go well for the people who live in Jerusalem.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -10118,10 +10118,10 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 2 We were extremely happy,
 \q1 and we continued shouting joyfully.
 \q1 Then the other people groups said about us,
-\q2 "Yahweh has done great things for them!"
+\q2 “Yahweh has done great things for them!”
 \q1
-\v 3 We said, "Yes, Yahweh truly has done great things for us,
-\q2 and we are very happy."
+\v 3 We said, “Yes, Yahweh truly has done great things for us,
+\q2 and we are very happy.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -10205,18 +10205,18 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 1 I say that my enemies have afflicted me ever since I was young.
 \q1 Now I ask you, my fellow Israelites, to repeat those same words:
 \q1
-\v 2 "Our enemies have afflicted us since our nation began,
+\v 2 “Our enemies have afflicted us since our nation began,
 \q2 but they have not defeated us!
 \q1
 \v 3 Our enemies struck us with whips that cut into our backs
-\q as a farmer uses a plow to cuts deep furrows into the ground."
+\q as a farmer uses a plow to cuts deep furrows into the ground.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 4 But Yahweh is righteous,
 \q2 and he has freed us from being slaves to wicked people.
 \q1
-\v 5 I wish that they may all be shamed because we will defeat them—all of Jerusalem's enemies.
+\v 5 I wish that they may all be shamed because we will defeat them—all of Jerusalem’s enemies.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -10226,9 +10226,9 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 7 no one wants to cut it and tie it up as bundles and carry it away.
 \q1
 \v 8 People who pass by and see men harvesting grain usually greet them by saying to them,
-\q2 "We wish that Yahweh may bless you!"
+\q2 “We wish that Yahweh may bless you!”
 \q1 But this will not happen to the enemies of Israel.
-\q1 We, acting as Yahweh's representatives, bless you, our fellow Israelites!
+\q1 We, acting as Yahweh’s representatives, bless you, our fellow Israelites!
 
 
 \s5
@@ -10305,13 +10305,13 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 3 He said, "I will not go home,
+\v 3 He said, “I will not go home,
 \q1 I will not rest on my bed,
 \q1
 \v 4 and I will not sleep at all
 \q1
 \v 5 until I build a place for Yahweh,
-\q2 a home for the mighty God whom Jacob worshiped."
+\q2 a home for the mighty God whom Jacob worshiped.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -10319,8 +10319,8 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 6 In Ephrathah we heard where the sacred chest was.
 \q2 So we went and found it near the city of Kiriath Jearim, and we took it to Jerusalem.
 \q1
-\v 7 Later we said, "Let us go to the sacred tent of Yahweh in Jerusalem;
-\q2 let us worship there in front of the throne where he is sitting."
+\v 7 Later we said, “Let us go to the sacred tent of Yahweh in Jerusalem;
+\q2 let us worship there in front of the throne where he is sitting.”
 \q1
 \v 8 Yahweh, come to the place where you live eternally,
 \q2 to the place where your sacred chest is,
@@ -10339,11 +10339,11 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q1
 \v 11 Yahweh, you made a solemn promise to David,
 \q2 a promise that you will not break.
-\q1 You said, "I will cause your descendants to rule as kings like you.
+\q1 You said, “I will cause your descendants to rule as kings like you.
 \q2
 \v 12 If they obey my covenant with them
 \q2 and obey all the commands that I will give them,
-\q1 the line of kings descended from you will never end."
+\q1 the line of kings descended from you will never end.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -10351,7 +10351,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 13 Yahweh has chosen Jerusalem;
 \q1 that is where he wants to rule from.
 \q1
-\v 14 He said, "This is the city where I will live forever;
+\v 14 He said, “This is the city where I will live forever;
 \q2 this is the place where I want to stay.
 
 \s5
@@ -10365,12 +10365,12 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 17 There in Jerusalem I will cause one of David's descendants to become a great king;
+\v 17 There in Jerusalem I will cause one of David’s descendants to become a great king;
 \q2 he also will be my chosen king,
-\q1 It is there that I will make David's line of descendants continue.
+\q1 It is there that I will make David’s line of descendants continue.
 \q1
 \v 18 I will defeat his enemies and cause them to be very ashamed;
-\q2 but the crown that my king wears will always shine."
+\q2 but the crown that my king wears will always shine.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -10380,12 +10380,12 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \d A psalm written for people going up to the temple to worship.
 \q1
 \v 1 It is very good and very pleasant
-\q2 for God's people to gather together in peace.
+\q2 for God’s people to gather together in peace.
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 2 It is as delightful as the precious oil
-\q2 that ran down from the high priest Aaron's head onto his beard when Moses anointed him,
+\q2 that ran down from the high priest Aaron’s head onto his beard when Moses anointed him,
 \q2 that ran down onto the collar of his robes.
 \q1
 \v 3 Gathering together in peace is as delightful as the dew that falls on Mount Hermon
@@ -10629,11 +10629,11 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \q1
 \v 3 The soldiers who had captured us and taken us to Babylonia forced us to sing for them;
 \q2 they told us to entertain them; they said,
-\q2 "Sing for us one of the songs that you previously sang in Jerusalem!"
+\q2 “Sing for us one of the songs that you previously sang in Jerusalem!”
 \q1
 \v 4 But we thought to ourselves,
-\q2 "We are sad because we have been punished by Yahweh and brought to this foreign land;
-\q2 we cannot sing songs about Yahweh while we are here!"
+\q2 “We are sad because we have been punished by Yahweh and brought to this foreign land;
+\q2 we cannot sing songs about Yahweh while we are here!”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -10651,7 +10651,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 7 Yahweh, punish the people of the Edom people group
 \q2 for what they did on the day that the army of Babylon captured Jerusalem.
 \q1 Do not forget that they said,
-\q2 "Tear down all the buildings! Destroy them completely! Leave only the foundations!"
+\q2 “Tear down all the buildings! Destroy them completely! Leave only the foundations!”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -10762,7 +10762,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 13 You created all the parts of my body;
-\q2 you put the parts of my body together when I was still in my mother's womb.
+\q2 you put the parts of my body together when I was still in my mother’s womb.
 \q1
 \v 14 I praise you because you made my body very awesomely and wonderfully.
 \q1 Everything that you do is amazing!
@@ -10841,8 +10841,8 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 6 I say to you, "Yahweh, you are my God.
-\q2 Listen to me while I cry out to you to help me."
+\v 6 I say to you, “Yahweh, you are my God.
+\q2 Listen to me while I cry out to you to help me.”
 \q1
 \v 7 Yahweh, my Lord, you are the one who strongly defends me;
 \q2 you have protected me during battles as though you had put a helmet on my head.
@@ -11441,7 +11441,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 4 Yahweh is pleased with his people;
 \q2 he honors humble people by helping them to defeat their enemies.
 \q1
-\v 5 Because they have won battles, God's people should rejoice
+\v 5 Because they have won battles, God’s people should rejoice
 \q2 and sing joyfully all during the night!
 
 
@@ -11458,7 +11458,7 @@ But some of the people stayed with the sheep and did not go to fight in the batt
 \v 8 They will fasten their kings and other leaders with iron chains.
 \q1
 \v 9 They will judge and punish the people of those nations as God wrote should be done.
-\q2 Everyone else will honor God's faithful people for doing that!
+\q2 Everyone else will honor God’s faithful people for doing that!
 \q1 Praise Yahweh!
 
 

20-PRO.usfm

@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@
 \v 10 My son, as sinners try to draw you into their sin with smooth talk and flattery,
 \q2 do not listen to what they say and do not follow them.
 \q1
-\v 11 They may say, "Come with us! Join us!
+\v 11 They may say, “Come with us! Join us!
 \q2 We will hide in wait and we will take the life of one who passes by.
 \q2 We will hide ourselves and we will rise up and attack a person who has done us no wrong—that will be our sport.
 \s5
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@
 \q2 and we will fill our houses with what we stole from them!
 \q1
 \v 14 So, come, be part of our team!
-\q2 We will split into equal shares, and give to each member of our team, from all the things we stole."
+\q2 We will split into equal shares, and give to each member of our team, from all the things we stole.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@
 \q2 and at the entrance of city gates.
 
 \q1
-\v 22 She cries, "How long will you who have not been taught, will you love being enticed to do what will harm you?
+\v 22 She cries, “How long will you who have not been taught, will you love being enticed to do what will harm you?
 \q2 How long will you who think you know more than the wise, have so much joy in the little you know?
 \q2 How long will you fools refuse to learn?
 \s5
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@
 \q2 Fools choose to make no decision about anything, but be sure of this: Their failure to make a decision will destroy their lives.
 \q1
 \v 33 But those who pay attention to me will live in peace and safety,
-\q2 and they will rest and not be afraid of any disaster that may come."
+\q2 and they will rest and not be afraid of any disaster that may come.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -242,7 +242,7 @@ q
 \q2 Let tenderness and truth guide you in every relationship,
 \q2 as if they both were on a necklace you wear, a necklace that guides you in everything you say.
 \q1
-\v 4 Then you will experience God's delight in you,
+\v 4 Then you will experience God’s delight in you,
 \q2 and people will also approve of you.
 
 \s5
@@ -307,7 +307,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \v 19 By his wisdom Yahweh laid out the earth from the very beginning,
 \q2 and by his understanding he put everything in the heavens exactly where they should be.
 \q1
-\v 20 The deepest part of the oceans broke open according to Yahweh's design,
+\v 20 The deepest part of the oceans broke open according to Yahweh’s design,
 \q2 and in the same way, he made the dew so it would fall from the clouds above.
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -315,7 +315,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \q2 and do not take your eye off of them.
 \q1
 \v 22 They will bring life to you,
-\q2 and a sign of Yahweh's blessings on your life
+\q2 and a sign of Yahweh’s blessings on your life
 \q2 that people can see by your good judgment.
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -336,8 +336,8 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \v 27 Give good gifts to those who deserve it,
 \q2 when you can, help them.
 \q1
-\v 28 Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later;
-\q2 perhaps I will help you tomorrow,"
+\v 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back later;
+\q2 perhaps I will help you tomorrow,”
 \q2 when you have the money with you and can help them now.
 
 \s5
@@ -381,10 +381,10 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \q2 So do not refuse to learn the lessons I teach you.
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 3 When I was my father's boy,
+\v 3 When I was my father’s boy,
 \q1 and the only child of my mother,
 \q1
-\v 4 my father told me, "Put my words deep within you,
+\v 4 my father told me, “Put my words deep within you,
 \q1 obey my orders to you,
 \q2 and you will have life.
 \s5
@@ -407,7 +407,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \q2 and wisdom will honor you when you show how much you love it.
 \q1
 \v 9 When you have attained wisdom, it will be like a beautiful wreath of honor on your head;
-\q2 she will give you a beautiful crown."
+\q2 she will give you a beautiful crown.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -520,7 +520,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \v 11 And when you are about to die,
 \q1 you will groan because your flesh and your body are wasting away.
 \q1
-\v 12 Then you will say, "I hated it when I was punished for doing wrong;
+\v 12 Then you will say, “I hated it when I was punished for doing wrong;
 \q2 I despised people when they told me how to live.
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -528,7 +528,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \q2 and I paid no attention to those who taught me.
 \q1
 \v 14 I was almost destroyed by bad things that happened to me;
-\q2 and this was known to everyone who came together to worship Yahweh."
+\q2 and this was known to everyone who came together to worship Yahweh.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -551,17 +551,17 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 20 My son, why should you be caught up in the arms of an adulteress?
-\q2 Why should you caress the breasts of another man's wife?
+\q2 Why should you caress the breasts of another man’s wife?
 \q1
 \v 21 Yahweh sees everything we do; nothing is hidden from him.
 \q2 He sees every path we take; he knows everywhere we go.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 22 An evil person's sinful desires take hold of him;
+\v 22 An evil person’s sinful desires take hold of him;
 \q2 his sins are like a trap that catches him.
 \q1
-\v 23 An evil man will die because he could not say, "No" to his desires;
+\v 23 An evil man will die because he could not say, “No” to his desires;
 \q2 he gets lost because his foolishness has no limits.
 
 
@@ -601,8 +601,8 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \v 9 But you lazy person, how long will you continue to sleep ?
 \q2 When will you rise and go to work?
 \q1
-\v 10 You sleep a for a little time, and then you say, "A little more sleep, a little more resting in bed,
-\q2 a little more folding of the hands to take a nap."
+\v 10 You sleep a for a little time, and then you say, “A little more sleep, a little more resting in bed,
+\q2 a little more folding of the hands to take a nap.”
 \q1
 \v 11 Suddenly poverty will take over your life like a thief who steals everything from you.
 \s5
@@ -659,7 +659,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 26 Sleeping with a prostitute may cost you only the price of a loaf of bread,
-\q2 but if you sleep with another man's wife, it may cost you your life.
+\q2 but if you sleep with another man’s wife, it may cost you your life.
 \q1
 \v 27 Can you carry hot coals in your pockets and not be burned?
 
@@ -667,7 +667,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \q1
 \v 28 Can you walk on burning coals and not scorch your feet?
 \q1
-\v 29 So is anyone who sleeps with another man's wife—he will suffer for doing that.
+\v 29 So is anyone who sleeps with another man’s wife—he will suffer for doing that.
 \q2 It is certain he will be severely punished.
 
 \s5
@@ -688,7 +688,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 34 Because that woman's husband will be jealous, he will become furious,
+\v 34 Because that woman’s husband will be jealous, he will become furious,
 \q2 and when he gets revenge, he will not act mercifully toward that man.
 \q1
 \v 35 And he will not accept any bribe to stop him.
@@ -744,7 +744,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \v 13 When she saw the young man, she firmly took hold of him, and then she kissed him.
 \q2 Without any shame and with great boldness, she said,
 \q1
-\v 14 "Today I have meat in my house, because I made a sacrifice in the temple to promise friendship with Yahweh.
+\v 14 “Today I have meat in my house, because I made a sacrifice in the temple to promise friendship with Yahweh.
 \q2 In this way I kept my vows to Yahweh,
 \q1
 \v 15 and now I have come out here to meet you.
@@ -766,7 +766,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \q2 he has gone away on a long journey.
 \q1
 \v 20 He filled a bag with money and took it with him;
-\q2 he will not come back until the middle of the month."
+\q2 he will not come back until the middle of the month.”
 \q1
 \v 21 So she she convinced the young man with her persuasive words;
 \q2 because of her smooth and convincing talk, he gave in to what she wanted to do.
@@ -812,7 +812,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 4 "I am calling out to everyone;
+\v 4 “I am calling out to everyone;
 \q2 I am shouting to all people!
 \q1
 \v 5 You people who have no training, you must be taught how to live;
@@ -898,7 +898,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \q2 before he made the tiny particles of dust in the earth, I was there.
 \q1
 \v 27 I was there when Yahweh put the heavens where they are,
-\q2 on the day when he marked on the ocean's surface how far a person at sea can see in every direction.
+\q2 on the day when he marked on the ocean’s surface how far a person at sea can see in every direction.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -911,7 +911,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 
 \s5
 \q2
-\v 30 I was at Yahweh's side as his master craftsman;
+\v 30 I was at Yahweh’s side as his master craftsman;
 \q1 I made him happy every day, and I always rejoiced when I was with him.
 \q1
 \v 31 I was delighted with the whole world he created;
@@ -934,7 +934,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \q2 and Yahweh will be pleased with them.
 \q1
 \v 36 But those who do not find me, they hurt themselves.
-\q2 All those who hate me love death."
+\q2 All those who hate me love death.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -952,13 +952,13 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \q1
 \v 3 Like a woman who sends out her maids to give the invitations to her guests, Wisdom calls out from the highest place in the city for all to hear, and she says:
 \q1
-\v 4 "If you are still immature, come here,"
+\v 4 “If you are still immature, come here,”
 \q1 and she gives the invitation to those who have no good judgment.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 5 "Come and eat the food that I have prepared," she says,
-\q2 "and drink the good wine that I have mixed.
+\v 5 “Come and eat the food that I have prepared,” she says,
+\q2 “and drink the good wine that I have mixed.
 \q1
 \v 6 Leave your untrained ways behind you, and live,
 \q2 and I will show you how to walk on the road that will give you understanding.
@@ -983,7 +983,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \q2 and you will add years to your life.
 \q1
 \v 12 If you become wise, you will gain many benefits from it;
-\q2 if you ridicule other people, you will suffer by yourself."
+\q2 if you ridicule other people, you will suffer by yourself.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -998,11 +998,11 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 16 "Any of you who have no experience, come here,"
+\v 16 “Any of you who have no experience, come here,”
 \q2 she says to those who have no good judgment.
 \q1
-\v 17 "If you sleep with me, it will as sweet as drinking water that you have stolen, 
-\q2 or eating delicious food all by yourself."
+\v 17 “If you sleep with me, it will as sweet as drinking water that you have stolen, 
+\q2 or eating delicious food all by yourself.”
 \q1
 \v 18 Any man who accepts her invitation does not know that the dead are in her home,
 \q2 that those who accepted her invitation and went into her house are now in the world of the dead.
@@ -1192,7 +1192,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 15 If you promise to pay off a loan that is taken by a stranger, you will lose your money.
-\q2 You will be safe if you refuse to make any kind of agreement to pay someone else's debts.
+\q2 You will be safe if you refuse to make any kind of agreement to pay someone else’s debts.
 \q1
 \v 16 A kindhearted woman earns respect;
 \q2 but violent people take hold of riches.
@@ -1218,12 +1218,12 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \v 21 It is certain that evil people will not escape their punishment.
 \q2 and the children of those who do right will be kept safe.
 \q1
-\v 22 If you see a gold ring in a pig's nose,
+\v 22 If you see a gold ring in a pig’s nose,
 \q2 that is very much like a beautiful woman who does not have good sense.
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 23 Those who do what is right desire things that result in good,
-\q2 but the reward of the wicked is that they will experience Yahweh's wrath.
+\q2 but the reward of the wicked is that they will experience Yahweh’s wrath.
 \q1
 \v 24 If a person sows seed, he can expect to harvest a crop;
 \q1 his few seeds will give him much more;
@@ -1271,7 +1271,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \q2 but he condemns those who make evil plans.
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 3 Wickedness is a bad foundation for a person's life.
+\v 3 Wickedness is a bad foundation for a person’s life.
 \q2 People who do well are as stable as a tree with deep roots.
 \q1
 \v 4 A good wife brings praise to her husband,
@@ -1342,7 +1342,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 21 Bad things do not happen to those who do what is right,
-\q2 but wicked people's lives are filled up with troubles.
+\q2 but wicked people’s lives are filled up with troubles.
 \q1
 \v 22 Yahweh detests those who tell lies,
 \q2 but he is delighted with those who live faithfully.
@@ -1772,7 +1772,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 7 When a person pleases Yahweh by the way he lives his life,
-\q2 he even causes that person's enemies to get along with him.
+\q2 he even causes that person’s enemies to get along with him.
 \q1
 \v 8 It is better to have a little money and to follow what is right,
 \q2 than to have a large amount of money and to live by spreading injustice.
@@ -1803,7 +1803,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 15 In a king's smile there is life;
+\v 15 In a king’s smile there is life;
 \q2 when he is happy, he is like the cloud that brings the spring rain.
 \q1
 \v 16 Becoming wise is better than having gold;
@@ -1830,7 +1830,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 21 One who has wisdom deep inside him is given the title, "discerning,"
+\v 21 One who has wisdom deep inside him is given the title, “discerning,”
 \q2 and those who speak in a way that can be understood
 \q2 and can motivate their hearers, teach well.
 \q1
@@ -1850,7 +1850,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \v 25 A person lives out his life and he thinks he is doing what is right,
 \q2 but when he comes to the end of his life, all he finds is death.
 \q1
-\v 26 A worker's appetite drives him to work harder,
+\v 26 A worker’s appetite drives him to work harder,
 \q2 his hunger urges him to keep working.
 
 \s5
@@ -1880,7 +1880,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \q2 the one who is self-controlled is mightier than one who conquers a city by force.
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 33 The stones making up the "lot" are thrown into a person's lap,
+\v 33 The stones making up the “lot” are thrown into a person’s lap,
 \q2 but Yahweh decides on which side of the stones they will stop rolling.
 
 
@@ -1892,7 +1892,7 @@ your storerooms will be so full that they will overflow,
 \q1
 \v 2 A slave who acts wisely will rule over the son of his master
 \q2 if that son does shameful things.
-\q2 That slave will receive a share of the inheritance and will be treated like one of his master's sons.
+\q2 That slave will receive a share of the inheritance and will be treated like one of his master’s sons.
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 3 Silver is put into the crucible to be refined, and gold is put into the furnace to be made pure,
@@ -2215,7 +2215,7 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \v 1 Wine makes you loud, and strong drink makes you foolish;
 \q2 whoever lets alcohol lead them to where they get lost is not wise.
 \q1
-\v 2 The king's wrath makes people as afraid as if they were facing a young lion roaring at them;
+\v 2 The king’s wrath makes people as afraid as if they were facing a young lion roaring at them;
 \q2 the person who makes a king angry is giving up his own life.
 
 
@@ -2229,7 +2229,7 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 5 The purposes within a person's life are like waters in a deep well,
+\v 5 The purposes within a person’s life are like waters in a deep well,
 \q2 but a person who has understanding is able to draw them out.
 \q1
 \v 6 Many people proclaim that they can be trusted to do what they promise,
@@ -2245,7 +2245,7 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 9 No one can truthfully say, "I have kept my heart pure, and I am free from my sins."
+\v 9 No one can truthfully say, “I have kept my heart pure, and I am free from my sins.”
 \q1
 \v 10 Uneven weights, improperly marked, and unequal measures, that favor the one who is selling,
 \q2 Yahweh hates both of them.
@@ -2261,7 +2261,7 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \v 13 If you love to sleep all the time, you will become poor;
 \q2 stay awake when you should be at work and you will have plenty to eat.
 \q1
-\v 14 "It is no good," the buyer says when he is bargaining with you about the price.
+\v 14 “It is no good,” the buyer says when he is bargaining with you about the price.
 \q2 But after he buys it, he goes and boasts to his friends what a good price he bought it for.
 
 \s5
@@ -2292,7 +2292,7 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \v 21 An inheritance that comes to a person quickly, may do some good at the beginning,
 \q2 but later it will do less good for the person who received it.
 \q1
-\v 22 Do not say, "I will pay you back for the wrong you did to me."
+\v 22 Do not say, “I will pay you back for the wrong you did to me.”
 \q2 Wait for Yahweh and he will take care of the matter.
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -2366,7 +2366,7 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \q1
 \v 10 The wicked man craves evil more than anything;
 \q2 and when he looks at his neighbor, 
-\q2 the wicked man's eyes reveal 
+\q2 the wicked man’s eyes reveal 
 \q2 that he is not going to be kind to his neighbor.
 
 \s5
@@ -2500,11 +2500,11 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \q2 just as surely as he makes the lying promises of the betrayer fail.
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 13 A lazy person calls out, "There is a lion in the street! If I go out, I will be killed!"
+\v 13 A lazy person calls out, “There is a lion in the street! If I go out, I will be killed!”
 \q1
 \v 14 The words spoken by an adulteress will draw you in, and it will be as if you have fallen into a deep and dangerous pit!
 \q2 All those who fall into that pit will be in trouble,
-\q2 but what is worse, they will experience Yahweh's anger for what they have done.
+\q2 but what is worse, they will experience Yahweh’s anger for what they have done.
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 15 Stupid and silly things are bound up within a child,
@@ -2569,7 +2569,7 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \v 1 When you sit down to eat a meal with ruler of a country,
 \q2 think carefully about what is in front of you.
 \q1
-\v 2 It is said, "put a knife to your throat" if you think of eating a lot of food,
+\v 2 It is said, “put a knife to your throat” if you think of eating a lot of food,
 \q2 because it would be foolish to eat too much at such an important event.
 \q1
 \v 3 Do not crave the special and expensive food the ruler enjoys;
@@ -2590,7 +2590,7 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \q2 do not desire his fine food,
 \q1
 \v 7 because he will be thinking about how much your food cost him,
-\q2 and he will say to you, "Eat and drink,"
+\q2 and he will say to you, “Eat and drink,”
 \q2 but that is not what he will really be thinking.
 \q1
 \v 8 When you realize what he is really thinking, you will want to vomit what you have eaten;
@@ -2665,7 +2665,7 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \q2 and pay attention to the way that I live.
 \q1
 \v 27 A prostitute is like a very deep pit, that is easy to fall into, but difficult to get out;
-\q2 another man's wife is a narrow pit; just as dangerous as a deep pit, but of a different kind.
+\q2 another man’s wife is a narrow pit; just as dangerous as a deep pit, but of a different kind.
 \q1
 \v 28 The immoral woman is waiting for you, waiting like a robber waits for his victim;
 \q2 and they cause many men to become liars and traitors to those who love them.
@@ -2693,10 +2693,10 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \v 34 You will think you are on a ship that is tossing on the sea;
 \q2 you will be like someone who is trying to sleep up on the rigging of the boat.
 \q1
-\v 35 You will say, "I think that someone struck me, but he did not hurt me;
+\v 35 You will say, “I think that someone struck me, but he did not hurt me;
 \q2 They beat me, but I did not feel it.
 \q1 When will I wake up
-\q2 in order that I can drink some more wine?"
+\q2 in order that I can drink some more wine?”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -2745,7 +2745,7 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \v 11 Rescue the ones who are being carried away to the slaughter;
 \q2 they stagger and fall—hold them back from the one who would kill them.
 \q1
-\v 12 If you say, "I did not know that those people needed any help," then think about this:
+\v 12 If you say, “I did not know that those people needed any help,” then think about this:
 \q2 God knows why we do everything, so he also knows why you said those people needed no help.
 \q2 God sees everything you do in this life, so he certainly understands why you said that about those people.
 \q2 He will certainly pay you back—and everyone else, too—for the harm they have done.
@@ -2797,7 +2797,7 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 24 If they say to people who are guilty, "You are innocent,"
+\v 24 If they say to people who are guilty, “You are innocent,”
 \q2 they will be cursed by foreign peoples, and hated by nations.
 \q1
 \v 25 But if judges say that guilty people must be punished,
@@ -2816,8 +2816,8 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \v 28 Do not give testimony against your neighbor if there is no reason for it,
 \q2 and do not deceive people when you are telling what you know.
 \q1
-\v 29 Do not say, "I will do to him what he did to me;
-\q2 I will pay him back for what he did to me."
+\v 29 Do not say, “I will do to him what he did to me;
+\q2 I will pay him back for what he did to me.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -2859,7 +2859,7 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \q2 and do not stand in the place set aside for those the king is honoring.
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 7 It is better if someone important invites you, saying, "Come up and sit closer to the king,"
+\v 7 It is better if someone important invites you, saying, “Come up and sit closer to the king,”
 \q2 than to embarrass you in front of an important nobleman by making you move so that you now sit far away from the king. 
 \q When you witness something that gives you concern,
 \q1
@@ -2893,14 +2893,14 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 15 With patient persuasion even a ruler's mind can be changed,
-\q2 like the proverb that says, 'a soft tongue can break a bone.'
+\v 15 With patient persuasion even a ruler’s mind can be changed,
+\q2 like the proverb that says, ‘a soft tongue can break a bone.’
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 16 If you find some honey, eat just a little,
 \q2 because if you eat too much, you could vomit it up.
 \q1
-\v 17 Do not go to your neighbor's house too often;
+\v 17 Do not go to your neighbor’s house too often;
 \q2 he may get tired of you, and if you do not stop, he could even grow to hate you.
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -3004,8 +3004,8 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 13 The lazy person has many reasons for not working—
-\q2 you might hear him say, "But there is a lion in the street!"
-\q2 or "Oh, there is a lion in the market!"
+\q2 you might hear him say, “But there is a lion in the street!”
+\q2 or “Oh, there is a lion in the market!”
 \q1
 \v 14 When you see a door swing back and forth on it hinges,
 \q2 that is just like one who is lazy, when he is lying on his bed, turning back and forth.
@@ -3029,8 +3029,8 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \v 18-19 Who is like an insane person who shoots burning arrows in every direction?
 \q2 One who lies to his neighbor!
 \q2 He makes an excuse to his neighbor and tells him,
-\q2 "I was only joking;"
-\q2 but just like the madman's arrows,
+\q2 “I was only joking;”
+\q2 but just like the madman’s arrows,
 \q2 what he said has set everything on fire.
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -3106,7 +3106,7 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \q1
 \v 10 Do not forget your friend or a friend of your father;
 \q2 and when you have a problem and you need help,
-\q2 do not go to your brother's home.
+\q2 do not go to your brother’s home.
 \q2 When there is trouble, a neighbor who lives close by
 \q2 is better than a brother who lives far away.
 
@@ -3119,7 +3119,7 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \q2 but those who have no experience or knowledge rush ahead into danger.
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 13 Take a man's garment as security when he is guaranteeing a loan for a stranger.
+\v 13 Take a man’s garment as security when he is guaranteeing a loan for a stranger.
 \q2 Hold the garment in pledge to protect yourself from losing your money when he puts up security for an adulteress.
 \q1
 \v 14 Whoever shouts out a blessing in a loud voice early in the morning,
@@ -3265,7 +3265,7 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \q2 than the one who says nice things just to flatter him.
 \q1
 \v 24 Anyone who steals things from his father or his mother
-\q2 and says "That is not sinful,"
+\q2 and says “That is not sinful,”
 \q2 he is friend of the one who destroys.
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -3422,7 +3422,7 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \v 5 Every word of God is proven by a test that it is true;
 \q2 he is like a shield that protects those who run to him.
 \q1
-\v 6 Be careful not to add to Yahweh's words more than he has said;
+\v 6 Be careful not to add to Yahweh’s words more than he has said;
 \q2 if you do that, he will correct you and he will prove that you lied about what he said.
 
 \s5
@@ -3434,7 +3434,7 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \q2 and do not give me poverty or riches,
 \q2 just give me the food I need every day.
 \v 9 For if I have too much money,
-\q2 it is possible that I will deny my God and say, "Who is Yahweh?"
+\q2 it is possible that I will deny my God and say, “Who is Yahweh?”
 \q2 Or it is possible that I will become so poor that I steal from others
 \q2 and bring disgrace on the name of my God.
 
@@ -3462,14 +3462,14 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 15 There are leeches that suck blood, imagine they had two daughters;
-\q2 they say, "Give to us! Give to us!
+\q2 they say, “Give to us! Give to us!
 \q1 There are four things that are never satisfied—
 \q2 they always want more :
 \q1
 \v 16 The grave, the place of the dead;
 \q1 the womb of a woman that never conceived a child;
 \q1 soil that badly needs to be watered;
-\q1 and a fire that burns hot and it never says, "The fire is hot enough!"
+\q1 and a fire that burns hot and it never says, “The fire is hot enough!”
 \q1
 \v 17 The one who dishonors his father,
 \q2 and who disrespects and disobeys his mother.
@@ -3490,7 +3490,7 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \q1
 \v 20 This is what a woman is like who is not faithful to her husband:
 \q2 she eats and then wipes her mouth,
-\q2 and she says, "There is nothing wrong in what I have done."
+\q2 and she says, “There is nothing wrong in what I have done.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -3517,7 +3517,7 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \q2 but they march in rank like soldiers in the army.
 \q1
 \v 28 Lizards are very small and you can hold them in your hand,
-\q2 but they get inside kings' palaces.
+\q2 but they get inside kings’ palaces.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -3554,7 +3554,7 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 4 Lemuel, kings should be careful about drinking wine;
-\q2 and a king should never ask, "Where is the strong drink?"
+\q2 and a king should never ask, “Where is the strong drink?”
 \q1
 \v 5 They could drink but then they might forget that they made a decree of the king,
 \q2 and tear down the rights of those who have been taken advantage of.
@@ -3642,8 +3642,8 @@ but a poor person will find that his poverty separates him from the one friend h
 \v 28 Her children speak highly of her;
 \q2 her husband also praises her.
 \q1
-\v 29 He says to her, "There are many women who do admirable things,
-\q2 but you surpass them all!"
+\v 29 He says to her, “There are many women who do admirable things,
+\q2 but you surpass them all!”
 
 \s5
 \q1

21-ECC.usfm

@@ -10,13 +10,13 @@
 \c 1
 
 \p
-\v 1 These are the words and sayings of the descendant of King David, who is king in Jerusalem. The people call me 'The Teacher.'
+\v 1 These are the words and sayings of the descendant of King David, who is king in Jerusalem. The people call me ‘The Teacher.’
 \q1
-\v 2 The Teacher says, "Nothing is permanent.
+\v 2 The Teacher says, “Nothing is permanent.
 \q2 It is all like the morning mist or the wind;
 \q2 It goes and comes, but for what reason?
 \q1
-\v 3 What do people gain from all the work that they do here on the earth?"
+\v 3 What do people gain from all the work that they do here on the earth?”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@
 \q2 What has been done before will be done again.
 \q1 There is nothing really new in this world.
 \q1
-\v 10 Sometimes people say, "Look at this! This is something new!"
+\v 10 Sometimes people say, “Look at this! This is something new!”
 \q2 But it has existed previously.
 \q1 It existed before we were born.
 \q1
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 I said to myself, "I am wiser than any of those who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I am wiser and know more than any of them!"
+\v 16 I said to myself, “I am wiser than any of those who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I am wiser and know more than any of them!”
 \v 17 So I determined to learn more about being wise, and also to learn about doing things that are very stupid and foolish. But I found out that trying to understand those things was also useless, like trying to control the wind.
 \v 18 Anyone who becomes very wise also becomes very frustrated. The more one knows, the sadder he becomes.
 
@@ -79,8 +79,8 @@
 \c 2
 
 \p
-\v 1 Then I said to myself, "Well, I will try to do everything that I enjoy. I will find out whether doing what I enjoy can truly enable me to be happy." But I found out that doing that was also useless.
-\v 2 So I said to myself, "It is foolish to laugh all the time, and continually doing what makes me happy does not bring any lasting benefit."
+\v 1 Then I said to myself, “Well, I will try to do everything that I enjoy. I will find out whether doing what I enjoy can truly enable me to be happy.” But I found out that doing that was also useless.
+\v 2 So I said to myself, “It is foolish to laugh all the time, and continually doing what makes me happy does not bring any lasting benefit.”
 
 \s5
 \v 3 So, after thinking a lot about it, I decided to cheer myself up by drinking a lot of wine. While I was still trying to be wise, I acted stupidly. I tried to learn what people can do to be happy during the short time that they are alive on the earth.
@@ -109,26 +109,26 @@
 
 \q1
 \v 12 Then I started to think about being wise, and also about being foolish.
-\q2 I said to myself, "I certainly do not think that anybody will be able to do anything better than I can."
+\q2 I said to myself, “I certainly do not think that anybody will be able to do anything better than I can.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 13 And I thought, "Surely it is better to be wise than to be foolish,
+\v 13 And I thought, “Surely it is better to be wise than to be foolish,
 \q2 like light is better than darkness,
 \q1
 \v 14 because wise people walk in the daylight and can see where they are going,
-\q2 but foolish people walk in the darkness and cannot see where they are going."
+\q2 but foolish people walk in the darkness and cannot see where they are going.”
 \q1 But I also realized that both wise people and foolish people eventually die.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 So I said to myself,
-\q1 "I am very wise, but I will die at the end of my life like foolish people do.
+\q1 “I am very wise, but I will die at the end of my life like foolish people do.
 \q2 So how has it benefited me to be very wise?
 \q1 I do not understand why people consider that it is valuable to be wise.
 \q1
 \v 16 Wise people and foolish people all die.
-\q2 And after we die, we will all eventually be forgotten."
+\q2 And after we die, we will all eventually be forgotten.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -212,11 +212,11 @@
 \p
 \v 16 Furthermore, I saw that on this earth, even in the courts where we expect judges to make right decisions about what people had done, they did many wicked things.
 \p
-\v 17 So I said to myself, "God will judge both righteous people and wicked people. There is certainly a time for him to do that because there is a time for him to do everything."
+\v 17 So I said to myself, “God will judge both righteous people and wicked people. There is certainly a time for him to do that because there is a time for him to do everything.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 And regarding humans, I also said to myself, "God is testing us, to show us that in one way people are no different than animals."
+\v 18 And regarding humans, I also said to myself, “God is testing us, to show us that in one way people are no different than animals.”
 
 \s5
 \v 19 What happens to people happens to animals. Animals die, and people die. We all must breathe to remain alive. People have no advantage over animals in that way. Everything disappears so quickly.
@@ -257,9 +257,9 @@
 \q2 They sit idly with their hands folded and do not work.
 \q2 So they ruin themselves.
 \q1
-\v 6 So some say, "It is better to be content with working quietly for a little bit of money,
+\v 6 So some say, “It is better to be content with working quietly for a little bit of money,
 \q2 than to work anxiously and try to get a lot of money,
-\q2 which is as useless as trying to control the wind."
+\q2 which is as useless as trying to control the wind.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -270,9 +270,9 @@
 \q1 Every day they work very hard without stopping; they make a lot of money,
 \q2 but they are never satisfied with the things that they get.
 \q1 They ask themselves,
-\q2 "Why am I working so hard; whom am I actually helping?
+\q2 “Why am I working so hard; whom am I actually helping?
 \q1 Why am I not doing things that I would enjoy doing?
-\q2 What I have been doing seems useless." This is very bad.
+\q2 What I have been doing seems useless.” This is very bad.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -330,7 +330,7 @@
 \v 5 It is better to not promise anything than to promise to do something and then not do it.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 Do not let the things that you promise to do cause you to sin by not doing them. And if you promise God that you will do something but then do not do it, do not say to God's priest that it was a mistake for you to promise to do that. If you do that, God can destroy everything you have worked to accomplish.
+\v 6 Do not let the things that you promise to do cause you to sin by not doing them. And if you promise God that you will do something but then do not do it, do not say to God’s priest that it was a mistake for you to promise to do that. If you do that, God can destroy everything you have worked to accomplish.
 \v 7 Promising to do something and not doing it is like having a useless dream. Instead, honor God by doing what you promised him that you would do.
 
 \s5
@@ -404,7 +404,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 3 Someone might have a hundred children and live for many years. But if he is not able to enjoy the things that he has acquired, and if he is not buried properly after he dies, I say that a child that is dead when it is born is more fortunate.
-\v 4 This is true, even though that dead baby's birth is meaningless—even though it does not have a name, and its brief life becomes only a sad memory in the future.
+\v 4 This is true, even though that dead baby’s birth is meaningless—even though it does not have a name, and its brief life becomes only a sad memory in the future.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 That baby does not live to see the sun or know anything. But even so, it finds more rest than rich people do who are alive.
@@ -472,7 +472,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 7 When wise people say to others, "You must pay me a lot of money for me to protect you,"
+\v 7 When wise people say to others, “You must pay me a lot of money for me to protect you,”
 \q2 that causes those wise people to become foolish.
 \q2 Those who accept bribes become unable to do what is right.
 
@@ -486,7 +486,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 10 Do not say, "Things were a lot better previously,"
+\v 10 Do not say, “Things were a lot better previously,”
 \q2 because it is only foolish people who say that.
 
 \s5
@@ -590,7 +590,7 @@
 \p
 \v 2 You solemnly promised God that you would obey what the king commands, so do that.
 \v 3 Do not do anything rashly when it concerns the king. And do not join with those who want to rebel against him, because the king will do what he wants to do.
-\v 4 We need to obey what the king says more than we need to obey what anyone else says, for no one can say to the king, "Why are you doing that?"
+\v 4 We need to obey what the king says more than we need to obey what anyone else says, for no one can say to the king, “Why are you doing that?”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -654,7 +654,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 It seems wrong that the same thing happens to everyone on this earth. Everyone dies. Furthermore, people's inner beings are full of evil. People do foolish things while they are alive, and then they join those who are dead.
+\v 3 It seems wrong that the same thing happens to everyone on this earth. Everyone dies. Furthermore, people’s inner beings are full of evil. People do foolish things while they are alive, and then they join those who are dead.
 
 \s5
 \v 4 While we are alive, we can expect that good things will happen to us. We despise dogs, but it is better to be a dog that is alive than to be a majestic lion that is dead.
@@ -762,7 +762,7 @@
 \q1 but by using wisdom, you will succeed.
 \q1
 \v 11 If a snake bites someone before the snake is charmed,
-\q2 then that person's ability to charm snakes will not benefit him.
+\q2 then that person’s ability to charm snakes will not benefit him.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -833,7 +833,7 @@
 \q2 they will not try to harvest their crops on that day.
 \q1
 \v 5 We do not know where the wind comes from or where it goes,
-\q2 and we do not know how bodies are formed in a woman's womb.
+\q2 and we do not know how bodies are formed in a woman’s womb.
 \q1 Similarly, God is the one who makes everything,
 \q2 and we cannot fully understand what he does.
 
@@ -873,7 +873,7 @@
 \v 1 While you are still young, keep thinking about God, who created you.
 \q2 Do that before you are old and you experience many troubles,
 \q1 during the years when you say,
-\q2 "I no longer enjoy being alive."
+\q2 “I no longer enjoy being alive.”
 \q1
 \v 2 When you become old, the light from the sun and moon and stars will seem dim to you,
 \q2 and it will seem that the rain clouds always return quickly after it rains.

22-SNG.usfm

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 1
 \p
-\v 1 This is King Solomon's most beautiful song.
+\v 1 This is King Solomon’s most beautiful song.
 \sp The young woman speaking to herself
 \q1
 \v 2 I wish he would kiss me on my lips,
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@
 \v 5 You women of Jerusalem,
 \q2 I am dark but beautiful;
 \q1 my dark skin is like the tents in Kedar,
-\q2 or like the beautiful curtains in Solomon's palace.
+\q2 or like the beautiful curtains in Solomon’s palace.
 \q1
 \v 6 But do not stare at me because the sun has made my skin dark.
 \q1 my brothers were angry with me,
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@
 \v 8 You who are the most beautiful of all the women,
 \q2 if you search for me and do not know where I will take my sheep,
 \q1 follow the tracks of the sheep.
-\q2 Then allow your young goats to graze near the shepherds' tents.
+\q2 Then allow your young goats to graze near the shepherds’ tents.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 10 He spoke to me and said,
-\q2 "You whom I love, get up;
+\q2 “You whom I love, get up;
 \q2 my beautiful one, come with me!
 \q1
 \v 11 Look, the winter has ended;
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@
 \q1 Show me your face,
 \q2 and allow me to hear your voice,
 \q2 because your voice is sounds sweet,
-\q1 and your face is lovely."
+\q1 and your face is lovely.”
 
 \s5
 \sp The woman speaking to the man
@@ -209,9 +209,9 @@
 \q2 but he did not.
 \q1
 \v 2 So I said to myself,
-\q1 "I will get up now and walk around the city,
+\q1 “I will get up now and walk around the city,
 \q2 through the streets and plazas,
-\q2 to search for the one whom I love with all my heart."
+\q2 to search for the one whom I love with all my heart.”
 \q1 So I got up and went out to look for him,
 \q2 but I could not find him.
 
@@ -220,12 +220,12 @@
 \v 3 The city watchmen saw me
 \q2 while they were patrolling in the city.
 \q1 I asked them,
-\q2 "Have you seen the one whom I love with all my heart?"
+\q2 “Have you seen the one whom I love with all my heart?”
 \q1
 \v 4 As soon as I walked past them,
 \q2 I found the one whom I love with all my heart.
 \q1 I clung to him and would not let him go
-\q2 until I brought him to my mother's house,
+\q2 until I brought him to my mother’s house,
 \q2 to the room where my mother had conceived me.
 
 \s5
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@
 \q1 like smoke from burning myrrh and incense
 \q2 made from spices imported by merchants?
 \q1
-\v 7 It is Solomon's litter carried by servants and
+\v 7 It is Solomon’s litter carried by servants and
 \q2 surrounded by sixty bodyguards
 \q2 chosen from the strongest soldiers in Israel.
 
@@ -275,7 +275,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 4
 
-\sp The woman's lover speaking to her
+\sp The woman’s lover speaking to her
 \q1
 \v 1 My darling, you are beautiful,
 \q2 you are very beautiful!
@@ -379,7 +379,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 5
 
-\sp The woman's lover speaking to her
+\sp The woman’s lover speaking to her
 \q1
 \v 1 You who are most dear to me,
 \q2 I have come to be next to you.
@@ -387,7 +387,7 @@
 \q2 eating my honey and honeycomb,
 \q2 and drinking my wine and my milk.
 
-\sp The woman's lover speaking to her
+\sp The woman’s lover speaking to her
 \q1 Friends, enjoy making love;
 \q2 fully enjoy all that you do with each other.
 
@@ -397,10 +397,10 @@
 \q1
 \v 2 I was asleep, and I had a dream.
 \q2 In it I heard my lover knocking at the door.
-\q1 He said, "You who are dearer to me than my sister, my darling, my dear friend, my perfect one, my dove,
+\q1 He said, “You who are dearer to me than my sister, my darling, my dear friend, my perfect one, my dove,
 \q2 open the door for me!
 \q1 My hair is wet from the dew,
-\q2 from the mist that has fallen during the night."
+\q2 from the mist that has fallen during the night.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -524,7 +524,7 @@
 
 \s5
 
-\sp The woman's lover speaking to her
+\sp The woman’s lover speaking to her
 \q1
 \v 4 My darling, you are beautiful,
 \q2 as Tirzah the capital city of Israel and Jerusalem the capital city of Judah are beautiful;
@@ -549,13 +549,13 @@
 \q2 your cheeks are like the halves of a pomegranate.
 
 \s5
-\sp The woman's lover speaking to himself
+\sp The woman’s lover speaking to himself
 \q1
 \v 8 Even if a king had 60 queens and 80 concubines
 \q2 and more young women than anyone can count,
 \q1
 \v 9 none of them would be like my dove, who is perfect,
-\q2 you who are your mother's only daughter,
+\q2 you who are your mother’s only daughter,
 \q2 whom your mother considers to be very precious.
 \q1 Other young women who see you say that you are fortunate,
 \q2 and the queens and concubines recognize that you are very beautiful.
@@ -570,7 +570,7 @@
 
 \s5
 
-\sp The woman's lover speaking to himself
+\sp The woman’s lover speaking to himself
 \q1
 \v 11 I went down to some walnut trees
 \q2 to look at the new plants that were growing in the valley.
@@ -582,7 +582,7 @@
 
 \s5
 
-\sp The woman's lover speaking to her
+\sp The woman’s lover speaking to her
 \q1
 \v 13 You who are the perfect one,
 \q2 come back to us, in order that I may see you!
@@ -594,7 +594,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \c 7
-\sp The woman's lover speaking to her
+\sp The woman’s lover speaking to her
 \q1
 \v 1 You, the daughter of a prince,
 \q2 have lovely feet in your sandals.
@@ -633,8 +633,8 @@
 \v 7 You are stately like a palm tree,
 \q2 and your breasts are like grape clusters.
 \q1
-\v 8 I said to myself, "I will climb that palm tree
-\q2 and take hold of those clusters of dates."
+\v 8 I said to myself, “I will climb that palm tree
+\q2 and take hold of those clusters of dates.”
 \q1 I want your breasts to be also like clusters of grapes that I can feel;
 \q2 I want your breath to be like the sweet fragrance of apricots.
 
@@ -675,15 +675,15 @@
 \sp The young woman speaking to her lover
 \q1
 \v 1 I wish that everyone knew that we love each other, just as they all know that I have a brother,
-\q1 my own brother, who nursed at my mother's breasts.
+\q1 my own brother, who nursed at my mother’s breasts.
 \q2 Then whenever I met you outside, I could kiss you,
 \q and no one would criticize me.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 2 No one would object if I led you to our mother's house,
+\v 2 No one would object if I led you to our mother’s house,
 \q2 to where our mother, who taught me so many things, lives.
-\q1 I would like to take you to our mother's house so I could make love to you there.
+\q1 I would like to take you to our mother’s house so I could make love to you there.
 \q1 That would be as delightful as juice squeezed from pomegranates, as wine mixed with spices.
 \sp The young woman speaking to herself
 \q1
@@ -695,7 +695,7 @@
 \q1
 \v 4 I want you to promise me, you women of Jerusalem,
 \q1 that you will not disturb us while we are making love
-\q2 until we are ready to stop."
+\q2 until we are ready to stop.”
 
 \s5
 
@@ -728,7 +728,7 @@
 
 \s5
 
-\sp The young woman's brothers speaking among themselves
+\sp The young woman’s brothers speaking among themselves
 \q1
 \v 8 We have a younger sister,
 \q2 and her breasts are not large yet.
@@ -757,13 +757,13 @@
 \q2 He required each one to pay him one thousand pieces of silver each year for the grapes that they harvested.
 \q1
 \v 12 But my body is like my own vineyard,
-\q2 and you, my lover whom I call "Solomon," I am giving it to you.
+\q2 and you, my lover whom I call “Solomon,” I am giving it to you.
 \q1 You do not need to pay me a thousand pieces of silver to enjoy my body,
 \q2 but I will give two hundred pieces of silver to those who take care of me.
 
 \s5
 
-\sp The woman's lover speaking to her
+\sp The woman’s lover speaking to her
 \q1
 \v 13 You are staying in the gardens,
 \q2 my friends are listening to your voice;

25-LAM.usfm

@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 \q2 but now it is completely deserted.
 \q1 Once it was a powerful nation,
 \q2 but now it is alone, like a widow.
-\q1 Once everyone in the world honored it like a king's daughter,
+\q1 Once everyone in the world honored it like a king’s daughter,
 \q2 but now it is like a slave.
 \q1
 \v 2 We in the city weep bitterly all during the nights,
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@
 \v 4 The roads to Mount Zion are empty
 \q2 because no one comes here to celebrate the sacred festivals any longer.
 \q1 No elders or leaders sit under the city gates to talk any more,
-\q2 and Jerusalem's priests groan in sorrow.
+\q2 and Jerusalem’s priests groan in sorrow.
 \q1 The young women left in Jerusalem cry
 \q2 because they are suffering greatly.
 \q1
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 8 We, the people of Jerusalem, have sinned very much;
-\q2 our city has become like a bloody rag between a woman's legs.
+\q2 our city has become like a bloody rag between a woman’s legs.
 \q1 Everyone who previously honored our city now despise it;
 \q2 they are like people who strip a woman bare and then mock her.
 \q1 Now we groan in the city;
@@ -82,8 +82,8 @@
 \q2 we did not think about how God would punish us.
 \q1 We did not imagine how we would suffer;
 \q2 there is no one to comfort us.
-\q1 We all call out to God, "Yahweh, look at how we are suffering
-\q2 because our enemies have defeated us!"
+\q1 We all call out to God, “Yahweh, look at how we are suffering
+\q2 because our enemies have defeated us!”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -284,7 +284,7 @@
 \q2 and dying in the streets because they have no food.
 \q1
 \v 12 They cry out to their mothers,
-\q2 "We need something to eat and drink!"
+\q2 “We need something to eat and drink!”
 \q1 They collapse like wounded men
 \q2 in the streets of the city.
 \q1 They slowly die
@@ -312,15 +312,15 @@
 \v 15 All those who pass by you
 \q2 make fun of you by clapping their hands;
 \q2 they shake their heads and hiss at you;
-\q1 They say, "Is this the great city of Jerusalem?
+\q1 They say, “Is this the great city of Jerusalem?
 \q2 Is it the city that people said was the most beautiful city in the world,
-\q2 the city that caused all the people on the earth to rejoice?"
+\q2 the city that caused all the people on the earth to rejoice?”
 \q1
 \v 16 Now all our enemies laugh at you;
 \q2 they hate you so much that they hiss at you and grind their teeth at you.
-\q1 They say, "We have destroyed Israel!
+\q1 They say, “We have destroyed Israel!
 \q2 This is what we longed for,
-\q2 and now it has happened!"
+\q2 and now it has happened!”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -335,11 +335,11 @@
 \q1
 \v 18 I wish the city walls could speak like the people who
 \q2 cry out to Yahweh!
-\q1 I would tell the walls, "Cry out for help to Yahweh!
+\q1 I would tell the walls, “Cry out for help to Yahweh!
 \q2 Let your tears flow day and night!
 \q2 Let them flow like rivers.
 \q1 Do not stop grieving;
-\q2 do not stop crying."
+\q2 do not stop crying.”
 \q1
 \v 19 Get up during every night and cry out;
 \q2 tell Yahweh what you feel in your inner beings.
@@ -436,8 +436,8 @@
 \v 17 Things no longer go well for me;
 \q2 I no longer remember being prosperous.
 \q1
-\v 18 I continue to say to myself, "I am not strong enough to bear any more hardships.
-\q2 I no longer expect that Yahweh will rescue me."
+\v 18 I continue to say to myself, “I am not strong enough to bear any more hardships.
+\q2 I no longer expect that Yahweh will rescue me.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -457,7 +457,7 @@
 \v 23 Every morning he acts mercifully toward us again.
 \q2 He is the one in whom we can always trust.
 \q1
-\v 24 So I sincerely say to myself, "Yahweh gives me what I need!"
+\v 24 So I sincerely say to myself, “Yahweh gives me what I need!”
 \q2 Because I believe this, I will confidently wait for him to do good things for me.
 
 \s5
@@ -521,7 +521,7 @@
 \v 41 We should pray with all our inner beings and lift up our arms
 \q2 toward God in heaven, and say,
 \q1
-\v 42 "We have sinned and rebelled against you,
+\v 42 “We have sinned and rebelled against you,
 \q2 and you have not forgiven us.
 \q1
 \v 43 You have been very angry and chased after us;
@@ -563,18 +563,18 @@
 \q2 and placed a heavy stone over the top of it.
 \q1
 \v 54 The water in the pit rose above my head,
-\q2 and I said to myself, 'I am about to die!'
+\q2 and I said to myself, ‘I am about to die!’
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 55 But from the bottom of the pit I cried out to you,
-\q2 'Yahweh, help me!'
+\q2 ‘Yahweh, help me!’
 \q1
 \v 56 I pleaded with you,
-\q2 'Do not refuse to hear me when I cry out to you!'
+\q2 ‘Do not refuse to hear me when I cry out to you!’
 \q1
 \v 57 Then you answered me
-\q2 and said, 'Do not be afraid!'
+\q2 and said, ‘Do not be afraid!’
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -608,7 +608,7 @@
 \q2 That is why your curse is upon them.
 \q1
 \v 66 Because you are angry with them, pursue them and get rid of them,
-\q2 until none of them remain on the earth."
+\q2 until none of them remain on the earth.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -630,7 +630,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 4 My people's infants' tongues cling to the roofs of their mouths
+\v 4 My people’s infants’ tongues cling to the roofs of their mouths
 \q2 because they are extremely thirsty;
 \q1 the children plead for some food,
 \q2 but no one gives them any.
@@ -654,7 +654,7 @@
 \q1 Their bodies were healthy,
 \q2 pink like coral and brilliant like sapphires.
 \q1
-\v 8 Now our leaders' faces are blacker than soot,
+\v 8 Now our leaders’ faces are blacker than soot,
 \q2 and no one recognizes them when they walk in the streets.
 \q1 Their skin has shriveled and it hangs on their bones,
 \q2 and it has become as dry as a stick of wood.
@@ -695,10 +695,10 @@
 \q2 because their clothes are stained with the blood of those innocent people.
 \q1
 \v 15 These people shouted at the priests and prophets, saying, 
-\q2 "Stay away from us! Do not touch us!"
+\q2 “Stay away from us! Do not touch us!”
 \q1 So the priests and prophets have fled from Israel,
 \q2 and they wander around from one country to another,
-\q2 but people in each country keep saying to them, "You cannot stay here!"
+\q2 but people in each country keep saying to them, “You cannot stay here!”
 
 \s5
 \q1

26-EZK.usfm

@@ -9,9 +9,9 @@
 \s5
 \c 1
 \p
-\v 1-2 "When I, Ezekiel, was thirty years old, I was living among the Israelite people by the Kebar Canal, which was south of Babylon. The Babylonians had taken us from the land of Judah and brought us here. On the fifth day of the fourth month of that year, it was as though the sky opened and I saw visions from God.
-\p The fifth day of the fourth month was almost five years after King Jehoiachin had been exiled."
-\v 3 So God gave Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, messages in Babylonia while he was beside the Kebar Canal. Yahweh's power went to him there.
+\v 1-2 “When I, Ezekiel, was thirty years old, I was living among the Israelite people by the Kebar Canal, which was south of Babylon. The Babylonians had taken us from the land of Judah and brought us here. On the fifth day of the fourth month of that year, it was as though the sky opened and I saw visions from God.
+\p The fifth day of the fourth month was almost five years after King Jehoiachin had been exiled.”
+\v 3 So God gave Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, messages in Babylonia while he was beside the Kebar Canal. Yahweh’s power went to him there.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -26,8 +26,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 Each of the creatures had four faces. In front there was a face that resembled a human face. The face on the right side resembled a lion's face. The face on the left side resembled an ox's face. The face in back resembled an eagle's face.
-\v 11 Two of each creature's wings were lifted up and touched the wings of the creatures that were on either side of it. The other two wings were folded against the creature's body.
+\v 10 Each of the creatures had four faces. In front there was a face that resembled a human face. The face on the right side resembled a lion’s face. The face on the left side resembled an ox’s face. The face in back resembled an eagle’s face.
+\v 11 Two of each creature’s wings were lifted up and touched the wings of the creatures that were on either side of it. The other two wings were folded against the creature’s body.
 \v 12 The creatures went straight ahead in whatever direction the Spirit of God, who controlled them, wanted them to go, without changing directions while they were moving.
 
 \s5
@@ -71,13 +71,13 @@
 \s5
 \c 2
 \p
-\v 1 The voice said to me, "Son of man, stand up while I speak to you."
-\v 2 While he spoke to me, God's Spirit entered me and enabled me to stand up. Then I heard him speak to me.
+\v 1 The voice said to me, “Son of man, stand up while I speak to you.”
+\v 2 While he spoke to me, God’s Spirit entered me and enabled me to stand up. Then I heard him speak to me.
 \p
-\v 3 He said, "Son of man, I will send you to the Israelite people. They are people who have turned away from me and rebelled against me. Their ancestors rebelled against me, and they themselves are still rebelling against me.
+\v 3 He said, “Son of man, I will send you to the Israelite people. They are people who have turned away from me and rebelled against me. Their ancestors rebelled against me, and they themselves are still rebelling against me.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 The people to whom I will send you are very stubborn. But say to them, 'This is what Yahweh the Lord says to you.'
+\v 4 The people to whom I will send you are very stubborn. But say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says to you.’
 \v 5 And when you tell them my messages, perhaps those rebellious people will heed those messages and perhaps they will not heed them; but they will know that a prophet has been among them!
 
 \s5
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 7 Tell them my message, but do not expect them to pay attention to it, because they are very rebellious.
-\v 8 But son of man, you must pay attention to what I say. Do not be rebellious like they are. Now open your mouth and eat what I give to you."
+\v 8 But son of man, you must pay attention to what I say. Do not be rebellious like they are. Now open your mouth and eat what I give to you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -96,26 +96,26 @@
 \s5
 \c 3
 \p
-\v 1 He said to me, "Son of Man, eat this scroll that is in front of you. Then go and speak to the Israelite people."
+\v 1 He said to me, “Son of Man, eat this scroll that is in front of you. Then go and speak to the Israelite people.”
 \v 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat it.
 \p
-\v 3 Then he said to me, "Son of Man, eat the scroll that I have given to you. Fill your stomach with it." So I ate it, and in my mouth it tasted as sweet as honey.
+\v 3 Then he said to me, “Son of Man, eat the scroll that I have given to you. Fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and in my mouth it tasted as sweet as honey.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 Then he said to me, "Son of Man, go to the Israelite people and tell them my message.
+\v 4 Then he said to me, “Son of Man, go to the Israelite people and tell them my message.
 \v 5 The people to whom I am sending you are not people whose language is very difficult to learn, a language which you do not understand. I am sending you to your Israelite people.
 \v 6 I am sending you to people whose language you understand very well. If I were sending you to people whose language was difficult for you to understand, they would pay attention to what you say to them.
 \v 7 But because the Israelite people do not want to listen to me, they will not want to listen to you. They do not want to listen because they are all very rebellious.
 
 \s5
 \v 8 But you—I will enable you to be as stubborn and tough as they are.
-\v 9 I will cause you to be as firm as the hardest stone, like flint. So, even though they are very rebellious people, do not be afraid of them; do not allow them to frighten you."
+\v 9 I will cause you to be as firm as the hardest stone, like flint. So, even though they are very rebellious people, do not be afraid of them; do not allow them to frighten you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 He also said to me, "Son of Man, listen very carefully to what I say, and keep thinking about it.
-\v 11 Go to your fellow Israelites who are here after being exiled, and speak to them. Say to them, 'This is what Yahweh the Lord says' and then tell them my message, whether they want to hear it or whether they would rather cease to exist."
+\v 10 He also said to me, “Son of Man, listen very carefully to what I say, and keep thinking about it.
+\v 11 Go to your fellow Israelites who are here after being exiled, and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says’ and then tell them my message, whether they want to hear it or whether they would rather cease to exist.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -129,34 +129,34 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 16 After those seven days had ended, Yahweh gave me this message:
-\v 17 "Son of Man, I am appointing you to be like a watchman. So listen to these messages that I will give you, and tell them those messages to warn them.
-\v 18 When I say about some wicked people, 'They will surely die because of their sins,' if you do not warn them or tell them that they must turn from their wicked behavior if they want to save their lives, they will die because of their sin, and it will be your responsibility since you did not act to prevent it.
+\v 17 “Son of Man, I am appointing you to be like a watchman. So listen to these messages that I will give you, and tell them those messages to warn them.
+\v 18 When I say about some wicked people, ‘They will surely die because of their sins,’ if you do not warn them or tell them that they must turn from their wicked behavior if they want to save their lives, they will die because of their sin, and it will be your responsibility since you did not act to prevent it.
 \v 19 But if you warn wicked people and they do not turn from all their wicked behavior, they will die because of their sins, but you will have saved yourself from my punishment.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 Similarly, when righteous people turn from their righteous behavior and do evil deeds, and I cause bad things to happen to them, they will die. But you must warn them. If they do not stop their sinful behavior, they will die because of their sins. I will not think about the righteous things that they did previously. But if you have not warned them, I will hold you responsible for their deaths .
-\v 21 But if you warn righteous people not to sin, and they do not sin; they will surely remain alive because they heeded your warning, and you will have saved yourself from my punishment."
+\v 21 But if you warn righteous people not to sin, and they do not sin; they will surely remain alive because they heeded your warning, and you will have saved yourself from my punishment.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 I felt Yahweh take control, and he spoke to me and said, "Get up and go to the plain, and I will speak to you there."
+\v 22 I felt Yahweh take control, and he spoke to me and said, “Get up and go to the plain, and I will speak to you there.”
 \v 23 So I got up and went out to the plain. And I saw the glory of Yahweh there, like the glory that I had seen along the Kebar Canal. And I threw myself flat onto the ground.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 24 Then the Spirit of God entered me and enabled me to stand up. He said to me, "Go into your house and stay inside it.
+\v 24 Then the Spirit of God entered me and enabled me to stand up. He said to me, “Go into your house and stay inside it.
 \v 25 People will tie you with ropes, with the result that you will be unable to go out among the people.
 
 \s5
 \v 26 Even though they are very rebellious people, I will cause your tongue to stick to the roof of your mouth, with the result that you will be unable to talk and to rebuke them.
-\v 27 But then when I speak to you again, I will enable you to talk and tell them 'This is what the Lord Yahweh is saying to you.' The one who wants to hear me will hear me, but the one who ignores the message will come to an end, since they are a rebellious people!"
+\v 27 But then when I speak to you again, I will enable you to talk and tell them ‘This is what the Lord Yahweh is saying to you.’ The one who wants to hear me will hear me, but the one who ignores the message will come to an end, since they are a rebellious people!”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 4
 \p
-\v 1 Yahweh continued and said, "Son of man, take a large clay tablet and scrape lines on it that represent Jerusalem.
+\v 1 Yahweh continued and said, “Son of man, take a large clay tablet and scrape lines on it that represent Jerusalem.
 \v 2 Then draw figures around it to represent enemy soldiers who will build earthworks and forts around the city in order to take it. Set figures around it that represent battering rams.
 \v 3 Then take an iron pan, and place it to be like an iron wall between you and the carving of the city. Then stare at the image of the city. This means that enemy troops will surround the city to attack it. This will be a warning to the Israelite people.
 
@@ -178,25 +178,25 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 12 Eat that bread like you would eat a loaf of barley bread. But use your own dried dung for fuel to bake the bread while people are watching.
-\v 13 That will symbolize that the Israelite people will be forced to eat food that is unacceptable to me when they are living in the nations to which I will force them to go."
+\v 13 That will symbolize that the Israelite people will be forced to eat food that is unacceptable to me when they are living in the nations to which I will force them to go.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Then I said, "No, Lord Yahweh! Do not force me to do that! I have never caused myself to become unacceptable to you. From the time when I was young, I have never eaten meat of any animal that was found dead or that had been killed by wild animals. And I have never eaten any meat that is unacceptable to you."
+\v 14 Then I said, “No, Lord Yahweh! Do not force me to do that! I have never caused myself to become unacceptable to you. From the time when I was young, I have never eaten meat of any animal that was found dead or that had been killed by wild animals. And I have never eaten any meat that is unacceptable to you.”
 \p
-\v 15 Yahweh replied, "Because of that, I will allow you to bake your bread using dried cow manure instead of human dung for fuel."
+\v 15 Yahweh replied, “Because of that, I will allow you to bake your bread using dried cow manure instead of human dung for fuel.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 Then he said to me, "Son of man, I will cause the supply of food to Jerusalem to be cut off. Then the people will eat the small amounts of food and drink the small amounts of water that their leaders permit them to have, and they will be very distressed and anxious as they do that,
-\v 17 because water and food will be very scarce. They will see each other becoming extremely thin, and they will be appalled; but this will happen because they are being punished for the sins that they have committed."
+\v 16 Then he said to me, “Son of man, I will cause the supply of food to Jerusalem to be cut off. Then the people will eat the small amounts of food and drink the small amounts of water that their leaders permit them to have, and they will be very distressed and anxious as they do that,
+\v 17 because water and food will be very scarce. They will see each other becoming extremely thin, and they will be appalled; but this will happen because they are being punished for the sins that they have committed.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 5
 \p
-\v 1 "Then, son of man, when you start doing those things, take a sharp sword and use it like a barber's razor to shave your head and your beard. Put the hair that you shaved off on scales, and divide the hair into three equal parts.
-\v 2 When the time during which you will symbolize that the city will be surrounded by enemy troops ends, put a third of the hair inside the drawing of the city and burn it. Take another third of the hair, scatter it all around the drawing of the city, and then strike it with your sword. That will symbolize that I will strike the people of Jerusalem with their enemies' swords. Then allow the wind to scatter the other third of the hair. That will symbolize that even if they flee from the city, I will still cause their enemies to pursue them and attack them with swords.
+\v 1 “Then, son of man, when you start doing those things, take a sharp sword and use it like a barber’s razor to shave your head and your beard. Put the hair that you shaved off on scales, and divide the hair into three equal parts.
+\v 2 When the time during which you will symbolize that the city will be surrounded by enemy troops ends, put a third of the hair inside the drawing of the city and burn it. Take another third of the hair, scatter it all around the drawing of the city, and then strike it with your sword. That will symbolize that I will strike the people of Jerusalem with their enemies’ swords. Then allow the wind to scatter the other third of the hair. That will symbolize that even if they flee from the city, I will still cause their enemies to pursue them and attack them with swords.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 But take a few your hairs and tie them to your sleeves.
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 11 Therefore, I, Yahweh the Lord, make this declaration! That as surely as I am alive, because you have polluted my temple with all your disgusting idols and with the other awful things that you do, I will no longer bless you. I will not pity you or act mercifully toward you.
-\v 12 One-third of your people will die inside the city because of the plagues they will experience, or by famine. One-third of your people will be killed by your enemies' swords outside the city. And one-third I will scatter in every direction, but your enemies will still pursue you and kill you with their swords.
+\v 12 One-third of your people will die inside the city because of the plagues they will experience, or by famine. One-third of your people will be killed by your enemies’ swords outside the city. And one-third I will scatter in every direction, but your enemies will still pursue you and kill you with their swords.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -230,15 +230,15 @@
 \s5
 \v 15 They will scorn you and taunt you. When I severely punish you because of my great anger, they will be horrified and you will be a warning to them. That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it.
 \v 16 And when I cut off your food supply and cause there to be more famine, it will be as though I am shooting at you with my arrows that will destroy you.
-\v 17 So I will cause you to experience a famine, and I will send wild beasts to attack you and your children, and all your children will be killed. You will experience plagues and wars, and I will cause your enemies to attack you with their swords. That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it."
+\v 17 So I will cause you to experience a famine, and I will send wild beasts to attack you and your children, and all your children will be killed. You will experience plagues and wars, and I will cause your enemies to attack you with their swords. That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 6
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 2 "Son of man, turn toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy about what will happen to them, and say,
-\v 3 'Mountains of Israel, listen to what Yahweh the Lord says to you! He says this to the mountains and the high hills and to the streambeds and the low valleys. He says: I am about to send enemy soldiers with swords to destroy all the hilltops where you worship idols.
+\v 2 “Son of man, turn toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy about what will happen to them, and say,
+\v 3 ‘Mountains of Israel, listen to what Yahweh the Lord says to you! He says this to the mountains and the high hills and to the streambeds and the low valleys. He says: I am about to send enemy soldiers with swords to destroy all the hilltops where you worship idols.
 
 \s5
 \v 4 They will smash all your altars for worshiping idols and your pillars you use for astronomy, and they will kill many Israelite people in front of their idols.
@@ -255,19 +255,19 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 So this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say to you, Ezekiel: Slap your hands and stamp your feet and cry out to show that you are distressed, and groan about what will happen to the Israelite people because of all their wicked and detestable behavior. They will be killed by their enemies' swords, they will die from hunger, and they will die from plagues.
-\v 12 Those who are far from Jerusalem will die from plagues, those who are close to Jerusalem will be killed by their enemies' swords. Those who are still alive after that will die from hunger. That is how I will punish them.
+\v 11 So this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say to you, Ezekiel: Slap your hands and stamp your feet and cry out to show that you are distressed, and groan about what will happen to the Israelite people because of all their wicked and detestable behavior. They will be killed by their enemies’ swords, they will die from hunger, and they will die from plagues.
+\v 12 Those who are far from Jerusalem will die from plagues, those who are close to Jerusalem will be killed by their enemies’ swords. Those who are still alive after that will die from hunger. That is how I will punish them.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 Some of your people's corpses will lie among their idols around their altars, on every high hilltop and on all the mountaintops, under every big tree—at all the places where they burned incense to honor their idols. When this happens you will realize that I, Yahweh, have done this.
-\v 14 For I will display my power and cause every area in which they live in your country to become an empty wasteland, from the desert in the far south to the town of Diblah in the far north. Then they will realize that I, Yahweh, have done this.'"
+\v 13 Some of your people’s corpses will lie among their idols around their altars, on every high hilltop and on all the mountaintops, under every big tree—at all the places where they burned incense to honor their idols. When this happens you will realize that I, Yahweh, have done this.
+\v 14 For I will display my power and cause every area in which they live in your country to become an empty wasteland, from the desert in the far south to the town of Diblah in the far north. Then they will realize that I, Yahweh, have done this.’”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 7
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 2 "You, son of man, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say to the people of Israel: All of Israel, everything within its borders, will soon be destroyed.
+\v 2 “You, son of man, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say to the people of Israel: All of Israel, everything within its borders, will soon be destroyed.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 You people of Israel, the end has come. I will punish you severely. I will judge you for all the wicked things that you have done, and pay you back for your disgusting behavior.
@@ -295,10 +295,10 @@
 \s5
 \v 14 Your commanders will blow trumpets to get the army ready to fight, but no one will respond, because I will be angry at all the people.
 \p
-\v 15 When those things happen, your enemies will be outside the city with their swords, and there will be plagues and famines inside the city. Those who are caught outside of the city in the fields will be killed by their enemies' swords, and those who are in the city will die from famines and plagues.
+\v 15 When those things happen, your enemies will be outside the city with their swords, and there will be plagues and famines inside the city. Those who are caught outside of the city in the fields will be killed by their enemies’ swords, and those who are in the city will die from famines and plagues.
 \v 16 Those who survive and escape will flee to the mountains, and they all will moan because of their sins, as pigeons moan.
 \s5
-\v 17 Because they will be very afraid, all the people's hands will become limp and weak, and their knees will become very weak and unable to hold them up.
+\v 17 Because they will be very afraid, all the people’s hands will become limp and weak, and their knees will become very weak and unable to hold them up.
 \v 18 They will put on clothes made from rough cloth, and they will be terrified. Their faces will show that they are ashamed, and they will shave their heads to show that they are very sad.
 \v 19 They will throw their silver into the streets, and consider their gold the same way they would consider garbage, because they will realize that their silver and gold will not be able to rescue them when Yahweh punishes them. They will not be able to buy food to fill their stomachs, because having a lot of gold and silver has led them to sin.
 
@@ -315,7 +315,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 26 You will experience many disasters, and you will continually hear rumors about disasters that are happening in other places. People will plead with prophets to tell them what visions they have received, but the prophets will not have received any visions. Priests will no longer teach people the laws that I gave to Moses. Even the wise older people will not have any answers.
-\v 27 Your king will mourn, and his son will no longer expect that good things will happen. The hands of people throughout the country will tremble. And I will do to them what they deserve for their wicked behavior. I will judge and condemn them the same way they have judged and condemned others. Then they will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do."
+\v 27 Your king will mourn, and his son will no longer expect that good things will happen. The hands of people throughout the country will tremble. And I will do to them what they deserve for their wicked behavior. I will judge and condemn them the same way they have judged and condemned others. Then they will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -330,16 +330,16 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 God said to me, "Son of man, look toward the north!" So I looked, and I saw at the entrance of the gate near the altar that idol that caused Yahweh to be disgusted and furious.
+\v 5 God said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north!” So I looked, and I saw at the entrance of the gate near the altar that idol that caused Yahweh to be disgusted and furious.
 \p
-\v 6 He said to me, "Son of man, do you see what the Israelite people are doing? They are doing detestable things here, things that will cause me to abandon my temple. But you will see things that are even more detestable."
+\v 6 He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what the Israelite people are doing? They are doing detestable things here, things that will cause me to abandon my temple. But you will see things that are even more detestable.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 Then he brought me to the entrance of the courtyard. I looked and saw a hole in the wall.
-\v 8 He said to me, "Son of man, dig through the wall here." So I dug through the wall, and I saw a doorway inside.
+\v 8 He said to me, “Son of man, dig through the wall here.” So I dug through the wall, and I saw a doorway inside.
 \p
-\v 9 He said to me, "Go in and see the wicked and detestable things that they are doing here!"
+\v 9 He said to me, “Go in and see the wicked and detestable things that they are doing here!”
 
 \s5
 \v 10 So I went in through the doorway and looked, and I saw all over the walls of a big room, drawings of all kinds of creatures that crawl along the ground and other detestable animals, and drawings of all the idols that the people of Israel were worshiping.
@@ -347,13 +347,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 God said to me, "Son of man, look at what the Israelite elders are doing here in the darkness, each of them standing in his rooms with the carved images, worshiping his own idols! They are saying, 'Yahweh does not see us; Yahweh has deserted this country.'"
-\v 13 He also said, "But you will see things that are even more detestable!"
+\v 12 God said to me, “Son of man, look at what the Israelite elders are doing here in the darkness, each of them standing in his rooms with the carved images, worshiping his own idols! They are saying, ‘Yahweh does not see us; Yahweh has deserted this country.’”
+\v 13 He also said, “But you will see things that are even more detestable!”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 14 Then to took me to the entrance at the outer north gate of the temple. I saw women sitting there, mourning for the death of the god of the people of Babylonia, Tammuz.
-\v 15 He said to me, "Son of man, do you see this? And you will see things that are more detestable than this!"
+\v 15 He said to me, “Son of man, do you see this? And you will see things that are more detestable than this!”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -361,56 +361,56 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 He said to me, "Son of man, do you see what they are doing? Do you think that it is not a serious thing that these men of Judah are doing, worshiping these detestable things here? But they are doing other terrible things. They are acting violently throughout their country, and continually provoking my anger. Look at them! They are insulting me by their actions of false worship!
-\v 18 So I will show them that I am very angry. I will not pity them or act mercifully toward them. And even if they shout loudly to me to help them, I will not pay attention to them."
+\v 17 He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing? Do you think that it is not a serious thing that these men of Judah are doing, worshiping these detestable things here? But they are doing other terrible things. They are acting violently throughout their country, and continually provoking my anger. Look at them! They are insulting me by their actions of false worship!
+\v 18 So I will show them that I am very angry. I will not pity them or act mercifully toward them. And even if they shout loudly to me to help them, I will not pay attention to them.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 9
 \p
-\v 1 Then Yahwehed call out loudly, "You men who are going to punish this city, bring your tools of destruction here."
+\v 1 Then Yahwehed call out loudly, “You men who are going to punish this city, bring your tools of destruction here.”
 \v 2 Then I saw six men coming from the north gate of the temple. Each one was carrying a weapon. With them was a man wearing a white linen robe. He carried at his side a case containing things to write with. They all came in and stood beside the bronze altar.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 3 Then the glory that symbolized the presence of the God of Israel rose up from above the four winged creatures and moved to the entrance of the temple, and Yahweh called to the man wearing the linen robe,
-\v 4 and said to him, "Go throughout Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who are very sad because of the detestable things that are being done inside the city."
+\v 4 and said to him, “Go throughout Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who are very sad because of the detestable things that are being done inside the city.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 While I was listening, he said to the other six men, "Follow the man wearing the white robe, and kill people. Do not pity them or act mercifully toward them.
-\v 6 Slaughter old men, young men and women, older women and children; but do not harm any of those who have that mark on their forehead. Start at my temple." So they began by killing the elders who were worshiping idols in front of the temple.
+\v 5 While I was listening, he said to the other six men, “Follow the man wearing the white robe, and kill people. Do not pity them or act mercifully toward them.
+\v 6 Slaughter old men, young men and women, older women and children; but do not harm any of those who have that mark on their forehead. Start at my temple.” So they began by killing the elders who were worshiping idols in front of the temple.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 Then Yahweh said to those men, "Pollute the temple by filling the courtyard with the corpses of those whom you kill! Start now!" So they went out and starting killing people throughout the city.
-\v 8 While they were doing that, I was left alone. I prostrated myself on the ground and cried out, "Yahweh my Lord, are you going to get rid of all the other people of Israel who are still alive, while you are severely punishing the people of Jerusalem?"
+\v 7 Then Yahweh said to those men, “Pollute the temple by filling the courtyard with the corpses of those whom you kill! Start now!” So they went out and starting killing people throughout the city.
+\v 8 While they were doing that, I was left alone. I prostrated myself on the ground and cried out, “Yahweh my Lord, are you going to get rid of all the other people of Israel who are still alive, while you are severely punishing the people of Jerusalem?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 He replied, "The sins of the people are numerous and severe! There is murder everywhere in this country, and this city is full of people who act unjustly. They say, 'Yahweh has abandoned this country, and he does not see what we are doing.'
-\v 10 So I will not pity them or act mercifully toward them. I will do to them the evil things that they have done to other people."
+\v 9 He replied, “The sins of the people are numerous and severe! There is murder everywhere in this country, and this city is full of people who act unjustly. They say, ‘Yahweh has abandoned this country, and he does not see what we are doing.’
+\v 10 So I will not pity them or act mercifully toward them. I will do to them the evil things that they have done to other people.”
 \p
-\v 11 Then the man wearing the linen robe returned, saying, "I have done what you commanded me to do."
+\v 11 Then the man wearing the linen robe returned, saying, “I have done what you commanded me to do.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 10
 \p
 \v 1 Then I saw what resembled a throne made of sapphire above the thing that resembled a dome that was above the heads of the four winged creatures.
-\v 2 Yahweh said to the man wearing the linen robe, "Go between the wheels that are under the winged creatures. Pick up as many hot coals as you can, and scatter them over the city." And while I watched, the man wearing the white robe left.
+\v 2 Yahweh said to the man wearing the linen robe, “Go between the wheels that are under the winged creatures. Pick up as many hot coals as you can, and scatter them over the city.” And while I watched, the man wearing the white robe left.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 3 The four winged creatures were standing on the south side of the temple when the man wearing the white robe entered. Then a cloud filled the inner courtyard of the temple.
-\v 4 And the glory of Yahweh went up from directly over the winged creatures and stood over the doorway of the temple. It filled the entire temple with a cloud and everything in the courtyard was bright because of Yahweh's glorious presence.
+\v 4 And the glory of Yahweh went up from directly over the winged creatures and stood over the doorway of the temple. It filled the entire temple with a cloud and everything in the courtyard was bright because of Yahweh’s glorious presence.
 \v 5 I also heard the sound made by the wings of the winged creatures in the courtyard outside the temple. It was very loud, like the voice of Almighty God when he speaks.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 When Yahweh commanded the man wearing the linen robe to take burning coals from among those winged creatures, the man went into the courtyard and stood beside one of the wheels.
 \v 7 Then one of those winged creatures reached out his hand to the fire that was there among them. He picked up some of the coals and put them in the hands of the man wearing the linen robe, and that man took them and left.
-\v 8 Under the wings of the winged creatures was something that resembled a human's hands.
+\v 8 Under the wings of the winged creatures was something that resembled a human’s hands.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -420,7 +420,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 12 Their bodies, including their backs and hands and wings, were covered with eyes. The wheels were also covered with eyes.
-\v 13 I heard someone call them 'the whirling wheels.'
+\v 13 I heard someone call them ‘the whirling wheels.’
 \v 14 Each of the winged creatures had four faces. One face was like the face of a bull, one face was like the face of a human, one face was like the face of a lion, and one face was like the face of an eagle.
 
 \s5
@@ -437,57 +437,57 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 These were the same four living creatures that I had seen alongside the Kebar Canal, and I realized that they were the winged creatures.
-\v 21 Each of them had four faces and four wings, and under their wings was what resembled a human's hands.
+\v 21 Each of them had four faces and four wings, and under their wings was what resembled a human’s hands.
 \v 22 Their faces were the same as the faces that I had seen at the Kebar Canal. Each of them flew straight ahead.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 11
 \p
-\v 1 Then God's Spirit lifted me up and took me to the gate on the east side of the temple. There at the gate were twenty-five men. Among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur, and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, who were leaders of the people.
+\v 1 Then God’s Spirit lifted me up and took me to the gate on the east side of the temple. There at the gate were twenty-five men. Among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur, and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, who were leaders of the people.
 
 \s5
-\v 2 Yahweh said to me, "Son of man, these are the new leaders in Jerusalem who are planning to do evil things and who are giving wicked advice to people in this city.
-\v 3 They say, 'It is not the time to build houses yet, but just as pieces of meat are carefully stored in covered pots we will be protected from the bad things that will happen to others.'
-\v 4 So, son of man, prophesy about the terrible things that will happen to them."
+\v 2 Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, these are the new leaders in Jerusalem who are planning to do evil things and who are giving wicked advice to people in this city.
+\v 3 They say, ‘It is not the time to build houses yet, but just as pieces of meat are carefully stored in covered pots we will be protected from the bad things that will happen to others.’
+\v 4 So, son of man, prophesy about the terrible things that will happen to them.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 Then the Spirit of Yahweh came upon me and told me to say to the people, "This is what Yahweh says, 'You Israelite people say those things, and I know what you are thinking.
+\v 5 Then the Spirit of Yahweh came upon me and told me to say to the people, “This is what Yahweh says, ‘You Israelite people say those things, and I know what you are thinking.
 \v 6 You have killed many people in this city and filled the streets with their corpses.
 \p
-\v 7 Therefore this is what Yahweh the Lord says, 'The corpses of the people whom you have killed here are like the meat and Jerusalem is the cauldron, but I will expel you people from this city!
+\v 7 Therefore this is what Yahweh the Lord says, ‘The corpses of the people whom you have killed here are like the meat and Jerusalem is the cauldron, but I will expel you people from this city!
 
 \s5
-\v 8 You are afraid of being killed by enemies' swords, so that is what I will cause to happen to you.
+\v 8 You are afraid of being killed by enemies’ swords, so that is what I will cause to happen to you.
 \v 9 I will expel you from this city and enable foreigners to capture you and punish you.
 \v 10 They will kill you with their swords; you will be punished right here in Israel! Then people will realize that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.
 
 \s5
 \v 11 This city will not be a place were you will be protected like meat in a covered pot. I will punish you wherever you are in Israel.
-\v 12 Then you will know that I, Yahweh, have predicted that would happen, because you have not obeyed my commands and decrees; instead, you have imitated the wicked behavior of the people of the nearby nations."
+\v 12 Then you will know that I, Yahweh, have predicted that would happen, because you have not obeyed my commands and decrees; instead, you have imitated the wicked behavior of the people of the nearby nations.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 While I was prophesying that, Pelatiah son of Benaiah suddenly died. Then I prostrated myself on the ground and cried out loudly, "Yahweh my Lord, are you going to similarly get rid of all the Israelite people who are still alive?"
+\v 13 While I was prophesying that, Pelatiah son of Benaiah suddenly died. Then I prostrated myself on the ground and cried out loudly, “Yahweh my Lord, are you going to similarly get rid of all the Israelite people who are still alive?”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 14 Then Yahweh gave me this message,
-\v 15 "Son of man, the people who are still in Jerusalem are talking about your relatives, your clan, and all the rest of the Israelites who were exiled and saying, 'They are in Babylonia, far from Yahweh. They have left their property here in Israel, so their property now belongs to us!'"
+\v 15 “Son of man, the people who are still in Jerusalem are talking about your relatives, your clan, and all the rest of the Israelites who were exiled and saying, ‘They are in Babylonia, far from Yahweh. They have left their property here in Israel, so their property now belongs to us!’”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 So tell them, "This is what Yahweh the Lord says: Although I caused them to be taken far away from Israel and scattered them among other nations, for a short time I have become a sanctuary for them in the countries to which they have been taken."
+\v 16 So tell them, “This is what Yahweh the Lord says: Although I caused them to be taken far away from Israel and scattered them among other nations, for a short time I have become a sanctuary for them in the countries to which they have been taken.”
 \p
-\v 17 So also tell them, "This is what Yahweh the Lord says: Some day I will gather you from the nations to which you have been taken and bring you back to Israel, and you will live in your country again.
+\v 17 So also tell them, “This is what Yahweh the Lord says: Some day I will gather you from the nations to which you have been taken and bring you back to Israel, and you will live in your country again.
 \p
 \v 18 When you return to your country, you will get rid of all the vile statues of gods and detestable idols.
 
 \s5
 \v 19 I will give you Israelistes one new heart and I will give you a new way of thinking when you return to Israel. You will not be stubborn, but will be obedient.
 \v 20 When I do that, you will carefully obey all my laws. You will be my people, and I will be your God.
-\v 21 But as for those who are devoted to worshiping their vile statues and detestable idols, I will punish them as they deserve for the evil things that they have done." This is what Yahweh declared.
+\v 21 But as for those who are devoted to worshiping their vile statues and detestable idols, I will punish them as they deserve for the evil things that they have done.” This is what Yahweh declared.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -495,7 +495,7 @@
 \v 23 That light went up away from the city and stopped above the mountain to the east of the city.
 
 \s5
-\v 24 In the vision that I had been seeing, God's Spirit lifted me up and brought me back to the exiles in Babylon. Then the vision ended,
+\v 24 In the vision that I had been seeing, God’s Spirit lifted me up and brought me back to the exiles in Babylon. Then the vision ended,
 \v 25 and I told the exiles everything that Yahweh had shown me in the vision.
 
 
@@ -503,7 +503,7 @@
 \c 12
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 2 "Son of man, you are living among people who are very rebellious. They have eyes, but they do not see what I want them to see; they have ears, but they do not listen to what I want them to hear, because they are such a rebellious people.
+\v 2 “Son of man, you are living among people who are very rebellious. They have eyes, but they do not see what I want them to see; they have ears, but they do not listen to what I want them to hear, because they are such a rebellious people.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -512,7 +512,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 4 During the daytime, while they are watching, bring out the things that you want to take, and pack them. Then in the evening, while they are watching, do what those who are preparing to go into exile do.
 \v 5 Dig through the city wall and take your things through the hole.
-\v 6 Put them in a sack on your shoulder while they are watching, and leave when it becomes dark. Cover your face so you cannot see the path. I want you to do this because I want you to warn the Israelite people."
+\v 6 Put them in a sack on your shoulder while they are watching, and leave when it becomes dark. Cover your face so you cannot see the path. I want you to do this because I want you to warn the Israelite people.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -521,12 +521,12 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 The next morning, Yahweh gave me this message,
-\v 9 "Son of man, did the rebellious people of Israel not ask you, 'What are you doing?'
+\v 9 “Son of man, did the rebellious people of Israel not ask you, ‘What are you doing?’
 \p
-\v 10 So go back and say to them, 'What I did is about the king in Jerusalem and all the other people of Israel who are there.'
+\v 10 So go back and say to them, ‘What I did is about the king in Jerusalem and all the other people of Israel who are there.’
 
 \s5
-\v 11 Tell them, 'What I did is a warning to you. What I did in front of you, they are going to have to do. They will be captured and forced to go to another country.
+\v 11 Tell them, ‘What I did is a warning to you. What I did in front of you, they are going to have to do. They will be captured and forced to go to another country.
 \v 12 Their king will put his belongings on his shoulder when it becomes dark and he will try to escape. His servants will dig a hole through the city wall, and he will take his belongings through it. He will cover his face so others will not recognize him and he will not be able to see the land.
 \v 13 But it will be as though I will spread a net for him to be captured; enemy soldiers will capture him, blind him, and take him to the city of Babylon where the Chaldean people live. But he will not be able to see it because he will be blind; and there he will die.
 
@@ -534,47 +534,47 @@
 \v 14 I will scatter all those who have been around him—his advisors and his soldiers—in every direction; and I will cause his enemies to pursue them, with their swords ready to strike them.
 \p
 \v 15 Then, when I scatter them among many nations, they will know that I, Yahweh have the power to do what I say that I will do.
-\v 16 But I will spare some of them from being killed by the sword, or starving to death, or dying of disease so they can record that they have been doing disgusting things, and they will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do."
+\v 16 But I will spare some of them from being killed by the sword, or starving to death, or dying of disease so they can record that they have been doing disgusting things, and they will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 Then Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 18 "Son of man, tremble while you eat your food, and shudder fearfully while you drink your water.
+\v 18 “Son of man, tremble while you eat your food, and shudder fearfully while you drink your water.
 
 \s5
-\v 19 Tell this to the Israelite people: 'This is what Yahweh the Lord says about those who are still living in Jerusalem and in other places in Israel. They also will be very anxious while they eat their food and drink their water, because their country will soon have everything taken away. That will happen because the people who live there continually act very violently.
-\v 20 The towns where people live will be devastated, and the land will become barren. Then you people will know that it is I, Yahweh, who have the power to do what I say that I will do.'"
+\v 19 Tell this to the Israelite people: ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says about those who are still living in Jerusalem and in other places in Israel. They also will be very anxious while they eat their food and drink their water, because their country will soon have everything taken away. That will happen because the people who live there continually act very violently.
+\v 20 The towns where people live will be devastated, and the land will become barren. Then you people will know that it is I, Yahweh, who have the power to do what I say that I will do.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 21 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 22 "Son of man, the people in Israel have this proverb that says, 'The days keep passing, and what the prophets predict never happens.'
-\v 23 So say to them, 'This is what Yahweh the Lord says: I am going to prove that what they say is not correct, and then they will never say it again in Israel.' Tell them, 'It will soon be the time when everything that the prophets predict will happen.'
+\v 22 “Son of man, the people in Israel have this proverb that says, ‘The days keep passing, and what the prophets predict never happens.’
+\v 23 So say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: I am going to prove that what they say is not correct, and then they will never say it again in Israel.’ Tell them, ‘It will soon be the time when everything that the prophets predict will happen.’
 
 \s5
 \v 24 No longer will prophets tell the Israelite people false visions, or tell people prophecies just to please them.
-\v 25 Instead, I, Yahweh, will say what I want to tell the people, and what I predict will quickly happen. You rebellious people, I will cause to happen everything that I say will happen. That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say.'"
+\v 25 Instead, I, Yahweh, will say what I want to tell the people, and what I predict will quickly happen. You rebellious people, I will cause to happen everything that I say will happen. That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 26 Yahweh also gave me this message. He said,
-\v 27 "Son of man, the Israelite people are constantly saying about you, 'The things that he sees in visions will not happen soon. They are about things that will happen many years from now, far in the future.'
+\v 27 “Son of man, the Israelite people are constantly saying about you, ‘The things that he sees in visions will not happen soon. They are about things that will happen many years from now, far in the future.’
 \p
-\v 28 Therefore say to them, 'This is what Yahweh the Lord says: I will no longer delay causing to happen any of the things that I have prophesied. Whatever I have predicted will soon happen.'"
+\v 28 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: I will no longer delay causing to happen any of the things that I have prophesied. Whatever I have predicted will soon happen.’”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 13
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 2 "Son of man, prophesy a warning against the prophets in Israel who are prophesying. Some of them are prophesying things that they themselves have imagined. Say to them, 'Listen to what Yahweh says!
-\v 3 He says, "Terrible things will happen to those wicked prophets who proclaim their own ideas and have not seen any visions from me.
-\v 4 You Israelite people, your prophets are like jackals in the desert, they are scavengers feeding off of others' loss.
+\v 2 “Son of man, prophesy a warning against the prophets in Israel who are prophesying. Some of them are prophesying things that they themselves have imagined. Say to them, ‘Listen to what Yahweh says!
+\v 3 He says, “Terrible things will happen to those wicked prophets who proclaim their own ideas and have not seen any visions from me.
+\v 4 You Israelite people, your prophets are like jackals in the desert, they are scavengers feeding off of others’ loss.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 Because you were listening to them, you have not repaired breeches or strengthened your walls. That needs to be done so that the walls will be strong when I, Yahweh, send your enemies to attack you.
-\v 6 The visions and prophecies of those prophets are false. They say, 'Yahweh told me this.' I have not sent them to you to be my prophets, but you expect that what they prophesy will truly happen!
-\v 7 They say that they have seen visions, but those visions are false, and the things that they prophesy are lies. They say, 'Yahweh told me this,' but I have told them nothing!
+\v 6 The visions and prophecies of those prophets are false. They say, ‘Yahweh told me this.’ I have not sent them to you to be my prophets, but you expect that what they prophesy will truly happen!
+\v 7 They say that they have seen visions, but those visions are false, and the things that they prophesy are lies. They say, ‘Yahweh told me this,’ but I have told them nothing!
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -583,9 +583,9 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 They deceive my people, saying "Things will go well for us" when things will not go well. It is like they want to make people think that there is a very strong wall when it is not strong.
+\v 10 They deceive my people, saying “Things will go well for us” when things will not go well. It is like they want to make people think that there is a very strong wall when it is not strong.
 \v 11 So, tell those prophets who cover the wall with whitewash that the wall will surely fall down. It will rain very hard. I will send big hailstones to fall. Very strong winds will blow against it.
-\v 12 When the wall falls down, the people will certainly say to those prophets, "The white paint certainly did not make the wall strong!"
+\v 12 When the wall falls down, the people will certainly say to those prophets, “The white paint certainly did not make the wall strong!”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -593,25 +593,25 @@
 \v 14 The false prophecies of your prophets are like a wall that they have covered with whitewash, but I will break it down, and shatter it down to the ground, with the result that people can see its foundations. When the wall collapses you also will be killed, and everyone will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.
 
 \s5
-\v 15 In that way I will show that I am very angry with the wall and with those who covered it with whitewash. And I will say, "The wall is gone and those who whitewashed it have been killed."
-\v 16 Those are the prophets who prophesied that things would go well for the people in Jerusalem, when things would not go well for them.'
+\v 15 In that way I will show that I am very angry with the wall and with those who covered it with whitewash. And I will say, “The wall is gone and those who whitewashed it have been killed.”
+\v 16 Those are the prophets who prophesied that things would go well for the people in Jerusalem, when things would not go well for them.’
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 So you, son of man, show that you are angry with the women of Jerusalem who prophesy things that they themselves have imagined, and speak true prophesy against them.
-\v 18 Tell them, 'This is what Yahweh the Lord says: Terrible things will happen to you women who fasten magic charms on your wrists and make veils of various sizes to put on your heads in order to deceive the people. You think that you will deceive others by telling them that you know what will happen in the future, and you will save your own lives.
+\v 18 Tell them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: Terrible things will happen to you women who fasten magic charms on your wrists and make veils of various sizes to put on your heads in order to deceive the people. You think that you will deceive others by telling them that you know what will happen in the future, and you will save your own lives.
 
 \s5
-\v 19 You dishonored me by telling lies in order to get from my people a few handfuls of barley and a few pieces of bread. My people listen to lies; and you women who are lying to them have caused people who did not deserve to die to be killed, and have spared those who should not continue to live.'
+\v 19 You dishonored me by telling lies in order to get from my people a few handfuls of barley and a few pieces of bread. My people listen to lies; and you women who are lying to them have caused people who did not deserve to die to be killed, and have spared those who should not continue to live.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Therefore, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say to those women: 'I detest your magic charms by which you deceive people like other people trap birds. I will tear those charms off your wrists, and I will cause the people whom you have deceived to no longer be deceived by you.
+\v 20 Therefore, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say to those women: ‘I detest your magic charms by which you deceive people like other people trap birds. I will tear those charms off your wrists, and I will cause the people whom you have deceived to no longer be deceived by you.
 \v 21 I will also tear off your veils and rescue my people from continuing to be deceived by you, and they will no longer be under your control. Then you will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.
 
 \s5
 \v 22 You have discouraged righteous people by telling them lies when I did not do things to cause them to be sad. And you have encouraged wicked people to keep on doing their wicked behavior; if they had turned away from it, they would have continued to live.
-\v 23 Therefore, you will no longer falsely say that you have seen visions or tell people what will happen in the future in order to please them. I will rescue my people from being deceived by you. And then you will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.'"
+\v 23 Therefore, you will no longer falsely say that you have seen visions or tell people what will happen in the future in order to please them. I will rescue my people from being deceived by you. And then you will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.’”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -619,15 +619,15 @@
 \p
 \v 1 One day some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me.
 \v 2 Then Yahweh gave me this message:
-\v 3 "Son of man, these men worship idols, and they are allowing idols to induce them to sin. So should I answer them if they ask me for advice?
+\v 3 “Son of man, these men worship idols, and they are allowing idols to induce them to sin. So should I answer them if they ask me for advice?
 
 \s5
-\v 4 But say this to them: 'This is what Yahweh the Lord says: When any Israelite person wants to worship idols that will induce him to sin, and goes to a prophet to get advice, I, Yahweh, will give him the same answer that they deserve to receive because they worship idols.
-\v 5 I will do this so the Israelite people, who have abandoned me in order to worship their idols, will sincerely worship me again.'
+\v 4 But say this to them: ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: When any Israelite person wants to worship idols that will induce him to sin, and goes to a prophet to get advice, I, Yahweh, will give him the same answer that they deserve to receive because they worship idols.
+\v 5 I will do this so the Israelite people, who have abandoned me in order to worship their idols, will sincerely worship me again.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Therefore, say to the Israelite people, 'This is what Yahweh the Lord says: Repent! Stop worshiping your idols, and stop all your other detestable behavior!'
+\v 6 Therefore, say to the Israelite people, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: Repent! Stop worshiping your idols, and stop all your other detestable behavior!’
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -638,12 +638,12 @@
 \p
 \v 9 And if a prophet is deceived and gives a false prophecy, even though I have allowed him to give that message, I will get rid of him and remove him from among my Israelite people.
 \v 10 Both the prophet and the one who asks him for advice will be guilty, and I will punish both of them.
-\v 11 Then the Israelite people will no longer abandon me, and they will no longer become unacceptable to me because of their sins. They will be my people, and I will be their God. That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say."
+\v 11 Then the Israelite people will no longer abandon me, and they will no longer become unacceptable to me because of their sins. They will be my people, and I will be their God. That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 13 "You human, if the people of some country sin against me by abandoning me, and I punish them by cutting off their food supply and by sending a famine so that people and animals die,
+\v 13 “You human, if the people of some country sin against me by abandoning me, and I punish them by cutting off their food supply and by sending a famine so that people and animals die,
 \v 14 even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were there, they would save only themselves because of their being righteous. That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, declare.
 
 \s5
@@ -667,14 +667,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 22 But some of your people will remain alive, both adults and children. They will come to you, Ezekiel. And when you see their disgusting behavior and actions, you will realize that I had good reasons for causing the people of Jerusalem to experience those many great disasters that I have sent to them.
-\v 23 When you see those things that they do, you will know that there were very good reasons for me to do everything that I caused to happen to them. That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, declare."
+\v 23 When you see those things that they do, you will know that there were very good reasons for me to do everything that I caused to happen to them. That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, declare.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 15
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 2 "Son of man, the wood of a grapevine is certainly not more useful than the branches of the trees in a forest.
+\v 2 “Son of man, the wood of a grapevine is certainly not more useful than the branches of the trees in a forest.
 \v 3 No one even makes pegs from it to hang things on.
 \v 4 And after a branch of a grapevine is thrown into a fire and the fire burns both ends and chars the branch in the middle, after that will it be useful for anything?
 
@@ -685,15 +685,15 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 7 I will reject them. It will be as though they have escaped from a fire, but there will still be a fire that will burn them up. And when I punish them, you people who remain alive will know that I, Yahweh, have done it.
-\v 8 I will cause your country to become a wasteland because your people have not been loyal to me. That is what I, Yahweh, the Lord, say."
+\v 8 I will cause your country to become a wasteland because your people have not been loyal to me. That is what I, Yahweh, the Lord, say.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 16
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 2 "Son of man, inform the people of Jerusalem about their detestable behavior.
-\v 3 Say to them, 'This is what Yahweh the Lord says to you people of Jerusalem: It is as though you are a woman whose father belonged to the Amor people group and your mother belonged to the Heth people group.
+\v 2 “Son of man, inform the people of Jerusalem about their detestable behavior.
+\v 3 Say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says to you people of Jerusalem: It is as though you are a woman whose father belonged to the Amor people group and your mother belonged to the Heth people group.
 
 \s5
 \v 4 It is as though on the day that you were born, your umbilical cord was not cut, and your body was not washed in water or rubbed with salt and wrapped in strips of cloth, like Israelite babies always are.
@@ -701,13 +701,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Then it was as though I passed by and saw you lying in your own blood and kicking. And while you lay there kicking in your own blood, I said to you, "I want you to remain alive!"
+\v 6 Then it was as though I passed by and saw you lying in your own blood and kicking. And while you lay there kicking in your own blood, I said to you, “I want you to remain alive!”
 \v 7 It was as though I caused you to grow up, like plants in the field grow; you grew up and became tall and became like the most precious jewel of all. You developed into a beautiful woman, but you were still completely naked.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 When I saw you several years later, it was as though I spread the cloth of my robe over you to symbolize that I would marry you, with the result that you were no longer naked. I solemnly promised that I would marry you and made a marriage agreement with you, and you became my wife.' That is what Yahweh the Lord says.
+\v 8 When I saw you several years later, it was as though I spread the cloth of my robe over you to symbolize that I would marry you, with the result that you were no longer naked. I solemnly promised that I would marry you and made a marriage agreement with you, and you became my wife.’ That is what Yahweh the Lord says.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -783,7 +783,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 44 People who like to quote proverbs will quote this proverb about you: 'Daughters behave like their mothers behave.'
+\v 44 People who like to quote proverbs will quote this proverb about you: ‘Daughters behave like their mothers behave.’
 \v 45 You are like your mother; it was as though she detested her husband and her children. You are like your sisters, who also despised their husbands and their children. It was as though your father belonged to the Amor people group and your mother belonged to the Heth people group.
 
 \s5
@@ -823,15 +823,15 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 62 I will establish my agreement with you, and you will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.
-\v 63 Then when I have forgiven you for all your sins, you will think about all the sins that you committed and you will be ashamed. You will never again boast about them, because you will be humiliated." I, the Lord Yahweh, have said so!' This is the Lord Yahweh's declaration."
+\v 63 Then when I have forgiven you for all your sins, you will think about all the sins that you committed and you will be ashamed. You will never again boast about them, because you will be humiliated.” I, the Lord Yahweh, have said so!’ This is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 17
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 2 "Son of man, tell this story as an illustration to the people of Israel.
-\v 3 Say to them, 'This is what Yahweh the Lord says: A huge eagle that had strong wings and long beautiful feathers of many colors flew to Lebanon. It grasped the top of a cedar tree
+\v 2 “Son of man, tell this story as an illustration to the people of Israel.
+\v 3 Say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: A huge eagle that had strong wings and long beautiful feathers of many colors flew to Lebanon. It grasped the top of a cedar tree
 \v 4 and broke it off. Then the eagle carried it away to Canaan, a country that had many merchants, and planted it in one of the cities there.
 
 \s5
@@ -842,20 +842,20 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 But there was another huge eagle that had strong wings and beautiful feathers. And some of the roots of the vine grew toward that eagle, and its branches also turned toward it, hoping that the eagle would bring more water to it.
-\v 8 That happened in spite of the fact that the vine had been planted in good soil, where there was plenty of water, with the result that it had produced branches and produced grapes and had become a very healthy vine.'
+\v 8 That happened in spite of the fact that the vine had been planted in good soil, where there was plenty of water, with the result that it had produced branches and produced grapes and had become a very healthy vine.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 Then after you have told that to the people, say to them, 'This is what Yahweh the Lord says: That vine will certainly not remain healthy. It will be pulled up by its roots by the eagle that planted it, and all its fruit will be stripped off and its leaves will wither. And it will not need someone with strong arms or many people to pull it out by its roots.
-\v 10 Even if that vine is transplanted, it certainly will not continue to grow. When the hot wind from the east blows against it, it will completely wither, there where it was planted!'"
+\v 9 Then after you have told that to the people, say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: That vine will certainly not remain healthy. It will be pulled up by its roots by the eagle that planted it, and all its fruit will be stripped off and its leaves will wither. And it will not need someone with strong arms or many people to pull it out by its roots.
+\v 10 Even if that vine is transplanted, it certainly will not continue to grow. When the hot wind from the east blows against it, it will completely wither, there where it was planted!’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 11 Then Yahweh gave this message to me:
-\v 12 "Ask these rebellious Israelite people, 'Do you know what this parable means?' Tell them that it signifies that the king of Babylon went to Jerusalem with his army and captured the king of Judah and his officials, and took them back to Babylon.
+\v 12 “Ask these rebellious Israelite people, ‘Do you know what this parable means?’ Tell them that it signifies that the king of Babylon went to Jerusalem with his army and captured the king of Judah and his officials, and took them back to Babylon.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 Then he took one of the king's close relatives, appointed one of them as king, and made an agreement with him, forcing him to solemnly promise to remain loyal. The king of Babylon also took to Babylon the other important citizens of Judah,
+\v 13 Then he took one of the king’s close relatives, appointed one of them as king, and made an agreement with him, forcing him to solemnly promise to remain loyal. The king of Babylon also took to Babylon the other important citizens of Judah,
 \v 14 in order that the kingdom of Judah would not be able to become powerful again. The king of Babylon intended that the kingdom of Judah would not continue to exist if the people did not obey that agreement that he made with the king of Babylon.
 
 \s5
@@ -871,25 +871,25 @@
 \p
 \v 19 Therefore this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: Just as surely as I am alive, I will cause the king of Judah to be punished for ignoring the solemn agreement that he made with the king of Babylon and then refusing to obey it, since this violates what I expect.
 \v 20 It will be as though I will spread a net to capture him, and he will be caught in it. He will be captured and taken to Babylon and punished because he rebelled against me.
-\v 21 Most of his soldiers who try to escape will be killed by their enemies' swords, and those who survive will be scattered in all directions. Then you will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do."
+\v 21 Most of his soldiers who try to escape will be killed by their enemies’ swords, and those who survive will be scattered in all directions. Then you will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 This is also what Yahweh the Lord says: "It will be as though I will take a shoot from the top of a very tall cedar tree and plant it in another place. I will plant it on a very high mountain.
+\v 22 This is also what Yahweh the Lord says: “It will be as though I will take a shoot from the top of a very tall cedar tree and plant it in another place. I will plant it on a very high mountain.
 \v 23 It will be as though I will plant it on a mountain in Israel, and it will grow and become a beautiful cedar tree. Many kinds of birds will make their nests in the tree, and they will have shade in its branches.
 
 \s5
 \v 24 And it will be as though all the trees in the field will know that I, Yahweh, get rid of tall trees and will make little ones grow. I cause big green trees to wither, and I cause dry trees to become green.
-\p I, Yahweh have said this, and I will certainly do what I have said that I will do."
+\p I, Yahweh have said this, and I will certainly do what I have said that I will do.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 18
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 2 "You people quote this proverb and say that it is about Israel:
-\q1 'Parents eat sour grapes,
-\q2 but it is their children who have a very sour taste in their mouths.'
+\v 2 “You people quote this proverb and say that it is about Israel:
+\q1 ‘Parents eat sour grapes,
+\q2 but it is their children who have a very sour taste in their mouths.’
 \p This means that you think that you must suffer for the sins that your ancestors committed.
 
 \s5
@@ -904,7 +904,7 @@
 \q1
 \v 6 He does not eat meat sacrificed to idols on the hilltops;
 \q2 he does not request help from idols as the rest of Israel has been doing.
-\q1 He does not sleep with someone else's wife
+\q1 He does not sleep with someone else’s wife
 \q2 or with a woman during her monthly menstrual period.
 
 \s5
@@ -932,7 +932,7 @@
 \v 10 But suppose that man has a son who acts violently, who murders people and does any of these other things, even though his father has not done any of them.
 \q
 \v 11 He eats meat sacrificed to idols on the hilltops.
-\q1 He sleeps with other people's wives.
+\q1 He sleeps with other people’s wives.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -951,7 +951,7 @@
 \q1
 \v 15 The son does not eat meat sacrificed to idols on the hilltops.
 \q2 He does not request help from idols.
-\q1 He does not sleep with other people's wives.
+\q1 He does not sleep with other people’s wives.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -964,14 +964,14 @@
 \v 17 He does not commit sins, unlike his father,
 \q2 and does not charge interest when he lends money.
 \q1 He faithfully obeys all my laws.
-\m I will make sure that that person does not die for his father's sins; he will certainly stay alive.
+\m I will make sure that that person does not die for his father’s sins; he will certainly stay alive.
 
 \s5
 \v 18 But I will ensure that his father will die for the sins that he committed, because the father cheated and robbed people, and did other things that are evil.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 If you ask, 'Why should the man's son not suffer for the evil things that his father did?', I will answer that the son has done what is fair and right and has obeyed all my laws, so he will surely remain alive.
+\v 19 If you ask, ‘Why should the man’s son not suffer for the evil things that his father did?’, I will answer that the son has done what is fair and right and has obeyed all my laws, so he will surely remain alive.
 \v 20 It is those who sin who will die because of their sins. I will not punish people because their parents have sinned, or because their children have sinned. I will reward people who live rightly, and I will punish the wicked people, those who live wrongly.
 
 \s5
@@ -1002,15 +1002,15 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 31 Stop doing wicked things; start thinking in a new way. You Israelite people, do you really want me to kill you because you have sinned?
-\v 32 I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that I am not pleased if you die. So turn away from your sins and stay alive!"
+\v 32 I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that I am not pleased if you die. So turn away from your sins and stay alive!”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 19
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh said to me,
-\v 2 "Ezekiel, sing a sad funeral song which will be a parable about the leaders of Israel. Say to the Israelite people,
-\q1 'It is as though your mother had been a brave female lion
+\v 2 “Ezekiel, sing a sad funeral song which will be a parable about the leaders of Israel. Say to the Israelite people,
+\q1 ‘It is as though your mother had been a brave female lion
 \q2 who raised her cubs among other lions.
 \q1
 \v 3 She taught one of them to hunt for other animals to kill,
@@ -1031,7 +1031,7 @@
 \v 6 He hunted along with other lions for animals to kill,
 \q2 and he even learned to kill and eat people.
 \q1
-\v 7 He mistreated his victims' widows,
+\v 7 He mistreated his victims’ widows,
 \q2 and he destroyed cities.
 \q1 When he roared loudly,
 \q2 everyone was terrified and abandoned everything they owned.
@@ -1046,12 +1046,12 @@
 \v 9 They pulled him with hooks in his flesh and put him into an iron cage,
 \q2 then they took him to the king of Babylon.
 \q1 There they locked him up so that the sound of his voice 
-\q2 could never be heard echoing on the hills of Israel.'
+\q2 could never be heard echoing on the hills of Israel.’
 \p 
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 10 'It is as though your mother
+\v 10 ‘It is as though your mother
 \q2 were a grapevine fertilized in blood,
 \q2 and growing up beside a stream.
 \q1 There was plenty of water,
@@ -1077,8 +1077,8 @@
 \q2 and then started to burn the branches;
 \q1 it burned all the grapes.
 \q2 Now not even one strong branch remains;
-\q1 they will never become scepters for a king.'
-\m This funeral song must be sung very sadly."
+\q1 they will never become scepters for a king.’
+\m This funeral song must be sung very sadly.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1089,16 +1089,16 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 2 Then Yahweh gave me a message for them. He said,
-\v 3 "Son of man, speak to the elders and tell them that the Lord Yahweh says this: 'You say that you have come to ask if there is any message from me, but as surely as I am alive, I will not allow you to ask for any message from me.'
+\v 3 “Son of man, speak to the elders and tell them that the Lord Yahweh says this: ‘You say that you have come to ask if there is any message from me, but as surely as I am alive, I will not allow you to ask for any message from me.’
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 If you are willing to warn them, remind them of the disgusting things that their ancestors did.
-\v 5 Then say to them, 'On the day that I chose you Israelite people to belong to me, I made a solemn oath to your ancestors while they were still in Egypt.' I said to them, 'I am Yahweh, your God.
+\v 5 Then say to them, ‘On the day that I chose you Israelite people to belong to me, I made a solemn oath to your ancestors while they were still in Egypt.’ I said to them, ‘I am Yahweh, your God.
 \v 6 I will bring you out of Egypt and lead you to a land that I have chosen for you. It is the most fertile and beautiful land in the world.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 Each of you must get rid of the disgusting idols that you love, and the idols which you learned to worship in Egypt, and with which you made it impossible for me to accept you. I, Yahweh your God, am saying this to you.'
+\v 7 Each of you must get rid of the disgusting idols that you love, and the idols which you learned to worship in Egypt, and with which you made it impossible for me to accept you. I, Yahweh your God, am saying this to you.’
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1121,7 +1121,7 @@
 \v 17 But I still pitied them, so I did not destroy them in the wilderness.
 
 \s5
-\v 18 I said to their children, the next generation, 'Do not do the things that your parents always do. Do not worship their idols and so make it impossible for me to accept you.
+\v 18 I said to their children, the next generation, ‘Do not do the things that your parents always do. Do not worship their idols and so make it impossible for me to accept you.
 \v 19 I am Yahweh your God. Carefully obey my laws and commands.
 \v 20 Respect my Sabbath days, in order that by doing that, it will remind you that you belong to me.
 
@@ -1140,16 +1140,16 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 27 Therefore, son of man, speak to the Israelite people. Say this to them, 'This is what Yahweh the Lord says to you: This is one way that your ancestors dishonored me by turning away from me.'
+\v 27 Therefore, son of man, speak to the Israelite people. Say this to them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says to you: This is one way that your ancestors dishonored me by turning away from me.’
 \v 28 After I brought them into the land that I had sworn to give them, every time that they saw a high hill or a big green tree, they offered sacrifices to idols there. They made offerings to them, and that caused me to become angry. They presented to those idols their fragrant incense, and they poured out wine offerings to them.
-\v 29 Then I asked them, 'What is this hilltop place where you go to worship idols?' So they are still called Bamah, which means 'hilltop.'
+\v 29 Then I asked them, ‘What is this hilltop place where you go to worship idols?’ So they are still called Bamah, which means ‘hilltop.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 30 Therefore, say this to the Israelite people: 'This is what Yahweh the Lord says: Why do you imitate your ancestors in acting in ways that make me unable to accept you? You act like prostitutes, leaving their husbands for other men. In the same way, you have left me to worship disgusting idols.
-\v 31 When you sacrifice your children in the fire, you make me unable to accept you. It is the same as when you bow down to your idols. You Israelite people, should I allow you to ask me to direct you in any matter? I, Yahweh the Lord, say that as surely as I am alive, I will not answer if you ask me.'
+\v 30 Therefore, say this to the Israelite people: ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: Why do you imitate your ancestors in acting in ways that make me unable to accept you? You act like prostitutes, leaving their husbands for other men. In the same way, you have left me to worship disgusting idols.
+\v 31 When you sacrifice your children in the fire, you make me unable to accept you. It is the same as when you bow down to your idols. You Israelite people, should I allow you to ask me to direct you in any matter? I, Yahweh the Lord, say that as surely as I am alive, I will not answer if you ask me.’
 \p
-\v 32 You say, 'We want to be like the other people groups in the world. We want to worship idols made of wood and stone like they do.' But what you want will never happen.'
+\v 32 You say, ‘We want to be like the other people groups in the world. We want to worship idols made of wood and stone like they do.’ But what you want will never happen.’
 
 \s5
 \v 33 I, Yahweh your Lord, say that as surely as I am alive, I will use my great power to rule over you, and to show that I am angry with you.
@@ -1172,40 +1172,40 @@
 \s5
 \v 42 Then, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land that I swore to give to your ancestors, you will know that I, Yahweh, have done it.
 \v 43 And there in Israel you will remember how you conducted your lives previously, the actions that caused you to become unacceptable to me, and you will hate yourselves for all the evil things that you have done.
-\v 44 When I act toward you Israelite people to protect my reputation, and not because of your evil deeds and corrupt behavior, you Israelite people will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do. That is what Yahweh the Lord declares."
+\v 44 When I act toward you Israelite people to protect my reputation, and not because of your evil deeds and corrupt behavior, you Israelite people will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do. That is what Yahweh the Lord declares.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 45 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 46 "Son of man, turn toward the south. Preach about what will happen to that dry land, to the forest there.
+\v 46 “Son of man, turn toward the south. Preach about what will happen to that dry land, to the forest there.
 \v 47 Say to the forest in the southern wilderness of Israel: Listen to this message that Yahweh the Lord is saying about you: I am about to start a fire in your midst, and it will burn up all your trees, both the green trees and the withered trees. Nothing will extinguish the blazing flames. And the fire will scorch the faces of everyone who lives in that area, from the south to the north.
 
 \s5
-\v 48 Everyone will see that it is I, Yahweh, who have lit this fire, and no one will be able to put it out."
+\v 48 Everyone will see that it is I, Yahweh, who have lit this fire, and no one will be able to put it out.”
 \p
-\v 49 Then I said, "Yahweh, my Lord, when I tell things like this to people, they do not believe me. They say about me, 'He is only telling parables.'"
+\v 49 Then I said, “Yahweh, my Lord, when I tell things like this to people, they do not believe me. They say about me, ‘He is only telling parables.’”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 21
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 2 "Son of man, turn toward the south. Set yourself against them. Preach against the south and prophesy against the forest in the southern Judean wilderness.
-\v 3 Say to them, 'This is what Yahweh says: I am opposed to you, and it will be as though I pull my sword from its sheath to kill both the righteous and the wicked people among you!
+\v 2 “Son of man, turn toward the south. Set yourself against them. Preach against the south and prophesy against the forest in the southern Judean wilderness.
+\v 3 Say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh says: I am opposed to you, and it will be as though I pull my sword from its sheath to kill both the righteous and the wicked people among you!
 
 \s5
 \v 4 So what I will do to you will be as though I pull my sword from its sheath and strike you. I will kill everyone, including righteous people and wicked people. I will get rid of everyone, from the south to the north.
-\v 5 Then everyone will know that it is as though I, Yahweh, have struck people with my sword, and I will not put it back in its sheath again.'
+\v 5 Then everyone will know that it is as though I, Yahweh, have struck people with my sword, and I will not put it back in its sheath again.’
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 Therefore, Son of man, groan! Groan in front of the Israelite people very sadly and sorrowfully.
-\v 7 And when they ask you, 'Why are you groaning?' tell them that it is because of the news that they soon will hear. Everyone will be very fearful, and their hands will tremble uncontrollably, while their knees become as weak as water. A great disaster will soon occur. This is what Yahweh the Lord is promising."
+\v 7 And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ tell them that it is because of the news that they soon will hear. Everyone will be very fearful, and their hands will tremble uncontrollably, while their knees become as weak as water. A great disaster will soon occur. This is what Yahweh the Lord is promising.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 9 "Son of man, prophesy and say to them, 'This is what the Lord says:
+\v 9 “Son of man, prophesy and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
 \q1 I will sharpen my sword
 \q2 and polish it.
 
@@ -1213,7 +1213,7 @@
 \q1
 \v 10 It will be sharp in order that I can slaughter many people with it;
 \q2 I will polish it so that it will flash like lightning.
-\q1 The people of Judah will not celebrate about their king's scepter,
+\q1 The people of Judah will not celebrate about their king’s scepter,
 \q2 because it will not resist the sword that is coming against it.
 \q1
 \v 11 So I will polish the sword,
@@ -1257,12 +1257,12 @@
 \q1
 \v 17 Then I will clap my hands triumphantly;
 \q2 and then I will no longer be angry.
-\q1 That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it.'"
+\q1 That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 18 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 19 "Son of man, draw on a map two roads for the king of Babylonia to march on with his army. When they depart from their own country, they will come to a signpost where a single road divides into those two roads.
+\v 19 “Son of man, draw on a map two roads for the king of Babylonia to march on with his army. When they depart from their own country, they will come to a signpost where a single road divides into those two roads.
 \v 20 If they take one of those roads, they will attack the city of Rabbah, the capital of the Ammon people group. If they take the other road, they will come to Judah and Jerusalem, a city with walls around it.
 
 \s5
@@ -1272,18 +1272,18 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 24 Therefore, tell the Israelite people that this is what Yahweh the Lord says: 'You people have allowed everyone to see that you are openly rebelling against the king of Babylonia, and by doing that you have shown that everything that you do is sinful. Therefore he will capture you and take you to Babylonia.'
+\v 24 Therefore, tell the Israelite people that this is what Yahweh the Lord says: ‘You people have allowed everyone to see that you are openly rebelling against the king of Babylonia, and by doing that you have shown that everything that you do is sinful. Therefore he will capture you and take you to Babylonia.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 25 Also, say to the king of Judah, 'You very wicked king of Israel, it is your time to die. It is the time for Yahweh to punish you.'
-\v 26 And this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say to you about your king in Jerusalem, 'Take off the king's turban and his crown, because now things will be different than they were before. I will give power to those who had none, and I will disgrace those who had power.
-\v 27 I will cause the Babylonians to destroy everything. No one will be king of Judah again, not until the man comes who deserves to be king. Then I will make him become king.'
+\v 25 Also, say to the king of Judah, ‘You very wicked king of Israel, it is your time to die. It is the time for Yahweh to punish you.’
+\v 26 And this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say to you about your king in Jerusalem, ‘Take off the king’s turban and his crown, because now things will be different than they were before. I will give power to those who had none, and I will disgrace those who had power.
+\v 27 I will cause the Babylonians to destroy everything. No one will be king of Judah again, not until the man comes who deserves to be king. Then I will make him become king.’
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 28 And, Son of man, prophesy and say that this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say about the Ammon people group, and about how I will disgrace them:
-\q1 'My soldiers have swords
+\q1 ‘My soldiers have swords
 \q2 and they have pulled out those swords to slaughter many people.
 \q1 They have polished them in order to kill people,
 \q2 and to flash like lightning.
@@ -1292,7 +1292,7 @@
 \q2 and they have held useless ceremonies that give you false messages.
 \q1 So swords will strike the necks of those wicked people.
 \q2 The day when I punish them has come, 
-\q2 because they have not been loyal to me.'
+\q2 because they have not been loyal to me.’
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -1311,15 +1311,15 @@
 \v 32 They will be like fuel that is burned in a fire.
 \q2 Their blood will flow in their own land.
 \q1 No one will remember them anymore.
-\q2 That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it."
+\q2 That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 22
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 2 "Son of man, are you ready to condemn the people of Jerusalem? It is a city full of murderers. Remind them of all the detestable things that they have done.
-\v 3 Then say, 'This is what Yahweh the Lord says: By murdering people and by defiling yourselves, by making idols, you people of this city have brought on yourselves the time when I will destroy you.
+\v 2 “Son of man, are you ready to condemn the people of Jerusalem? It is a city full of murderers. Remind them of all the detestable things that they have done.
+\v 3 Then say, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: By murdering people and by defiling yourselves, by making idols, you people of this city have brought on yourselves the time when I will destroy you.
 
 \s5
 \v 4 You have become guilty by murdering innocent people. You have made it impossible for me to accept you, by making idols for yourselves. You are bringing your time to an end. Therefore I will cause the other people groups to laugh at you and mock you.
@@ -1333,8 +1333,8 @@
 \v 9 Among you are men who tell lies in order to cause others to be executed. There are those who go to the hilltops and eat food offered to idols, and they openly perform evil acts.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 There are men who sleep with their father's wife, and men who sleep with women during their monthly menstrual periods.
-\v 11 There are men who sleep with someone else's wife. Some of your men sleep with their daughters-in-law or with their own sisters or half-sisters.
+\v 10 There are men who sleep with their father’s wife, and men who sleep with women during their monthly menstrual periods.
+\v 11 There are men who sleep with someone else’s wife. Some of your men sleep with their daughters-in-law or with their own sisters or half-sisters.
 \v 12 There are among you men who accept bribes in order to cause someone to be executed. You charge interest when you lend people money. You become rich by forcing people to give you money. And you have forgotten me, Yahweh.
 
 \s5
@@ -1342,28 +1342,28 @@
 \v 13 So I will shake my fist at your unfair profits and at the murderers who live among you.
 \v 14 When I finish punishing you, you will no longer be courageous. I, Yahweh, have said what I will do to you, and I will do it.
 \v 15 I will scatter you among many people groups, and I will make you stop your sinful behavior.
-\v 16 When the people of other nations see that you have been humiliated, you will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.'"
+\v 16 When the people of other nations see that you have been humiliated, you will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 Yahweh then said to me,
-\v 18 "Son of man, your Israelite people have become useless to me. They are like dross to me. They are like the useless copper, tin, iron, and lead that remains after silver is melted in a very hot furnace
+\v 18 “Son of man, your Israelite people have become useless to me. They are like dross to me. They are like the useless copper, tin, iron, and lead that remains after silver is melted in a very hot furnace
 \v 19 Therefore, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: Because you have all become like dross, I will gather you in Jerusalem.
 
 \s5
 \v 20 People put ore containing silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin in a very hot furnace and melt them in a blazing fire to burn up the impurities. Similarly, I will gather you together inside Jerusalem, and because I am very angry with you, what I will do will be as though I am melting you.
 \v 21 It will be as though I am blowing on you with a hot breath that shows that I am very angry, and it will be as though you will melt,
-\v 22 as though you will melt like silver melts in a furnace, and then you will know that I, Yahweh, have punished you."
+\v 22 as though you will melt like silver melts in a furnace, and then you will know that I, Yahweh, have punished you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 23 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 24 "Son of man, say to the Israelite people, 'You are disgusting to Yahweh, completely unacceptable to him. So Yahweh is angry with you. There will be no rain in your country.'
+\v 24 “Son of man, say to the Israelite people, ‘You are disgusting to Yahweh, completely unacceptable to him. So Yahweh is angry with you. There will be no rain in your country.’
 \v 25 Their leaders are like lions that tear apart the animals that they have killed. The leaders destroy their people. They steal treasures and other valuable things from people, and they murder many men and make their wives into widows.
 \s5
 \v 26 Their priests disobey my laws and dishonor my sacred things by saying that there is no difference between things that are sacred and those that are not sacred, and by ignoring my laws about resting on the Sabbath days. As a result, they no longer honor me.
 \v 27 Their officials are like wolves that tear apart the animals that they have killed. They murder people in order to get their money.
-\v 28 Their prophets try to cover up those sins by saying they have received visions from God. They say, 'This is what Yahweh the Lord says,' when I have said nothing to them.
+\v 28 Their prophets try to cover up those sins by saying they have received visions from God. They say, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says,’ when I have said nothing to them.
 
 \s5
 \v 29 The Israelite people force others to give them money, and they rob people. They oppress poor people, and they mistreat foreigners among them by not treating them fairly in the courts.
@@ -1371,14 +1371,14 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 30 I looked among them to find a man who would pray for the people and cause them to repent so that I would not need to destroy them. But I did not find anyone.
-\v 31 So because I am very angry with them, I will severely punish them for all the wicked things that they have done. That will surely happen because I, Yahweh the Lord, have said it."
+\v 31 So because I am very angry with them, I will severely punish them for all the wicked things that they have done. That will surely happen because I, Yahweh the Lord, have said it.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 23
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh said to me,
-\v 2 "Son of man, listen to this parable about Jerusalem and Samaria. Once there were two women, daughters of the same mother.
+\v 2 “Son of man, listen to this parable about Jerusalem and Samaria. Once there were two women, daughters of the same mother.
 \v 3 They lived in Egypt. And from the time that they were young women, they became prostitutes. In that land, men fondled their breasts and caressed their young bosoms.
 \v 4 The older sister was Oholah, and her younger sister was Oholibah. It was as though they later became my wives. Later they gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah represents Samaria, and Oholibah represents Jerusalem.
 
@@ -1459,11 +1459,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 35 Therefore, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: Because you have forgotten me and rejected me, I must punish you for your immoral behavior and for being a prostitute."
+\v 35 Therefore, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: Because you have forgotten me and rejected me, I must punish you for your immoral behavior and for being a prostitute.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 36 Yahweh said to me, "Son of man, judge the people of those two cities represented by Oholah and Oholibah. You must remind them of their detestable behavior.
+\v 36 Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, judge the people of those two cities represented by Oholah and Oholibah. You must remind them of their detestable behavior.
 \v 37 It is as though they have committed adultery and have murdered people. They have been unfaithful to me by worshiping idols. They have even sacrificed their own children, who belonged to me, in fire.
 
 \s5
@@ -1480,7 +1480,7 @@
 \v 42 Soon there was a noisy crowd around them. Among the crowd there were drunkards who had come from the desert of Arabia. They put bracelets on the arms of the two sisters, and they put beautiful crowns on their heads.
 
 \s5
-\v 43 Then I said about the woman who had become exhausted by sleeping with many men, 'Now those men will act toward her as though she were a prostitute, because that is all that she is.'
+\v 43 Then I said about the woman who had become exhausted by sleeping with many men, ‘Now those men will act toward her as though she were a prostitute, because that is all that she is.’
 \v 44 So they slept with those two women, Oholah and Oholibah, as men sleep with prostitutes.
 \v 45 But righteous men will condemn them to be punished, as women who commit adultery and who murder others are punished, because those women commit adultery and they murder others.
 
@@ -1492,18 +1492,18 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 48 In that way I will cause them to stop their immoral behavior. This will warn other women to not imitate what you people of Jerusalem are doing.
-\v 49 I will punish you people of Jerusalem for your immoral behavior and for worshiping idols. Then you will know that I, Yahweh the Lord, have the power to do what I say that I will do."
+\v 49 I will punish you people of Jerusalem for your immoral behavior and for worshiping idols. Then you will know that I, Yahweh the Lord, have the power to do what I say that I will do.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 24
 \p
 \v 1 Almost nine years after the Babylonians had taken us Israelites to their land, on the tenth day of the tenth month of that year, Yahweh gave me this message:
-\v 2 "Son of man, write down what day of the month this is. On this day the army of the king of Babylon has surrounded Jerusalem.
+\v 2 “Son of man, write down what day of the month this is. On this day the army of the king of Babylon has surrounded Jerusalem.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 Tell those rebellious Israelite people in Babylon a parable. Say this to them: This is what Yahweh the Lord says:
-\q1 'Pour water into the cooking pot
+\q1 ‘Pour water into the cooking pot
 \q2 and put the pot on the fire.
 \q1
 \v 4 Put into the pot some pieces of meat from one of your best sheep:
@@ -1511,12 +1511,12 @@
 \q1 Then fill the rest of the pot with the best bones.
 \q1
 \v 5 Pile wood on the fire,
-\q2 and cook the bones and the meat in the boiling water.'
+\q2 and cook the bones and the meat in the boiling water.’
 
 \s5
 \m
 \v 6 Do that because this is what Yahweh the Lord says:
-\q1 'Terrible things will happen to Jerusalem; it is city that is full of murderers,
+\q1 ‘Terrible things will happen to Jerusalem; it is city that is full of murderers,
 \q2 a city that is like a corroded copper pot,
 \q2 and the corrosion cannot be removed.
 \q1 Take the pieces of meat out of the pot,
@@ -1530,12 +1530,12 @@
 \q1
 \v 8 But I am the one who caused the blood of those who were murdered to be smeared on the bare rock,
 \q2 where their blood could not be covered;
-\q2 I did that in order that I could see it and then be angry and get revenge.'
+\q2 I did that in order that I could see it and then be angry and get revenge.’
 
 \s5
 \m
 \v 9 Therefore, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say:
-\q1 'Terrible things will happen to that city that is full of murderers!
+\q1 ‘Terrible things will happen to that city that is full of murderers!
 \q2 It will be as though I also will pile high the wood in the fire.
 \q1
 \v 10 So heap on the wood
@@ -1560,13 +1560,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 I, Yahweh, have said that I will surely punish you. And it is time for me to do that. I will not change my mind; I will not refrain from punishing you, and I will not pity you. I will judge you and punish you as you deserve to be punished for your sinful behavior. That will surely happen because I, Yahweh the Lord, have said it.'"
+\v 14 I, Yahweh, have said that I will surely punish you. And it is time for me to do that. I will not change my mind; I will not refrain from punishing you, and I will not pity you. I will judge you and punish you as you deserve to be punished for your sinful behavior. That will surely happen because I, Yahweh the Lord, have said it.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 One day Yahweh gave me this message:
-\v 16 "Son of man, I am going to suddenly take from you your wife by means of a disease, your wife, whom you love very much. But when she dies, do not show that you are sad or lament or cry.
-\v 17 Groan quietly; do not cry openly for her. Keep your turban wrapped around your head, and instead of being barefoot, keep your sandals on your feet. Do not cover the lower part of your face to show that you are sad. And do not eat the kind of food that people who are mourning usually eat."
+\v 16 “Son of man, I am going to suddenly take from you your wife by means of a disease, your wife, whom you love very much. But when she dies, do not show that you are sad or lament or cry.
+\v 17 Groan quietly; do not cry openly for her. Keep your turban wrapped around your head, and instead of being barefoot, keep your sandals on your feet. Do not cover the lower part of your face to show that you are sad. And do not eat the kind of food that people who are mourning usually eat.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1574,73 +1574,73 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 Then the people asked me, "What do the things that you are doing signify to us?"
+\v 19 Then the people asked me, “What do the things that you are doing signify to us?”
 \p
-\v 20 I answered them, "This is what Yahweh told me:
-\v 21 'Tell the Israelite people that I am about to destroy the temple, the building that you are very proud of, the building that you delight to look at. Your children whom you left in Jerusalem when you were forced to come to Babylon—your enemies will kill them.
+\v 20 I answered them, “This is what Yahweh told me:
+\v 21 ‘Tell the Israelite people that I am about to destroy the temple, the building that you are very proud of, the building that you delight to look at. Your children whom you left in Jerusalem when you were forced to come to Babylon—your enemies will kill them.
 
 \s5
 \v 22 When that happens, you will do as I have done: You will not cover the lower part of your faces, or eat the kinds of food that people who are mourning usually eat.
 \v 23 You will keep your turbans wrapped around your heads and keep your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or cry, but your bodies will become very thin and slowly die; I will not forgive your sins at all. And you will groan for each other.
-\v 24 Ezekiel will be a warning to you, and you must do what he has done. When that happens, you will know that I, Yahweh the Lord have the power to do what I say that I will do.'"
+\v 24 Ezekiel will be a warning to you, and you must do what he has done. When that happens, you will know that I, Yahweh the Lord have the power to do what I say that I will do.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 25 Then Yahweh said to me, "Son of man, soon I will destroy their sacred temple, which they rejoice about and which they respect and delight to look at, and I will get rid of their sons and daughters also.
+\v 25 Then Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, soon I will destroy their sacred temple, which they rejoice about and which they respect and delight to look at, and I will get rid of their sons and daughters also.
 \v 26 On that day, someone will escape from Jerusalem and come and tell you what has happened there.
-\v 27 When that happens, you will be able to speak again without constraint. You two will talk together. You will be a warning to the people; and they will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do."
+\v 27 When that happens, you will be able to speak again without constraint. You two will talk together. You will be a warning to the people; and they will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 25
 \p
 \v 1 Some time later, Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 2 "Son of man, turn toward where the Ammon people group lives, and prophesy about the terrible things that will happen to them.
+\v 2 “Son of man, turn toward where the Ammon people group lives, and prophesy about the terrible things that will happen to them.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 Say about them, 'This is what Yahweh the Lord says: You shouted joyfully when my temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, and when the country of Israel was ruined, and when the people of Judah were exiled to Babylon.
+\v 3 Say about them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: You shouted joyfully when my temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, and when the country of Israel was ruined, and when the people of Judah were exiled to Babylon.
 \v 4 Therefore, I am going to allow an army of the people in the east to come and conquer you. They will set up their tents in your country and live there. They will eat the fruit from your fruit trees and drink the milk from your cattle.
 \v 5 I will cause your capital city of Rabbah to become a pasture for camels, and the rest of Ammon, where your people are now living, to become only a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 This is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: You clapped your hands joyfully and stomped your feet, and laughed because you despised the people in the land of Israel.
-\v 7 Therefore, I will use my power against you, and I will enable other nations to conquer you and take you away like any other possessions of yours. I will destroy you completely, and you will no longer be one of the nations. When that happens, people will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.'"
+\v 7 Therefore, I will use my power against you, and I will enable other nations to conquer you and take you away like any other possessions of yours. I will destroy you completely, and you will no longer be one of the nations. When that happens, people will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 This is also what the Lord Yahweh says: The people of Moab south of Ammon and the people of Seir south of Moab despised Israel and said, "The people of Israel have become as unimportant as all the other nations!"
+\v 8 This is also what the Lord Yahweh says: The people of Moab south of Ammon and the people of Seir south of Moab despised Israel and said, “The people of Israel have become as unimportant as all the other nations!”
 \v 9 Therefore I will destroy the cities that protect the borders of Moab, starting at Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon, and Kiriathaim, the finest cities in Moab.
 \v 10 I will enable people from the east to conquer Moab and also to conquer Ammon. As the result, just as I will cause Ammon to be no longer remembered by other nations,
-\v 11 I will also punish the people of Moab. When that happens, people will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do."
+\v 11 I will also punish the people of Moab. When that happens, people will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 This is also what Yahweh the Lord says: "You people of Edom are guilty of getting revenge on the people of Judah.
+\v 12 This is also what Yahweh the Lord says: “You people of Edom are guilty of getting revenge on the people of Judah.
 \v 13 Therefore this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: I will use my power against the people of Edom and will get rid of their men and their animals. I will ruin the land from the region of Teman in central Edom to the region of Dedan in the south of Edom, and their enemies will kill many of their men.
 
 \s5
-\v 14 The Israelite people will use their power to get revenge on the people of Edom. They will show the people of Edom that I have been angry with them and that I will punish them. I will get revenge on the people of Edom. Then they will know that I, Yahweh the Lord, have the power to do what I say that I will do."
+\v 14 The Israelite people will use their power to get revenge on the people of Edom. They will show the people of Edom that I have been angry with them and that I will punish them. I will get revenge on the people of Edom. Then they will know that I, Yahweh the Lord, have the power to do what I say that I will do.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 This is also what Yahweh the Lord says: "The Philistia people group wanted very much for a long time to get revenge on the people of Judah. They very maliciously wanted to destroy Judah.
+\v 15 This is also what Yahweh the Lord says: “The Philistia people group wanted very much for a long time to get revenge on the people of Judah. They very maliciously wanted to destroy Judah.
 \v 16 Therefore this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: I am about to use my power against the Philistia people. I will get rid of the Kereth people group and all those who live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
-\v 17 I will get great revenge on them and show that I am angry with them by the way I punish them. And when I get revenge on them, they will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do."
+\v 17 I will get great revenge on them and show that I am angry with them by the way I punish them. And when I get revenge on them, they will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 26
 \p
 \v 1 It was almost eleven years after the Babylonians had taken the Israelites to their land, on the first day of the month, Yahweh gave me another message. He said to me,
-\v 2 "Son of man, the people of the city of Tyre shouted joyfully and they said about Jerusalem, 'Jerusalem, the city from which traders went to many nations, is now destroyed. Now people from all over the world will come to us to buy and sell things. We will proper because Jerusalem has now been ruined!'
+\v 2 “Son of man, the people of the city of Tyre shouted joyfully and they said about Jerusalem, ‘Jerusalem, the city from which traders went to many nations, is now destroyed. Now people from all over the world will come to us to buy and sell things. We will proper because Jerusalem has now been ruined!’
 
 \s5
-\v 3 Therefore, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: 'I am now your enemy, you people of Tyre. I will cause the armies of many nations to come and attack your city, as the waves of the sea beat against the shores.
+\v 3 Therefore, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: ‘I am now your enemy, you people of Tyre. I will cause the armies of many nations to come and attack your city, as the waves of the sea beat against the shores.
 \v 4 Their soldiers will destroy the walls around Tyre and tear down your towers. The city will be completely destroyed. Then they will scrape away the rubble and cause the city to become a bare rock.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 Out in the sea, the part of your city that is on an island will become a place where men spread their fishing nets to dry them. That will surely happen because I, Yahweh the Lord, have predicted it: People from many nations will carry off everything of value in your city.
-\v 6 The people in small villages on the coast near Tyre—your enemies will kill them with their swords. Then people will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.'
+\v 6 The people in small villages on the coast near Tyre—your enemies will kill them with their swords. Then people will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.’
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1653,9 +1653,9 @@
 \v 11 The horses will trample all of the streets of the city with their hooves. The soldiers will kill the people with their swords; they will cause the monuments that celebrated their strength to collapse.
 
 \s5
-\v 12 They will take away all the people's valuable possessions and steal the things that the merchants sell. They will tear down the walls of the houses and destroy their fine houses. Then they will throw into the sea the stones from the walls of those houses and the timber and the rubble.
+\v 12 They will take away all the people’s valuable possessions and steal the things that the merchants sell. They will tear down the walls of the houses and destroy their fine houses. Then they will throw into the sea the stones from the walls of those houses and the timber and the rubble.
 \v 13 No longer will the people sing noisy songs or play their harps.
-\v 14 They will cause the city to become a bare rock and only a place where men spread their fishing nets. And the city will never be rebuilt.'" Those things will certainly happen because the Lord Yahweh has declared that they will happen.
+\v 14 They will cause the city to become a bare rock and only a place where men spread their fishing nets. And the city will never be rebuilt.’” Those things will certainly happen because the Lord Yahweh has declared that they will happen.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1664,27 +1664,27 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 17 Then they will sing a sad song about the city, like this:
-\q1 'The famous city, in which many men who sailed on the seas lived,
+\q1 ‘The famous city, in which many men who sailed on the seas lived,
 \q2 is now no more!
 \q1 The people of that city had great power as they sailed, but now they are at the bottom of the sea;
 \q2 they terrified all the people living near them.
 \q1
 \v 18 But now everyone living along the coast is terrified because the enemy has destroyed the great city.
 \q2 It is as though the land along the coast itself were trembling;
-\q1 the people on the islands in the sea are terrified because that city exists no more.'
+\q1 the people on the islands in the sea are terrified because that city exists no more.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 This is also what the Lord Yahweh says: 'When I cause everyone to leave the city of Tyre, like people have left other cities in which no one lives any longer, and when I cause the huge waves of the sea to cover the city,
+\v 19 This is also what the Lord Yahweh says: ‘When I cause everyone to leave the city of Tyre, like people have left other cities in which no one lives any longer, and when I cause the huge waves of the sea to cover the city,
 \v 20 then I will bring the people of that city down to be with everyone else who is dead, those who died long ago. I will cause them to live in the place below the earth that is like old ruins, with those who have gone down to that pit previously, and they will never return to the earth, to where people are alive.
-\v 21 I will cause them to die in a horrible way, and that will be the end of them. People will search for that city, but it will no longer exist." This is what the Lord Yahweh declares will happen.
+\v 21 I will cause them to die in a horrible way, and that will be the end of them. People will search for that city, but it will no longer exist.” This is what the Lord Yahweh declares will happen.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 27
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh said this to me:
-\v 2 "Son of man, sing a funeral song about Tyre.
+\v 2 “Son of man, sing a funeral song about Tyre.
 \v 3 The city of Tyre is on an island at the edge of the sea, and their merchants traded with people groups who live along many seacoasts. This is what Yahweh the Lord says that you should tell them:
 \q1 You people of Tyre said that your city was very beautiful.
 
@@ -1800,9 +1800,9 @@
 \q1
 \v 32 While they wail and mourn because of what has happened to you
 \q2 they sing this sad funeral song:
-\q1 'There was certainly never a city like Tyre,
+\q1 ‘There was certainly never a city like Tyre,
 \q2 which now is silent,
-\q2 covered by the waves of the sea.'
+\q2 covered by the waves of the sea.’
 \q1
 \v 33 The goods that your merchants traded
 \q2 were things that pleased the people of many countries.
@@ -1823,15 +1823,15 @@
 \v 36 The merchants of the other nations shake their heads
 \q2 because it is difficult for them to believe what has happened;
 \q1 now your city has disappeared,
-\q2 and it will not exist anymore."
+\q2 and it will not exist anymore.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 28
 \p
 \v 1 Then Yahweh gave me another message. He said:
-\v 2 "Son of man, give to the king of Tyre this message from me, Yahweh the Lord:
-\q1 'You have very proudly claimed that you are a god,
+\v 2 “Son of man, give to the king of Tyre this message from me, Yahweh the Lord:
+\q1 ‘You have very proudly claimed that you are a god,
 \q2 and that you are untouchable, since you sit on a throne in a city on an island in the sea!
 \q1 You boast that you are a god,
 \q2 but you are in reality only a man, not a god.
@@ -1870,13 +1870,13 @@
 \q2 you are only a man.
 \q1
 \v 10 You will die like other people die, those who are unacceptable to God,
-\q2 those whom foreigners kill. That will surely happen because Yahweh has said it.'"
+\q2 those whom foreigners kill. That will surely happen because Yahweh has said it.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 11 Yahweh also gave me this message:
-\v 12 "Son of man, sing a sad song about the king of Tyre. Tell him that Yahweh the Lord says this to him:
-\q1 'You were completely perfect,
+\v 12 “Son of man, sing a sad song about the king of Tyre. Tell him that Yahweh the Lord says this to him:
+\q1 ‘You were completely perfect,
 \q2 extremely wise and handsome.
 \q1
 \v 13 You had a wonderful life, because you were in my beautiful garden in Eden.
@@ -1924,14 +1924,14 @@
 \v 19 All the people who knew what your city was like previously
 \q2 will be appalled.
 \q1 Now your city will disappear,
-\q2 and it will not exist anymore.'"
+\q2 and it will not exist anymore.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 Then Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 21 "Son of man, turn toward the city of Sidon, and announce the terrible things that will happen to it.
+\v 21 “Son of man, turn toward the city of Sidon, and announce the terrible things that will happen to it.
 \v 22 Give the people of Sidon this message from Yahweh the Lord. Tell them:
-\q1 'I am your enemy, you people of Sidon.
+\q1 ‘I am your enemy, you people of Sidon.
 \q2 By what I do to you,
 \q1 I will show you how great I am,
 \q2 and you will know that it is Yahweh who punishes you and judges you with justice.
@@ -1943,23 +1943,23 @@
 \q2 and I will send enemies to come and kill you in your streets.
 \q1 They will attack you from every direction,
 \q2 and they will slaughter your people inside the walls of your city.
-\q1 Then everyone will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.'
+\q1 Then everyone will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.’
 \p
-\v 24 No longer will people who live near the people of Israel hurt them as painful briers and sharp thorns hurt people. And then the Israelites will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do."
+\v 24 No longer will people who live near the people of Israel hurt them as painful briers and sharp thorns hurt people. And then the Israelites will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 25 And this is also what Yahweh the Lord says: "I will gather them from distant countries where I have scattered them. And the other people groups will see that I am set apart and honored, when the house of Israel makes their homes in the land I gave my servant Jacob!
-\v 26 My people will live safely in Israel; they will build houses and plant vineyards. And when I punish the nearby people groups that despised them, my people will know that it is I, Yahweh their God, who has done this."
+\v 25 And this is also what Yahweh the Lord says: “I will gather them from distant countries where I have scattered them. And the other people groups will see that I am set apart and honored, when the house of Israel makes their homes in the land I gave my servant Jacob!
+\v 26 My people will live safely in Israel; they will build houses and plant vineyards. And when I punish the nearby people groups that despised them, my people will know that it is I, Yahweh their God, who has done this.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 29
 \p
 \v 1 Almost ten years after the Babylonians had taken us Israelites to their land, on the twelfth day of the tenth month of that year, Yahweh gave me another message. He said to me,
-\v 2 "Son of man, turn toward Egypt and proclaim the terrible things that will happen to the king of Egypt and all his people.
+\v 2 “Son of man, turn toward Egypt and proclaim the terrible things that will happen to the king of Egypt and all his people.
 \v 3 Give the king this message from me, for I am Yahweh the Lord:
-\q1 'Know this, Pharaoh, king of Egypt that I, Yahweh, am your enemy.
+\q1 ‘Know this, Pharaoh, king of Egypt that I, Yahweh, am your enemy.
 \q2 You are like a great monster that lies in the streams of the Nile River.
 \q1 You are so bold to say that the Nile River is yours,
 \q2 and that you made it for yourself.
@@ -1979,47 +1979,47 @@
 \m
 \v 6 When that happens, all the people of Egypt will know that it is I, Yahweh, who have the power to do what I say that I will do.
 \p The Israelite people have trusted that you would help them. But you have been like a reed pole in their hands.
-\v 7 And when they leaned on that pole, it broke and tore open their shoulders. When they leaned on you, you were like a pole that broke in their hand, and as a result you caused their legs to be wrenched and that made it impossible for them to stand.'
+\v 7 And when they leaned on that pole, it broke and tore open their shoulders. When they leaned on you, you were like a pole that broke in their hand, and as a result you caused their legs to be wrenched and that made it impossible for them to stand.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 Therefore Yahweh the Lord says, 'I will bring Egypt's enemies to attack them with their swords; they will kill Egypt's people and animals.
+\v 8 Therefore Yahweh the Lord says, ‘I will bring Egypt’s enemies to attack them with their swords; they will kill Egypt’s people and animals.
 \v 9 Egypt will become an empty desert. Then the people of Egypt will know that it is I, Yahweh, who has the power to do what he says he will do, and that he will punish the people of Egypt for saying that the Nile River is theirs because they made it.
 \v 10 I am against you and your streams, and I will ruin Egypt and make it into an empty desert, from the city of Migdol in the north to Syene in the south, as far south as the border of Cush.
 
 \s5
 \v 11 For forty years no one will walk through that area, and no one will live there.
-\v 12 Egypt will be barren, and it will be surrounded by other abandoned nations. The cities of Egypt will be empty and without people for forty years, and the surrounding lands will be the same. I will scatter the people of Egypt to countries far away.'
+\v 12 Egypt will be barren, and it will be surrounded by other abandoned nations. The cities of Egypt will be empty and without people for forty years, and the surrounding lands will be the same. I will scatter the people of Egypt to countries far away.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 But Yahweh the Lord also says this: 'At the end of forty years, I will enable the people of Egypt to return home again.
+\v 13 But Yahweh the Lord also says this: ‘At the end of forty years, I will enable the people of Egypt to return home again.
 \v 14 I will bring back the people of Egypt whom their enemies had captured, and I will allow them to live again in the region of Pathros in the south, where they lived previously. But Egypt will continue to be a very unimportant kingdom.
 
 \s5
 \v 15 It will be the least important of all the nations; it will never again be greater than the nearby countries. I will cause Egypt to be very weak, and they will never again rule over other nations.
-\v 16 When that happens, the leaders of Israel will no longer think of asking Egypt to help them. When I punish Egypt, the Israelites will be reminded that they previously sinned by trusting that Egypt could help them. And the people of Israel will know that Yahweh the Lord has the power to do what he says he will do.'"
+\v 16 When that happens, the leaders of Israel will no longer think of asking Egypt to help them. When I punish Egypt, the Israelites will be reminded that they previously sinned by trusting that Egypt could help them. And the people of Israel will know that Yahweh the Lord has the power to do what he says he will do.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 Almost twenty-seven years after we Israelites prisoners had been taken to Babylonia, on the first day of the new year, Yahweh gave me this message:
-\v 18 "Son of man, the army of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon fought very hard against Tyre, with the result that their heads were rubbed bare under their helmets, and their shoulders became raw. But Nebuchadnezzar and his army did not get any valuable things from Tyre to reward them for their hard work in that campaign.
+\v 18 “Son of man, the army of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon fought very hard against Tyre, with the result that their heads were rubbed bare under their helmets, and their shoulders became raw. But Nebuchadnezzar and his army did not get any valuable things from Tyre to reward them for their hard work in that campaign.
 
 \s5
-\v 19 Therefore, Yahweh the Lord says that he will enable King Nebuchadnezzar's army to conquer Egypt. They will carry away from there all the valuable things, in order that the king can give them to his soldiers.
-\v 20 Yahweh says that he will enable them to conquer Egypt as payment for what they did to Tyre, because Nebuchadnezzar and his army were working for him, doing what he wanted them to do, which was to destroy Tyre."
+\v 19 Therefore, Yahweh the Lord says that he will enable King Nebuchadnezzar’s army to conquer Egypt. They will carry away from there all the valuable things, in order that the king can give them to his soldiers.
+\v 20 Yahweh says that he will enable them to conquer Egypt as payment for what they did to Tyre, because Nebuchadnezzar and his army were working for him, doing what he wanted them to do, which was to destroy Tyre.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 Yahweh said to me, "Some day I will make Israel become a mighty nation. When that happens, I will make them listen to what you tell them. Then they will know that all this has happened because I, Yahweh, will have done this."
+\v 21 Yahweh said to me, “Some day I will make Israel become a mighty nation. When that happens, I will make them listen to what you tell them. Then they will know that all this has happened because I, Yahweh, will have done this.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 30
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 2 "Son of man, prophesy about what will happen to Egypt. Say that this is what I, the Lord Yahweh, say:
-\q1 'Weep and wail,
+\v 2 “Son of man, prophesy about what will happen to Egypt. Say that this is what I, the Lord Yahweh, say:
+\q1 ‘Weep and wail,
 \q2 because terrible things will happen one day that is coming.
 \q1
 \v 3 That day is near,
@@ -2034,17 +2034,17 @@
 \q2 they will take away everything of value,
 \q2 and they will even tear the buildings down to their foundations.
 \p
-\v 5 Soldiers of Cush, Libya, Lydia, and all the foreigners in the land of Egypt, together with the Jews living in Egypt—they will all die because of war.'
+\v 5 Soldiers of Cush, Libya, Lydia, and all the foreigners in the land of Egypt, together with the Jews living in Egypt—they will all die because of war.’
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 This is what Yahweh says:
-\q1 'This army will defeat Egypt's allies,
+\q1 ‘This army will defeat Egypt’s allies,
 \q2 and the power that the people of Egypt are so proud of will end.
-\q1 From the city of Migdol in the north to the city of Syene in the south, they will kill the soldiers of Egypt's allies.
+\q1 From the city of Migdol in the north to the city of Syene in the south, they will kill the soldiers of Egypt’s allies.
 \q2 This is what Yahweh the Lord declares.
 \m
-\v 7 Egypt's allies' soldiers will be shocked, and her allies' cities will be destroyed, surrounded by ruined cities in nearby nations.
+\v 7 Egypt’s allies’ soldiers will be shocked, and her allies’ cities will be destroyed, surrounded by ruined cities in nearby nations.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -2108,15 +2108,15 @@
 \q2 because the people of its villages will go to Babylon as prisoners.
 \q1
 \v 19 That is how I will punish Egypt,
-\q2 and people will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.'"
+\q2 and people will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 Almost eleven years after the Babylonians took us Israelites to their country, Yahweh gave me another message on the seventh day of the first month of that year. He said,
-\v 21 "Son of man, I have enabled the army of Nebuchadnezzar to defeat the army of the king of Egypt. It is as though I have broken one of the arms of the king of Egypt, and it has not been bandaged in order that it could be healed, and it has not been put in splints in order that after it heals the arm will be strong enough to hold a sword.
+\v 21 “Son of man, I have enabled the army of Nebuchadnezzar to defeat the army of the king of Egypt. It is as though I have broken one of the arms of the king of Egypt, and it has not been bandaged in order that it could be healed, and it has not been put in splints in order that after it heals the arm will be strong enough to hold a sword.
 
 \s5
-\v 22 Therefore, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: I am the enemy of the king of Egypt. I will completely destroy Egypt's power; it is as though now I will break both of the king's arms, the good one and the broken one, and cause the sword to fall from his hand.
+\v 22 Therefore, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: I am the enemy of the king of Egypt. I will completely destroy Egypt’s power; it is as though now I will break both of the king’s arms, the good one and the broken one, and cause the sword to fall from his hand.
 \v 23 I will scatter the people of Egypt among the nations.
 \v 24 It is as though I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put a sword in his hand, and as though I will break the arms of the king of Egypt, and he will groan in front of the king of Babylon like a soldier who is wounded and about to die.
 
@@ -2129,8 +2129,8 @@
 \c 31
 \p
 \v 1 Almost eleven years after the Babylonians had taken us Israelites to their land, Yahweh gave me another message, on the first day of the third month of that year. He said,
-\v 2 "Son of man, say to the king of Egypt and to the immense numbers of his people,
-\q1 'You think that there is no country whose power is as great as the power of your country.
+\v 2 “Son of man, say to the king of Egypt and to the immense numbers of his people,
+\q1 ‘You think that there is no country whose power is as great as the power of your country.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -2170,11 +2170,11 @@
 \q1
 \v 9 Because I caused that tree to become very beautiful
 \q2 because of its magnificent green branches,
-\q1 all the leaders of other countries represented by those other trees in Eden envied the country represented by that tree.'
+\q1 all the leaders of other countries represented by those other trees in Eden envied the country represented by that tree.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 Therefore, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: 'That tree, which represents Assyria, grew very tall; its top was higher than the other trees, and it became very proud because it was so tall.
+\v 10 Therefore, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: ‘That tree, which represents Assyria, grew very tall; its top was higher than the other trees, and it became very proud because it was so tall.
 \v 11 Therefore, I enabled another mighty nation to conquer it, to destroy it as it deserved to be destroyed. I have already discarded it.
 
 \s5
@@ -2182,11 +2182,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 13 Birds of the sky settled on the fallen tree, and wild animals lived among its branches. 
-\v 14 As a result, no other tree, even if the tree has plenty of water, will ever grow to such great height, or lift its top above the branches higher than other trees. They will all certainly die and decay; they will go to the place of the dead; they will go to the grave.'"
+\v 14 As a result, no other tree, even if the tree has plenty of water, will ever grow to such great height, or lift its top above the branches higher than other trees. They will all certainly die and decay; they will go to the place of the dead; they will go to the grave.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 This is what Yahweh the Lord says: "When that great tree was cut down, it was as though the springs that watered it mourned for it, because I caused the plentiful water from the springs to dry up. It was as if I had caused the mountains in Lebanon to mourn for it, and all the trees there to weep.
+\v 15 This is what Yahweh the Lord says: “When that great tree was cut down, it was as though the springs that watered it mourned for it, because I caused the plentiful water from the springs to dry up. It was as if I had caused the mountains in Lebanon to mourn for it, and all the trees there to weep.
 
 \s5
 \v 16 I caused the people of other nations to tremble when they heard that tree fall to the ground—when they heard that Assyria had been destroyed. All the other people groups had also been like beautiful, well-watered trees in Lebanon, but they were comforted when the king represented by that cedar tree arrived among them in the place where they were as dead people.
@@ -2194,15 +2194,15 @@
 \s5
 \v 17 The people represented by the trees that grew in the shade of that huge tree, the allies of the great nation that the cedar tree represents, had also died and gone down to where the dead people are.
 \p
-\v 18 This parable is a warning to you people of Egypt. You think that there is no other nation that is as great and glorious as yours is. But your nation will also be destroyed, along with those other nations. Your people will be there among the other people who are not fit to worship me, people who have been killed by their enemies' swords. That is what will happen to the king of Egypt and all his many people." This is what the Lord Yahweh has declared will happen.
+\v 18 This parable is a warning to you people of Egypt. You think that there is no other nation that is as great and glorious as yours is. But your nation will also be destroyed, along with those other nations. Your people will be there among the other people who are not fit to worship me, people who have been killed by their enemies’ swords. That is what will happen to the king of Egypt and all his many people.” This is what the Lord Yahweh has declared will happen.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 32
 \p
 \v 1 Almost twelve years after the Babylonians had taken us Israelites to their land, Yahweh gave me another message, on the first day of the twelfth month of that year. He told me,
-\v 2 "Son of man, sing a sad song about Pharaoh the king of Egypt. Sing this to him:
-\q1 'People think that you are like a lion among the nations;
+\v 2 “Son of man, sing a sad song about Pharaoh the king of Egypt. Sing this to him:
+\q1 ‘People think that you are like a lion among the nations;
 \q1 but you are like a sea monster in the river
 \q2 thrashing around in the water,
 \q2 churning up the water with your feet
@@ -2270,28 +2270,28 @@
 \q2 because of people and cattle walking in them.
 \q1
 \v 14 Then I will allow the streams in Egypt to become calm again
-\q2 and to flow as smoothly as olive oil flows.'" This is what the Lord Yahweh announces.
+\q2 and to flow as smoothly as olive oil flows.’” This is what the Lord Yahweh announces.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 15 He also says this: "When I cause Egypt to become empty,
+\v 15 He also says this: “When I cause Egypt to become empty,
 \q2 when I strip off everything that grows on the land,
 \q1 and when I get rid of all the people who live there,
 \q2 people will know that it is I, Yahweh, who have the power to do what I say that I will do.
 \p
 \v 16 There will be a sad song that people will sing about Egypt.
 \p Women of many nations will sing it;
-\q2 they will chant it about Egypt and all its many people."
+\q2 they will chant it about Egypt and all its many people.”
 \q2 This will surely happen because Yahweh has said that it would happen.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 On the fifteenth day of that same month, Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
 \p
-\v 18 "Son of man, wail about the many people of Egypt, because I will send them to the place under the earth, where they and people of other mighty nations will be. I will send them there, along with others, down to the place where the dead are.
+\v 18 “Son of man, wail about the many people of Egypt, because I will send them to the place under the earth, where they and people of other mighty nations will be. I will send them there, along with others, down to the place where the dead are.
 
 \s5
-\v 19 Say to them, 'You people of Egypt, you think that you are more beautiful than the people of other nations. But you also will descend to the place where the godless dead people are.
+\v 19 Say to them, ‘You people of Egypt, you think that you are more beautiful than the people of other nations. But you also will descend to the place where the godless dead people are.
 \v 20 You will die along with many others whom their enemies have killed. Their enemies have begun to attack, and they will drag away a huge number people of Egypt.
 \v 21 In the place where the dead people are, mighty leaders of other countries will make fun of you people of Egypt and your allies. They will say that you have come to lie dead with them, those godless people whom their enemies killed.
 
@@ -2302,7 +2302,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 24 Many, many people from the country of Elam will be there, too, and Elam's servants, because their enemies will have killed them. These were soldiers who had terrified people in many places. At that time they will lie there in that deep pit below the earth, and they, along with the others who have gone there, will be disgraced.
+\v 24 Many, many people from the country of Elam will be there, too, and Elam’s servants, because their enemies will have killed them. These were soldiers who had terrified people in many places. At that time they will lie there in that deep pit below the earth, and they, along with the others who have gone there, will be disgraced.
 \p
 \v 25 The people of Elam in their huge numbers will lie there among others who were slaughtered, surrounded by the graves of a huge crowd of other people. While they were alive, they caused people of other nations to be terrified; but they were godless, and now, because their enemies will have killed them, they will lie with others in that deep pit, disgraced.
 
@@ -2324,14 +2324,14 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 31 The king of Egypt and all his army will see them, and they will be comforted about the death of their many people, because they know that there were other huge groups of people whom their enemies killed.
-\v 32 While that king was living, I allowed him to terrify others in many countries, but he and his huge army will be there among other godless people whom their enemies have killed." This will certainly surely happen because the Lord Yahweh has said that it would happen.
+\v 32 While that king was living, I allowed him to terrify others in many countries, but he and his huge army will be there among other godless people whom their enemies have killed.” This will certainly surely happen because the Lord Yahweh has said that it would happen.
 
 
 \s5
 \c 33
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 2 "Son of man, speak to your fellow Israelites and say this to them: 'Suppose that I bring an enemy army to attack a country, and the people of that country choose one of their own people to be a watchman.
+\v 2 “Son of man, speak to your fellow Israelites and say this to them: ‘Suppose that I bring an enemy army to attack a country, and the people of that country choose one of their own people to be a watchman.
 \v 3 And suppose that he sees the enemy army come into view, and that he blows a trumpet to warn everyone.
 \v 4 If anyone hears the trumpet but pays no attention, and if that person then dies because of the enemy, that person is responsible for his own death.
 
@@ -2343,13 +2343,13 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 Son of man, this parable has a meaning for you. I have appointed you to be a watchman for the Israelites. So always listen to what I say, and warn the people for me.
-\v 8 When I say to some wicked person, 'You wicked person, you will surely die because of your sins,' you must tell him what I said. If you do not speak to that person to warn him to turn away from his sins, that wicked person will die because of his sins, but I will make you responsible for his death.
+\v 8 When I say to some wicked person, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die because of your sins,’ you must tell him what I said. If you do not speak to that person to warn him to turn away from his sins, that wicked person will die because of his sins, but I will make you responsible for his death.
 \v 9 But if you warn that wicked person that he should turn away from his sins, but if he does not do so, then he will die because of his sins, but you will have saved your own life.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 Son of man, say to the Israelite people, 'This is what you all are saying: "The guilt that we feel for disobeying God's laws and sinning is like a heavy weight on us, and our sins are hurting us, and we are slowly dying. So what can we do to continue to remain alive?"'
-\v 11 Say to them, 'Yahweh the Lord says, "As surely as I am alive, I am not happy when wicked people die; I would prefer that they turn away from their wicked behavior and continue to live. So repent! Turn away from your evil behavior! You Israelite people, do you really want to die?"'
+\v 10 Son of man, say to the Israelite people, ‘This is what you all are saying: “The guilt that we feel for disobeying God’s laws and sinning is like a heavy weight on us, and our sins are hurting us, and we are slowly dying. So what can we do to continue to remain alive?”’
+\v 11 Say to them, ‘Yahweh the Lord says, “As surely as I am alive, I am not happy when wicked people die; I would prefer that they turn away from their wicked behavior and continue to live. So repent! Turn away from your evil behavior! You Israelite people, do you really want to die?”’
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2357,7 +2357,7 @@
 \v 13 If I tell those who do what is right that they will surely remain alive because of all the good they do, but then if they turn away and become proud of all their good deeds, then I will ignore all the good things that they had done before. I will make sure that they will die because of the evil things that they have done.
 
 \s5
-\v 14 Continue to tell the people these things: If I say to some wicked person, 'You will surely die because of your sins,' perhaps that person will stop doing evil and start doing what is just and right.
+\v 14 Continue to tell the people these things: If I say to some wicked person, ‘You will surely die because of your sins,’ perhaps that person will stop doing evil and start doing what is just and right.
 \v 15 For example, he might return what he took from another person to guarantee that that person would pay back what he owes, or he might return things that he has stolen, or he might obey the laws that will enable those who obey them to remain alive. If this happens, he will surely remain alive; he will not die because of the sins that he committed previously.
 \v 16 I will ignore the sins that he previously committed; he will surely remain alive.
 
@@ -2366,44 +2366,44 @@
 \v 17 Tell the people this: That they say that what I do is not fair, but that it is really what they do that is not fair. Then tell them these things, also:
 \v 18 If a good person stops doing what is good and starts to do what is evil, it is fair that he should die because of his sins.
 \v 19 And if a wicked person turns away from his wicked behavior and does what is right and fair, it is fair for him to remain alive because of doing that.
-\v 20 Remind the people that they are still saying that what I do is not fair. They can talk all they want, but I will punish each of them for what they do. Tell them this."
+\v 20 Remind the people that they are still saying that what I do is not fair. They can talk all they want, but I will punish each of them for what they do. Tell them this.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 Almost twelve years after the Babylonians had taken us Israelites to their land, on the fifth day of the tenth month of that year, a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me in Babylon and said, "Jerusalem has been captured!"
+\v 21 Almost twelve years after the Babylonians had taken us Israelites to their land, on the fifth day of the tenth month of that year, a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me in Babylon and said, “Jerusalem has been captured!”
 \v 22 The evening before that man arrived, Yahweh took control of me. So when that man arrived, Yahweh enabled me to speak again; I was no longer forced to be silent.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 23 Then Yahweh gave a message to me. He said,
-\v 24 "Son of man, the people who are living in the ruins in Israel are saying, 'Abraham was only one person, but Yahweh promised him that he and his descendants would possess this land. But we are many; so surely Yahweh has given us this land to possess.'
+\v 24 “Son of man, the people who are living in the ruins in Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one person, but Yahweh promised him that he and his descendants would possess this land. But we are many; so surely Yahweh has given us this land to possess.’
 
 \s5
-\v 25 So send a message to them. Say, 'This is what Yahweh the Lord says: "You eat meat that still has the animal's blood in it. You still worship idols. And you still murder others. So should this land belong to you?
-\v 26 You rely on using your swords to obtain things that you want. You do many detestable things. Each of you sleeps with other men's wives. So should you really possess the land of Israel?"'
+\v 25 So send a message to them. Say, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: “You eat meat that still has the animal’s blood in it. You still worship idols. And you still murder others. So should this land belong to you?
+\v 26 You rely on using your swords to obtain things that you want. You do many detestable things. Each of you sleeps with other men’s wives. So should you really possess the land of Israel?”’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 27 Send this message to them and tell them that this is what I, the Lord Yahweh, say to them: 'As surely as I am alive, those who are left in the ruins in Jerusalem—their enemies will also kill them. And those who are living in the countryside—wild animals will kill them. Those who are living in forts and caves will die from disease.
-\v 28 I will cause your country to become a desolate wasteland. You will no longer be proud of being a strong country. The mountains of Israel will become very desolate, with the result that no one will walk across them.'
-\v 29 Then, when I have caused their country to become a desolate wasteland because of all the disgusting things that you have done, they will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do."
+\v 27 Send this message to them and tell them that this is what I, the Lord Yahweh, say to them: ‘As surely as I am alive, those who are left in the ruins in Jerusalem—their enemies will also kill them. And those who are living in the countryside—wild animals will kill them. Those who are living in forts and caves will die from disease.
+\v 28 I will cause your country to become a desolate wasteland. You will no longer be proud of being a strong country. The mountains of Israel will become very desolate, with the result that no one will walk across them.’
+\v 29 Then, when I have caused their country to become a desolate wasteland because of all the disgusting things that you have done, they will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 30 As for you, Son of man, your fellow Israelites here in Babylon stand beside the city wall or at the doors of their houses and are talking with each other. They are saying, 'Come and listen to the message that has come from Yahweh.'
+\v 30 As for you, Son of man, your fellow Israelites here in Babylon stand beside the city wall or at the doors of their houses and are talking with each other. They are saying, ‘Come and listen to the message that has come from Yahweh.’
 \v 31 My people come to you as they often have done, and they sit in front of you to listen to what you say. But they do not do what you tell them that they must do. With their mouths they say that they love me, but in their inner beings they are eager to acquire things by doing what is unjust.
 
 \s5
 \v 32 To them, you are only a man who sings them beautiful songs and plays a musical instrument well. They hear what you say, but they do not do what you tell them to do.
 \p
-\v 33 The terrible things that I have said will happen to them will surely happen. And then they will know that a prophet has been among them, and that you are that prophet."
+\v 33 The terrible things that I have said will happen to them will surely happen. And then they will know that a prophet has been among them, and that you are that prophet.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 34
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 2 "Son of man, speak my message against the leaders of Israel. They should be taking care of my people, like shepherds take care of their flocks. Say to them that this is what I, the Lord Yahweh, have to tell them: 'You shepherds of Israel, terrible things will happen to you because you take care only of yourselves. You should certainly take care of my sheep.
+\v 2 “Son of man, speak my message against the leaders of Israel. They should be taking care of my people, like shepherds take care of their flocks. Say to them that this is what I, the Lord Yahweh, have to tell them: ‘You shepherds of Israel, terrible things will happen to you because you take care only of yourselves. You should certainly take care of my sheep.
 \v 3 But you are like shepherds who eat the fat sheep, who slaughter the best animals for their wool. You are not real shepherds at all.
 
 \s5
@@ -2433,7 +2433,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 And as for you, my people, my sheep, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: 'I will judge between each of you; I will separate those who are peaceful from those who are cruel and powerful.
+\v 17 And as for you, my people, my sheep, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: ‘I will judge between each of you; I will separate those who are peaceful from those who are cruel and powerful.
 \v 18 You leaders, you who are like strong sheep who do evil to the others: It is bad that you keep the best pastures for yourselves. It is even worse that you trample the good grass with your feet. It is bad that you yourselves drink the clear water. It is even worse that with your feet you cause the rest of the water to become muddy.
 \v 19 You are forcing my flock to eat the grass that you have trampled and to drink the water that you have caused to become muddy!
 
@@ -2459,15 +2459,15 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 30 Then they will know that I, Yahweh their God, am helping them, and they will know that they, the Israelite people, are my people.
-\v 31 It is as though you, my people, are my sheep whom I take care of, and I am your God. That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, declare.'"
+\v 31 It is as though you, my people, are my sheep whom I take care of, and I am your God. That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, declare.’”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 35
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 2 "Son of man, turn toward Edom and prophesy what will happen to its people. Say this to them:
-\v 3 'You who live near Mount Seir in Edom, I am your enemy. I will use my power to strike you and ruin your country.
+\v 2 “Son of man, turn toward Edom and prophesy what will happen to its people. Say this to them:
+\v 3 ‘You who live near Mount Seir in Edom, I am your enemy. I will use my power to strike you and ruin your country.
 
 \s5
 \v 4 I will destroy your cities, and everyone will leave them. When that happens, you will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.
@@ -2482,7 +2482,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 Your people said, 'Israel and Judah will become ours. We will take over their territory!' You said that even though I, Yahweh, was still there and protecting them.
+\v 10 Your people said, ‘Israel and Judah will become ours. We will take over their territory!’ You said that even though I, Yahweh, was still there and protecting them.
 \v 11 Therefore, I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that as surely as I am alive, I will punish you for being angry with my people, for envying them, and for hating them. And when I punish you, I will make sure that the Israelites know that it is I who have punished you.
 
 \s5
@@ -2491,18 +2491,18 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 14 So this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: You people who live on Mount Seir and in all the other places in Edom, when I make everyone leave your land, everyone else in the world will rejoice.
-\v 15 You were happy when the land of the Israelite people was ruined, so I will do the same thing to your land. When that happens, people will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.'"
+\v 15 You were happy when the land of the Israelite people was ruined, so I will do the same thing to your land. When that happens, people will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.’”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 36
 \p
-\v 1 Yahweh said to Ezekiel, "Son of man, give a message to the hill country and mountains in Israel just as if they were people. Tell them to listen to my message for them.
+\v 1 Yahweh said to Ezekiel, “Son of man, give a message to the hill country and mountains in Israel just as if they were people. Tell them to listen to my message for them.
 \v 2 This is it: The enemies of Israel, those people groups who live nearby, are now very happy, because they are saying that Jerusalem has been destroyed, so the ancient mountains of Israel will now belong to them.
-\v 3 So you, Ezekiel, must tell the mountains of Israel what I, the Lord Yahweh, am saying to them: 'Armies of other nations attacked you from every direction, and everyone has left you. Those foreign armies are now in your land. They have spoken very maliciously about your people, the Israelites, and have told all kinds of lies about them.
+\v 3 So you, Ezekiel, must tell the mountains of Israel what I, the Lord Yahweh, am saying to them: ‘Armies of other nations attacked you from every direction, and everyone has left you. Those foreign armies are now in your land. They have spoken very maliciously about your people, the Israelites, and have told all kinds of lies about them.
 
 \s5
-\v 4-6 Therefore, you mountains of Israel, listen to this message from me. I, Yahweh the Lord, have something to say to you, the hills and mountains, and to you, the ravines and valleys, and to you, the towns and cities which the enemy burned down, where no one is living any longer, from where the enemy has taken everything valuable, and whose people the people groups all around are mocking. "This is what I, Yahweh the Lord, declare: I am very angry with the people of Edom and the other people groups; they have insulted your Israelite people and happily taken all their land as pastures. So Ezekiel must speak for me to you, the land of Israel, mountains and hills, valleys and ravines: I, Yahweh the Lord, am very angry because the enemy has insulted you.
+\v 4-6 Therefore, you mountains of Israel, listen to this message from me. I, Yahweh the Lord, have something to say to you, the hills and mountains, and to you, the ravines and valleys, and to you, the towns and cities which the enemy burned down, where no one is living any longer, from where the enemy has taken everything valuable, and whose people the people groups all around are mocking. “This is what I, Yahweh the Lord, declare: I am very angry with the people of Edom and the other people groups; they have insulted your Israelite people and happily taken all their land as pastures. So Ezekiel must speak for me to you, the land of Israel, mountains and hills, valleys and ravines: I, Yahweh the Lord, am very angry because the enemy has insulted you.
 
 \s5
 \v 7 Therefore, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: I solemnly declare I will shame the people of the nations that are around you.
@@ -2521,22 +2521,22 @@
 \p
 \v 13 I, Yahweh the Lord, am telling you mountains this: It is true that people have said they could not grow many crops on you, and so they died from hunger.
 \v 14 But that will no longer happen.
-\v 15 No longer will the other people groups ridicule you mountains. No longer will they laugh at you; no longer will you mountains make your nation suffer defeat. I, the Lord Yahweh, am telling you this myself.'"
+\v 15 No longer will the other people groups ridicule you mountains. No longer will they laugh at you; no longer will you mountains make your nation suffer defeat. I, the Lord Yahweh, am telling you this myself.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 16 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 17 "Son of man, when the Israelite people were living in their own land, they defiled it by the things that they did. They made it unacceptable to me. I considered that their behavior was as disgusting as the rags that women use during their monthly menstrual periods.
+\v 17 “Son of man, when the Israelite people were living in their own land, they defiled it by the things that they did. They made it unacceptable to me. I considered that their behavior was as disgusting as the rags that women use during their monthly menstrual periods.
 \v 18 So I severely punished them, because they had murdered many people and because they had worshiped idols there. They made their entire land unacceptable to me.
 
 \s5
 \v 19 So I made their enemies scatter them into other lands. I punished them as they deserved to be punished because they had done so many evil things.
-\v 20 Wherever they went among those lands, they caused other people to mock me, when they should have honored me. Those people have been saying, 'The Israelites belong to Yahweh, but he was not strong enough to protect them. They had to leave the land that he had given to them.'
+\v 20 Wherever they went among those lands, they caused other people to mock me, when they should have honored me. Those people have been saying, ‘The Israelites belong to Yahweh, but he was not strong enough to protect them. They had to leave the land that he had given to them.’
 \v 21 The people of Israel had disgraced me among the people groups to which they had to go, but I deserve that those people groups worship me instead.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 So you, Ezekiel, say to the Israelite people that I, the Lord Yahweh, am telling them this: 'You Israelite people, it is not for your sake that I am going to rescue you from your enemies. Instead, I will do this so that the people in these other lands will worship me as God. You have done your best to disgrace me wherever you have gone.
+\v 22 So you, Ezekiel, say to the Israelite people that I, the Lord Yahweh, am telling them this: ‘You Israelite people, it is not for your sake that I am going to rescue you from your enemies. Instead, I will do this so that the people in these other lands will worship me as God. You have done your best to disgrace me wherever you have gone.
 \v 23 I will show that these other people groups should worship me as God, even though they would never know it by watching how you act. When I prove to them that I am powerful and can do anything, then they will know that I will carry out everything that I say I will do. And they will see you honor me as the God who is holy.
 
 \s5
@@ -2561,13 +2561,13 @@
 \v 34 People who walk through your country will see that you are once again cultivating your land, and that your people are living in it again.
 
 \s5
-\v 35 Then they will say, "This land that was ruined has become very fertile, like the garden of Eden. The cities that were piles of ruins, empty and destroyed, now have houses around them, and people are living in those cities."
+\v 35 Then they will say, “This land that was ruined has become very fertile, like the garden of Eden. The cities that were piles of ruins, empty and destroyed, now have houses around them, and people are living in those cities.”
 \v 36 When that happens, the people who are still left in the lands that are around you will know that it is I, Yahweh, who have enabled you to rebuild what was destroyed, and to again plant crops in the fields that had nothing growing in them. I, Yahweh, have said that it will happen, and I will cause it to happen.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 37 This is also what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: Again I will answer your pleas for me to make your people become as numerous as sheep.
-\v 38 I will make them as numerous as the flocks of sheep that will be needed for offerings in Jerusalem during your regular festivals. The cities that are now ruined will be filled with people, and then you will know that I, Yahweh, have done this.'"
+\v 38 I will make them as numerous as the flocks of sheep that will be needed for offerings in Jerusalem during your regular festivals. The cities that are now ruined will be filled with people, and then you will know that I, Yahweh, have done this.’”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -2575,14 +2575,14 @@
 \p
 \v 1 One day Yahweh gave me another vision. In the vision I felt the power of God on me, and by his Spirit he took me to the middle of a valley. It was full of bones of people who had been killed.
 \v 2 He led me to walk back and forth among those bones. I saw that there were very many bones there, bones that were very dry.
-\v 3 He asked me, "Son of man, do you think that these bones can become living people again?"
-\p I replied, "Yahweh my Lord, only you know if that can happen."
+\v 3 He asked me, “Son of man, do you think that these bones can become living people again?”
+\p I replied, “Yahweh my Lord, only you know if that can happen.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 Then he said to me, "Speak a message for me to these bones. Say to them, 'You dry bones, listen to what Yahweh says.
+\v 4 Then he said to me, “Speak a message for me to these bones. Say to them, ‘You dry bones, listen to what Yahweh says.
 \v 5 This is what Yahweh the Lord says to you bones: I am going to put my breath into each of you, and you will become alive again.
-\v 6 I will fasten tendons to your bones and cause your bones to be covered with flesh. I will cover the flesh with skin. Then I will breathe into you, and you will become alive. When that happens, you will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.'"
+\v 6 I will fasten tendons to your bones and cause your bones to be covered with flesh. I will cover the flesh with skin. Then I will breathe into you, and you will become alive. When that happens, you will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2591,34 +2591,34 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 Then he said to me, "Son of man, speak a message for me to the wind. Say to the wind, 'Wind, Yahweh says to you, blow from all four directions. Breathe into these people who have been killed, in order that they can come alive again!'"
+\v 9 Then he said to me, “Son of man, speak a message for me to the wind. Say to the wind, ‘Wind, Yahweh says to you, blow from all four directions. Breathe into these people who have been killed, in order that they can come alive again!’”
 \v 10 So I said what he commanded me to say, and then breath entered them, and they began to breathe. They became alive and stood up, like a huge army.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 Then he said to me, "Son of man, these bones represent all the Israelite people. The people say, 'It is as though our bones are dried up; we can hope for nothing good any longer; our nation is destroyed.'
-\v 12 So speak my message to them and say, 'This is what the Lord Yahweh says: My people, it will be as though I will open your graves and cause your corpses to become alive again. I will bring you back to Israel.
+\v 11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent all the Israelite people. The people say, ‘It is as though our bones are dried up; we can hope for nothing good any longer; our nation is destroyed.’
+\v 12 So speak my message to them and say, ‘This is what the Lord Yahweh says: My people, it will be as though I will open your graves and cause your corpses to become alive again. I will bring you back to Israel.
 
 \s5
 \v 13 Then when that happens, you my people will know that I, Yahweh, have done this.
-\v 14 I will put my spirit in you, and it will be as though you will become alive again, and I will enable you to live in your own land again. Then you will know that it is I, Yahweh, who said that it would happen and who has caused it to happen. That is what I, Yahweh, declare.'"
+\v 14 I will put my spirit in you, and it will be as though you will become alive again, and I will enable you to live in your own land again. Then you will know that it is I, Yahweh, who said that it would happen and who has caused it to happen. That is what I, Yahweh, declare.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 16 "Son of man, take a wooden stick and write on it, 'This represents Judah and all the tribes of Judah.' Then take another one and write on it, 'This represents Israel and all the tribes of Israel.'
+\v 16 “Son of man, take a wooden stick and write on it, ‘This represents Judah and all the tribes of Judah.’ Then take another one and write on it, ‘This represents Israel and all the tribes of Israel.’
 \v 17 Then join them together to become as though they were one larger wooden stick in your hand.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 When your fellow Israelites ask you, 'What does this action mean?',
-\v 19 tell them, 'This is what the Lord Yahweh says: One of the pieces of wood in Ezekiel's hand represents Israel and all the tribes of Israel. I am joining it to the piece of wood that represents Judah, to form one stick in his hand.'
+\v 18 When your fellow Israelites ask you, ‘What does this action mean?’,
+\v 19 tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Yahweh says: One of the pieces of wood in Ezekiel’s hand represents Israel and all the tribes of Israel. I am joining it to the piece of wood that represents Judah, to form one stick in his hand.’
 \v 20 Then, Son of man, hold up the pieces of wood that you have written on, in order that the people can see them.
 
 \s5
-\v 21 Say to the people, 'This is what Yahweh the Lord says: I will take you Israelite people out of the countries to which you have been forced to go. I will gather you from all those lands, back to your own land.
+\v 21 Say to the people, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: I will take you Israelite people out of the countries to which you have been forced to go. I will gather you from all those lands, back to your own land.
 \v 22 And I will cause you to again be one nation in your land, on the mountains of Israel. And there will be one king to rule over all of you. Never again will you be two nations or divided into two kingdoms.
-\v 23 No longer will you defile yourselves by worshiping idols and disgusting statues of your gods, because I will enable you to stop sinning and to stop rejecting me. You will be my people, and I will be your God.'
+\v 23 No longer will you defile yourselves by worshiping idols and disgusting statues of your gods, because I will enable you to stop sinning and to stop rejecting me. You will be my people, and I will be your God.’
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2628,39 +2628,39 @@
 \s5
 \v 26 I will make a covenant with them to give them peace; it will be a covenant that will last forever. I will give them that land again and cause their population to increase. And I will put my temple among them forever.
 \v 27 My home, where I will live, will be among them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.
-\v 28 Then, when my temple is there again among them, the people of nations will know that I, Yahweh, set apart Israel for my honor."
+\v 28 Then, when my temple is there again among them, the people of nations will know that I, Yahweh, set apart Israel for my honor.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 38
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh gave me another message. He said to me,
-\v 2 "Son of man, turn and face Magog, the country where Gog is the king. He is also the ruler of the nations of Meshech and Tubal. Announce my message about the terrible things that will happen to him.
-\v 3 Say this: 'This is what the Lord Yahweh says: Gog, you who rule Meshech and Tubal, I am your enemy.
+\v 2 “Son of man, turn and face Magog, the country where Gog is the king. He is also the ruler of the nations of Meshech and Tubal. Announce my message about the terrible things that will happen to him.
+\v 3 Say this: ‘This is what the Lord Yahweh says: Gog, you who rule Meshech and Tubal, I am your enemy.
 
 \s5
 \v 4 It wlll be as though I will turn you around and put hooks in your jaws and bring you to Israel—you and all of your army, including your horses and the men carrying weapons who ride those horses, and many other soldiers carrying large shields and small shields, all of them carrying swords.
 \v 5 Your soldiers also include armies from Persia, Ethiopia, and Put, all of them with shields and helmets—
-\v 6 also all the soldiers from Gomer and an army from Beth Togarmah—both of these lands that are far north of Israel. Armies of many nations will come with you.'
+\v 6 also all the soldiers from Gomer and an army from Beth Togarmah—both of these lands that are far north of Israel. Armies of many nations will come with you.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 Tell Gog this: 'Get ready, and be prepared to be the commander of all those soldiers.
+\v 7 Tell Gog this: ‘Get ready, and be prepared to be the commander of all those soldiers.
 \v 8 At some future time, Yahweh will command you to lead those armies to attack Israel, a country whose buildings have been rebuilt after they were destroyed in wars. Their people will be have been brought back from many nations to live again on the hills of Israel, where no one had been living for long time. Yahweh bring the Israelites back from other lands, and they will be living peacefully.
 \v 9 You and all those armies from many nations will go up to Israel, advancing like a great storm. Your army will be like a huge cloud that covers the land.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 10 But this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: On that day, you will plan to do something very evil.
-\v 11 You will say this to yourself: "My army will invade a country where the villages do not have walls around them. We will attack people who are peaceful and think that no one will harm them. Their towns and villages do not have walls with gates and bars.
-\v 12 So it will be easy for us to attack these people. They are people who come back together from many countries where they had lived for many years, people who now live safely in their land with all their livestock and other possessions. They are living in the country that is in the middle of the most important countries in the world. Our soldiers will take away all their valuable possessions."
+\v 11 You will say this to yourself: “My army will invade a country where the villages do not have walls around them. We will attack people who are peaceful and think that no one will harm them. Their towns and villages do not have walls with gates and bars.
+\v 12 So it will be easy for us to attack these people. They are people who come back together from many countries where they had lived for many years, people who now live safely in their land with all their livestock and other possessions. They are living in the country that is in the middle of the most important countries in the world. Our soldiers will take away all their valuable possessions.”
 
 \s5
-\v 13 Then people of Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish will come and say to you, "Are you gathering all your soldiers in order to attack Israel and take away all their silver and gold? Do you plan to take away their livestock and all their other valuable possessions?"'
+\v 13 Then people of Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish will come and say to you, “Are you gathering all your soldiers in order to attack Israel and take away all their silver and gold? Do you plan to take away their livestock and all their other valuable possessions?”’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Therefore, Son of man, take my message about Gog and say to him, 'This is what the Lord Yahweh says: At that time, when my people of Israel are living safely, you will certainly think about them.
+\v 14 Therefore, Son of man, take my message about Gog and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord Yahweh says: At that time, when my people of Israel are living safely, you will certainly think about them.
 \v 15 You will come from your place far north of Israel, with the armies of many other nations, all riding horses, a huge army.
 \v 16 You will march toward my Israelite people, and your soldiers will cover the land like a huge cloud. Gog, I will bring your army to attack the country that belongs to me, but what I will do to you will show the people of other nations that I am holy.
 
@@ -2676,13 +2676,13 @@
 \s5
 \v 21 Gog, on all the mountains in the country that belongs to me I will cause your soldiers to fight against each other.
 \v 22 I will punish you and your soldiers with plagues, and I will kill them. I will send down from the sky, on you and your troops who have come from many lands, huge amounts of rain, hail, and burning sulfur.
-\v 23 In this way, I will cause the people of many nations to know that I am very great, and I will show them my holiness. And they will see who I am and they will know that I am Yahweh.'"
+\v 23 In this way, I will cause the people of many nations to know that I am very great, and I will show them my holiness. And they will see who I am and they will know that I am Yahweh.’”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 39
 \p
-\v 1 Yahweh said to me, "Son of man, speak for me about the terrible things that will happen to Gog. Say this to him: 'Gog, I am your enemy, you who rule Meshech and Tubal.
+\v 1 Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, speak for me about the terrible things that will happen to Gog. Say this to him: ‘Gog, I am your enemy, you who rule Meshech and Tubal.
 \v 2 I will turn you around and drag you and your armies from far north of Israel and send you to fight on the mountains of Israel.
 \v 3 When you are there, I will snatch your bows from your left hands and cause your arrows to fall from your right hands.
 
@@ -2714,20 +2714,20 @@
 \p
 \v 14 After those seven months are ended, the Israelite people will designate men to go throughout the land to bury any remaining corpses, in order that the land might not remain defiled.
 \v 15 When they go through the land, whenever one of them sees a human bone, he will set up a marker beside it. When the gravediggers see the markers, they will pick up the bones and bury them in the Valley of Hamon Gog.
-\v 16 There will be a city there named Hamonah. And by doing this work of burying the corpses, they will cleanse the land.'"
+\v 16 There will be a city there named Hamonah. And by doing this work of burying the corpses, they will cleanse the land.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 Yahweh said to me, "Son of man, this is what I, the Lord Yahweh, say: Summon every kind of bird and wild animal. Say to them, 'Gather together from everywhere and come to the feast that Yahweh is preparing for you. It will be a great feast on the mountains of Israel. There you will eat men's flesh and drink their blood.
+\v 17 Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, this is what I, the Lord Yahweh, say: Summon every kind of bird and wild animal. Say to them, ‘Gather together from everywhere and come to the feast that Yahweh is preparing for you. It will be a great feast on the mountains of Israel. There you will eat men’s flesh and drink their blood.
 \v 18 You will eat the flesh of strong soldiers and drink the blood of kings as if they were fat animals from the region of Bashan—as if they were male sheep, lambs, goats, and bulls.
 
 \s5
 \v 19 At the feast that Yahweh is preparing for you, you will eat fat until your stomachs are full, and you will drink blood until it is as though you are drunk.
-\v 20 It will be as though you are eating at a table that I have set up for you. You will eat all you want of the flesh of horses and their riders, strong soldiers of every kind.' That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, declare.
+\v 20 It will be as though you are eating at a table that I have set up for you. You will eat all you want of the flesh of horses and their riders, strong soldiers of every kind.’ That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, declare.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 'I will show people of the nations that I am powerful, and all the nations will see how I punish them.
+\v 21 ‘I will show people of the nations that I am powerful, and all the nations will see how I punish them.
 \v 22 At that time, the Israelite people will learn that I, Yahweh their God, have the power to do what I say that I will do.
 
 \s5
@@ -2738,11 +2738,11 @@
 \p
 \v 25 Therefore, this is now what I, the Lord Yahweh say: I will now bring back from exile the descendants of Jacob; I will have mercy on all the Israelite people, and I will also make sure that they honor me.
 \v 26 When the Israelite people are back in their own country, they will live safely in their land, with no one to cause them to be afraid. They will forget about the disgraceful and unfaithful things that they did previously.
-\v 27 When I have brought them back from their enemies' countries and gathered them together in Israel, the people of many nations will know how holy I am because of what I did for my people.
+\v 27 When I have brought them back from their enemies’ countries and gathered them together in Israel, the people of many nations will know how holy I am because of what I did for my people.
 
 \s5
 \v 28 The Israelite people will know that I, Yahweh, have done this. They will know that because I forced them to go to other countries, and then I gathered them together in their own country. I will not leave any of them in those countries.
-\v 29 I will no longer turn away from them; I will give my Spirit to the Israelite people. This will certainly happen because I, Yahweh the Lord, have said it."
+\v 29 I will no longer turn away from them; I will give my Spirit to the Israelite people. This will certainly happen because I, Yahweh the Lord, have said it.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -2753,37 +2753,37 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 3 When he took me there, I saw a man who looked as if he had been made of bronze. He was standing inside the city gate, and he was holding a linen cord and a measuring stick in his hand.
-\v 4 He said to me, "Son of man, look carefully at everything that I am going to show you, and pay attention to everything that I say and everything that I wll show you, because that is why God brought you here. And then later you must tell the Israelite people everything that you have seen here."
+\v 4 He said to me, “Son of man, look carefully at everything that I am going to show you, and pay attention to everything that I say and everything that I wll show you, because that is why God brought you here. And then later you must tell the Israelite people everything that you have seen here.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 In the vision I saw that there was a wall that completely surrounded the temple area. The measuring stick in the man's hand was three and one-tenth meters long. He measured the wall and it was three and one-tenth meters thick and three and one-tenth meters high.
+\v 5 In the vision I saw that there was a wall that completely surrounded the temple area. The measuring stick in the man’s hand was three and one-tenth meters long. He measured the wall and it was three and one-tenth meters thick and three and one-tenth meters high.
 \p
-\v 6 Then he went to the gate in the temple wall on the temple's east side. He climbed the steps and measured the gateway that faced outward; it was three and one-tenth meters deep.
+\v 6 Then he went to the gate in the temple wall on the temple’s east side. He climbed the steps and measured the gateway that faced outward; it was three and one-tenth meters deep.
 \v 7 Next, there were alcoves for the temple guards, each being three and one-tenth meters long and deep. The distance of the wall between each alcove was two and three-quarters meters. The gateway that faced inward, which led to the temple portico, was also three and one-tenth meters deep.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 Then he measured the portico that was after the gate; it was three and one-tenth meters long.
-\v 9 He also measured the depth, which was three and one-tenth of a meter. The doorposts on either side were one meter thick. This was the portico attached to the temple gate on the gate's inner side, facing the temple.
+\v 9 He also measured the depth, which was three and one-tenth of a meter. The doorposts on either side were one meter thick. This was the portico attached to the temple gate on the gate’s inner side, facing the temple.
 \v 10 Inside the east gate there were three alcoves for guards on each side of the gate. They all had the same length and depth. And the distance of wall between them was the same.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 11 Then he measured the opening of the gate; it was five and two-fifths meters wide, and the entrance from the gate was seven meters long.
 \v 12 Running along in front of the alcoves was a low wall one-half meter high. Each of the alcoves was three and one-tenth meters long on all sides.
-\v 13 Then the man measured the gateway's width from the roof of the alcove on one side, to the roof of the alcove on the other side. The distance was 13 and one-half, from one alcove's entrance to that of the other.
+\v 13 Then the man measured the gateway’s width from the roof of the alcove on one side, to the roof of the alcove on the other side. The distance was 13 and one-half, from one alcove’s entrance to that of the other.
 
 \s5
-\v 14 Then the man measured along the wall that separated the alcoves from each other; it was thirty-two meters long. He measured them as far as the gate's portico.
+\v 14 Then the man measured along the wall that separated the alcoves from each other; it was thirty-two meters long. He measured them as far as the gate’s portico.
 \v 15 The distance from the entrance of the gate to the far end of its portico was twenty-seven meters.
 \v 16 There were narrow windows in the walls of all the alcoves, and also in the inner walls between the alcoves. The portico also had these same windows on its inner side. The wall that ran between the alcoves was decorated with carvings of palm trees.
 
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 Then the man brought me to the temple's outer courtyard. There I saw some rooms, and a stone pavement in the courtyard. There were thirty rooms facing the courtyard.
+\v 17 Then the man brought me to the temple’s outer courtyard. There I saw some rooms, and a stone pavement in the courtyard. There were thirty rooms facing the courtyard.
 \v 18 The stone pavement was all around the courtyard, and it extended out from the walls into the courtyard for the same distance as the gate entrances. That was the lower pavement.
 \v 19 Then the man measured the distance across the outer courtyard of the temple, between the outer gate and inner courtyard; it was fifty-four meters on the east side, and the same distance on the north side of the courtyard.
 
@@ -2809,7 +2809,7 @@
 \v 28 Then the man brought me through the south entrance into the inner courtyard, and he measured the south entrance. It measured the same as the other gates.
 \v 29 He measured its alcoves, its walls, and its portico with the same measuring standards he had been using. The gate and its portico had windows all around. The gate and its portico measured twenty-seven meters long and thirteen and one-half wide.
 \v 30 The porticos of the inner gates, which led to the inner courtyard, were about thirteen and one-half meters long and two and three-quarters meters wide.
-\v 31 The portico's entrance faced the outer courtyard. Carvings of palm trees decorated the walls, and there were eight steps leading up to it.
+\v 31 The portico’s entrance faced the outer courtyard. Carvings of palm trees decorated the walls, and there were eight steps leading up to it.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2838,10 +2838,10 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 44 Outside two of the inner gateways, on the inner courtyard side, there were rooms for those who led in singing during the worship, one on the north side and one on the south side.
-\v 45 The man said to me, "The room whose door faces south is for the priests who are working in the temple.
+\v 45 The man said to me, “The room whose door faces south is for the priests who are working in the temple.
 
 \s5
-\v 46 The room whose door faces north is for the priests who are in charge of the work at the altar. They are the descendants of Zadok; they are the only descendants of Levi who are permitted to approach Yahweh while they work for him."
+\v 46 The room whose door faces north is for the priests who are in charge of the work at the altar. They are the descendants of Zadok; they are the only descendants of Levi who are permitted to approach Yahweh while they work for him.”
 \p
 \v 47 Then he measured the courtyard; it was square, fifty-four meters long and fifty-four meters wide. The altar was in front of the sanctuary.
 
@@ -2860,7 +2860,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 3 Then he entered the inner room of the temple, the very holy place, and measured the walls to either side of the entrance; each was one meter wide. The doorway was three and one-tenth meters wide, and each of the walls on each side of the entrance was three and four-fifths meters long.
-\v 4 Then he measured the inner room; it was eleven meters long and eleven meters wide. Then he said to me, "This is the very holy place."
+\v 4 Then he measured the inner room; it was eleven meters long and eleven meters wide. Then he said to me, “This is the very holy place.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2874,7 +2874,7 @@
 \v 9 The outer wall of those side rooms was two and three-quarters meters thick. All around the sanctuary there was an open area between those side rooms.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 The open areas were near the priests' rooms that were surrounding the courtyard; there was a distance of eleven meters between the two sets of side rooms all around the sanctuary.
+\v 10 The open areas were near the priests’ rooms that were surrounding the courtyard; there was a distance of eleven meters between the two sets of side rooms all around the sanctuary.
 \v 11 There were two doors from those side rooms into another open area; one faced north and one faced south. This open area was two and three-quarters meters wide.
 
 \s5
@@ -2897,7 +2897,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 21 At the entrance to the main room of the temple there were square doorposts, all the same in appearance.
-\v 22 In front of the very holy place there was a wooden altar. It was one and three-fifths meters high and one meter wide on all four sides. Its corners and base and sides were all made of wood. The man said to me, "This is the table that is in the presence of Yahweh."
+\v 22 In front of the very holy place there was a wooden altar. It was one and three-fifths meters high and one meter wide on all four sides. Its corners and base and sides were all made of wood. The man said to me, “This is the table that is in the presence of Yahweh.”
 \v 23 The holy place and the very holy place had folding doors.
 \v 24 Each door consisted of two parts that swung on hinges.
 
@@ -2931,8 +2931,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 Then the man said to me, "The rooms on the northern and southern sides that overlook the temple sanctuary are only for Yahweh's special purposes. Here the priests who offer sacrifices to Yahweh will eat their portions of those offerings. Because these rooms are special, they will be used to store the offerings for Yahweh: The flour for the flour offerings, for the offerings for the sins that people have committed, and for the offerings that people make for their sins.
-\v 14 When the priests leave the temple, they will not be allowed to immediately enter the outer courtyard. First they must remove the clothes that they had been wearing inside the holy place, because those clothes are special, reserved for their work. They must put on other clothes before they enter the parts of the temple area where the other people gather."
+\v 13 Then the man said to me, “The rooms on the northern and southern sides that overlook the temple sanctuary are only for Yahweh’s special purposes. Here the priests who offer sacrifices to Yahweh will eat their portions of those offerings. Because these rooms are special, they will be used to store the offerings for Yahweh: The flour for the flour offerings, for the offerings for the sins that people have committed, and for the offerings that people make for their sins.
+\v 14 When the priests leave the temple, they will not be allowed to immediately enter the outer courtyard. First they must remove the clothes that they had been wearing inside the holy place, because those clothes are special, reserved for their work. They must put on other clothes before they enter the parts of the temple area where the other people gather.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2959,11 +2959,11 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 Then, while the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speak to me from inside the temple.
-\v 7 He said, "Son of man, this is my temple, the place where I sit on my throne and where I rest my feet. This is where I will live with the Israelite people forever. The Israelite people and their kings will never again disgrace me by worshiping other gods at their hilltop places of idol worship, or by building lifeless idols of their past kings.
+\v 7 He said, “Son of man, this is my temple, the place where I sit on my throne and where I rest my feet. This is where I will live with the Israelite people forever. The Israelite people and their kings will never again disgrace me by worshiping other gods at their hilltop places of idol worship, or by building lifeless idols of their past kings.
 \v 8 Your people placed their altars near mine, and the doorposts of their temples were next to the doorposts of my temple. There was only a wall between them. And they disgraced me by the detestable things that they did. So I was angry and destroyed them.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 Now they must stop this disgusting worship of idols and these rituals to honor kings' idols. If they stop doing those things, I will live among them forever.
+\v 9 Now they must stop this disgusting worship of idols and these rituals to honor kings’ idols. If they stop doing those things, I will live among them forever.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2982,11 +2982,11 @@
 \s5
 \v 15 The hearth at the top of the altar is another two meters high, and there is a hornlike projection that juts up from each of the four corners.
 \v 16 That place at the top of the altar is square, six and one-half meters long on each side.
-\v 17 The upper ledge that borders the hearth is also a square, seven and three-fifths meters long on each side, and has a rim all around that is twenty-seven centimeters wide. There is a gutter measuring one-half meter at the bottom of the altar. There are steps leading up to the east side of the altar."
+\v 17 The upper ledge that borders the hearth is also a square, seven and three-fifths meters long on each side, and has a rim all around that is twenty-seven centimeters wide. There is a gutter measuring one-half meter at the bottom of the altar. There are steps leading up to the east side of the altar.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 Then the man said to me, "Son of man, this is what Yahweh the Lord says: These are the regulations for sacrificing offerings that will be completely burned and for sprinkling the blood against the sides of the altar when it is built:
+\v 18 Then the man said to me, “Son of man, this is what Yahweh the Lord says: These are the regulations for sacrificing offerings that will be completely burned and for sprinkling the blood against the sides of the altar when it is built:
 \v 19 You must present to the priests a young bull to be an offering for the sins of the priests, the descendants of Levi, from the clan of Zadok, who come near to the altar to serve me.
 
 \s5
@@ -3003,24 +3003,24 @@
 \p
 \v 25 Then, each day for seven days you must bring to the priest a male goat to be sacrificed for an offering, so I will accept the altar. You must also sacrifice a young bull and a ram, each without any defect, that the priests will provide.
 \v 26 For seven days the priests will consecrate the altar, so I will accept the altar. By doing that they will set it apart for my honor.
-\v 27 At the end of those seven days, starting on the following day, the priests will continue to put on the altar offerings to be completely burned and offerings to promise friendship with me. Then I will accept you. That it what I, Yahweh the Lord, declare."
+\v 27 At the end of those seven days, starting on the following day, the priests will continue to put on the altar offerings to be completely burned and offerings to promise friendship with me. Then I will accept you. That it what I, Yahweh the Lord, declare.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 44
 \p
 \v 1 Then the man brought me back to the outer entrance to the temple area, the one on the east side, but the gate was shut.
-\v 2 Yahweh said to me, "This gate must remain shut. It must not be opened by anyone; no one will be permitted to enter it. It must remain shut because I, Yahweh, the God of Israel, made it to be special to me when I came in through it.
-\v 3 Only the ruler of Israel will be permitted to sit inside this entrance to eat food in my presence. He must enter and leave the temple area through this gate."
+\v 2 Yahweh said to me, “This gate must remain shut. It must not be opened by anyone; no one will be permitted to enter it. It must remain shut because I, Yahweh, the God of Israel, made it to be special to me when I came in through it.
+\v 3 Only the ruler of Israel will be permitted to sit inside this entrance to eat food in my presence. He must enter and leave the temple area through this gate.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 Then the man brought me through the north entrance to the front of the temple. I looked and saw that the glory of Yahweh filled his temple, and I prostrated myself on the ground.
 \p
-\v 5 Yahweh said to me, "Son of man, look carefully, and listen carefully to everything that I tell you about all the regulations concerning the temple. Note carefully the temple entrance and all the exits.
+\v 5 Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, look carefully, and listen carefully to everything that I tell you about all the regulations concerning the temple. Note carefully the temple entrance and all the exits.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 Say this to the rebellious Israelite people: 'This is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: You Israelite people, I will no longer endure the detestable things that you do!
+\v 6 Say this to the rebellious Israelite people: ‘This is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: You Israelite people, I will no longer endure the detestable things that you do!
 \v 7 In addition to all the other detestable things that you do, you brought into my temple foreign men who had not been circumcised and who knew nothing about how to honor me. By doing that, you caused my temple to be an unacceptable place to worship me, while you offered food and fat and blood, and you disobeyed my covenant with you.
 
 \s5
@@ -3039,7 +3039,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 But the priests who are descended from Levi and from the clan of Zadok faithfully worked in my temple when the other Israelites deserted me. So they must come near to me to work for me. They will stand in my presence to offer sacrifices of animals' fat and blood.
+\v 15 But the priests who are descended from Levi and from the clan of Zadok faithfully worked in my temple when the other Israelites deserted me. So they must come near to me to work for me. They will stand in my presence to offer sacrifices of animals’ fat and blood.
 \v 16 They are the only ones who are permitted to enter my temple. They are the only ones who are permitted to come near my altar to serve me and do what I tell them to do.
 
 \s5
@@ -3070,7 +3070,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 28 The priests will not own any land. They will have only what I provide for them.
-\v 29 They will eat the offerings made from flour, offerings to remove people's guilt for having sinned, and offerings made when people fail to give to me the things that they are required to give. Everything else in Israel that is dedicated to me will belong to the priests.
+\v 29 They will eat the offerings made from flour, offerings to remove people’s guilt for having sinned, and offerings made when people fail to give to me the things that they are required to give. Everything else in Israel that is dedicated to me will belong to the priests.
 
 \s5
 \v 30 The best fruits of the first part of each harvest and all the other special gifts will belong to the priests. You must give them the first part of your ground flour, in order that I will bless the people who live in your house.
@@ -3085,14 +3085,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 3 Inside the sacred district, measure a section thirteen and one-half kilometers long and five and two-fifths kilometers wide. It will be where the sanctuary is, and that is the most holy place.
-\v 4 It will be the sacred portion of the land for the priests who work in the temple, those who come near to Yahweh to serve him. It will be a place very special for Yahweh, for the priests' houses, as well as for the temple.
+\v 4 It will be the sacred portion of the land for the priests who work in the temple, those who come near to Yahweh to serve him. It will be a place very special for Yahweh, for the priests’ houses, as well as for the temple.
 \v 5 An area thirteen and one-half kilometers long and five and two-fifths kilometers wide will be for the descendants of Levi who work in the temple. That area will belong to them, and they can build towns there to live in.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 Alongside this sacred area will be a section of land that is thirteen and one-half kilometers long and two and three-quarters kilometers wide. It will be for a city where anyone in Israel may live.
 \p
-\v 7 The ruler of Israel will have the land that is on each side of the area formed by the temple district and the city. It will extend to the west from the western end of those areas, and to the east from the eastern end of those areas. The far eastern and far western borders of the king's land will measure the same as the parallel borders of those other tracts.
+\v 7 The ruler of Israel will have the land that is on each side of the area formed by the temple district and the city. It will extend to the west from the western end of those areas, and to the east from the eastern end of those areas. The far eastern and far western borders of the king’s land will measure the same as the parallel borders of those other tracts.
 
 \s5
 \v 8 This portion of land will belong to the ruler. So the rulers will no longer have any excuse for oppressing my people and stealing their land. They will assign the remaining parts of the land in Israel to each tribe, to be divided up among the people.
@@ -3108,16 +3108,16 @@
 \p
 \v 13 You must present to the ruler one measure of wheat or barley for every sixty measures that you harvest.
 \v 14 You must give him one measure of olive oil for every one hundred measures that you produce.
-\v 15 Also, Yahweh declares that you must take one sheep or goat from every two hundred in your flocks in the lush pastures of Israel. You must offer a sheep or a goat for various offerings: Burnt offerings and offerings to promise friendship with Yahweh, offerings to atone for the people's sins. "This is the Lord Yahweh's command."
+\v 15 Also, Yahweh declares that you must take one sheep or goat from every two hundred in your flocks in the lush pastures of Israel. You must offer a sheep or a goat for various offerings: Burnt offerings and offerings to promise friendship with Yahweh, offerings to atone for the people’s sins. “This is the Lord Yahweh’s command.”
 
 \s5
 \v 16 All the people in the land must join in bringing these offerings to the ruler of Israel.
-\v 17 The ruler must provide the animals to be completely burned on the altar, flour for the offerings made from grain, and wine for the sacred festivals that Yahweh has appointed for the people Israel—including the festivals to celebrate the new moons, and the offerings for the Sabbath days. He must provide the animals for the offerings for the people to become acceptable to God, offerings of flour made from grain, offerings to be completely burned, and offerings to promise friendship with Yahweh, to atone for the sins of the people of Israel."
+\v 17 The ruler must provide the animals to be completely burned on the altar, flour for the offerings made from grain, and wine for the sacred festivals that Yahweh has appointed for the people Israel—including the festivals to celebrate the new moons, and the offerings for the Sabbath days. He must provide the animals for the offerings for the people to become acceptable to God, offerings of flour made from grain, offerings to be completely burned, and offerings to promise friendship with Yahweh, to atone for the sins of the people of Israel.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 This is also what the Lord Yahweh declares: "On the first day of the first month of each year you must take one young bull that has no defects and sacrifice it to purify the temple.
-\v 19 The priest must take some of the blood of the offering to atone for the people's sins, and he must smear it on the temple doorposts, on the four corners of the upper ledge surrounding the altar, and on the gateposts of the inner courtyard.
+\v 18 This is also what the Lord Yahweh declares: “On the first day of the first month of each year you must take one young bull that has no defects and sacrifice it to purify the temple.
+\v 19 The priest must take some of the blood of the offering to atone for the people’s sins, and he must smear it on the temple doorposts, on the four corners of the upper ledge surrounding the altar, and on the gateposts of the inner courtyard.
 \v 20 You must do the same thing on the seventh day of the month for any people who sin accidentally or without knowing that they sinned. By doing that you will purify the temple.
 
 \s5
@@ -3137,7 +3137,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 46
 \p
-\v 1 This is also what Yahweh the Lord declares: 'The east gateway of the inner courtyard must be shut during the six days you work each week, but on the Sabbath days and on the days when there is a new moon, the gateway must be open.
+\v 1 This is also what Yahweh the Lord declares: ‘The east gateway of the inner courtyard must be shut during the six days you work each week, but on the Sabbath days and on the days when there is a new moon, the gateway must be open.
 \v 2 The ruler must enter the courtyard through the entry room of the gateway, and stand alongside the gateposts of the inner courtyard. Then the priests must sacrifice the animal that will be completely burned on the altar, and also his offering to promise friendship with me. The ruler must worship me at the entrance of the inner gateway, and then he must leave. But the gate will not be shut until that evening.
 
 \s5
@@ -3168,21 +3168,21 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 This is what Yahweh the Lord declares: If the ruler gives some of his land to one of his sons, to belong to him permanently, it will then eventually belong to his son's descendants.
+\v 16 This is what Yahweh the Lord declares: If the ruler gives some of his land to one of his sons, to belong to him permanently, it will then eventually belong to his son’s descendants.
 \v 17 However, if he gives some of his land to one of his servants, the servant is allowed to keep that land until the year of the celebration of Jubilee. Then the ruler must take possession of it again. But if the ruler gives land to his sons, that land will belong to them permanently.
-\v 18 The ruler must not take any land that the people own and force them to live somewhere else. The land that he gives to his sons must be from his own property, not from anyone else's property, in order that none of my people will be separated from his own property.'"
+\v 18 The ruler must not take any land that the people own and force them to live somewhere else. The land that he gives to his sons must be from his own property, not from anyone else’s property, in order that none of my people will be separated from his own property.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 19 Then, in the vision, the man brought me through the entrance alongside the gateway to the sacred rooms on the north side, the rooms that belonged to the priests, and he showed me a place at the western end.
-\v 20 He said to me, "This is the place where the priests will cook the meat of the offerings that people make because they failed to do what they promised Yahweh that they would do, and offerings to cause people to become acceptable to God, and where they will bake bread made with the flour brought as offerings. They will cook those things in their rooms in order to avoid bringing them into the outer courtyard to cook them there, lest someone might be consecrated by touching them."
+\v 20 He said to me, “This is the place where the priests will cook the meat of the offerings that people make because they failed to do what they promised Yahweh that they would do, and offerings to cause people to become acceptable to God, and where they will bake bread made with the flour brought as offerings. They will cook those things in their rooms in order to avoid bringing them into the outer courtyard to cook them there, lest someone might be consecrated by touching them.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 21 Then the man brought me to the outer courtyard and led me around to its four corners. In each corner I saw an enclosed area;
 \v 22 each was twenty-two meters long and sixteen meters wide.
 \v 23 Around the inside of each of these enclosed areas was a stone ledge, with places to make fires all around under the ledge.
-\v 24 The man said to me, "These are the kitchens where the descendants of Levi who work in the temple will cook the sacrifices that the people bring."
+\v 24 The man said to me, “These are the kitchens where the descendants of Levi who work in the temple will cook the sacrifices that the people bring.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -3198,10 +3198,10 @@
 \v 5 Then he measured off another 540 meters and led me through water that was now a river that I could not cross, because the water was so deep; to continue farther would have required me to swim.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 Then he asked me, "Son of man, think about this carefully." Then he led me onto the bank of the river
+\v 6 Then he asked me, “Son of man, think about this carefully.” Then he led me onto the bank of the river
 \p
 \v 7 and back along it toward in the direction from where we had come. There I saw many trees growing on each side of the river.
-\v 8 He said to me, "This water flows east and goes down into the Dead Sea. And when the water enters the Dead Sea, it stays fresh and restores the water of the Sea and makes it fresh again.
+\v 8 He said to me, “This water flows east and goes down into the Dead Sea. And when the water enters the Dead Sea, it stays fresh and restores the water of the Sea and makes it fresh again.
 
 \s5
 \v 9 Swarms of fish will live in the water wherever the river flows. There will be many fish in the Dead Sea, because the water that flows into it will cause the salt water to become fresh water. Wherever the river flows, everything alongside it will flourish.
@@ -3209,11 +3209,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 11 But the swamps and marshes along the shore will not become fresh; they will be left to make salt.
-\v 12 Many kinds of fruit trees will grow on both sides of the river. Their leaves will not wither, and they will always have fruit. They will bear new fruit every month, because the water that comes from the temple flows continually to the trees. Their fruit will be good to eat and their leaves will be good for healing."
+\v 12 Many kinds of fruit trees will grow on both sides of the river. Their leaves will not wither, and they will always have fruit. They will bear new fruit every month, because the water that comes from the temple flows continually to the trees. Their fruit will be good to eat and their leaves will be good for healing.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 In the vision, Yahweh also said this to me: "Here is a list of the twelve tribes of Israel and the territory that each tribe is to receive. The descendants of Joseph will receive two portions.
+\v 13 In the vision, Yahweh also said this to me: “Here is a list of the twelve tribes of Israel and the territory that each tribe is to receive. The descendants of Joseph will receive two portions.
 \v 14 Divide the land equally among all of the tribes. I lifted up my hand to swear to your ancestors that I would give them this land to own permanently.
 
 \s5
@@ -3237,7 +3237,7 @@
 \p
 \v 21 You must distribute this land among yourselves, among the tribes of Israel.
 \v 22 You must assign the land as a permanent possession for yourselves and also for any foreigners who are living and raising their children among you. You must consider them to be like native born Israelites, and they must be assigned land among the tribes of Israel.
-\v 23 Wherever foreigners are living, you must give them some land to belong to them permanently.' That is what the Lord Yahweh declares."
+\v 23 Wherever foreigners are living, you must give them some land to belong to them permanently.’ That is what the Lord Yahweh declares.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -3248,28 +3248,28 @@
 \p
 \v 2 South of their area will be the territory for the tribe of Asher.
 \p
-\v 3 South of Asher's land will be territory for the tribe of Naphtali.
+\v 3 South of Asher’s land will be territory for the tribe of Naphtali.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 South of Naphtali's land will be territory for the tribe of Manasseh.
+\v 4 South of Naphtali’s land will be territory for the tribe of Manasseh.
 \p
-\v 5 South of Manasseh's land will be territory for the tribe of Ephraim.
+\v 5 South of Manasseh’s land will be territory for the tribe of Ephraim.
 \p
-\v 6 South of Ephraim's land will be territory for the tribe of Reuben.
+\v 6 South of Ephraim’s land will be territory for the tribe of Reuben.
 \p
 \v 7 South of their land will be territory for the tribe of Judah.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 South of Judah's land will be an area that the entire nation will give to me; you will set it apart for special use. The temple will be in the center of this area. It will be as long as any of the portions of land assigned a tribe of Israel.
+\v 8 South of Judah’s land will be an area that the entire nation will give to me; you will set it apart for special use. The temple will be in the center of this area. It will be as long as any of the portions of land assigned a tribe of Israel.
 \p
 \v 9 This special area will be thirteen and one-half kilometers long and five and two-fifths kilometers wide. This is what you will give to Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \v 10 Within this special area, these will what you will assign to the priests: you will assign them an area of land measuring thirteen and one-half kilometers on the northern and southern side; and five and two-fifths kilometers on the western and eastern sides. The temple of Yahweh will be in the middle of this special area.
 \v 11 The temple area will be for the priests, those set apart for my honor, who are descendants of Zadok. They are ones who served me faithfully and did not turn away from Yahweh as the descendants of Levi did.
-\v 12 When the land is distributed, you will offer that special area to me, for it to be the priests' special portion; it is land that you will treat as very special to me. Next to the priests' territory will be where the other descendants of Levi will live.
+\v 12 When the land is distributed, you will offer that special area to me, for it to be the priests’ special portion; it is land that you will treat as very special to me. Next to the priests’ territory will be where the other descendants of Levi will live.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -3287,31 +3287,31 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 19 Those who come from the various tribes to work in the city may also work in this farmland.
-\v 20 This entire special area, including the land given for Yahweh's use and the city, will be a square that is thirteen and one-half kilometers long on each side.
+\v 20 This entire special area, including the land given for Yahweh’s use and the city, will be a square that is thirteen and one-half kilometers long on each side.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 The tracts of land to the east and to the west of Yahweh's area and the city will belong to the ruler. One area will extend east to the eastern boundary of Israel, and the other will extend west to the Great Sea. Yahweh's area, which contains the temple, will be in the middle.
+\v 21 The tracts of land to the east and to the west of Yahweh’s area and the city will belong to the ruler. One area will extend east to the eastern boundary of Israel, and the other will extend west to the Great Sea. Yahweh’s area, which contains the temple, will be in the middle.
 \v 22 The area that belongs to the ruler will be between the tribe of Judah to the north and the tribe of Benjamin to the south.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 South of Yahweh's area, each of the other tribes will receive one portion of land that extends from the eastern boundary of Israel west to the Great Sea.
-\p Just south of Yahweh's area will be territory for the tribe of Benjamin.
+\v 23 South of Yahweh’s area, each of the other tribes will receive one portion of land that extends from the eastern boundary of Israel west to the Great Sea.
+\p Just south of Yahweh’s area will be territory for the tribe of Benjamin.
 \p
-\v 24 South of Benjamin's land will be the land for the tribe of Simeon.
+\v 24 South of Benjamin’s land will be the land for the tribe of Simeon.
 \p
-\v 25 South of Simeon's land will be the land for the tribe of Issachar.
+\v 25 South of Simeon’s land will be the land for the tribe of Issachar.
 \p
-\v 26 South of Issachar's land will be the land for the tribe of Zebulun.
+\v 26 South of Issachar’s land will be the land for the tribe of Zebulun.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 27 South of Zebulun's land will be the land for the tribe of Gad.
+\v 27 South of Zebulun’s land will be the land for the tribe of Gad.
 \p
-\v 28 The southern boundary of Gad's land will extend south from En Gedi to the springs at Meribah Kadesh, and then to the west along the brook of Egypt to the Great Sea.
+\v 28 The southern boundary of Gad’s land will extend south from En Gedi to the springs at Meribah Kadesh, and then to the west along the brook of Egypt to the Great Sea.
 \p
-\v 29 This is a description of the land that you must assign to the tribes of Israel, for it to belong to them permanently.' That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, declare.
+\v 29 This is a description of the land that you must assign to the tribes of Israel, for it to belong to them permanently.’ That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, declare.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -3327,5 +3327,5 @@
 \v 34 On the west side, also two-fifths of a kilometer long, will be gates named for Gad, Asher, and Naphtali.
 \p
 \v 35 The distance around the city would be nine and three-quarters kilometers.
-\p From that time on, the name of the city will be "Yahweh is there."
+\p From that time on, the name of the city will be “Yahweh is there.”
 

27-DAN.usfm

@@ -10,13 +10,13 @@
 \c 1
 \p
 \v 1 After King Jehoiakim had been ruling in Judah for almost three years, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem with his army and surrounded the city so that the city would be weakened before the army attacked.
-\v 2 After two years, the Lord gave Nebuchadnezzar's soldiers victory over Jehoiakim, who was the king of Judah. They also took some of the sacred objects that were in the temple of God, and took them to Babylonia in the land of Shinar. There Nebuchadnezzar put them in the treasure house of his god.
+\v 2 After two years, the Lord gave Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers victory over Jehoiakim, who was the king of Judah. They also took some of the sacred objects that were in the temple of God, and took them to Babylonia in the land of Shinar. There Nebuchadnezzar put them in the treasure house of his god.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 3 Then Nebuchadnezzar commanded Ashpenaz, the chief official in his palace, to bring to him some of the Israelite men whom they had brought to Babylon. These were men who belonged to important families, including the family of the king of Judah.
 \v 4 King Nebuchadnezzar wanted only men who were very healthy, handsome, wise, well educated, capable of learning many things, and suitable for working in the palace. He wanted to teach them the Babylonian language so that they could understand the writings of the Babylonians.
-\v 5 The king commanded his servants, "Give them the fine, rich foods and wine served to me. Train them for three years and then they will become my servants."
+\v 5 The king commanded his servants, “Give them the fine, rich foods and wine served to me. Train them for three years and then they will become my servants.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -25,27 +25,27 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 But Daniel decided that he would not eat the kind of food that the king ate, or drink the wine that the king drank because that would make him ritually defiled. So he asked Ashpenaz, the chief of the king's officials for permission to eat and drink other food so that he might not defile himself.
+\v 8 But Daniel decided that he would not eat the kind of food that the king ate, or drink the wine that the king drank because that would make him ritually defiled. So he asked Ashpenaz, the chief of the king’s officials for permission to eat and drink other food so that he might not defile himself.
 \v 9 God gave Daniel kindness and compassion in the relationship he had with Ashpenaz. The chief official had great respect for Daniel.
-\v 10 He said to Daniel, "My master the king, has chosen what food and drink you should have. If you eat other things and you become thinner and paler than the other young men who are your age, he could order his soldiers to cut off my head because you did not follow his directions."
+\v 10 He said to Daniel, “My master the king, has chosen what food and drink you should have. If you eat other things and you become thinner and paler than the other young men who are your age, he could order his soldiers to cut off my head because you did not follow his directions.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 11 The chief official assigned a servant to give Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah their food and drink. Daniel spoke to him.
-\v 12 He said, "Please test your servants! For ten days give us only vegetables to eat and water to drink.
-\v 13 After ten days, see whether we look healthy or not. Also see how those who eat the king's food look. Then you do to us whatever you think is best."
+\v 12 He said, “Please test your servants! For ten days give us only vegetables to eat and water to drink.
+\v 13 After ten days, see whether we look healthy or not. Also see how those who eat the king’s food look. Then you do to us whatever you think is best.”
 
 \s5
 \v 14 The servant agreed to this test. He gave them the food Daniel requested for ten days.
 \p
 \v 15 After ten days, he saw that they looked healthier and better nourished than all the young men who had been eating the food the king chose for them.
-\v 16 So after that he took away the king's special food and wine, and he only gave them vegetables to eat.
+\v 16 So after that he took away the king’s special food and wine, and he only gave them vegetables to eat.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 God gave to these four young men wisdom and the ability to study many things that the Babylonians had written and studied. He also gave to Daniel the ability to understand the meaning of visions and dreams.
 \p
-\v 18 After three years, the king chose a day when those who were in training would come before him. Ashpenaz, the chief of the king's officials, presented them all to Nebuchadnezzar.
+\v 18 After three years, the king chose a day when those who were in training would come before him. Ashpenaz, the chief of the king’s officials, presented them all to Nebuchadnezzar.
 
 \s5
 \v 19 The king talked with them and realized that none of the other young men were as capable as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they stood together, ready to begin their service to the king.
@@ -61,36 +61,36 @@
 \v 2 The next morning he summoned his men who worked magic, those who claimed to speak with the dead, those who gave advice from watching the stars, and the wise men. To test their skill, he demanded that they tell him what he had dreamed. They came and stood before the king.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 The king said, "I had a dream last night that worries me and I want to know what the dream means."
+\v 3 The king said, “I had a dream last night that worries me and I want to know what the dream means.”
 \p
-\v 4 The men who studied the stars replied to the king, (what follows is written in the Aramaic language). They said, "King Nebuchadnezzar, may you live forever! Tell us your dream and we will tell you what it means!"
+\v 4 The men who studied the stars replied to the king, (what follows is written in the Aramaic language). They said, “King Nebuchadnezzar, may you live forever! Tell us your dream and we will tell you what it means!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 But the king replied to them, "I have decided that you must tell me the dream and also tell me what it means. If you do not do this, I will cut you into pieces and turn your houses into piles of dung!
-\v 6 But if you tell me what I dreamed and what it means, I will reward you. I will give you gifts and a reward and great honor. So tell me what I dreamed and what it means."
+\v 5 But the king replied to them, “I have decided that you must tell me the dream and also tell me what it means. If you do not do this, I will cut you into pieces and turn your houses into piles of dung!
+\v 6 But if you tell me what I dreamed and what it means, I will reward you. I will give you gifts and a reward and great honor. So tell me what I dreamed and what it means.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 Again they replied, "Tell us what you dreamed, and we will tell you what it means."
+\v 7 Again they replied, “Tell us what you dreamed, and we will tell you what it means.”
 \p
-\v 8 The king replied, "I know that you are just trying to get more time because you know that I will do to you what I said that I would do.
-\v 9 If you do not tell me what I dreamed, you know what I promised to do to you. I think that you have all agreed to tell me lies and other wicked things before your time is up. So then, you have only one choice. Tell me the dream, and I will know you can tell me what it means."
+\v 8 The king replied, “I know that you are just trying to get more time because you know that I will do to you what I said that I would do.
+\v 9 If you do not tell me what I dreamed, you know what I promised to do to you. I think that you have all agreed to tell me lies and other wicked things before your time is up. So then, you have only one choice. Tell me the dream, and I will know you can tell me what it means.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 The wise men replied to the king, "There is no one on the earth who can do what you ask! There is no king, even a great and mighty king, who has ever asked his astrologers or those who claim to speak with the dead, or wise men like ourselves to do something like that!
-\v 11 What you are asking us to do is impossible. Only the gods can tell you what you dreamed, and they do not live among us!"
+\v 10 The wise men replied to the king, “There is no one on the earth who can do what you ask! There is no king, even a great and mighty king, who has ever asked his astrologers or those who claim to speak with the dead, or wise men like ourselves to do something like that!
+\v 11 What you are asking us to do is impossible. Only the gods can tell you what you dreamed, and they do not live among us!”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 The king was very angry when he heard that, so he commanded his soldiers that they execute all men who were known for their wisdom in all of Babylon.
-\v 13 According to the king's command, they set out to find Daniel and his friends, to execute them.
+\v 13 According to the king’s command, they set out to find Daniel and his friends, to execute them.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Arioch, the commander of the king's guards, came with soldiers to kill everyone in Babylon who was considered to be wise. So Daniel spoke to him very wisely and tactfully.
-\v 15 Daniel asked the captain Arioch, "Why has the king made a decree that must be carried out so quickly?" So Arioch told Daniel all that had happened.
+\v 14 Arioch, the commander of the king’s guards, came with soldiers to kill everyone in Babylon who was considered to be wise. So Daniel spoke to him very wisely and tactfully.
+\v 15 Daniel asked the captain Arioch, “Why has the king made a decree that must be carried out so quickly?” So Arioch told Daniel all that had happened.
 \v 16 Daniel went to talk with the king and requested an appointment with the king so that he could tell the king what the dream was and what it meant.
 \s5
 \p
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 19 That night God gave Daniel a vision, and in that vision the secret was made known to him. Then Daniel praised God
 \v 20 saying,
-\q1 "We praise the name of the true God forever
+\q1 “We praise the name of the true God forever
 \q2 because he owns all wisdom and power.
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -123,21 +123,21 @@ to those who understand.
 \q1 I thank you and I praise you
 \q2 because you have caused me to be wise and made me strong.
 \q2 You have told me what my friends and I asked you to tell us,
-\q2 and you have revealed to us what the king demanded to know."
+\q2 and you have revealed to us what the king demanded to know.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 24 Then Daniel went to Arioch, the man whom the king had appointed to execute everyone known to be wise in Babylon. He said to him, "Do not kill those men of wisdom. Take me to the king and I will tell him what his dream means."
+\v 24 Then Daniel went to Arioch, the man whom the king had appointed to execute everyone known to be wise in Babylon. He said to him, “Do not kill those men of wisdom. Take me to the king and I will tell him what his dream means.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 25 So Arioch quickly took Daniel to the king. He said to the king, "I have found one of the men whom we brought from Judah who can tell you what your dream means!"
+\v 25 So Arioch quickly took Daniel to the king. He said to the king, “I have found one of the men whom we brought from Judah who can tell you what your dream means!”
 \p
-\v 26 The king said to Daniel (whose name was now Belteshazzar), "Can you tell me what I dreamed and what it means?"
+\v 26 The king said to Daniel (whose name was now Belteshazzar), “Can you tell me what I dreamed and what it means?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 27 Daniel replied, "There is no one to help, even those who claim to be wise and those who claim to consult with the dead. No one can help, none of the magicians or astrologers. None of these can discover the secrets of your dream.
+\v 27 Daniel replied, “There is no one to help, even those who claim to be wise and those who claim to consult with the dead. No one can help, none of the magicians or astrologers. None of these can discover the secrets of your dream.
 \v 28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown in your dream what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you what you dreamed and the vision you saw as you were lying on your bed.
 
 \s5
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ to those who understand.
 \v 33 Its legs were made of iron and its feet were a mixture of clay and iron.
 
 \s5
-\v 34 As you watched, someone cut a stone from a mountain, but it was not a human who cut it. The stone tumbled down and smashed the statue's feet that were made of iron and clay. It smashed them to bits.
+\v 34 As you watched, someone cut a stone from a mountain, but it was not a human who cut it. The stone tumbled down and smashed the statue’s feet that were made of iron and clay. It smashed them to bits.
 \v 35 Then the rest of the statue collapsed into a big heap of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. The pieces of the statue were as small as bits of chaff on the ground where it is threshed, and the wind blew away all the tiny pieces. There was nothing left. But the stone that smashed the statue became a large mountain that covered the whole earth.
 
 \s5
@@ -174,17 +174,17 @@ to those who understand.
 \s5
 \p
 \v 44 But while those kings are ruling, God who rules in heaven will establish a kingdom that will never end. No one will ever defeat its king. He will completely destroy all those kingdoms, but his kingdom will remain forever.
-\v 45 That is the meaning of the stone that someone cut from the mountain, the stone that will crush to tiny bits the statue that is made of iron, bronze, silver, and gold. God, the great God, has told you what will happen in the future. The dream he gave you will come true. Its meaning is true, as I have told it to you."
+\v 45 That is the meaning of the stone that someone cut from the mountain, the stone that will crush to tiny bits the statue that is made of iron, bronze, silver, and gold. God, the great God, has told you what will happen in the future. The dream he gave you will come true. Its meaning is true, as I have told it to you.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar lay down on the ground in front of Daniel as an act of great respect. He commanded his people to burn incense and to burn an offering of grain in honor of Daniel.
-\v 47 The king said to Daniel, "Your God has enabled you to tell me the meaning of this dream, so now I truly know that your God is greater than all the other gods, and King over all other kings. He reveals secrets; he makes known mysteries no one else could know."
+\v 47 The king said to Daniel, “Your God has enabled you to tell me the meaning of this dream, so now I truly know that your God is greater than all the other gods, and King over all other kings. He reveals secrets; he makes known mysteries no one else could know.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 48 Then the king gave many gifts to Daniel, and he also appointed him to rule over the entire province of Babylon. He made him to be the chief governor over all the wisest men in Babylon.
-\v 49 Daniel asked the king to appoint Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to serve in important positions as administrators in the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained in the king's palace and served the king there.
+\v 49 Daniel asked the king to appoint Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to serve in important positions as administrators in the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained in the king’s palace and served the king there.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -196,37 +196,37 @@ to those who understand.
 \s5
 \v 3 When they all arrived, they were all standing in front of that statue.
 \p
-\v 4 A person on the royal staff shouted out the king's new law to everyone, "You people who come from many countries and who speak many languages, listen to what the king has commanded!
+\v 4 A person on the royal staff shouted out the king’s new law to everyone, “You people who come from many countries and who speak many languages, listen to what the king has commanded!
 \v 5 When you hear the sound of the horns, flutes, zithers, lyres, harps, and other flutes, and all the music they will play, you must lie down on the ground and honor the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has put up.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 Anyone who refuses to do that will be thrown into a blazing fire."
+\v 6 Anyone who refuses to do that will be thrown into a blazing fire.”
 \p
 \v 7 So all those people who had gathered from the many people and nations, who were speaking various languages, when they heard the instruments play, they laid themselves down on the ground and gave their worship and said words of praise to the statue.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 But some Chaldeans went to the king.
-\v 9 They reported to him, "O king, may you never die!
+\v 9 They reported to him, “O king, may you never die!
 \v 10 You decreed that every person who hears the sound of those instruments should lie down on the ground and honor the golden statue.
 
 \s5
 \v 11 You also decreed that anyone refusing to do that would be thrown into a blazing fire.
-\v 12 There are some men from Judah that you appointed to be officials in the province of Babylon who have paid no attention to your decree. Their names are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They have refused to worship your gods and the golden statue that you have set up."
+\v 12 There are some men from Judah that you appointed to be officials in the province of Babylon who have paid no attention to your decree. Their names are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They have refused to worship your gods and the golden statue that you have set up.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 13 When he heard this, Nebuchadnezzar became very angry. He commanded his soldiers to bring in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So they brought them to the king.
-\v 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Have you decided that you will not worship my gods or the golden statue that I have set up?
+\v 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Have you decided that you will not worship my gods or the golden statue that I have set up?
 
 \s5
-\v 15 I will give you one more chance. If you bow down to worship the statue that I have set up when you hear the sounds of the musical instruments, fine. But if you refuse, you will be thrown into a blazing fire. Then who is the god who can rescue you from my power?"
+\v 15 I will give you one more chance. If you bow down to worship the statue that I have set up when you hear the sounds of the musical instruments, fine. But if you refuse, you will be thrown into a blazing fire. Then who is the god who can rescue you from my power?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, "Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend our actions to you in this matter.
+\v 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend our actions to you in this matter.
 \v 17 If we are thrown into a fire, the God we worship is able to rescue us. He has the power to rescue us from you.
-\v 18 But even if he does not rescue us, we will not worship your gods, and we will never honor the statue you have set up."
+\v 18 But even if he does not rescue us, we will not worship your gods, and we will never honor the statue you have set up.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -235,27 +235,27 @@ to those who understand.
 
 \s5
 \v 21 When the soldiers tied them up and threw them into the furnace, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were wearing their robes, their tunics, their turbans, and their other clothes.
-\v 22 Because the king's orders were given when he was so angry and were to be followed without any delay, and because the fire was so hot, the flames leaped out of the blaze and killed the soldiers that took Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego up into the fire.
+\v 22 Because the king’s orders were given when he was so angry and were to be followed without any delay, and because the fire was so hot, the flames leaped out of the blaze and killed the soldiers that took Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego up into the fire.
 \v 23 So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, tied up, fell into the burning flames of the fire.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 24 But as Nebuchadnezzar was watching, he was shocked. He jumped up and shouted to his advisors, "Did we tie up three men and throw them into the flames?"
-\p They replied, "Yes, O king, we did."
+\v 24 But as Nebuchadnezzar was watching, he was shocked. He jumped up and shouted to his advisors, “Did we tie up three men and throw them into the flames?”
+\p They replied, “Yes, O king, we did.”
 \p
-\v 25 Nebuchadnezzar shouted, "Look! I see four men in the fire! They are not tied with ropes and they are walking around and the flames are not hurting them! The fourth man is shining like a son of the gods!"
+\v 25 Nebuchadnezzar shouted, “Look! I see four men in the fire! They are not tied with ropes and they are walking around and the flames are not hurting them! The fourth man is shining like a son of the gods!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 26 Nebuchadnezzar came closer to the edge of the blazing fire and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you who worship the Most High God, come out of there! Come here!" So they came out and away from the fire.
+\v 26 Nebuchadnezzar came closer to the edge of the blazing fire and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you who worship the Most High God, come out of there! Come here!” So they came out and away from the fire.
 \p
-\v 27 Then all the king's officials saw them when they came out of the fire. The flames had not harmed them. Not even the hair on their heads was singed, and none of their clothing was scorched. There was not even any smell of smoke on them.
+\v 27 Then all the king’s officials saw them when they came out of the fire. The flames had not harmed them. Not even the hair on their heads was singed, and none of their clothing was scorched. There was not even any smell of smoke on them.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "We must all praise the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent one of his messengers to rescue these three men who worship him and trust in him. They ignored the king's command and refused to worship any other god but their own God, even if it cost them their lives.
+\v 28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “We must all praise the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent one of his messengers to rescue these three men who worship him and trust in him. They ignored the king’s command and refused to worship any other god but their own God, even if it cost them their lives.
 \s5
-\v 29 Therefore I am now making this decree: 'If any people from any nation, or those who speak any language, say anything against the God who is worshiped by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn to pieces and their houses will be torn down and made into piles of garbage. This decree is made because there is no other god who can rescue people like this!'"
+\v 29 Therefore I am now making this decree: ‘If any people from any nation, or those who speak any language, say anything against the God who is worshiped by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn to pieces and their houses will be torn down and made into piles of garbage. This decree is made because there is no other god who can rescue people like this!’”
 \p
 \v 30 Then the king gave Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego positions of greater importance within the province of Babylon.
 
@@ -264,14 +264,14 @@ to those who understand.
 \c 4
 \p
 \v 1 Several years after Nebuchadnezzar started to rule, he sent this message to every people, nation, and language in his empire. He wrote,
-\pi "I wish that all things will go very well with you!
+\pi “I wish that all things will go very well with you!
 \pi
 \v 2 I want you to know about all the ways in which God Most High has shown his power, and how he has done so many amazing things for me.
 \q1
 \v 3 He performs great miracles that show his power;
 \q2 he does wonderful things.
 \q1 He will always be king;
-\q2 he will rule from one generation to another without end."
+\q2 he will rule from one generation to another without end.”
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -283,7 +283,7 @@ to those who understand.
 \v 7 All the men who worked magic, those who claimed to speak with the dead, the wise men, and those who made predictions from the stars came to me. I told them what I had dreamed, but they could not tell me what it meant.
 \v 8 At last, Daniel came to me, and I decided to tell him what I had dreamed. (He is also named Belteshazzar, to honor my own god, and I knew that the spirit of the holy gods was in him).
 \pi
-\v 9 I said to him, "Belteshazzar, you are the most important of all my magicians. I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that you can reveal the meaning of any mystery. There is none that is too difficult for you. So tell me what my dream means.
+\v 9 I said to him, “Belteshazzar, you are the most important of all my magicians. I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that you can reveal the meaning of any mystery. There is none that is too difficult for you. So tell me what my dream means.
 
 \s5
 \v 10 This is what I dreamed while I was lying in bed: I saw a large tree growing in the middle of the earth.
@@ -292,23 +292,23 @@ to those who understand.
 
 \s5
 \pi
-\v 13 "While I was lying in bed, I saw in my dream a holy angel come down from heaven.
-\v 14 He shouted, 'Cut down that tree, and cut off its branches. Strip off all of its leaves, and scatter its fruit. Chase away the animals that are lying in the shade of the tree and the birds that are in its branches.
+\v 13 “While I was lying in bed, I saw in my dream a holy angel come down from heaven.
+\v 14 He shouted, ‘Cut down that tree, and cut off its branches. Strip off all of its leaves, and scatter its fruit. Chase away the animals that are lying in the shade of the tree and the birds that are in its branches.
 
 \s5
 \v 15 But leave the tree stump and the roots in the ground. Fasten a band of iron and bronze around the stump and let it stay there with grass around it.
 \pi
-\v 16 Cause that man to live out in the fields among the animals and plants. Cause the dew from the sky to make his body damp each morning. Take away his sanity and let him have the mind like an animal's mind for seven years.
+\v 16 Cause that man to live out in the fields among the animals and plants. Cause the dew from the sky to make his body damp each morning. Take away his sanity and let him have the mind like an animal’s mind for seven years.
 
 \s5
 \pi
-\v 17 'The holy ones in heaven have issued a decree. They want everyone to know that God Most High rules over all the kingdoms in this world. He is the one who chooses the people to rule these kingdoms. He sometimes places very unimportant people in places of importance.'
+\v 17 ‘The holy ones in heaven have issued a decree. They want everyone to know that God Most High rules over all the kingdoms in this world. He is the one who chooses the people to rule these kingdoms. He sometimes places very unimportant people in places of importance.’
 \pi
-\v 18 Belteshazzar, that is what I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw in my dream. Now you must tell me what the dream means. No one else can tell me. I asked all the very wise men in my kingdom to tell me what it means, but they were unable to do that. But you can tell me because the spirit of the holy gods is in you."
+\v 18 Belteshazzar, that is what I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw in my dream. Now you must tell me what the dream means. No one else can tell me. I asked all the very wise men in my kingdom to tell me what it means, but they were unable to do that. But you can tell me because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”
 
 \s5
 \pi
-\v 19 Then Daniel, who was also named Belteshazzar, did not say anything for some time because he was very worried about the meaning of the dream. Then the king said to him, "Belteshazzar, do not be afraid about the dream or what it means." Daniel replied to the king, "Sir, I wish that the events that were predicted in your dream would happen to those who hate you, and that the meaning of your dream would happen only to your enemies and not to you.
+\v 19 Then Daniel, who was also named Belteshazzar, did not say anything for some time because he was very worried about the meaning of the dream. Then the king said to him, “Belteshazzar, do not be afraid about the dream or what it means.” Daniel replied to the king, “Sir, I wish that the events that were predicted in your dream would happen to those who hate you, and that the meaning of your dream would happen only to your enemies and not to you.
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -318,7 +318,7 @@ to those who understand.
 
 \s5
 \pi
-\v 23 Then you saw a holy angel come down from heaven; he said, 'Cut down that tree, and cut off its branches. Strip off all of its leaves, and scatter its fruit. But leave the stump of the tree and its roots in the ground. Fasten a band of iron and bronze around the stump and allow it to stay there with grass around it. Each morning bring dew from the sky to make this man, who is represented by that tree, damp. Cause him to live in the fields with the animals for seven years.'
+\v 23 Then you saw a holy angel come down from heaven; he said, ‘Cut down that tree, and cut off its branches. Strip off all of its leaves, and scatter its fruit. But leave the stump of the tree and its roots in the ground. Fasten a band of iron and bronze around the stump and allow it to stay there with grass around it. Each morning bring dew from the sky to make this man, who is represented by that tree, damp. Cause him to live in the fields with the animals for seven years.’
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -327,17 +327,17 @@ to those who understand.
 
 \s5
 \v 26 But the stump of the tree and its roots were left in the ground. That means that you will rule your kingdom again when you learn that it is God who is over everything and everyone.
-\v 27 Your Majesty, please do what I am telling you to do. Stop sinning and do what is right. Turn away from your evil behavior. Act mercifully to those whom other people are mistreating. If you do that, perhaps you will continue to prosper."
+\v 27 Your Majesty, please do what I am telling you to do. Stop sinning and do what is right. Turn away from your evil behavior. Act mercifully to those whom other people are mistreating. If you do that, perhaps you will continue to prosper.”
 
 \s5
 \pi
 \v 28-29 All these things happened to King Nebuchadnezzar: Twelve months later, he was walking around on the roof of his palace in Babylon,
-\v 30 and he looked out over the city and said to those around him, "I have built this great city of Babylon to be the place where I rule! I have built it with my own power to show people my honor and my greatness."
+\v 30 and he looked out over the city and said to those around him, “I have built this great city of Babylon to be the place where I rule! I have built it with my own power to show people my honor and my greatness.”
 
 \s5
 \pi
-\v 31 The king had just finished speaking when a voice came from heaven and said, "King Nebuchadnezzar, this is what must happen: You are no longer the ruler of this kingdom!
-\v 32 You will live away from human society. You will live in the fields with wild animals, and you will eat grass as an ox does. You will live that way for seven years until you learn that it is I, the Most High, who rules over the kingdoms of this world, and I appoint whomever I wish to rule over them."
+\v 31 The king had just finished speaking when a voice came from heaven and said, “King Nebuchadnezzar, this is what must happen: You are no longer the ruler of this kingdom!
+\v 32 You will live away from human society. You will live in the fields with wild animals, and you will eat grass as an ox does. You will live that way for seven years until you learn that it is I, the Most High, who rules over the kingdoms of this world, and I appoint whomever I wish to rule over them.”
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ to those who understand.
 \q2 He does whatever he wants with the angel armies in heaven and with us who live on the earth.
 \q1 So no one can correct him;
 \q2 no one can challenge him;
-\q2 no one can say to him, "Why are you doing these things?"
+\q2 no one can say to him, “Why are you doing these things?”
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -376,12 +376,12 @@ to those who understand.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 Suddenly they saw across from the lampstand a man's hand and fingers. The hand was writing on the plaster wall in the palace. The king saw the hand as it was writing.
+\v 5 Suddenly they saw across from the lampstand a man’s hand and fingers. The hand was writing on the plaster wall in the palace. The king saw the hand as it was writing.
 \v 6 He became very frightened, and his face became pale. His knees started shaking and his legs became very weak and could not support him.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 Then he shouted to his servants to bring those who claimed to speak with the dead, the wise men, and the astrologers in Babylon. He said, "I will greatly honor anyone of you who can read this writing and tell me what it means. I will give that person a purple robe like I wear because I am the king and I will put a gold chain around his neck. I will make him the third most powerful ruler in my kingdom."
+\v 7 Then he shouted to his servants to bring those who claimed to speak with the dead, the wise men, and the astrologers in Babylon. He said, “I will greatly honor anyone of you who can read this writing and tell me what it means. I will give that person a purple robe like I wear because I am the king and I will put a gold chain around his neck. I will make him the third most powerful ruler in my kingdom.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -389,24 +389,24 @@ to those who understand.
 \v 9 So King Belshazzar became more afraid. His face was changed and he looked different. None of his officials knew how they could help him.
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 The queen came to the place where they were eating. She heard what the king had said and that his nobles did not know how to help him. She said, "O king, may you live forever! Do not be upset about this or let this change the way you look.
+\v 10 The queen came to the place where they were eating. She heard what the king had said and that his nobles did not know how to help him. She said, “O king, may you live forever! Do not be upset about this or let this change the way you look.
 
 \s5
 \v 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. When Nebuchadnezzar was ruling, he found that this man understood many things and was wise, just like the gods. Nebuchadnezzar appointed him to be in charge of the magicians, of those who speak with the dead, of the wise men, and of the astrologers.
-\v 12 His name is Daniel, but the king gave him the name Belteshazzar. He is a person who can be trusted. He is very intelligent and understands many hidden things. He is able to tell the meaning of dreams, to explain riddles, and to solve problems that few others can solve. Call for him to come here and he will tell you what this writing means."
+\v 12 His name is Daniel, but the king gave him the name Belteshazzar. He is a person who can be trusted. He is very intelligent and understands many hidden things. He is able to tell the meaning of dreams, to explain riddles, and to solve problems that few others can solve. Call for him to come here and he will tell you what this writing means.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 So they went and brought Daniel in. The king asked him, "You are the famous Daniel, are you not?—one of those that my father brought here from Judah.
+\v 13 So they went and brought Daniel in. The king asked him, “You are the famous Daniel, are you not?—one of those that my father brought here from Judah.
 \v 14 I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you understand many things and have excellent wisdom.
 
 \s5
 \v 15 There were men who are known for their wisdom and others who speak with the dead, and they tried to read the writing on this wall and to tell me what it means, but they could not do it.
-\v 16 Someone told me that you can explain what dreams mean and that you can make things understandable that others cannot know. If you can read these words and tell me what they mean, I will give you a purple robe like I wear because I am the king, and I will put a gold chain around your neck, and I will make you the third most powerful ruler in the kingdom."
+\v 16 Someone told me that you can explain what dreams mean and that you can make things understandable that others cannot know. If you can read these words and tell me what they mean, I will give you a purple robe like I wear because I am the king, and I will put a gold chain around your neck, and I will make you the third most powerful ruler in the kingdom.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 Daniel replied and said to the king, "I do not want your gifts. Keep them for yourself and give the rewards to some other person. I will read what is written on the wall for you, but not because you give me any reward.
+\v 17 Daniel replied and said to the king, “I do not want your gifts. Keep them for yourself and give the rewards to some other person. I will read what is written on the wall for you, but not because you give me any reward.
 \p
 \v 18 Your Majesty, the Most High God caused Nebuchadnezzar, the man who was king before you, to become a great ruler. He was greatly praised and honored.
 \v 19 Because God made him very great, everyone—every nation, no matter what language they spoke—was afraid of him, and they trembled at what he could do. He put to death those whom he decreed should die, and he kept alive those whom he decreed should live. He honored those whom he chose to honor, and he brought disgrace to those whom he wanted to humble.
@@ -417,7 +417,7 @@ to those who understand.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 Now, Belshazzar, you have become king in your father's place. You knew all these things, but you have not made yourself humble.
+\v 22 Now, Belshazzar, you have become king in your father’s place. You knew all these things, but you have not made yourself humble.
 \v 23 You have put yourself above the Lord who rules in heaven. You called for the cups from the house of God in Jerusalem so that you could use them to drink wine. You and your officials and your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from these cups and toasting your own gods—gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. Those gods cannot see, they cannot hear, and they do not know anything! But you have not honored God, who gives you breath and who controls everything that happens to you.
 \v 24 So God sent this hand to write a message for you on the wall.
 
@@ -426,11 +426,11 @@ to those who understand.
 \v 25 This is the message that it wrote: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Pharsin.
 \p
 \v 26 This is what those words mean:
-\q 'Mene' means 'numbered.' That means that God has been counting the days that you will rule, and he has decided that you will not rule anymore.
+\q ‘Mene’ means ‘numbered.’ That means that God has been counting the days that you will rule, and he has decided that you will not rule anymore.
 \q
-\v 27 'Mene' means 'weighed.' God has weighed you on a scale, and you do not weigh what you should.
+\v 27 ‘Mene’ means ‘weighed.’ God has weighed you on a scale, and you do not weigh what you should.
 \q
-\v 28 'Peres' means 'divided.' God has divided your kingdom. It will be ruled by people from Media and by people from Persia."
+\v 28 ‘Peres’ means ‘divided.’ God has divided your kingdom. It will be ruled by people from Media and by people from Persia.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -444,19 +444,19 @@ to those who understand.
 \c 6
 \p
 \v 1 King Darius decided to divide his kingdom into 120 provinces. He appointed a governor to rule each province.
-\v 2 The king also appointed three administrators, one of whom was Daniel. These chief administrators were to supervise the provincial governors, to give oversight so that the king's orders were followed, and to ensure that the king would not have anything stolen from his treasuries.
+\v 2 The king also appointed three administrators, one of whom was Daniel. These chief administrators were to supervise the provincial governors, to give oversight so that the king’s orders were followed, and to ensure that the king would not have anything stolen from his treasuries.
 \v 3 Daniel was a very capable leader and an exceptional person, and he distinguished himself among the chief administrators. The king made plans to appoint Daniel over his entire kingdom.
 \s5
 \v 4 Then the other administrators and the governors became jealous. So they began to search to find some way that they could criticize the work Daniel did when he was working for the king. But he always did his work faithfully and honestly. They could not find anything to criticize. He was honest and worked hard.
-\v 5 They began their plot against Daniel, "The only way we can find a reason to criticize Daniel would be to use his obedience to the law of his God against him."
+\v 5 They began their plot against Daniel, “The only way we can find a reason to criticize Daniel would be to use his obedience to the law of his God against him.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 So the administrators and governors put their plan in place by going as a group to the king and saying, "Your Majesty, may you live forever!
+\v 6 So the administrators and governors put their plan in place by going as a group to the king and saying, “Your Majesty, may you live forever!
 \v 7 All of the chief administrators and regional governors and provincial governors and advisors and other governors have all agreed that you should make a law that everyone must obey. We want you to command that for the next thirty days people may pray only to you and to no god or person other than you. If anyone prays to anyone else, he must be thrown into a room filled with lions.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 Because laws made in the lands of Media and Persia cannot be changed, we want you, the king, to issue the law and sign your name on the document."
+\v 8 Because laws made in the lands of Media and Persia cannot be changed, we want you, the king, to issue the law and sign your name on the document.”
 \v 9 So King Darius issued the law and signed the document.
 
 \s5
@@ -464,20 +464,20 @@ to those who understand.
 \v 10 When Daniel found out that the king had written and signed that law, he went home, knelt in his upstairs room, and prayed. The room had a window that looked toward Jerusalem and the windows were open. Anyone could see that he was praying. This is what he did every day, three times a day.
 \v 11 The officials followed their plot against Daniel, and they found him praying and asking God for help.
 \s5
-\v 12 So they returned to the king and said to him, "Is it true that you wrote a law stating that for the next thirty days people may pray only to you, and that if anyone prays to anyone else, either to a human or to a god, he will be thrown into a pit of lions?"
-\p The king replied, "Yes, that is the law that I wrote. It is a law in the lands of Media and Persia which cannot be changed."
+\v 12 So they returned to the king and said to him, “Is it true that you wrote a law stating that for the next thirty days people may pray only to you, and that if anyone prays to anyone else, either to a human or to a god, he will be thrown into a pit of lions?”
+\p The king replied, “Yes, that is the law that I wrote. It is a law in the lands of Media and Persia which cannot be changed.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 Then they said to the king, "That man Daniel, one of the men who was brought from Judah, is not paying any attention to you or the law that you signed. He prays to his god three times each day!"
+\v 13 Then they said to the king, “That man Daniel, one of the men who was brought from Judah, is not paying any attention to you or the law that you signed. He prays to his god three times each day!”
 \v 14 When the king heard that, he was very upset about it. He tried to find a way to save Daniel. He worked hard for the rest of that day until the sun set, trying to find a way to save Daniel.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 In the evening, many of those who formed the plot against Daniel spoke to the king, "You know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is that no change can be made to the king's commands, and no one can change it."
+\v 15 In the evening, many of those who formed the plot against Daniel spoke to the king, “You know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is that no change can be made to the king’s commands, and no one can change it.”
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 Hearing this, the king gave the order and his servants brought Daniel and threw him into a pit where the lions were. Before they threw him in, the king said to Daniel, "I hope your God, whom you worship all the time, will rescue you!"
+\v 16 Hearing this, the king gave the order and his servants brought Daniel and threw him into a pit where the lions were. Before they threw him in, the king said to Daniel, “I hope your God, whom you worship all the time, will rescue you!”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -487,12 +487,12 @@ to those who understand.
 \s5
 \p
 \v 19 At dawn the next morning, the king got up and went quickly to the pit where the lions were.
-\v 20 When he came near it, he was very worried. He called out, fearing the worst, "Daniel, you who serve the living God! Was your God—whom you worship always—able to save you from the lions?"
+\v 20 When he came near it, he was very worried. He called out, fearing the worst, “Daniel, you who serve the living God! Was your God—whom you worship always—able to save you from the lions?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 Daniel answered, "O king, may you live forever!
-\v 22 Yes, my God sent his angel to shut the lions' mouths and they have not hurt me! He knows that I have done nothing wrong, and you know, O king, I never did anything wrong to you either!"
+\v 21 Daniel answered, “O king, may you live forever!
+\v 22 Yes, my God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths and they have not hurt me! He knows that I have done nothing wrong, and you know, O king, I never did anything wrong to you either!”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -503,7 +503,7 @@ to those who understand.
 \v 24 Then the king commanded that the men who had accused Daniel be seized and thrown into the pit of lions—along with their wives and children. When they were thrown into the pit, the lions leaped on them and crushed their bones before they fell to the bottom of the pit.
 \p
 \v 25 Then King Darius wrote this message and sent it throughout his kingdom to all the people, to every nation, and to all the people no matter what language they spoke:
-\pi "I wish that all things go very well with you!
+\pi “I wish that all things go very well with you!
 
 \s5
 \pi
@@ -516,7 +516,7 @@ to those who understand.
 \v 27 He rescues and saves his people,
 \q2 he performs all kinds of signs and wonders
 \q2 in heaven and on the earth.
-\q1 He rescued Daniel from the power of the lions!"
+\q1 He rescued Daniel from the power of the lions!”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -528,18 +528,18 @@ to those who understand.
 \p
 \v 1 In the first year that Belshazzar was the king of Babylonia, Daniel had a dream one night as he lay in bed. He saw certain things that he wrote down the next morning. This is what he said:
 \p
-\v 2 "I, Daniel, had a dream during the night. In my dream I saw that strong winds were blowing from all four directions, stirring up the water on the sea.
+\v 2 “I, Daniel, had a dream during the night. In my dream I saw that strong winds were blowing from all four directions, stirring up the water on the sea.
 \v 3 Then I saw four large animals coming out of the sea. Each of the four was different from the others.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 The first one resembled a lion, but it had wings like an eagle has. But as I watched, something tore off its wings and the animal was left there, standing, like a human being. It was given a mind like humans have.
 \p
-\v 5 The second animal resembled a bear. It was crouching and holding between its teeth three ribs from some creature. Someone said to it, 'Stand up and eat many people!'
+\v 5 The second animal resembled a bear. It was crouching and holding between its teeth three ribs from some creature. Someone said to it, ‘Stand up and eat many people!’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Then I saw in front of me the third of these animals. It resembled a leopard, but on its back it had four wings like a bird's wings. It had four heads and it was given the power to rule people.
+\v 6 Then I saw in front of me the third of these animals. It resembled a leopard, but on its back it had four wings like a bird’s wings. It had four heads and it was given the power to rule people.
 \p
 \v 7 In the vision I saw a fourth animal. It was stronger than the other animals and more terrifying. It crushed other creatures with its huge iron teeth and ate their flesh. The parts of animals that it did not grind with its teeth, it walked over on the ground. It was different from the other three animals. It had ten horns on its head.
 
@@ -580,8 +580,8 @@ to those who understand.
 \v 16 I went to one of those who were standing in front of the throne of God, and I asked him to tell me what it meant.
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 He said, 'The four large animals represent four kings who will come to power on the earth.
-\v 18 But the Most High will enable the people who belong to him to rule in the kingdom forever.'
+\v 17 He said, ‘The four large animals represent four kings who will come to power on the earth.
+\v 18 But the Most High will enable the people who belong to him to rule in the kingdom forever.’
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -589,23 +589,23 @@ to those who understand.
 \v 20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the horn that appeared later, which got rid of three of the other horns. I wanted to know what it meant that it had eyes and a mouth with which it spoke very boastfully. That horn was more terrifying than the other horns.
 
 \s5
-\v 21 While I was having this vision, I saw that this horn attacked God's people and was defeating them.
-\v 22 But then The One who Lives Forever came and judged in favor of the people who belonged to him. Then it was time for God's people to be able to rule.
+\v 21 While I was having this vision, I saw that this horn attacked God’s people and was defeating them.
+\v 22 But then The One who Lives Forever came and judged in favor of the people who belonged to him. Then it was time for God’s people to be able to rule.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 Then the man who was standing there said to me, 'The fourth animal represents an empire that will exist on the earth; that empire will be different from all other empires. The army of that empire will crush people all over the world and trample on their bodies.
+\v 23 Then the man who was standing there said to me, ‘The fourth animal represents an empire that will exist on the earth; that empire will be different from all other empires. The army of that empire will crush people all over the world and trample on their bodies.
 \v 24 As for its ten horns, they represent ten kings who will rule that empire, one after the other. Then another king will appear. He will be different from the previous kings. He will defeat the three kings that were represented by the three horns that were pulled out.
 
 \s5
-\v 25 He will say things against the Most High, and he will oppress God's people. He will try to change the times of the sacred festivals and their laws. He will control them for three and a half years.
+\v 25 He will say things against the Most High, and he will oppress God’s people. He will try to change the times of the sacred festivals and their laws. He will control them for three and a half years.
 \p
 \v 26 But the court will be convened, and they will take his kingdom away and it will be completely destroyed.
 
 \s5
-\v 27 Then the kingdom, the power to rule, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole of heaven will be given to the holy people who belong to the Most High. The kingdom that he rules is a kingdom that is everlasting, and all kings and rulers will serve and obey him.'
+\v 27 Then the kingdom, the power to rule, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole of heaven will be given to the holy people who belong to the Most High. The kingdom that he rules is a kingdom that is everlasting, and all kings and rulers will serve and obey him.’
 \p
-\v 28 That is what I saw in my vision. I, Daniel, was terrified, with the result that my face became pale. But I did not tell anyone about the vision that I had seen."
+\v 28 That is what I saw in my vision. I, Daniel, was terrified, with the result that my face became pale. But I did not tell anyone about the vision that I had seen.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -624,7 +624,7 @@ to those who understand.
 \v 6 It ran straight toward the ram with two horns, the ram that was standing alongside the canal, and the goat ran toward it in a terrible rage.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 The goat struck the ram furiously and broke off its two horns. The goat knocked the ram down to the ground and trampled on it. No one could rescue the ram from the goat's power.
+\v 7 The goat struck the ram furiously and broke off its two horns. The goat knocked the ram down to the ground and trampled on it. No one could rescue the ram from the goat’s power.
 \v 8 The goat became very powerful. But when its power was very great, its great horn was broken off. Four other distinctive horns grew up in its place. Each one pointed to one of the four winds in the sky: North, south, east, and west.
 \s5
 \p
@@ -636,22 +636,22 @@ to those who understand.
 \v 12 Because of rebellion, the army of heaven will falter, and the constant burnt offerings will be taken away. It will throw truth to the ground. The bad things it does will succeed.
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 Then I heard two angels who were talking to each other. One of them asked, "How long will the things that were in this vision continue? How long will the man who rebels against God and causes the temple to be defiled be able to prevent priests from offering sacrifices? How long will he trample on the temple and on the armies of heaven?"
+\v 13 Then I heard two angels who were talking to each other. One of them asked, “How long will the things that were in this vision continue? How long will the man who rebels against God and causes the temple to be defiled be able to prevent priests from offering sacrifices? How long will he trample on the temple and on the armies of heaven?”
 \p
-\v 14 The other angel replied, "It will continue for 2,300 days. During each of those days, people will not be permitted to offer sacrifices in the morning or in the evening. After that, the temple will be purified and set in order again."
+\v 14 The other angel replied, “It will continue for 2,300 days. During each of those days, people will not be permitted to offer sacrifices in the morning or in the evening. After that, the temple will be purified and set in order again.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 While I, Daniel, was trying to understand what the vision meant, suddenly an angel who resembled a man stood in front of me.
-\v 16 And I heard a man call out between the banks of the Ulai Canal, saying, "Gabriel, explain to him the meaning of the vision that he saw!"
+\v 16 And I heard a man call out between the banks of the Ulai Canal, saying, “Gabriel, explain to him the meaning of the vision that he saw!”
 \p
-\v 17 So Gabriel came and stood beside me. I was very terrified, and I fell onto the ground. But he said to me, "Man, it is necessary for you to understand that the events that you saw in the vision will occur at the time of the end."
+\v 17 So Gabriel came and stood beside me. I was very terrified, and I fell onto the ground. But he said to me, “Man, it is necessary for you to understand that the events that you saw in the vision will occur at the time of the end.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 18 While he was speaking, I fell into a deep sleep with my face on the ground. But Gabriel put his hand on me and lifted me up in order that I could stand again.
 \p
-\v 19 Then he said, "I have come here to show you what will happen at the time when God releases his terrible anger. These things will happen at the time God has set for the end that is coming.
+\v 19 Then he said, “I have come here to show you what will happen at the time when God releases his terrible anger. These things will happen at the time God has set for the end that is coming.
 
 \s5
 \v 20 As for the ram with two horns that you saw, those horns represent the kingdoms of Media and Persia.
@@ -667,7 +667,7 @@ to those who understand.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 26 These are the true visions of the evenings and the mornings. But seal them up and do not reveal the vision to others, because it will be many years before those things happen."
+\v 26 These are the true visions of the evenings and the mornings. But seal them up and do not reveal the vision to others, because it will be many years before those things happen.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -684,7 +684,7 @@ to those who understand.
 \v 3 After I read that, I pleaded with the Lord my God by prayer and fasting to help us. I put on clothing made from old grain bags and sat in ashes.
 \p
 \v 4 I prayed to Yahweh my God, and I confessed the sins we had committed:
-\pi "Lord, I beg you, for you are great and powerful. You have faithfully done what you said you would do for us. You faithfully love those who love you and who do what you have commanded them to do.
+\pi “Lord, I beg you, for you are great and powerful. You have faithfully done what you said you would do for us. You faithfully love those who love you and who do what you have commanded them to do.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 But we have sinned and done things that are wrong. We have done wicked things, and we have rebelled against you. We have turned away and disobeyed your commands.
@@ -713,7 +713,7 @@ to those who understand.
 \pi
 \v 17 Our God, I, your servant, ask you to listen to my prayer and my requests. For your own sake, act kindly toward your sanctuary in Jerusalem, which has been destroyed by the armies of Babylonia.
 \v 18 My God, listen to my prayer. Look at us and do what you must. See, this city that belongs to you is ruined. We are praying to you because you are merciful, not because we have done what is right.
-\v 19 Lord, listen to us! Lord, forgive us! This city and these people belong to you. So I plead with you, my God, to pay attention to what I am saying and act to help us right now, for your own sake!"
+\v 19 Lord, listen to us! Lord, forgive us! This city and these people belong to you. So I plead with you, my God, to pay attention to what I am saying and act to help us right now, for your own sake!”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -721,7 +721,7 @@ to those who understand.
 \v 21 While I was praying, Gabriel, the angel whom I had seen in the first vision, came flying rapidly to me at the time in the evening when the priests offered sacrifices.
 
 \s5
-\v 22 He said to me, "Daniel, I have come to you to enable you to understand clearly the message that God gave to Jeremiah.
+\v 22 He said to me, “Daniel, I have come to you to enable you to understand clearly the message that God gave to Jeremiah.
 \v 23 When you began to plead with God to be merciful to Israel, he gave me a message to give to you. He loves you very much, so he has sent me to tell you what he said to me. So now, pay attention in order that you may understand the meaning of what he revealed to Jeremiah.
 
 \s5
@@ -734,7 +734,7 @@ to those who understand.
 \v 26 After those 434 years, the leader whom God has selected will be killed, and everything will be taken away from him. After that, the temple will be destroyed by the army of a powerful ruler. The city and the temple will be destroyed as a flood destroys everything. When this happens, these wars and destruction will cease.
 
 \s5
-\v 27 That ruler will make a covenant with many people. He will do what he promised for seven years. But when that time is half finished, he will prevent priests from giving any more offerings and sacrifices to God. After this ruler does these disgusting things, someone will pollute the temple by putting an idol in the very holy place. It will stay there until God completely destroys the one who put it there."
+\v 27 That ruler will make a covenant with many people. He will do what he promised for seven years. But when that time is half finished, he will prevent priests from giving any more offerings and sacrifices to God. After this ruler does these disgusting things, someone will pollute the temple by putting an idol in the very holy place. It will stay there until God completely destroys the one who put it there.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -744,7 +744,7 @@ to those who understand.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 2 "At that time I, Daniel, had been sad for three weeks about what had happened to Jerusalem.
+\v 2 “At that time I, Daniel, had been sad for three weeks about what had happened to Jerusalem.
 \v 3 I did not eat any tasty food or any meat nor did I drink any wine. I did not even put any perfumed oil on my face or hair for those three weeks.
 
 \s5
@@ -761,30 +761,30 @@ to those who understand.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 Suddenly someone's hand took hold of me and lifted me, with the result that I was on my hands and knees, but I was still trembling.
-\v 11 The angel said to me, "Daniel, God loves you very much. Stand up and listen to what I am going to say to you because God sent me to you." When he said that, I stood up, but I was still trembling.
+\v 10 Suddenly someone’s hand took hold of me and lifted me, with the result that I was on my hands and knees, but I was still trembling.
+\v 11 The angel said to me, “Daniel, God loves you very much. Stand up and listen to what I am going to say to you because God sent me to you.” When he said that, I stood up, but I was still trembling.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Then he said to me, "Daniel, do not be afraid. God has heard what you have prayed ever since the first day that you determined to humble yourself in order to understand the vision. I have come to you because of what you prayed.
-\v 13 The evil spirit who rules the kingdom of Persia resisted me for twenty-one days, and I had to stay there for that time with the various kings over whom the Persian king was ruling. But Michael, who is one of God's chief angels, came to help me. I left him there in Persia to resist that evil spirit.
+\v 12 Then he said to me, “Daniel, do not be afraid. God has heard what you have prayed ever since the first day that you determined to humble yourself in order to understand the vision. I have come to you because of what you prayed.
+\v 13 The evil spirit who rules the kingdom of Persia resisted me for twenty-one days, and I had to stay there for that time with the various kings over whom the Persian king was ruling. But Michael, who is one of God’s chief angels, came to help me. I left him there in Persia to resist that evil spirit.
 \s5
-\v 14 I have come here to help you understand what will happen to the Israelite people in the future. Do not forget that the vision you saw is about things that will happen in the future, and not about things that will happen very soon."
+\v 14 I have come here to help you understand what will happen to the Israelite people in the future. Do not forget that the vision you saw is about things that will happen in the future, and not about things that will happen very soon.”
 \p
 \v 15 While he was still saying that, I looked down at the ground and was unable to say anything.
 
 \s5
-\v 16 Suddenly the angel, who resembled a human, touched my lips. Then I was able to speak, and I said to him, "Sir, because I have seen this vision, I have become very weak, with the result that I cannot stop trembling.
-\v 17 I am only your servant, and am not able to talk to you. I have no strength left, and it is very difficult for me to breathe."
+\v 16 Suddenly the angel, who resembled a human, touched my lips. Then I was able to speak, and I said to him, “Sir, because I have seen this vision, I have become very weak, with the result that I cannot stop trembling.
+\v 17 I am only your servant, and am not able to talk to you. I have no strength left, and it is very difficult for me to breathe.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 18 But he took hold of me again, and enabled me to become stronger again.
-\v 19 He said to me, "Man, God loves you very much. So do not be afraid. I desire that things will go well for you and that you will be encouraged." When he had said that, I felt even stronger, and I said, "Sir, tell me what you want to tell me. You have enabled me to feel stronger."
+\v 19 He said to me, “Man, God loves you very much. So do not be afraid. I desire that things will go well for you and that you will be encouraged.” When he had said that, I felt even stronger, and I said, “Sir, tell me what you want to tell me. You have enabled me to feel stronger.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20-21 Then he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? It is to reveal to you what is written in the book which reveals God's truth. But now I must return to fight against the evil spirit who rules the kingdom of Persia. After I have defeated him, the evil angel who guards Greece will appear and I must defeat him. Michael, who guards you Israelite people, will certainly help me, but there is no one else to help me."
+\v 20-21 Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? It is to reveal to you what is written in the book which reveals God’s truth. But now I must return to fight against the evil spirit who rules the kingdom of Persia. After I have defeated him, the evil angel who guards Greece will appear and I must defeat him. Michael, who guards you Israelite people, will certainly help me, but there is no one else to help me.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -849,22 +849,22 @@ to those who understand.
 \v 27 Then the two kings who both want to rule that area will sit down at the same table and talk together, but they will both lie to each other. Neither of them will get what he wants because only God will cause the result of their actions to happen, at the future time that he has determined.
 
 \s5
-\v 28 The army of the king of the North will return to its land, taking with them all the valuable things that they have captured. The king will try to make the people stop obeying God's covenant with them. He will do what he wants to in Israel, and then he will return to his own country.
+\v 28 The army of the king of the North will return to its land, taking with them all the valuable things that they have captured. The king will try to make the people stop obeying God’s covenant with them. He will do what he wants to in Israel, and then he will return to his own country.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 29 When it is the time that God has decided, the king of the North will invade the South again. But this time he will not be successful as he was before.
-\v 30 Ships will come from Kittim and oppose his army and cause him to be afraid. So he will be very angry, and with his army he will return to Israel and seek to destroy the worship and the law. The king will show preference and favor to those who have abandoned God's holy covenant with Israel.
+\v 30 Ships will come from Kittim and oppose his army and cause him to be afraid. So he will be very angry, and with his army he will return to Israel and seek to destroy the worship and the law. The king will show preference and favor to those who have abandoned God’s holy covenant with Israel.
 
 \s5
 \v 31 Some of his soldiers will do things to defile the temple. They will prevent the priests from offering sacrifices each day, and they will put in the temple something disgusting that will make it like a wilderness.
 \p
-\v 32 By deceiving those who have abandoned God's covenant with Israel, he will win them over to become his supporters. But those who are devoted to their God will firmly oppose them.
+\v 32 By deceiving those who have abandoned God’s covenant with Israel, he will win them over to become his supporters. But those who are devoted to their God will firmly oppose them.
 
 \s5
 \v 33 The wise among the leaders of Israel will teach others also. But for a while, they will be killed in battles, or burned to death, or made slaves, or robbed.
 \p
-\v 34 While God's people are being persecuted, some people will help them a little, although some of those who help them will not do it for good reasons.
+\v 34 While God’s people are being persecuted, some people will help them a little, although some of those who help them will not do it for good reasons.
 \v 35 After some of those wise leaders suffer these things, God will make his people become the best possible people for himself. Also, God has set a time in the future when he will finish doing all these things.
 
 \s5
@@ -886,7 +886,7 @@ to those who understand.
 \v 43 The army of the North will take away the treasuries of gold and silver, and the riches of Egypt. The Libyans and the Ethiopians will serve the king of the North.
 \s5
 \v 44 But he will become very frightened when he hears reports about what is happening in the east and in the north. So he will become very angry and will send his army to fight furiously and to kill many of their enemies.
-\v 45 The king will set up his royal tents in the area between the Mediterranean Sea and the hill in Jerusalem, the location of the temple. But someone will kill him there, and there will be no one to help him."
+\v 45 The king will set up his royal tents in the area between the Mediterranean Sea and the hill in Jerusalem, the location of the temple. But someone will kill him there, and there will be no one to help him.”
 
 
 f
@@ -894,26 +894,26 @@ f
 \s5
 \c 12
 \p
-\v 1 The angel also said to me, "After those things happen, the great angel Michael, who protects the Israelite people, will appear. Then there will be a time when there will be great troubles. The troubles will be greater than any troubles since any nation began. At that time, all of your people whose names have been written in the book will be saved.
+\v 1 The angel also said to me, “After those things happen, the great angel Michael, who protects the Israelite people, will appear. Then there will be a time when there will be great troubles. The troubles will be greater than any troubles since any nation began. At that time, all of your people whose names have been written in the book will be saved.
 \v 2 Many of those who have died will become alive again. Some of them will live in everlasting life, and some in shame and everlasting contempt.
 \s5
 \v 3 Those who were wise will shine as brightly as the sky. Those who have shown to others the way to live righteously will shine forever like the stars.
-\v 4 But as for you, Daniel, close up the scroll in which you are writing and seal it until the time of the end. Before that happens, many people will travel here and there, learning more and more about many things."
+\v 4 But as for you, Daniel, close up the scroll in which you are writing and seal it until the time of the end. Before that happens, many people will travel here and there, learning more and more about many things.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 5 When that angel finished speaking, I, Daniel, looked up, and suddenly I saw two other angels. One was standing on the side of the river where I was, and one was standing on the other side.
-\v 6 One of them called to the other one who was wearing linen clothes and who was now standing further up the river, "How long will it be until the end of these amazing events?"
+\v 6 One of them called to the other one who was wearing linen clothes and who was now standing further up the river, “How long will it be until the end of these amazing events?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 The one wearing the linen clothes and standing further up the river raised his hands toward the sky and solemnly promised to the one who lives forever, "It will be three and a half years, and when God's holy people and their strength are no longer being shattered to pieces, then all these things are finished."
+\v 7 The one wearing the linen clothes and standing further up the river raised his hands toward the sky and solemnly promised to the one who lives forever, “It will be three and a half years, and when God’s holy people and their strength are no longer being shattered to pieces, then all these things are finished.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 I heard what he said, but I did not understand it. So I asked, "Sir, what will be the result when these things end?"
+\v 8 I heard what he said, but I did not understand it. So I asked, “Sir, what will be the result when these things end?”
 \p
-\v 9 He replied, "Daniel, you must leave now. I cannot answer your question. The words are closed and sealed until the time of the end.
+\v 9 He replied, “Daniel, you must leave now. I cannot answer your question. The words are closed and sealed until the time of the end.
 
 \s5
 \v 10 Many people will be made pure, and they will be refined, but the wicked people will continue to act wickedly. Only those who are wise will understand these things.
@@ -922,5 +922,5 @@ f
 \s5
 \v 12 God will be pleased with those who remain faithful until the end of 1,335 days.
 \p
-\v 13 So now I say to you, continue to faithfully trust God until your life on earth ends. You will die, but when everything ends, you will receive your reward from God."
+\v 13 So now I say to you, continue to faithfully trust God until your life on earth ends. You will die, but when everything ends, you will receive your reward from God.”
 

28-HOS.usfm

@@ -11,38 +11,38 @@
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh gave Hosea these messages during the years that Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah, and when Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.
 \p
-\v 2 When Yahweh spoke for the first time through the prophet Hosea, he said, "Go and marry a prostitute. She will have children because she has given herself to other men. When you marry a prostitute, this will show how my people have been so shamefully unfaithful to me. It will show them how they have left me, their God."
+\v 2 When Yahweh spoke for the first time through the prophet Hosea, he said, “Go and marry a prostitute. She will have children because she has given herself to other men. When you marry a prostitute, this will show how my people have been so shamefully unfaithful to me. It will show them how they have left me, their God.”
 
 \s5
 \v 3 So Hosea married Gomer, daughter of Diblaim. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son.
 \p
-\v 4 Yahweh said to Hosea, "Give your baby the name Jezreel, because I will soon punish the family members of King Jehu for the murders that he committed in the city of Jezreel. I will also bring the kingdom of Israel to an end.
-\v 5 On that day I will destroy the fighting strength of the army of Israel, there in the Valley of Jezreel."
+\v 4 Yahweh said to Hosea, “Give your baby the name Jezreel, because I will soon punish the family members of King Jehu for the murders that he committed in the city of Jezreel. I will also bring the kingdom of Israel to an end.
+\v 5 On that day I will destroy the fighting strength of the army of Israel, there in the Valley of Jezreel.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Gomer soon became pregnant again, and this time she gave birth to a daughter. Then Yahweh spoke to him, "Give her the name Lo-Ruhamah, which means 'no mercy,' because I will no longer have any mercy for the people of Israel, and I will not forgive them for even one sin they have committed.
-\v 7 But I will have mercy on the people of Judah. I will save them—but not by deadly weapons, the bow, the sword, or battle. I will not save them by armies or by strong horses and those who ride on them. Instead, I, Yahweh myself, will save them."
+\v 6 Gomer soon became pregnant again, and this time she gave birth to a daughter. Then Yahweh spoke to him, “Give her the name Lo-Ruhamah, which means ‘no mercy,’ because I will no longer have any mercy for the people of Israel, and I will not forgive them for even one sin they have committed.
+\v 7 But I will have mercy on the people of Judah. I will save them—but not by deadly weapons, the bow, the sword, or battle. I will not save them by armies or by strong horses and those who ride on them. Instead, I, Yahweh myself, will save them.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 After Gomer had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she became pregnant again and gave birth to a son.
-\v 9 Yahweh said "Give him the name Lo-Ammi, which means 'not my people,' because you, O Israel, are not my people—and I will no longer protect you as your God.
+\v 9 Yahweh said “Give him the name Lo-Ammi, which means ‘not my people,’ because you, O Israel, are not my people—and I will no longer protect you as your God.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 One day in the future, the people of Israel will be as numerous as the grains of sand by the sea. No one will be able to count them. I have said to Israel, 'You are not my people,'—but one day I will say to them, 'You are the people whom I will protect and love.'
-\v 11 On that day I, Yahweh, will gather all the people of Judah and bring them together with all the people of Israel. They will choose from among themselves a single leader, and they will go out of that land in which they were held as exiles. On that day they will say, 'Great is the day of Jezreel!' (Jezreel means, 'God plants his people in his land.')
+\v 10 One day in the future, the people of Israel will be as numerous as the grains of sand by the sea. No one will be able to count them. I have said to Israel, ‘You are not my people,’—but one day I will say to them, ‘You are the people whom I will protect and love.’
+\v 11 On that day I, Yahweh, will gather all the people of Judah and bring them together with all the people of Israel. They will choose from among themselves a single leader, and they will go out of that land in which they were held as exiles. On that day they will say, ‘Great is the day of Jezreel!’ (Jezreel means, ‘God plants his people in his land.’)
 
 
 \s5
 \c 2
 \q1
-\v 1 Call your male fellow Israelites, 'You are Yahweh's people,' and call your female fellow Israelites, 'Yahweh has been kind to you.'"
+\v 1 Call your male fellow Israelites, ‘You are Yahweh’s people,’ and call your female fellow Israelites, ‘Yahweh has been kind to you.’”
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 2 Yahweh said to me, "I want you to accuse Israel, who is like a mother to you, of being like an unfaithful wife to me.
+\v 2 Yahweh said to me, “I want you to accuse Israel, who is like a mother to you, of being like an unfaithful wife to me.
 \q1 This nation is no longer like a wife to me,
 \q2 and I am no longer like a husband to her.
 \q1 Tell Israel that they must stop acting like a prostitute; she must stop worshiping idols.
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ I will make her like a woman dying from thirst in the desert.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 6 So I will block Israel's road with thornbushes,
+\v 6 So I will block Israel’s road with thornbushes,
 \q1 and I will build a wall around her,
 \q2 so that she cannot find the path to take.
 \q1
@@ -74,8 +74,8 @@ I will make her like a woman dying from thirst in the desert.
 \q2 but she will not find them.
 \q1 She will search for her false gods,
 \q2 but she will not find them.
-\q1 Then, like a prostitute who wants to return to her husband, she will say to me, 'I will go back to you, the one I loved at first,
-\q2 because my life was better with you than it is now.'
+\q1 Then, like a prostitute who wants to return to her husband, she will say to me, ‘I will go back to you, the one I loved at first,
+\q2 because my life was better with you than it is now.’
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -103,19 +103,19 @@ I will make her like a woman dying from thirst in the desert.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 12 I will destroy all of Israel's grapevines and fig trees.
-\q2 This is because Israel is like a woman who says, 'These were the things that my lovers gave me in payment.'
+\v 12 I will destroy all of Israel’s grapevines and fig trees.
+\q2 This is because Israel is like a woman who says, ‘These were the things that my lovers gave me in payment.’
 \q1 I, Yahweh, will turn those places into a forest, a thicket in which no vines can grow,
-\q2 and where wild animals will devour any fruit that grows there.'
+\q2 and where wild animals will devour any fruit that grows there.’
 \q1
 \v 13 I will punish this woman named Israel for all the times that she burned incense to worship the Baal idols.
 \q1 She decorated herself with rings and jewelry, as a prostitute would adorn herself for her lovers.
 \q2 She used to follow her lovers—like Israel has gone after the Baals—those false gods that she worshiped.
-\q2 And she forgot about me." This is what Yahweh says.
+\q2 And she forgot about me.” This is what Yahweh says.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 14 "I will lead her into the wilderness and tell her that I love her.
+\v 14 “I will lead her into the wilderness and tell her that I love her.
 \q I will persuade her to love me again.
 \v 15 I will give her vineyards back to her once more,
 \q2 and in the Valley of Achor I will cause her to hope once more.
@@ -125,8 +125,8 @@ I will make her like a woman dying from thirst in the desert.
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 16 At that time,
-\q2 Israel will call me, 'My Husband,' as a woman would say to her human husband.
-\q2 She will no longer call out to a god, 'My Baal,' but she will call out to me as 'My Husband.'
+\q2 Israel will call me, ‘My Husband,’ as a woman would say to her human husband.
+\q2 She will no longer call out to a god, ‘My Baal,’ but she will call out to me as ‘My Husband.’
 \q1
 \v 17 I will not allow Israel to speak the names of the images of Baal that she used to worship.
 \q2 My people will forget the names of those Baals and their idols, and my people Israel will never worship them again.
@@ -153,8 +153,8 @@ I will make her like a woman dying from thirst in the desert.
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 21 At that time,
-\q2 I will help you," says Yahweh.
-\q1 "I will give a command to the sky,
+\q2 I will help you,” says Yahweh.
+\q1 “I will give a command to the sky,
 \q2 and the sky will pour out rain onto the ground.
 \q1
 \v 22 And the ground will provide grain, new wine and olive trees, and they will grow for the people of Israel.
@@ -163,19 +163,19 @@ I will make her like a woman dying from thirst in the desert.
 \q1
 \v 23 At that time, I will take care of the Israelite people
 \q2 as a farmer plants his own land and takes care of his crops.
-\q1 I will show my love to those people whom I called 'Not my People'.
-\q2 And those whom I called 'Not my People',
-\q1 I will now call by a new name: 'You are my People'.
-\q2 They will say to me, 'You are our God.'"
+\q1 I will show my love to those people whom I called ‘Not my People’.
+\q2 And those whom I called ‘Not my People’,
+\q1 I will now call by a new name: ‘You are my People’.
+\q2 They will say to me, ‘You are our God.’”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 3
 \p
-\v 1 Then Yahweh said to me, "Go and love a woman, even though she is loved by another man, and she is also unfaithful to her husband. You will be like me, because I love the people of Israel, even though they worship other gods and eat raisin cakes in their honor."
+\v 1 Then Yahweh said to me, “Go and love a woman, even though she is loved by another man, and she is also unfaithful to her husband. You will be like me, because I love the people of Israel, even though they worship other gods and eat raisin cakes in their honor.”
 \p
 \v 2 Even though she was a slave, owned by another person, I bought her for 170 grams of silver, and 330 liters of barley grain.
-\v 3 Then I said to her, "You will live with me from now on. You will no longer be a prostitute who sleeps with various men. You will not belong to any other man, only to me, and I will be faithful to you and live with you for the rest of my life."
+\v 3 Then I said to her, “You will live with me from now on. You will no longer be a prostitute who sleeps with various men. You will not belong to any other man, only to me, and I will be faithful to you and live with you for the rest of my life.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -187,8 +187,8 @@ I will make her like a woman dying from thirst in the desert.
 \c 4
 \q1
 \v 1 Listen to the message Yahweh has for you.
-\q2 "You people of Israel, Yahweh is accusing you, you who live in this place."
-\q1 He says, "I cannot find anyone here who tells the truth.
+\q2 “You people of Israel, Yahweh is accusing you, you who live in this place.”
+\q1 He says, “I cannot find anyone here who tells the truth.
 \q2 I cannot see anyone who loves me.
 \q1 None of you can honestly say that he knows me.
 \q1
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@ I will make her like a woman dying from thirst in the desert.
 \q2 It is the men who are doing the very same thing!
 \q1 The men sleep with prostitutes,
 \q2 and they offer sacrifices in the houses of idols where there are prostitutes.
-\q2 It is true: "A people who have not lived as they were taught to live, will come to destruction."
+\q2 It is true: “A people who have not lived as they were taught to live, will come to destruction.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ I will make her like a woman dying from thirst in the desert.
 
 \q1 But I hope that Judah will not do the same thing.
 \q2 You people of Judah, do not go to Gilgal. Do not go up to Beth Aven to worship idols there.
-\q1 Do not make solemn oaths, calling on me to make good on your promises, adding to your vows the words, 'As Yahweh lives!"
+\q1 Do not make solemn oaths, calling on me to make good on your promises, adding to your vows the words, ‘As Yahweh lives!”
 \v 16 Israel is as stubborn as a young cow.
 \q2 Can I now feed them as if they were little lambs in a meadow?
 \s5
@@ -282,15 +282,15 @@ I will make her like a woman dying from thirst in the desert.
 \q2 then they will commit even more sexual sins.
 \q2 Their rulers love to do these shameful things.
 \v 19 Someone will attack them; he will be like a whirlwind that lifts them up and carries them away to another place.
-\q2 Only then will they be ashamed because they gave offerings to the idols."
+\q2 Only then will they be ashamed because they gave offerings to the idols.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 5
 \q1
-\v 1 "Listen, you priests!
+\v 1 “Listen, you priests!
 \q2 Pay attention, you people of Israel!
-\q1 And you members of the king's family, you also need to listen!
+\q1 And you members of the king’s family, you also need to listen!
 \q2 For I will punish all of you.
 \q1 The things you have done have been like a trap for the people at Mizpah.
 \q2 The things you have done have become like a net spread out to catch the people who live on Mount Tabor.
@@ -305,7 +305,7 @@ I will make her like a woman dying from thirst in the desert.
 \q1
 \v 4 Ephraim and Israel are not able to ask me to forgive them, because of what they have done.
 \q1 They have chosen to be unfaithful and immoral,
-\q2 and they do not know me, Yahweh."
+\q2 and they do not know me, Yahweh.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -321,11 +321,11 @@ I will make her like a woman dying from thirst in the desert.
 \v 7 They did not keep their promises to Yahweh.
 \q2 and they have had children by foreign women.
 \q1 So at the time of the new moon festivals,
-\q2 they will perish, together with their cultivated fields."
+\q2 they will perish, together with their cultivated fields.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 8 Yahweh says, "Blow the ram horns at the city of Gibeah!
+\v 8 Yahweh says, “Blow the ram horns at the city of Gibeah!
 \q2 Blow the trumpets at the city of Ramah!
 \q1 Shout a battle cry at the city of Beth Aven!
 \q2 Lead us into battle, you people of the tribe of Benjamin!
@@ -364,13 +364,13 @@ I will make her like a woman dying from thirst in the desert.
 \q1
 \v 15 Then I will go back to where I came from;
 \q2 from there I will wait for them to admit that they have sinned;
-\q1 I will wait for them to come and ask me to help them."
+\q1 I will wait for them to come and ask me to help them.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 6
 \q1
-\v 1 The people say, "Come, let us return to Yahweh.
+\v 1 The people say, “Come, let us return to Yahweh.
 \q1 He has torn our flesh to pieces as a lion tears up his victim.
 \q2 He did this, but he will heal our wounds.
 \q1 He has hurt us and made us fall down,
@@ -382,13 +382,13 @@ I will make her like a woman dying from thirst in the desert.
 \q1
 \v 3 Try to know Yahweh;
 \q2 do all you can to be faithful to him.
-\q1 It is as certain as tomorrow's sunrise
+\q1 It is as certain as tomorrow’s sunrise
 \q2 that he will come to us; he will come to us like the rain,
-\q1 like the rain comes in the spring on our fields."
+\q1 like the rain comes in the spring on our fields.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 4 But Yahweh says, "What can I do with you, you people of Ephraim?
+\v 4 But Yahweh says, “What can I do with you, you people of Ephraim?
 \q2 What can I do with you, you people of the tribe of Judah?
 \q1 You love me for just as long as the clouds come in the morning before they disappear again.
 \q2 You love me for just as long as the dew stays before the warm sun shines on it.
@@ -398,13 +398,13 @@ I will make her like a woman dying from thirst in the desert.
 \q1 You were devastated by what they said to you.
 \q2 It was as though I had killed you with the words I spoke to you.
 \q1 I spoke about how I would punish you.
-\q2 I told you by the prophets that I was angry with you, and they told you this."
-\q1 "Yahweh, you will punish them by commanding that it happen;
-\q2 your words are like lightning bolts."
+\q2 I told you by the prophets that I was angry with you, and they told you this.”
+\q1 “Yahweh, you will punish them by commanding that it happen;
+\q2 your words are like lightning bolts.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 6 Yahweh says, "I want you to be faithful to me forever.
+\v 6 Yahweh says, “I want you to be faithful to me forever.
 \q2 I want that more than I want you to offer me sacrifices.
 \q1 I want you to know me—that is much more important to me
 \q2 than when you give me offerings that the priests burn on the altar.
@@ -433,7 +433,7 @@ I will make her like a woman dying from thirst in the desert.
 \q1 Just as in the harvest when you take all the crops in,
 \q2 and you keep the good and throw away the bad,
 \q1 that is what is coming for you, people of Judah.
-\q1 That will be the day when I bring back the blessings and riches of my people once more."
+\q1 That will be the day when I bring back the blessings and riches of my people once more.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -452,14 +452,14 @@ I will make her like a woman dying from thirst in the desert.
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 3 The wicked things they do bring delight to their king,
-\q2 and the king's officials are happy when they tell lies.
+\q2 and the king’s officials are happy when they tell lies.
 \q1
 \v 4 They are all sexually immoral;
-\q2 they burn with lust like a baker's oven that is burning hot;
+\q2 they burn with lust like a baker’s oven that is burning hot;
 \q1 once he lights the fire, he does not need to put any more wood on it,
 \q1 until he is ready to bake the bread.
 \q1
-\v 5 At the king's festivals, his officials do outrageous things because they are drunk with wine,
+\v 5 At the king’s festivals, his officials do outrageous things because they are drunk with wine,
 \q2 and the king joins in with them as they mock me.
 
 \s5
@@ -471,13 +471,13 @@ I will make her like a woman dying from thirst in the desert.
 \v 7 All those officials become so angry at the king,
 \q2 that they kill all their rulers.
 \q1 In the end, all their kings were killed;
-\q2 not one of them called on me, Yahweh, to help."
+\q2 not one of them called on me, Yahweh, to help.”
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 8 "Israel joins with other people groups,
+\v 8 “Israel joins with other people groups,
 \q2 but all the people are like a flat cake that is only cooked on one side; they are weak.
 \q1
-\v 9 People who come from far away have taken away Israel's strength.
+\v 9 People who come from far away have taken away Israel’s strength.
 \q2 The nation is gorwing very weak, like an old man whose hair is turning gray.
 \q1 But the nation does not know it is weak.
 
@@ -517,22 +517,22 @@ I will make her like a woman dying from thirst in the desert.
 \q1
 \v 16 They go this way and that, but never to me, God Most High.
 \q2 They are like a bow that cannot shoot.
-\q1 Their officers will be killed by their enemies' swords;
+\q1 Their officers will be killed by their enemies’ swords;
 they will die because they have insulted me.
-\q1 This is why the people in Egypt will insult them."
+\q1 This is why the people in Egypt will insult them.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 8
 \q1
-\v 1 Yahweh says, "Get a trumpet and blow it.
+\v 1 Yahweh says, “Get a trumpet and blow it.
 \q2 There are enemies swooping down over my people,
 \q1 as an eagle swoops down over a victim.
 \q2 This is because my people have left my covenant with them
 \q1 and have violated the law I gave them.
 \q1
 \v 2 My people Israel cry out to me and say,
-\q2 'Our God, we are loyal to you!'
+\q2 ‘Our God, we are loyal to you!’
 \q1
 \v 3 But the people of Israel have thrown away what is good,
 \q2 so their enemies will chase after them.
@@ -544,9 +544,9 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 \q1 They chose their own kings
 \q2 without asking me to approve them.
 \q1 They took their silver and gold and formed them into the idols they worshiped,
-\q2 but the people will perish as a result."
-\v 5 The prophet says, "Yes, Yahweh has rejected your idol, you people of Samaria—an idol made in the form of a calf!"
-\q1 Yahweh says, "Perhaps these people will never again be innocent of evildoing. I am very angry with them!
+\q2 but the people will perish as a result.”
+\v 5 The prophet says, “Yes, Yahweh has rejected your idol, you people of Samaria—an idol made in the form of a calf!”
+\q1 Yahweh says, “Perhaps these people will never again be innocent of evildoing. I am very angry with them!
 
 \s5
 \q2
@@ -560,7 +560,7 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 8 Other nations have destroyed Israel's power.
+\v 8 Other nations have destroyed Israel’s power.
 \q2 Now Israel is like an old, broken pot that no one wants.
 \q1
 \v 9 They asked the king of Assyria for help;
@@ -569,7 +569,7 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 \q1
 \v 10 Although they do this,
 \q2 I will soon gather them up to destroy them.
-\q2 They will begin to become poor because they will have to pay money to Assyria's king.
+\q2 They will begin to become poor because they will have to pay money to Assyria’s king.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -593,7 +593,7 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 \q2 The people of Israel have forgotten me, the God who made them a nation. Instead of honoring me, they have built huge homes to live in.
 \q1 And instead of worshiping Yahweh, the people of Judah have built walls around their cities for protection.
 \q2 So this is what I, Yahweh, will do:
-\q1 I will send a fire that will destroy all their palaces and all their fortified cities."
+\q1 I will send a fire that will destroy all their palaces and all their fortified cities.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -619,7 +619,7 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 \q2 Their sacrifices will be as unacceptable to God as the food that people eat at funerals;
 \q1 and everyone who eats that food becomes unacceptable to God.
 \q1 That food will be all they eat;
-\q2 they will not be able to bring it into Yahweh's house to offer it to him.
+\q2 they will not be able to bring it into Yahweh’s house to offer it to him.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -639,7 +639,7 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 \q1 So your false prophets are fools,
 \q2 and those who you thought were inspired by God are actually insane.
 \q1 This is because you have sinned so much
-\q2 and because you have become Yahweh's enemies.
+\q2 and because you have become Yahweh’s enemies.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -654,7 +654,7 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 10 Yahweh says, "When I found Israel, it was like someone finding grapes growing in the wilderness.
+\v 10 Yahweh says, “When I found Israel, it was like someone finding grapes growing in the wilderness.
 \q1 When I saw your ancestors, they were like the very first figs that appear in the year, figs growing on a young fig tree.
 \q1 But when they came to Mount Peor,
 \q2 they gave themselves completely to that disgusting idol Baal,
@@ -674,17 +674,17 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 \q1
 \v 13 I have seen the people of Israel;
 \q2 they were like Tyre; they were like a tree planted in a beautiful meadow.
-\q1 But they will have to lead their own children out to their enemies, who will slaughter them."
+\q1 But they will have to lead their own children out to their enemies, who will slaughter them.”
 
 \q1
 \v 14 Hosea says, Yahweh, give them—
 \q2 what should you give them?
 \q1 Give them wombs that miscarry,
-\q2 and let their mothers' breasts have no milk for their babies.
+\q2 and let their mothers’ breasts have no milk for their babies.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 15 Yahweh says, "Because of all the wicked things my people did at Gilgal,
+\v 15 Yahweh says, “Because of all the wicked things my people did at Gilgal,
 \q2 that is where I started to hate them.
 \q1 And because of all the sinful deeds they have done,
 \q2 I will drive them out of the place they live.
@@ -696,7 +696,7 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 \v 16 Ephraim is like a vine that has dried up
 \q2 and produces no fruit.
 \q1 Even if they give birth,
-\q2 I will put to death those children they love."
+\q2 I will put to death those children they love.”
 \q1
 \v 17 Hosea says, My God rejected the people of Israel
 \q2 because they have not obeyed him,
@@ -719,9 +719,9 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 3 They say, "We have no king now because we did not honor or respect Yahweh.
+\v 3 They say, “We have no king now because we did not honor or respect Yahweh.
 \q2 But even if we had a king,
-\q2 how could a king help us?"
+\q2 how could a king help us?”
 \q1
 \v 4 The people of Israel make lying promises and false covenants;
 \q2 and because their promises are not kept,
@@ -750,8 +750,8 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 \v 8 The hilltop places known for their wickedness—altars where the people worshiped idols—will all be destroyed.
 \q2 Thorns and thistles will grow and cover all the altars that were in Samaria.
 \q2 The people will beg the mountains and say,
-\q1 "Cover us!"
-\q2 and to the hills, "Fall on us!"
+\q1 “Cover us!”
+\q2 and to the hills, “Fall on us!”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -761,7 +761,7 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 10 Yahweh says, "When I decide to act, I will punish them.
+\v 10 Yahweh says, “When I decide to act, I will punish them.
 \q2 People groups will gather to fight against them;
 \q1 those people groups will capture them and put them in chains
 \q2 because of their many sins.
@@ -795,13 +795,13 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 \v 15 That is what will be done to you, you people of the city of Bethel,
 \q2 because of all the evil things you have done.
 \q1 When the battle begins at dawn,
-\q2 the king of Israel will be destroyed; the enemy will kill him."
+\q2 the king of Israel will be destroyed; the enemy will kill him.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 11
 \q1
-\v 1 Yahweh says, "When the nation of Israel was like a young man, I loved him.
+\v 1 Yahweh says, “When the nation of Israel was like a young man, I loved him.
 \q2 He was like a son to me, whom I called out of Egypt.
 \q1
 \v 2 But the more I called out to them,
@@ -825,7 +825,7 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 \q2 and Assyria will certainly rule over them,
 \q1 because they refused to turn back to me and worship me as their God.
 \q1
-\v 6 Their enemies will attack Israel's cities with swords;
+\v 6 Their enemies will attack Israel’s cities with swords;
 \q2 their enemies will destroy the bars that keep their gates closed and safe.
 \q2 Their enemies will destroy the people of Israel and put an end to all the plans they made.
 \q1
@@ -861,12 +861,12 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 \q2 like a flock of birds coming up from Egypt.
 \q2 And some will be like pigeons that fly in from Assyria.
 \q1 I will let them live in their own homes once more, in the land of Israel.
-\q2 I, Yahweh, have promised this."
+\q2 I, Yahweh, have promised this.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 12 "The people of Israel have continually lied to me.
-\q2 But the people of Judah they still obey me and are faithful to me, the Holy One."
+\v 12 “The people of Israel have continually lied to me.
+\q2 But the people of Judah they still obey me and are faithful to me, the Holy One.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -884,7 +884,7 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 \q1 He will pay them back; he will give them what they deserve.
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 3 When Jacob was in his mother's womb, he grabbed his brother Esau's heel because he wanted to take his brother's place and be the firstborn.
+\v 3 When Jacob was in his mother’s womb, he grabbed his brother Esau’s heel because he wanted to take his brother’s place and be the firstborn.
 \q2 When Jacob grew up, he wrestled with God.
 \q1
 \v 4 When the angel appeared to him, he struggled with him and won.
@@ -895,7 +895,7 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 5 This is Yahweh, the God of the angel armies!
-\q2 "Yahweh" is the name by which we should worship him.
+\q2 “Yahweh” is the name by which we should worship him.
 \q1
 \v 6 Turn to your God!
 \q2 Obey his covenant and do what is right.
@@ -907,13 +907,13 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 \q2 so they can cheat those who buy from them.
 \q1
 \v 8 The people of Israel boast,
-\q2 "We are very rich,
+\q2 “We are very rich,
 \q1 and we have found ways to make ourselves even more wealthy than we are now.
-\q2 In all our buying and selling, no one can see anything wrong in what we do."
+\q2 In all our buying and selling, no one can see anything wrong in what we do.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 9 But Yahweh says, "I am Yahweh, whom you should worship;
+\v 9 But Yahweh says, “I am Yahweh, whom you should worship;
 \q2 I am the one who brought your ancestors out of Egypt.
 \q1 I will force you away from your homes and make you live in tents again,
 \q2 just as when you live in tents for a few days every year
@@ -921,7 +921,7 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 \q1
 \v 10 Many times I spoke to the prophets and gave them messages, for them to give to you;
 \q2 and I gave them many visions for you,
-\q2 and I gave them parables, for them to speak to you."
+\q2 and I gave them parables, for them to speak to you.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -932,7 +932,7 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 \q1
 \v 12 Jacob fled to the land of Aram;
 \q2 he, whose name God would later change to Israel, worked many years so he could marry a woman.
-\q2 He took care of his uncle's sheep in order to marry her.
+\q2 He took care of his uncle’s sheep in order to marry her.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -947,7 +947,7 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 \s5
 \c 13
 \q1
-\v 1 Yahweh says, "When the leaders of Israel spoke, the people trembled;
+\v 1 Yahweh says, “When the leaders of Israel spoke, the people trembled;
 \q2 they were respected in Israel.
 \q1 But because they all worshiped Baal, they became guilty,
 \q2 and they died.
@@ -1018,11 +1018,11 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 \q2 Will I rescue you from dying?
 \q1 No! I will let you die
 \q2 I will let you perish.
-\q2 I have no more compassion left for you."
+\q2 I have no more compassion left for you.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 15 The prophet Hosea says: "Even though you people of Israel are wealthier than those of Judah,
+\v 15 The prophet Hosea says: “Even though you people of Israel are wealthier than those of Judah,
 \q2 the day is coming when Yahweh will destroy you.
 \q1 You will meet disaster.
 \q2 Your enemies will take everything valuable away from you.
@@ -1032,7 +1032,7 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 \v 16 The people of the city of Samaria are guilty because they have rebelled against God.
 \q2 Their enemies will kill them with swords.
 \q1 they will thrown their children far down to the ground and kill them;
-\q2 they will rip open their pregnant women."
+\q2 they will rip open their pregnant women.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -1043,7 +1043,7 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 \q1
 \v 2 So now, return to Yahweh, and think about how you will confess your sins to him.
 \q2 Say this to him:
-\q1 "Take away all our sins,
+\q1 “Take away all our sins,
 \q2 and accept us; please be kind to us.
 \q1 Please accept us back, so that we may praise you in our words and song.
 
@@ -1051,13 +1051,13 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 \q1
 \v 3 Assyria cannot save us.
 \q2 It is useless for us to ride horses into battle.
-\q1 We will never again say, 'You are our gods'
+\q1 We will never again say, ‘You are our gods’
 \q2 to the idols we have made with our own hands.
-\q2 Even children with no fathers look to you, Yahweh, and they find that you are kind to them."
+\q2 Even children with no fathers look to you, Yahweh, and they find that you are kind to them.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 4 Yahweh says, "I will forgive these people for having stopped honoring me;
+\v 4 Yahweh says, “I will forgive these people for having stopped honoring me;
 \q2 I will love them without ceasing,
 \q2 because I have decided to stop being angry at them.
 \q1
@@ -1079,7 +1079,7 @@ they will die because they have insulted me.
 \v 8 You people of Israel, I will completely stop you from worshiping idols. 
 \q2 It is I, Yahweh, who will take care of you. No idol can do that.
 \q1 I am like a cypress tree that grows and stays fresh the entire year;
-\q2 all your good gifts come from me."
+\q2 all your good gifts come from me.”
 
 \s5
 \q1

29-JOL.usfm

@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@
 
 \q1
 \v 1 Blow trumpets on Mount Zion,
-\q2 God's sacred hill in Jerusalem!
+\q2 God’s sacred hill in Jerusalem!
 \q1 Tell the people of Judah that they should be afraid and tremble,
 \q2 because it will soon be the time for Yahweh to punish us further.
 \q1
@@ -177,13 +177,13 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 But Yahweh says,
-\q1 "In spite of these disasters that you have experienced,
+\q1 “In spite of these disasters that you have experienced,
 \q2 you can return to me with all your inner being.
 \q1 Weep, and mourn, and fast to show that you are sorry that you have abandoned me.
 \q1
 \v 13 Do not tear only your clothes
 \q2 to show that you are sorry;
-\q2 more importantly, show in your inner being that you are sorry."
+\q2 more importantly, show in your inner being that you are sorry.”
 \q1 Yahweh is merciful and kind;
 \q2 he does not quickly become angry;
 \q1 he faithfully loves people.
@@ -214,10 +214,10 @@
 \q1
 \v 17 Tell the priests who serve Yahweh to cry between the altar and the entrance to the temple
 \q2 and to pray this:
-\q1 "Yahweh, rescue us, your people;
+\q1 “Yahweh, rescue us, your people;
 \q2 do not allow people from other nations to despise us;
 \q1 do not allow them to ridicule us and say,
-\q2 'Why has their God abandoned them?'"
+\q2 ‘Why has their God abandoned them?’”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@
 \p
 \v 19 When the people prayed,
 \q1 Yahweh answered and said,
-\q1 "I will give you plenty of grain and wine and olive oil,
+\q1 “I will give you plenty of grain and wine and olive oil,
 \q2 and you will be satisfied.
 \q1 I will no longer allow other nations to insult you.
 
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@
 \q2 into the desert.
 \q1 Some will go into the Dead Sea in the east,
 \q2 and some will go into the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
-\q1 There they will all die, and their bodies will stink."
+\q1 There they will all die, and their bodies will stink.”
 \q2 God will certainly do wonderful things.
 
 
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@
 \v 24 The ground where you thresh the grain will be covered with grain,
 \q2 and your vats where you store the fresh grape juice and olive oil will overflow.
 \q1
-\v 25 Yahweh said, "I will repay you for everything that was destroyed by those great swarms of locusts,
+\v 25 Yahweh said, “I will repay you for everything that was destroyed by those great swarms of locusts,
 \q2 that enormous army that I sent to attack you.
 
 \s5
@@ -276,12 +276,12 @@
 \v 27 When that happens, you will know that I am always among you,
 \q2 that I am Yahweh, your God,
 \q2 and that there is no other God.
-\q1 Never again will I let others shame you."
+\q1 Never again will I let others shame you.”
 
 \s5
 
 \q1
-\v 28 "Some time later, I will give my Spirit to many people.
+\v 28 “Some time later, I will give my Spirit to many people.
 \q2 You sons and daughters will proclaim messages that come directly from me.
 \q1 Your old men will have dreams that come from me,
 \q2 and your young men will have visions that come from me.
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@
 \q1
 \v 32 But at that time I will save everyone who worships me.
 \q2 I promise that some people in Jerusalem will escape those disasters;
-\q2 those whom I have chosen will survive."
+\q2 those whom I have chosen will survive.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -309,7 +309,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh says this:
-\q1 "At that time, I will bring back the people whom their enemies took away from Jerusalem and from other places in Judah.
+\q1 “At that time, I will bring back the people whom their enemies took away from Jerusalem and from other places in Judah.
 \q1
 \v 2 Then in the Valley of Jehoshaphat I will gather together the people of all the other nations;
 \q2 I will judge and punish them
@@ -330,13 +330,13 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 But I will make it possible for my people to return from the places to which you sold them, and I will do to you what you did to them.
-\v 8 Then I will cause some of your sons and your daughters to be sold to the people of Judah! And they will be sold to the Sabea people group, who live far away. That will certainly happen because I, Yahweh, have said it."
+\v 8 Then I will cause some of your sons and your daughters to be sold to the people of Judah! And they will be sold to the Sabea people group, who live far away. That will certainly happen because I, Yahweh, have said it.”
 
 \s5
 
 \q1
 \v 9 Proclaim to the people of all nations,
-\q2 "Prepare for a war!
+\q2 “Prepare for a war!
 \q1 Summon your soldiers;
 \q2 tell them to stand in their battle positions.
 \q1
@@ -347,12 +347,12 @@
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 11 All you people from the nations that are near Judah
-\q2 must come quickly and gather there."
+\q2 must come quickly and gather there.”
 \q1 But Yahweh, when that happens, send your army of angels to attack them!
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 12 Yahweh says, "The people in the nations near Judah must get ready and come to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
+\v 12 Yahweh says, “The people in the nations near Judah must get ready and come to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
 \q2 There I will sit as a judge, and I will punish them.
 \q1
 \v 13 They are like crops that are ready to be harvested;
@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@
 \q1 They are like grapes that are piled high in the pits where they will be pressed;
 \q2 because they are very wicked,
 \q1 punish them severely now,
-\q2 as a farmer tramples on the grapes until the pits overflow with juice."
+\q2 as a farmer tramples on the grapes until the pits overflow with juice.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -379,7 +379,7 @@
 \q2 he will be like a strong wall behind which the people of Israel will be protected.
 
 \q1
-\v 17 Yahweh says, "At that time, you Israelite people will know that I am Yahweh, your God.
+\v 17 Yahweh says, “At that time, you Israelite people will know that I am Yahweh, your God.
 \q2 I live on Zion, the hill I have set apart for myself.
 \q1 Jerusalem will be a city very special to me,
 \q2 and soldiers from other countries will never conquer it again.
@@ -400,5 +400,5 @@
 \v 20 But there will always be people living in Jerusalem and in other places in Judea.
 \q1
 \v 21 I, Yahweh, live on Mount Zion in Jerusalem,
-\q2 and I will get revenge on the people of Egypt and Edom who killed many of my people."
+\q2 and I will get revenge on the people of Egypt and Edom who killed many of my people.”
 

30-AMO.usfm

@@ -12,17 +12,17 @@
 \v 1 This is the message that Yahweh gave to Amos, a shepherd near the town of Tekoa south of Jerusalem. He received this message about Israel in a vision two years before the big earthquake. It was when Uzziah was the king of Judah and Jeroboam son of King Jehoash, was the king of Israel.
 \p
 \v 2 This is what Amos said:
-\q1 "Yahweh will shout very loudly;
+\q1 “Yahweh will shout very loudly;
 \q2 when he speaks from Mount Zion in Jerusalem, his voice will sound like thunder.
 \q1 When that happens, the pastures where you shepherds take care of your sheep will dry up,
 \q2 and the grass on top of Mount Carmel will wither
-\q2 because Yahweh will order the rain not to fall."
+\q2 because Yahweh will order the rain not to fall.”
 
 \s5
 
 \p
 \v 3 This is also what Yahweh said to me:
-\q1 "I will punish the people of Damascus, the capital of Aram, because of the many sins that they have committed;
+\q1 “I will punish the people of Damascus, the capital of Aram, because of the many sins that they have committed;
 \q2 I will not change my mind about punishing them,
 \q1 because of the cruel things that they did to the people of the region of Gilead.
 \q1
@@ -34,13 +34,13 @@
 \v 5 I will cause the gates of Damascus to be broken down;
 \q2 I will get rid of the king of Biqat Aven
 \q1 and the man who rules in Beth Eden.
-\q2 The people of Aram will be captured and taken to the region of Kir."
+\q2 The people of Aram will be captured and taken to the region of Kir.”
 
 \s5
 
 \p
 \v 6 Yahweh also said this to me:
-\q1 "I will punish the people of the cities of Philistia;
+\q1 “I will punish the people of the cities of Philistia;
 \q2 I will punish the people of Gaza because of the many sins that they have committed;
 \q2 I will not change my mind about punishing them,
 \q1 because they captured large groups of people and took them to Edom
@@ -54,39 +54,39 @@
 \v 8 I will get rid of the king of the city of Ashdod
 \q2 and the king who rules in the city of Ashkelon.
 \q1 I will also strike the people of the city of Ekron,
-\q2 and all the people of Philistia who are still alive will be killed."
+\q2 and all the people of Philistia who are still alive will be killed.”
 
 \s5
 
 \p
 \v 9 Yahweh also said this to me:
-\q1 "I will punish the people of the city of Tyre because of the many sins that their people have committed;
+\q1 “I will punish the people of the city of Tyre because of the many sins that their people have committed;
 \q2 I will not change my mind about punishing them
 \q1 because they also captured large groups of our people and took them to Edom,
 \q2 disregarding the treaty of friendship that they had made with your rulers.
 \q1
 \v 10 So I will cause a fire to completely burn the walls of Tyre
-\q2 and also destroy its fortresses."
+\q2 and also destroy its fortresses.”
 
 \s5
 
 \p
 \v 11 Yahweh also said this to me:
-\q1 "I will punish the people of Edom because of the many sins that their people have committed;
+\q1 “I will punish the people of Edom because of the many sins that their people have committed;
 \q2 I will not change my mind about punishing them,
-\q1 because they pursued the people of Israel, who descended from Esau's brother Jacob, and killed them with swords;
+\q1 because they pursued the people of Israel, who descended from Esau’s brother Jacob, and killed them with swords;
 \q2 they did not act mercifully toward them at all.
 \q1 They were extremely angry with the people of Israel,
 \q2 and they continue to be angry with them.
 \q1
 \v 12 I will cause a fire to burn the district of Teman in Edom
-\q2 and completely burn the fortresses of Bozrah, the biggest city in Edom."
+\q2 and completely burn the fortresses of Bozrah, the biggest city in Edom.”
 
 \s5
 
 \p
 \v 13 Yahweh also said this to me:
-\q1 "I will punish the people of Ammon because of the many sins that they have committed;
+\q1 “I will punish the people of Ammon because of the many sins that they have committed;
 \q2 I will not change my mind about punishing them,
 \q1 because their soldiers even ripped open the bellies of pregnant women
 \q2 when their army attacked the region of Gilead to gain more territory.
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@
 \q1 During that battle, their enemies will shout loudly
 \q2 and the fighting will be like a great storm.
 \q1
-\v 15 After the battle, the king of Ammon and his officials will go into exile."
+\v 15 After the battle, the king of Ammon and his officials will go into exile.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh also said this:
-\q1 "I will punish the people of Moab because of the many sins that they have committed;
+\q1 “I will punish the people of Moab because of the many sins that they have committed;
 \q2 I will not change my mind about punishing them,
 \q1 because they dug up the bones of the king of Edom and burned them completely,
 \q2 with the result that the ashes became as white as lime.
@@ -118,26 +118,26 @@
 \q2 while I am causing Moab to be destroyed
 \q1
 \v 3 and while I am getting rid of its king and all its leaders.
-\q2 That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it!"
+\q2 That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it!”
 
 \s5
 
 \p
 \v 4 Yahweh also said this:
-\q1 "I will punish the people of Judah because of the many sins that they have committed;
+\q1 “I will punish the people of Judah because of the many sins that they have committed;
 \q2 I will not change my mind about punishing them,
 \q1 because they have rejected what I taught them
 \q2 and they have not obeyed my commands.
 \q1 They have been deceived and persuaded to worship false gods,
 \q2 the same gods that their ancestors worshiped.
 \q1
-\v 5 So I will cause a fire to completely burn everything in Judah, including the fortresses in Jerusalem."
+\v 5 So I will cause a fire to completely burn everything in Judah, including the fortresses in Jerusalem.”
 
 \s5
 
 \p
 \v 6 Yahweh also said this:
-\q1 "I will punish the people of Israel because of the many sins that they have committed;
+\q1 “I will punish the people of Israel because of the many sins that they have committed;
 \q2 I will not change my mind about punishing them,
 \q1 because they sell righteous people to get a small amount of silver;
 \q2 they sell poor people, causing them to become slaves,
@@ -197,20 +197,20 @@
 \q1
 \v 16 Even warriors who are very brave will drop their weapons
 \q2 when they try to flee on the day that I get rid of them.
-\q1 That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it."
+\q1 That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 3
 
 \p
-\v 1 "You people of Israel, I brought all your ancestors out of Egypt;
+\v 1 “You people of Israel, I brought all your ancestors out of Egypt;
 \q2 so listen to what I am saying about you.
 \q1
 \v 2 From all the people groups on the earth,
 \q2 I chose and took care of only you.
 \q1 That is the reason that I will punish you
-\q2 for the sins that you have committed."
+\q2 for the sins that you have committed.”
 
 \s5
 
@@ -251,9 +251,9 @@
 \q1
 \v 9 Proclaim to the people who guard the strongholds in Ashdod,
 \q2 and to those who protect the fortresses in the land of Egypt, and say this,
-\q1 "Come together on the hills of Samaria,
+\q1 “Come together on the hills of Samaria,
 \q2 and see how much the people in that city are frightened,
-\q2 and see the way the people are suffering because of what they are doing to each other!"
+\q2 and see the way the people are suffering because of what they are doing to each other!”
 \q1
 \v 10 Yahweh says that the people there do not know how to do things that are right.
 \q2 Their homes are filled with valuable things that they have stolen or taken violently from others.
@@ -265,16 +265,16 @@
 \q2 and take away those valuable things.
 \p
 \v 12 Yahweh has declared this:
-\q1 "When a lion attacks a sheep,
-\q2 sometimes a shepherd is able to snatch from the lion's mouth
+\q1 “When a lion attacks a sheep,
+\q2 sometimes a shepherd is able to snatch from the lion’s mouth
 \q2 only two legs or an ear of the sheep.
 \q1 Similarly, only a few people from Samaria will escape,
-\q2 just as if someone could save only a part of a couch or a bed from a fire in the house."U
+\q2 just as if someone could save only a part of a couch or a bed from a fire in the house.”U
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 13 Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says this:
-\q2 "Proclaim this message about the descendants of Jacob:
+\q2 “Proclaim this message about the descendants of Jacob:
 \q1
 \v 14 When I, Yahweh, punish the people of Israel
 \q2 because of the sins that they have committed,
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@
 \v 15 I will cause the houses that they live in during the winter to be torn down;
 \q2 and the houses they live in during the summer, they will also be torn down.
 \q2 Beautiful big houses and houses that are decorated with ivory will be destroyed.
-\q1 That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it!"
+\q1 That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it!”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -297,10 +297,10 @@
 \q2 You oppress poor people,
 \q2 and you cause needy people to suffer.
 \q1 And you say to your husbands,
-\q2 "Bring us more wine to drink!"
+\q2 “Bring us more wine to drink!”
 \q1
 \v 2 But Yahweh our God has said this:
-\q2 "Because I am holy, I solemnly promise this:
+\q2 “Because I am holy, I solemnly promise this:
 \q1 It will soon be the time when you all will be taken to another country;
 \q2 your enemies will take you away using sharp hooks to grab you.
 
@@ -349,7 +349,7 @@
 \v 9 Many times I struck your crops with disease and mildew.
 \q2 The locusts devoured your gardens and vineyards, 
 \q2 your fig trees and olive trees, yet you did not return to me
-\q1 —this is Yahweh's declaration."
+\q1 —this is Yahweh’s declaration.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -379,7 +379,7 @@
 \q2 and sometimes cause the daylight to become dark like the night.
 \q1 I rule over everything,
 \q2 and even walk on the highest mountains on the earth!
-\q2 I am Yahweh, commander of the angel armies!"
+\q2 I am Yahweh, commander of the angel armies!”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -388,32 +388,32 @@
 \p
 \v 1 You people of Israel, listen to this funeral song that I will sing about you:
 \q1
-\v 2 "You are like a young woman,
+\v 2 “You are like a young woman,
 \q2 but in spite of that, you will certainly be struck down
 \q2 and you will never get up again!
 \q1 You will lie on the ground, abandoned,
-\q2 and there will be no one to help you stand up."
+\q2 and there will be no one to help you stand up.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 3 This is what Yahweh the Lord says to the people of Israel:
-\q1 "When your enemies attack you,
+\q1 “When your enemies attack you,
 \q1 and when a thousand of your soldiers go into battle,
 \q2 only a hundred will survive.
 \q1 When a hundred soldiers march out from a city to fight,
-\q2 only ten will remain alive."
+\q2 only ten will remain alive.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 Yahweh continues to say to the people of Israel:
-\q1 "You Israelite people, return to me!
+\q1 “You Israelite people, return to me!
 \q2 If you do that, you will continue to remain alive.
 \q1
 \v 5 Do not go to Bethel to seek my help;
 \q2 do not go to Gilgal to worship;
 \q1 do not go to Beersheba,
 \q2 because your enemies will drag away the people of Gilgal to other countries,
-\q2 and they will completely destroy Bethel."
+\q2 and they will completely destroy Bethel.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -477,7 +477,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 "Because I, Yahweh, will punish you for your sins, this is what I have solemnly declared:
+\v 16 “Because I, Yahweh, will punish you for your sins, this is what I have solemnly declared:
 \q1 People will be wailing loudly in every street,
 \q2 and people will be shocked in every plaza.
 \q1 Farmers will be called to come and weep,
@@ -485,7 +485,7 @@
 \q1
 \v 17 People will be wailing in your vineyards,
 \q2 because I will punish you severely.
-\q1 That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it!"
+\q1 That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it!”
 
 \s5
 
@@ -504,7 +504,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 21 Yahweh says, "I hate your religious celebrations
+\v 21 Yahweh says, “I hate your religious celebrations
 \q2 and the times when you gather to worship me;
 \q2 I detest them all.
 \q1
@@ -527,13 +527,13 @@
 \q2 and during that time, they never brought any sacrifices and offerings to me!
 \q1
 \v 26 But you carried the two idols that you have made—
-\q2 Sikkuth, the god whom you call 'king,'
+\q2 Sikkuth, the god whom you call ‘king,’
 \q2 and Kaiwan, the image of the star that you worship.
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 27 For I will now force you to go to a country that is far beyond Damascus!
-\q1 That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, have said it!"
+\q1 That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, have said it!”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -544,10 +544,10 @@
 \q1 You call yourselves the most important people in the world,
 \q2 and you are the leaders to whom Israelites go for help.
 \q1
-\v 2 You tell them, "Just go to the city of Kalneh and look at it.
+\v 2 You tell them, “Just go to the city of Kalneh and look at it.
 \q2 Then go to see the great city Hamath
 \q2 and to Gath in Philistia and look at it. They are all prosperous.
-\q1 Now your lands are better than those places, and your two countries—Judah and Samaria—are bigger. So you are safe."
+\q1 Now your lands are better than those places, and your two countries—Judah and Samaria—are bigger. So you are safe.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -575,15 +575,15 @@
 
 \p
 \v 8 Yahweh the Lord has solemnly declared this:
-\q1 "I hate the people of Israel because they are very proud;
+\q1 “I hate the people of Israel because they are very proud;
 \q2 I detest their fortresses.
 \q1 I will enable their enemies to capture their capital city
-\q2 and everything in it."
+\q2 and everything in it.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 9 When that happens, if there are ten people in one house, they will all die.
-\v 10 If a relative who has the task of burning their corpses comes to the house and inquires of anyone who is still hiding there, "Is there anyone here with you?" and that person replies "No," the one who inquired will say, "Be quiet! You must not call Yahweh's attention to us by mentioning his name, or he may have a reason to kill us!"
+\v 10 If a relative who has the task of burning their corpses comes to the house and inquires of anyone who is still hiding there, “Is there anyone here with you?” and that person replies “No,” the one who inquired will say, “Be quiet! You must not call Yahweh’s attention to us by mentioning his name, or he may have a reason to kill us!”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -599,12 +599,12 @@
 \q2 you have changed what is right and consider it to be like things that are bitter.
 \q1
 \v 13 You are proud because you have captured the town of Lo Debar,
-\q2 and you have said, "We captured Karnaim by our own power!"
+\q2 and you have said, “We captured Karnaim by our own power!”
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 14 But Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, declares,
-\q2 "I will cause a certain nation to attack you people of Israel;
+\q2 “I will cause a certain nation to attack you people of Israel;
 \q1 they will oppress you all the way from Hamath Pass in the northwest
 \q2 to the brook of the Arabah.
 
@@ -613,62 +613,62 @@
 \c 7
 
 \p
-\v 1 Yahweh our God showed me in a vision that he was going to send locusts to destroy our crops. It was going to happen right after the king's share of the hay had been harvested and before the rest of the hay was ready to be harvested.
-\v 2 In the vision I saw those locusts come, and they ate everything that was green. Then I cried out, "Yahweh our Lord, please forgive us! We Israelite people are very helpless; how will we be able to survive ?"
+\v 1 Yahweh our God showed me in a vision that he was going to send locusts to destroy our crops. It was going to happen right after the king’s share of the hay had been harvested and before the rest of the hay was ready to be harvested.
+\v 2 In the vision I saw those locusts come, and they ate everything that was green. Then I cried out, “Yahweh our Lord, please forgive us! We Israelite people are very helpless; how will we be able to survive ?”
 \p
-\v 3 So Yahweh changed his mind and said, "That will not happen."
+\v 3 So Yahweh changed his mind and said, “That will not happen.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 Then this is what Yahweh our Lord showed me in another vision: He was calling to a fire to come and punish his people. In the vision I saw that the fire had dried up the water under all the land and also had burned everything on the land.
-\v 5 Then I cried out again, "Yahweh our Lord, I plead with you, please stop this! We Israelite people are very helpless; how will we be able to survive ?"
+\v 5 Then I cried out again, “Yahweh our Lord, I plead with you, please stop this! We Israelite people are very helpless; how will we be able to survive ?”
 \p
-\v 6 So Yahweh changed his mind again, and said, "That also will not happen."
+\v 6 So Yahweh changed his mind again, and said, “That also will not happen.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 Then Yahweh showed me another vision. I saw him standing beside a wall. It was very straight because it had been built using a plumb line. Yahweh had the plumb line in his hand.
-\v 8 Yahweh asked me, "Amos, what do you see?"
-\p I replied, "A plumb line."
-\p Then Yahweh said, "Look, I am going to use a plumb line among my Israelite people, to show that they are like a wall that is not straight. I will not change my mind again about punishing them.
+\v 8 Yahweh asked me, “Amos, what do you see?”
+\p I replied, “A plumb line.”
+\p Then Yahweh said, “Look, I am going to use a plumb line among my Israelite people, to show that they are like a wall that is not straight. I will not change my mind again about punishing them.
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 9 The hilltop places of idolatry where the descendants of Isaac worship idols will be destroyed.
 \q2 And the other important holy places in Israel will also be destroyed.
 \q1 And I will enable your enemies to attack your people with swords,
-\q2 and they will get rid of King Jeroboam and all his descendants."
+\q2 and they will get rid of King Jeroboam and all his descendants.”
 
 \s5
 
 \p
-\v 10 Then Amaziah the priest at Bethel, sent a message to Jeroboam, the king of Israel. In the message he said, "Amos is plotting against you among the Israelite people. I am worried that the people of this country will not know that he is wrong.
+\v 10 Then Amaziah the priest at Bethel, sent a message to Jeroboam, the king of Israel. In the message he said, “Amos is plotting against you among the Israelite people. I am worried that the people of this country will not know that he is wrong.
 \v 11 This is what he is saying:
-\q1 'Jeroboam will soon be killed by someone using a sword,
-\q2 and the people of Israel will be exiled.'"
+\q1 ‘Jeroboam will soon be killed by someone using a sword,
+\q2 and the people of Israel will be exiled.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Then Amaziah came to me and said, "You prophet, get out of here! Go back to the country of Judah! Do your prophesying there if you want to earn money!
-\v 13 Do not prophesy anymore here at Bethel, because this is where the national temple, the king's temple, is!"
+\v 12 Then Amaziah came to me and said, “You prophet, get out of here! Go back to the country of Judah! Do your prophesying there if you want to earn money!
+\v 13 Do not prophesy anymore here at Bethel, because this is where the national temple, the king’s temple, is!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 I replied to Amaziah, "I was previously not a prophet and my father was not a prophet; I was a shepherd. I also took care of sycamore fig trees.
-\v 15 But Yahweh took me away from taking care of my sheep, and he said to me, 'Go to Israel and prophesy to my people there!'
+\v 14 I replied to Amaziah, “I was previously not a prophet and my father was not a prophet; I was a shepherd. I also took care of sycamore fig trees.
+\v 15 But Yahweh took me away from taking care of my sheep, and he said to me, ‘Go to Israel and prophesy to my people there!’
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 16 You said to me, 'Do not prophesy and say that terrible things will happen to the people of Israel;
-\q2 stop saying those things!'
+\v 16 You said to me, ‘Do not prophesy and say that terrible things will happen to the people of Israel;
+\q2 stop saying those things!’
 \p
 \v 17 So listen to what Yahweh says about you:
-\q1 'Your wife will become a prostitute in this very city;
+\q1 ‘Your wife will become a prostitute in this very city;
 \q2 your sons and daughters will die because their enemies will kill them.
 \q1 Others will measure your land
 \q2 and divide it up among themselves;
 \q1 and you yourself will die in a foreign country.
-\q1 And the people of Israel will certainly have to leave their country and go into exile.'"
+\q1 And the people of Israel will certainly have to leave their country and go into exile.’”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -676,11 +676,11 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh showed me in a vision a basket full of ripe fruit.
-\v 2 He asked me, "Amos, what do you see?"
-\p I replied, "A basket of very ripe fruit."
-\p He said, "That indicates that it almost the end for my Israelite people. I will not change my mind again about punishing them.
+\v 2 He asked me, “Amos, what do you see?”
+\p I replied, “A basket of very ripe fruit.”
+\p He said, “That indicates that it almost the end for my Israelite people. I will not change my mind again about punishing them.
 \p
-\v 3 Soon the people will be wailing instead of singing in the temple. There will be corpses everywhere, and people will say nothing as they remove them. These things will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it!"
+\v 3 Soon the people will be wailing instead of singing in the temple. There will be corpses everywhere, and people will say nothing as they remove them. These things will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it!”
 
 \s5
 
@@ -689,7 +689,7 @@
 \q2 and you destroy the poor people.
 \p
 \v 5 You habitually say,
-\q1 "We wish that the new moon festival would end soon,
+\q1 “We wish that the new moon festival would end soon,
 \q2 in order that we may be allowed to sell our grain.
 \q1 We wish that the Sabbath would end soon,
 \q2 in order that we may again be permitted to sell our wheat.—
@@ -700,11 +700,11 @@
 \v 6 We will sell wheat that is no good.
 \q2 Those who are needy and poor and who do not have money to buy things,
 \q1 we will make them our slaves
-\q2 by buying them with the little amount of silver with which we could buy a pair of sandals!"
+\q2 by buying them with the little amount of silver with which we could buy a pair of sandals!”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 Yahweh has declared, "As I live, I, whom you should worship: I solemnly declare that I will not forget the evil things that you have done.
+\v 7 Yahweh has declared, “As I live, I, whom you should worship: I solemnly declare that I will not forget the evil things that you have done.
 \q1
 \v 8 Because of those evil things, your country will certainly soon tremble,
 \q2 and all of you will mourn.
@@ -723,12 +723,12 @@
 \q1 Because of what I will do, all of you will wear rough sackcloth and shave your heads
 \q2 to show that you are sorrowing.
 \q1 I will cause that time to be like when people mourn after an only son has died.
-\q2 All of you will be very sad all of that time."
+\q2 All of you will be very sad all of that time.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 11 And Yahweh our God says this:
-\q2 "It will soon be the time when I will cause something to be very scarce throughout the country.
+\q2 “It will soon be the time when I will cause something to be very scarce throughout the country.
 \q1 But it will not be a time when there is no food or water;
 \q2 it will instead be a time when there will be no messages from me for anyone to hear.
 \q1
@@ -747,7 +747,7 @@
 \q2 and those who solemnly promise to do something using the name of the god of Dan,
 \q2 and those who swear using the name of the god of Beersheba—
 \q1 they will all die;
-\q2 they will never get up again."
+\q2 they will never get up again.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -755,7 +755,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh showed me another vision. In the vision, I saw him standing next to the altar. He said,
-\q1 "Strike the tops of the pillars of the temple,
+\q1 “Strike the tops of the pillars of the temple,
 \q2 until they become loose and fall down,
 \q2 so that the foundation will shake.
 \q1 Then cause the pieces of the temple to fall down on the people who are inside.
@@ -776,7 +776,7 @@
 \q1
 \v 4 If their enemies capture them and force them to go to other countries,
 \q2 I will command that they be killed there with swords.
-\q1 I am determined to get rid of them, not to help them."
+\q1 I am determined to get rid of them, not to help them.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -793,7 +793,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 7 Yahweh says, "You people of Israel,
+\v 7 Yahweh says, “You people of Israel,
 \q2 you are certainly now no more important to me than the people of Ethiopia.
 \q1 I brought your ancestors here from Egypt,
 \q2 but I also brought the people of Philistia from the Island of Crete,
@@ -811,13 +811,13 @@
 \q2 in order that they do not fall on the ground with the grain.
 \q1
 \v 10 From among my people,
-\q2 all you sinful people who say, 'We will not experience disasters; nothing evil will happen to us,'
-\q1 your enemies will kill you with their swords."
+\q2 all you sinful people who say, ‘We will not experience disasters; nothing evil will happen to us,’
+\q1 your enemies will kill you with their swords.”
 
 \s5
 
 \q1
-\v 11 "The kingdom over which King David ruled has been destroyed, like a house that collapsed and then became ruins.
+\v 11 “The kingdom over which King David ruled has been destroyed, like a house that collapsed and then became ruins.
 \q2 But some day I will cause it to be a kingdom again.
 \q1 I will cause it to prosper again
 \q2 just like it did previously.
@@ -846,5 +846,5 @@
 \v 15 I will enable you to live in your land again,
 \q2 the land that I gave to your ancestors;
 \q1 never again will you be forced to leave it.
-\q2 That is what will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it."
+\q2 That is what will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it.”
 

31-OBA.usfm

@@ -12,11 +12,11 @@
 \p
 \v 1 This is a message that Yahweh our God gave to me, Obadiah, about the Edom people group.
 \p Yahweh our God has told me this about the people of Edom:
-\q1 "I, Yahweh, have sent a messenger to other nations,
-\q2 telling them to prepare to go and attack Edom."
+\q1 “I, Yahweh, have sent a messenger to other nations,
+\q2 telling them to prepare to go and attack Edom.”
 \p
 \v 2 And Yahweh says this to the people of Edom:
-\q1 "I will soon cause you to become the weakest and most despised nation on the earth.
+\q1 “I will soon cause you to become the weakest and most despised nation on the earth.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 5 When thieves break into someone's house during the night,
+\v 5 When thieves break into someone’s house during the night,
 \q2 they certainly steal only the things that they want.
 \q1 And people who pick grapes always leave a few grapes on the vines.
 \q2 But your country will be completely destroyed!
@@ -45,18 +45,18 @@
 \q2 and they will force you to leave your country.
 \q1 Those with whom you have peace now will trick you and defeat you.
 \q2 Those who eat meals with you now are planning to trap you,
-\q1 and then they will say to you, 'You are not as clever as you thought you were!'
+\q1 and then they will say to you, ‘You are not as clever as you thought you were!’
 \q1
 \v 8 I, Yahweh, declare that at the time that I destroy Edom,
 \q2 I will punish the men who live in those cliffs who thought that they were wise.
 \q1
 \v 9 The soldiers from Teman town will become terrified;
-\q2 all you people who are descendants of Esau will be wiped out."
+\q2 all you people who are descendants of Esau will be wiped out.”
 
 \s5
 
 \q1
-\v 10 "You acted cruelly to your relatives who are descendants of Jacob, the twin brother of your ancestor Esau.
+\v 10 “You acted cruelly to your relatives who are descendants of Jacob, the twin brother of your ancestor Esau.
 \q2 So now you will be disgraced, and you will be destroyed forever.
 \q1
 \v 11 Foreigners entered the gates of Jerusalem
@@ -78,12 +78,12 @@
 \v 14 You should not have stood at crossroads
 \q2 to catch those who were trying to escape.
 \q1 You should not have captured them and put them into the hands of their enemies
-\q2 when they were experiencing those disasters."
+\q2 when they were experiencing those disasters.”
 
 \s5
 
 \q1
-\v 15 "There will soon be the time when I, Yahweh, will judge and punish all the nations.
+\v 15 “There will soon be the time when I, Yahweh, will judge and punish all the nations.
 \q2 And you people of Edom will experience the same disasters that you caused others to experience.
 \q1 The same evil things that you have done to others will happen to you.
 \q1
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@
 \v 18 The descendants of Jacob and his son Joseph will be like a fire,
 \q2 and the people of Edom will be like stubble that will be completely burned in that fire.
 \q2 Not one person will remain alive.
-\q1 That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it."
+\q1 That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it.”
 
 \s5
 \q1

33-MIC.usfm

@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 6 Yahweh says this: "I will cause Samaria to become a heap of rubble;
+\v 6 Yahweh says this: “I will cause Samaria to become a heap of rubble;
 \q2 it will be only a field for planting vineyards.
 \q1 I will cause the stones of its buildings to roll down into the valley.
 \q2 I will destroy the buildings down to their foundations.
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@
 \v 12 The people of Maroth
 \q2 are anxiously waiting for good things to happen to them.
 \q1 But I will make terrible things to happen to them,
-\q2 and they will soon happen at the gates of Jerusalem."
+\q2 and they will soon happen at the gates of Jerusalem.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -114,16 +114,16 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 3 Therefore, this is what Yahweh says:
-\q1 "I will cause you people of Israel to experience disasters,
+\q1 “I will cause you people of Israel to experience disasters,
 \q2 and you will not be able to escape from them.
 \q1 You will no longer walk around proudly,
 \q2 because when that happens, it will be a time of much trouble for you.
 \q1
 \v 4 At that time, your enemies will make fun of you rich people;
 \q2 they will ridicule you by singing this sad song about you:
-\q1 'We Israelites are completely ruined;
+\q1 ‘We Israelites are completely ruined;
 \q2 Yahweh is taking our land from us,
-\q1 and he will give it to those who capture us.'"
+\q1 and he will give it to those who capture us.’”
 \q1
 \v 5 So when it is the time for the land to be given back to you people who belong to Yahweh,
 \q2 there will be no one alive among you rich families to receive back any of that land.
@@ -132,16 +132,16 @@
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 6 The people who heard me say that replied to me,
-\q2 "Do not prophesy such things!
-\q2 Do not say that Yahweh is going to humiliate us by causing us to experience disasters!"
+\q2 “Do not prophesy such things!
+\q2 Do not say that Yahweh is going to humiliate us by causing us to experience disasters!”
 \q1
 \v 7 But you people talk like that!
 \q2 You say that Yahweh never gets angry,
-\q2 and that he never really punishes us."
+\q2 and that he never really punishes us.”
 \q1 Of course, what I say certainly helps those who live in the right way.
 \q1
 \v 8 But Yahweh says,
-\q2 "Recently my people have been acting toward me like an enemy.
+\q2 “Recently my people have been acting toward me like an enemy.
 \q1 You rich people refuse to return the coats of those who have borrowed money from you,
 \q2 the coats they gave you to promise that they would repay their debts.
 \q2 You take their coats without warning, surprising them as much as soldiers returning from war would be surprised by attacks instead of safety at home.
@@ -157,29 +157,29 @@
 \q2 I will make sure it will be completely destroyed.
 \q1
 \v 11 You people want a prophet who will lie to you,
-\q2 saying, 'I will preach that you should drink plenty of wine and other alcoholic drinks!'
-\q2 That is the kind of prophet who would please you."
+\q2 saying, ‘I will preach that you should drink plenty of wine and other alcoholic drinks!’
+\q2 That is the kind of prophet who would please you.”
 
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 12 "But some day, you descendants of Jacob, I will bring back from exile the Israelite people who have survived.
+\v 12 “But some day, you descendants of Jacob, I will bring back from exile the Israelite people who have survived.
 \q1 I will gather you together
 \q2 like a shepherd gathers his sheep into a pen,
 \q2 and there will be many of you in your land.
 \q1
 \v 13 Your leader will enable them to leave the countries where they have been exiled;
-\q2 he will lead them out of the gates of their enemies' cities,
+\q2 he will lead them out of the gates of their enemies’ cities,
 \q2 back to your own country.
 \q1 Your king will lead them;
-\q2 it is I, Yahweh, who will be their king!"
+\q2 it is I, Yahweh, who will be their king!”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 3
 
 \p
-\v 1 Then I said, "You Israelite leaders, listen to what I say!
+\v 1 Then I said, “You Israelite leaders, listen to what I say!
 \q1 You should certainly know what things are right to do
 \q2 and what things are wrong,
 \q1
@@ -196,13 +196,13 @@
 \v 4 Then, when you have troubles, you plead to Yahweh to help you,
 \q2 but he will not answer you.
 \q1 At that time, he will turn his face away from you
-\q2 because of the evil things that you have done."
+\q2 because of the evil things that you have done.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 5 This is what Yahweh says
 \q1 about your false prophets who are deceiving the people:
-\q2 "If someone gives them food,
+\q2 “If someone gives them food,
 \q1 those prophets say that things will go well for him.
 \q2 But they declare that I will punish anyone who does not give them food.
 \q1
@@ -213,11 +213,11 @@
 \q1
 \v 7 Then you seers will be disgraced;
 \q2 you will cover your faces because you will be ashamed,
-\q2 because when you ask me what will happen, there will be no answer from me."
+\q2 because when you ask me what will happen, there will be no answer from me.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 8 But as for me, I am full of God's power,
+\v 8 But as for me, I am full of God’s power,
 \q2 power from the Spirit of Yahweh.
 \q1 I am just and strong
 \q2 and declare to the Israelite people
@@ -236,8 +236,8 @@
 \v 11 Your leaders make favorable decisions only if they receive bribes.
 \q2 Your priests teach people only if those people pay them well.
 \q2 Your false prophets require people to pay them to tell people what will happen to them in the future.
-\q1 Those prophets say, "Yahweh is telling us what we should say,
-\q2 and we say that we will not experience any disasters."
+\q1 Those prophets say, “Yahweh is telling us what we should say,
+\q2 and we say that we will not experience any disasters.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -259,10 +259,10 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 2 People from many nations will say to each other,
-\q1 "Let us go to the mountain where Yahweh is,
+\q1 “Let us go to the mountain where Yahweh is,
 \q2 to the temple where we can worship the God whom Jacob worshiped.
 \q1 There he will teach us how he wants us to conduct our lives,
-\q2 and we will do what he wants us to do."
+\q2 and we will do what he wants us to do.”
 \q1 Mount Zion is the place where he will teach people;
 \q2 and people will go out from Jerusalem to tell others his messages.
 \q1
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Yahweh says, "There will soon be a time when I will gather the people whom I have punished,
+\v 6 Yahweh says, “There will soon be a time when I will gather the people whom I have punished,
 \q1 who have been exiled,
 \q2 all those whom I have caused to suffer much.
 \q1
@@ -317,8 +317,8 @@
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 11 Now the armies of many nations have gathered to attack you.
-\q2 They are saying, 'Jerusalem must be destroyed!
-\q2 We want to see this city when it becomes ruins!'"
+\q2 They are saying, ‘Jerusalem must be destroyed!
+\q2 We want to see this city when it becomes ruins!’”
 \q1
 \v 12 The prophet says, they do not know what Yahweh thinks;
 \q2 and they do not understand what he is planning.
@@ -327,13 +327,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 13 Yahweh says, "So, you people of Jerusalem, rise up and punish the nations who oppose you.
+\v 13 Yahweh says, “So, you people of Jerusalem, rise up and punish the nations who oppose you.
 \q2 I will cause you to be very strong,
 \q1 as if you had horns made of iron,
 \q2 as if you had hooves made of bronze;
 \q2 and you will crush many nations.
 \q1 Then you will take from your enemies the valuable things that they have taken from other countries,
-\q2 and I will cause you to dedicate those things to me, the one who is the Lord of all the people on the earth."
+\q2 and I will cause you to dedicate those things to me, the one who is the Lord of all the people on the earth.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -395,7 +395,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 10 Yahweh says,
-\q1 "At that time, I will destroy you Israelite people's horses that your soldiers use in war,
+\q1 “At that time, I will destroy you Israelite people’s horses that your soldiers use in war,
 \q2 together with your chariots.
 \q1
 \v 11 I will tear down your city walls
@@ -413,7 +413,7 @@
 \q2 and I will also destroy all your idols.
 \q1
 \v 15 Because I will be very angry,
-\q2 I will also punish the people of all the nations who have not obeyed me."
+\q2 I will also punish the people of all the nations who have not obeyed me.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -421,7 +421,7 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Pay attention to what Yahweh will say:
-\q1 Micah says to Yahweh, "Stand up in court and accuse the Israelites.
+\q1 Micah says to Yahweh, “Stand up in court and accuse the Israelites.
 \q2 Allow the hills and mountains to hear what you will say.
 \q1
 \v 2 The mountains must listen carefully to what Yahweh says about his people, so they can be witnesses.
@@ -429,7 +429,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 3 He says this: "My people, what have I done to cause trouble for you ?
+\v 3 He says this: “My people, what have I done to cause trouble for you ?
 \q2 What have I done to cause you to experience difficulties?
 \q1 Answer me!
 \q1
@@ -439,14 +439,14 @@
 \q1 I sent Moses to lead them,
 \q2 and his older brother Aaron and his older sister Miriam.
 \q1
-\v 5 My people, think about when Balak, the king of Moab, requested Beor's son Balaam to curse your ancestors,
+\v 5 My people, think about when Balak, the king of Moab, requested Beor’s son Balaam to curse your ancestors,
 \q2 and think about what Balaam replied.
 \q1 Think about how your ancestors crossed the Jordan River miraculously while they were traveling from Acacia to Gilgal.
-\q2 Think about those things in order that you may know that I, Yahweh, do what is right."
+\q2 Think about those things in order that you may know that I, Yahweh, do what is right.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 6 The Israelite people ask, "What shall we bring to Yahweh who lives in heaven
+\v 6 The Israelite people ask, “What shall we bring to Yahweh who lives in heaven
 \q2 when we come to him and bow down before him?
 \q1 Should we bring calves that are a year old
 \q2 that will be offerings that will be killed and completely burned on the altar?
@@ -454,7 +454,7 @@
 \v 7 Would Yahweh be pleased if we offered to him a thousand rams
 \q2 and ten thousand streams of olive oil?
 \q1 Should we offer our firstborn children to be sacrifices
-\q2 to pay for the sins that we have committed?"
+\q2 to pay for the sins that we have committed?”
 \q1
 \v 8 No, because he has shown each of us what is good to do;
 \q2 he has shown us what he requires each of us to do:
@@ -464,7 +464,7 @@
 \s5
 
 \q1
-\v 9 God says this: "I am Yahweh, so if you are wise, you should honor me.
+\v 9 God says this: “I am Yahweh, so if you are wise, you should honor me.
 \q2 I am calling out to you people of Jerusalem to tell you this:
 \q1 The armies that will destroy your city are coming,
 \q2 so pay careful attention to me, the one who is causing them to punish you with my rod.
@@ -506,7 +506,7 @@
 \v 16 Those things will happen to you because you obey only the wicked laws of King Omri,
 \q2 and you do the terrible things that King Ahab and his descendants commanded.
 \q1 So I will destroy your country,
-\q2 and I will cause the other people groups to despise you, my own people."
+\q2 and I will cause the other people groups to despise you, my own people.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -573,7 +573,7 @@
 \q1
 \v 10 Our enemies will also see it, and they will be disgraced
 \q2 because they ridiculed us, saying
-\q1 "Why is Yahweh, that God of yours, not helping you?"
+\q1 “Why is Yahweh, that God of yours, not helping you?”
 \q2 But with our own eyes we will see them be defeated;
 \q2 we will see them trampled
 \q2 like mud in the streets.
@@ -602,8 +602,8 @@
 \q2 which they possessed long ago.
 \p
 \v 15 Yahweh says,
-\q1 "Yes, I will perform miracles for you
-\q2 like the miracles that I performed when I rescued your ancestors from being slaves in Egypt."
+\q1 “Yes, I will perform miracles for you
+\q2 like the miracles that I performed when I rescued your ancestors from being slaves in Egypt.”
 
 \s5
 \q1

34-NAM.usfm

@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 12 But this is what Yahweh says to you Israelites: 
-\q1 "Although the people of Assyria have very many people 
+\q1 “Although the people of Assyria have very many people 
 \q2 and their army is very powerful,
 \q2 they will be destroyed and they will disappear.
 \q1 I say to my people in Judah,
@@ -77,16 +77,16 @@
 \q1 
 
 \v 13 Now I will cause the people of Assyria to no longer enslave you;
- it will be as though I will tear off the shackles on your hands and feet."
+ it will be as though I will tear off the shackles on your hands and feet.”
 
 \s5
 \m
 \v 14 And this is what Yahweh also declares about you people of Nineveh:
-\q1 "You will not have any descendants who will continue to have your family names.
+\q1 “You will not have any descendants who will continue to have your family names.
 \q2 And I will destroy all the statues of your gods
 \q2 that were carved or formed in molds.
 \q1 I will cause you to be killed and sent to your graves,
- because you are vile!"
+ because you are vile!”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -136,15 +136,15 @@
 \s5
 \v 8 The people will rush from Nineveh
 \q2 like water rushes from a broken dam.
-\q2 The officials will shout, "Stop! Stop!"
+\q2 The officials will shout, “Stop! Stop!”
 \q2 but the people will not even look back as they run away.
 \q1 
 
 \v 9 The enemy attackers say to each other, 
-\q2 "Seize the silver!
+\q2 “Seize the silver!
 \q2 Grab the gold!
 \q1 There is a huge amount of very valuable things in the city,
-\q2 more valuable things than anyone can count!"
+\q2 more valuable things than anyone can count!”
 \q1 
 \v 10 Soon everything valuable in the city will be seized or ruined.
  People will be trembling, with the result that they will not be able to fight.
@@ -153,21 +153,21 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 11 After that happens, people will say,
-\q2 "What happened to that great city of Nineveh?
+\q2 “What happened to that great city of Nineveh?
 \q2 It was like a den full of young lions,
 \q2 where the male and female lions lived and fed the young ones, where they were afraid of nothing.
 \q1
 \v 12 The soldiers in Nineveh were like lions that killed or strangled other animals
- and brought the meat to their dens."
+ and brought the meat to their dens.”
 
 \s5
 \v 13 Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says to the people of Nineveh,
-\q2 "I am your enemy;
+\q2 “I am your enemy;
 \q2 I will cause your chariots to burn in fire and go up in smoke.
 \q2 Your young men will be killed with swords.
 \q2 I will make all the valuable things you stole from other nations disappear.
 \q2 Your messengers will never again take messages to other nations, demanding that 
-\q2 their armies surrender to them."
+\q2 their armies surrender to them.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 5 So Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says to the people of Nineveh:
-\q2 "I am your enemy, and I will cause the people 
+\q2 “I am your enemy, and I will cause the people 
 \q2 in other nations to see you completely humiliated;
 \q2 like women who have committed adultery are humiliated 
 \q2 by having their skirts lifted high,
@@ -201,9 +201,9 @@
 \q1 
 
 \v 7 All those who see you will turn their backs to you and say,
-\q2 'Nineveh is ruined,
-\q2 but absolutely no one will mourn for it.'
-\q2 Nineveh, no one will want to comfort you."
+\q2 ‘Nineveh is ruined,
+\q2 but absolutely no one will mourn for it.’
+\q2 Nineveh, no one will want to comfort you.”
 \q1
 
 \s5
@@ -279,6 +279,6 @@ there was no limit to their power.
 \v 19 You are like someone who has a wound that cannot be healed;
 \q2 it will be a wound that causes him to die.
 \q2 And all those who hear about what has happened to you will clap their hands joyfully.
-\q2 They will say, "Everyone has suffered because he continually acted very cruelly 
-\q2 toward us."
+\q2 They will say, “Everyone has suffered because he continually acted very cruelly 
+\q2 toward us.”
 

35-HAB.usfm

@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@
 \p
 \v 1 This is the conversation between Habakkuk the prophet and Yahweh.
 \q1
-\v 2 I said, "Yahweh, how long must I continue to call to you for help before you respond?
-\q1 I cry out, "The people are acting so violently!"
+\v 2 I said, “Yahweh, how long must I continue to call to you for help before you respond?
+\q1 I cry out, “The people are acting so violently!”
 \q2 but you do not rescue me!
 
 \s5
@@ -22,12 +22,12 @@
 \q1
 \v 4 No one obeys the law of Moses, and no one acts in a right way for very long.
 \q1 Wicked people always defeat the righteous people in the courts,
-\q2 because judges never make fair decisions."
+\q2 because judges never make fair decisions.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 5 Yahweh replied to me,
-\q1 "This is happening, but look around at what is happening in the other nations.
+\q1 “This is happening, but look around at what is happening in the other nations.
 \q2 If you look, you will be amazed, and even astonished, since I am doing something
 \q1 during this time that you would never have believed would happen,
 \q2 even if someone told you about it.
@@ -62,11 +62,11 @@
 \v 11 They rush past like the wind,
 \q2 and then they go to attack other cities.
 \q1 But they are very guilty,
-\q2 because they think that their own power is their god!"
+\q2 because they think that their own power is their god!”
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 12 Then I said, "Yahweh, are you not the eternal God?
+\v 12 Then I said, “Yahweh, are you not the eternal God?
 \q2 You are my Holy One, so we will not die.
 \q1 So why have you sent those men from Babylonia to judge us and kill us?
 \q2 You are like our Rock, on top of which we can hide,
@@ -90,24 +90,24 @@
 \q1
 \v 16 If they catch us, they will worship their weapons with which they captured us
 \q2 and offer sacrifices to them and burn incense in front of them!
-\q1 They will say, 'These weapons have enabled us to become rich and eat expensive food.'
+\q1 They will say, ‘These weapons have enabled us to become rich and eat expensive food.’
 \q1
 \v 17 Will you allow them to continue to conquer people forever?
-\q2 Will you allow them to destroy people of other nations without any mercy for anyone?"
+\q2 Will you allow them to destroy people of other nations without any mercy for anyone?”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 2
 \q1
-\v 1 After I said that, I said to myself, "I will climb up into my guard post,
+\v 1 After I said that, I said to myself, “I will climb up into my guard post,
 \q2 and stand there in my watchtower.
 \q1 I will wait there to find out what Yahweh will say,
-\q2 what he will reply and how I should answer."
+\q2 what he will reply and how I should answer.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 2 Then Yahweh replied to me,
-\q1 "Write plainly on tablets what I am revealing to you in this vision,
+\q1 “Write plainly on tablets what I am revealing to you in this vision,
 \q2 and then read it to a messenger
 \q2 so he can run with it to tell it to other people.
 \q1
@@ -138,9 +138,9 @@
 \q1
 \v 6 But soon all those whom they have captured will ridicule the soldiers from Babylonia!
 \q1 They will make fun of them, saying,
-\q2 'Terrible things will happen to you who have stolen things from other countries!
+\q2 ‘Terrible things will happen to you who have stolen things from other countries!
 \q1 You got many things by forcing people to give them to you.
-\q2 But you certainly will not keep those things for long!'
+\q2 But you certainly will not keep those things for long!’
 \q1
 \v 7 Suddenly those whom you forced to be unjustly indebted to you will rise up
 \q2 and cause you to tremble,
@@ -207,13 +207,13 @@
 \q1 things that cannot speak!
 \q1
 \v 19 Terrible things will happen to you who say to lifeless idols that are made of wood,
-\q2 'Wake up!'
+\q2 ‘Wake up!’
 \q1 Stone idols certainly cannot tell you what you should do;
 \q2 they look nice because they are covered with silver and gold,
 \q2 but they are not alive.
 \q1
 \v 20 But Yahweh is in his holy temple;
-\q2 everyone on the earth should be silent in his presence!"
+\q2 everyone on the earth should be silent in his presence!”
 
 
 \s5

36-ZEP.usfm

@@ -9,21 +9,21 @@
 \s5
 \c 1
 \p
-\v 1 Yahweh's message came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the grandson of Gedaliah, and the great-grandson of Amariah, whose father was King Hezekiah.
-Yahweh gave this message during the time when King Amon's son Josiah was the king of Judah.
+\v 1 Yahweh’s message came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the grandson of Gedaliah, and the great-grandson of Amariah, whose father was King Hezekiah.
+Yahweh gave this message during the time when King Amon’s son Josiah was the king of Judah.
 \q1
 \v 2 Yahweh said,
-\q2 "I will sweep away everything that is on the earth.
+\q2 “I will sweep away everything that is on the earth.
 \q1
 \v 3 I will sweep away people and animals.
 \q2 I will sweep away birds and fish.
 \q1 I will get rid of wicked people;
-\q2 so that there will be no more wicked people on the earth."
+\q2 so that there will be no more wicked people on the earth.”
 
 \s5
 
 \q1
-\v 4 "These are some of the things that I will do:
+\v 4 “These are some of the things that I will do:
 \q2 I will punish the people who live in Jerusalem and other places in Judah,
 \q2 and destroy everything that has been used in the worship of Baal and
 \q1 and cause people to no longer remember the names of the pagan priests
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ Yahweh gave this message during the time when King Amon's son Josiah was the kin
 \q2 and those who claim to worship me but also swear using the name of their king.
 \q1
 \v 6 Finally, I will get rid of all those who previously worshiped me but no longer do;
-\q2 those who no longer seek my help or request me to tell them what they should do."
+\q2 those who no longer seek my help or request me to tell them what they should do.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -43,17 +43,17 @@ Yahweh gave this message during the time when King Amon's son Josiah was the kin
 \q2 they will be like animals that are set apart to be slaughtered for sacrifices,
 \q2 and he has chosen their enemies to be the ones who will get rid of them.
 \q1
-\v 8 Yahweh says, "On that day when I will get rid of the people of Judah,
-\q2 I will punish their officials and the king's sons,
+\v 8 Yahweh says, “On that day when I will get rid of the people of Judah,
+\q2 I will punish their officials and the king’s sons,
 \q2 and all those who worship foreign gods—
 \q1
 \v 9 including those who show that they revere their god Dagan by avoiding stepping on the threshold of his temple,
-\q2 and those who do violent things and tell lies in the temples of their gods."
+\q2 and those who do violent things and tell lies in the temples of their gods.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 10 Yahweh also says,
-\q2 "On that day, people will cry out at the Fish Gate of Jerusalem.
+\q2 “On that day, people will cry out at the Fish Gate of Jerusalem.
 \q1 People will wail in the Second Quarter of the city,
 \q2 and people will hear a loud crash of buildings collapsing in the hills.
 \q1
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ Yahweh gave this message during the time when King Amon's son Josiah was the kin
 \q1 The people will build new homes,
 \q2 but they will not live in them;
 \q1 they will plant vineyards again,
-\q2 but they will never drink any wine made from grapes that grow."
+\q2 but they will never drink any wine made from grapes that grow.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -147,15 +147,15 @@ Yahweh gave this message during the time when King Amon's son Josiah was the kin
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, the God of the Israelites, says this:
-\q1 "I have heard the people of Moab and Ammon
-\q1 insult my people and plan to conquer my people's country.
+\q1 “I have heard the people of Moab and Ammon
+\q1 insult my people and plan to conquer my people’s country.
 \q1
 \v 9 So now, as surely as I live, I will destroy Moab and Ammon
 \q2 as I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
 \q1 Their land will be a place where there are nettles and salt pits;
 \q2 it will be ruined forever, with none of their people living there!
 \q1 My people who survive will take away all their valuable possessions
-\q2 and also occupy their land."
+\q2 and also occupy their land.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -187,8 +187,8 @@ Yahweh gave this message during the time when King Amon's son Josiah was the kin
 \v 15 The people of Nineveh used to be happy and proud,
 \q2 thinking that they were very safe.
 \q1 They were always saying,
-\q1 "Our city is the greatest city;
-\q2 there is no city as great as ours!"
+\q1 “Our city is the greatest city;
+\q2 there is no city as great as ours!”
 \q1 But now it will become a horrible place to see,
 \q2 a place where wild animals make their dens.
 \q1 And everyone who passes by there will hiss and scorn that city,
@@ -227,26 +227,26 @@ Yahweh gave this message during the time when King Amon's son Josiah was the kin
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 Yahweh says this:
-\q1 "I have destroyed many nations;
+\q1 “I have destroyed many nations;
 \q2 I have destroyed their strong city walls and towers.
 \q1 Now I have caused the streets in those cities to be completely deserted.
 \q2 Those cities are ruined and there is no one still alive there.
 \q2 They are all dead.
 \q1
 \v 7 So I said to myself,
-\q2 'Because of what I have done to those other nations,
+\q2 ‘Because of what I have done to those other nations,
 \q2 surely the people of Jerusalem will honor me now
 \q2 and allow me to correct them.
 \q1 If they do that, I will not destroy them;
-\q2 I will not punish them like I said that I would do.'
+\q2 I will not punish them like I said that I would do.’
 \q1 But in spite of knowing how I punished those other nations,
 \q2 they were still eager to get up early each morning
-\q2 and continue to perform evil deeds."
+\q2 and continue to perform evil deeds.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 8 This is what Yahweh declares:
-\q2 "Wait for the day when I will take action to plunder you!
+\q2 “Wait for the day when I will take action to plunder you!
 \q1 I have decided to gather the people of the kingdoms of the earth
 \q2 and cause them to know that I am very angry with them.
 \q1 All over the earth I will punish and destroy people;
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ Yahweh gave this message during the time when King Amon's son Josiah was the kin
 \v 13 Those people who are still alive in Israel will not do anything wrong;
 \q2 they will tell no lies or deceive anyone.
 \q1 They will eat and sleep safely,
-\q2 because no one will cause them to be afraid."
+\q2 because no one will cause them to be afraid.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@ Yahweh gave this message during the time when King Amon's son Josiah was the kin
 \q2 and you will never again be afraid that others will harm you.
 \q1
 \v 16 At that time, other people will say to us people of Jerusalem,
-\q2 "You people of Jerusalem, do not be afraid; do not become weak or discouraged."
+\q2 “You people of Jerusalem, do not be afraid; do not become weak or discouraged.”
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -298,7 +298,7 @@ Yahweh gave this message during the time when King Amon's son Josiah was the kin
 \q2 because he loves you, he will cause you to rest without being anxious.
 \q2 He will sing loudly to rejoice about you,
 \q1
-\v 18 like people who are happy at a festival. Yahweh says, "I will no longer allow any enemies to destroy you. You will no longer be defeated or ashamed.
+\v 18 like people who are happy at a festival. Yahweh says, “I will no longer allow any enemies to destroy you. You will no longer be defeated or ashamed.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -310,6 +310,6 @@ Yahweh gave this message during the time when King Amon's son Josiah was the kin
 \v 20 At that time, I will gather you together and bring you back home to Israel.
 \q1 I will cause you to greatly praised and honored
 \q2 among all the nations of the earth.
-\q1 You will see when I bring your people home again."
+\q1 You will see when I bring your people home again.”
 \q2 This is what Yahweh, has declared!
 

37-HAG.usfm

@@ -9,32 +9,32 @@
 \s5
 \c 1
 \p
-\v 1 Haggai, who was a prophet, received a message from Yahweh. Yahweh spoke this message to him in the second year after Darius had become king of Persia. This happened on the first day of the sixth month of that year. Haggai told this message to Shealtiel's son Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, and to Jehozadak's son Joshua, the high priest.
+\v 1 Haggai, who was a prophet, received a message from Yahweh. Yahweh spoke this message to him in the second year after Darius had become king of Persia. This happened on the first day of the sixth month of that year. Haggai told this message to Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, and to Jehozadak’s son Joshua, the high priest.
 \p
-\v 2 Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, told him that the people were saying that it was not yet time for them to rebuild Yahweh's temple.
+\v 2 Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, told him that the people were saying that it was not yet time for them to rebuild Yahweh’s temple.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 3 Then Yahweh gave him this message to tell to the people of Jerusalem:
-\v 4 "It is not right for you to be living in luxurious houses while my temple is only ruins!
-\v 5 I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says this: 'Think about what you are doing.
-\v 6 You have planted a lot of seeds, but you are not getting many crops to harvest. You eat food, but you never get enough. You drink wine, but you are still thirsty. You wear clothes, but you do not stay warm. You earn money, but it is spent as quickly as you make it.'
+\v 4 “It is not right for you to be living in luxurious houses while my temple is only ruins!
+\v 5 I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says this: ‘Think about what you are doing.
+\v 6 You have planted a lot of seeds, but you are not getting many crops to harvest. You eat food, but you never get enough. You drink wine, but you are still thirsty. You wear clothes, but you do not stay warm. You earn money, but it is spent as quickly as you make it.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 So this is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says: 'Think about what you are doing.
+\v 7 So this is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says: ‘Think about what you are doing.
 \v 8 Then go up into the hills, cut down trees, bring timber down here, and rebuild my temple. When you do that, I will be pleased and I will appear there with my glory.
 \v 9 You expected to harvest plenty of crops, but there were few crops to harvest because I removed them. I did this because my temple is a ruin, while each of you are busy building your own beautiful house.
 
 \s5
 \v 10 It is because of what you are doing that rain does not fall from the sky, and as a result there are no crops.
-\v 11 I have caused a drought over both fields and mountains and all your other crops—whether grain or wine or oil—have dried up. Because of that, you and your cattle do not have enough food, and the hard work that you have done will be for nothing.'"
+\v 11 I have caused a drought over both fields and mountains and all your other crops—whether grain or wine or oil—have dried up. Because of that, you and your cattle do not have enough food, and the hard work that you have done will be for nothing.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Then Zerubbabel and Jeshua and all the others of God's people who were still alive obeyed the message that Yahweh their God had spoken, and they listened to the message that Haggai had given them, because they knew that Yahweh their God had sent him. Then they honored Yahweh, for he was present with them.
+\v 12 Then Zerubbabel and Jeshua and all the others of God’s people who were still alive obeyed the message that Yahweh their God had spoken, and they listened to the message that Haggai had given them, because they knew that Yahweh their God had sent him. Then they honored Yahweh, for he was present with them.
 \p
-\v 13 Then Haggai, who was Yahweh's messenger, gave this message from Yahweh to the people: "I, Yahweh, declare that I am with you."
+\v 13 Then Haggai, who was Yahweh’s messenger, gave this message from Yahweh to the people: “I, Yahweh, declare that I am with you.”
 
 \s5
 \v 14 So Yahweh motivated Zerubbabel and Joshua and the other people to want to rebuild the temple of their God, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies. So they gathered together and started to work to rebuild it.
@@ -45,56 +45,56 @@
 \c 2
 \p
 \v 1 Almost one month later, on the twenty-first day of the next month, Yahweh gave the prophet Haggai another message.
-\v 2 The message was that he should say this to Shealtiel's son Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, Jehozadek's son Jeshua the high priest, and to the other people who were still alive in Jerusalem:
+\v 2 The message was that he should say this to Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, Jehozadek’s son Jeshua the high priest, and to the other people who were still alive in Jerusalem:
 
 \s5
-\v 3 "Do any of you remember how glorious our former temple was? If you do, what does it look like to you now? It must seem like nothing at all.
-\v 4 But now Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says to all of you, to Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of you people who live in this nation, 'Do not be discouraged; instead be strong!
-\v 5 My Spirit remains among you, like I promised your ancestors when they left Egypt. So do not be afraid!'
+\v 3 “Do any of you remember how glorious our former temple was? If you do, what does it look like to you now? It must seem like nothing at all.
+\v 4 But now Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says to all of you, to Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of you people who live in this nation, ‘Do not be discouraged; instead be strong!
+\v 5 My Spirit remains among you, like I promised your ancestors when they left Egypt. So do not be afraid!’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 This is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says: 'Soon I will shake again the sky and the earth, the oceans and the ground.
+\v 6 This is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says: ‘Soon I will shake again the sky and the earth, the oceans and the ground.
 \v 7 I will shake again the people of all the nations, and as a result they will bring their treasures to this temple. I will fill this temple with my glory.
 
 \s5
 \v 8 The silver and the gold that they own are really mine, so they will bring them to me.
-\v 9 Then this temple will be more glorious than the former temple was. And I will cause things to go well for you all. That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, have said it.'"
+\v 9 Then this temple will be more glorious than the former temple was. And I will cause things to go well for you all. That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, have said it.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 10 Then on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of that same year, Yahweh gave still another message to the prophet Haggai:
-\v 11 "This is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies says: 'Ask the priests this question about what is written in the laws of Moses about sacrifices:
-\v 12 If one of you priests takes from the altar some meat that was sacrificed and is carrying it in his robes, if his robe touches some bread or stew or wine or olive oil or some other food, does that food also become holy?'"
-\p When he said that to the priests, they replied, "No."
+\v 11 “This is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies says: ‘Ask the priests this question about what is written in the laws of Moses about sacrifices:
+\v 12 If one of you priests takes from the altar some meat that was sacrificed and is carrying it in his robes, if his robe touches some bread or stew or wine or olive oil or some other food, does that food also become holy?’”
+\p When he said that to the priests, they replied, “No.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 Then Haggai asked them, "If someone becomes unacceptable to God by touching a corpse, and then he touches any of those foods, will the food also become unacceptable to God?"
-\p The priests replied, "Yes."
+\v 13 Then Haggai asked them, “If someone becomes unacceptable to God by touching a corpse, and then he touches any of those foods, will the food also become unacceptable to God?”
+\p The priests replied, “Yes.”
 \p
-\v 14 Then Haggai replied, "Yahweh says this: 'It is the same with you people and with this nation. Everything that you do and all the sacrifices that you all offer are unacceptable to me because of the sins that you have committed.
+\v 14 Then Haggai replied, “Yahweh says this: ‘It is the same with you people and with this nation. Everything that you do and all the sacrifices that you all offer are unacceptable to me because of the sins that you have committed.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 Think about what has been happening to you before you began to lay the foundation of my temple.
 \v 16 When you expected to harvest twenty measures of grain, you harvested only ten. When someone went to a big wine vat to get fifty measures of wine, there were only twenty in the vat.
-\v 17 I sent blight and mildew to destroy all your crops. But still you did not return to me.' This is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says to you.
+\v 17 I sent blight and mildew to destroy all your crops. But still you did not return to me.’ This is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says to you.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 18 Starting from this day, the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of this year, the day when you have laid the foundation of my new temple, continue to think carefully about your situation.
 \v 19 Is there now any grain seed left in your barns? No, because you have eaten the small amount that you harvested. And there is no fruit on your grapevines and fig trees and pomegranate trees and olive trees.
-\p But, from now on, I will bless you!'"
+\p But, from now on, I will bless you!’”
 
 \s5
 
 \p
 \v 20 On that same day, Yahweh gave another message to Haggai.
-\v 21 He said, "Tell Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, that I am going to shake the sky and the earth.
+\v 21 He said, “Tell Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, that I am going to shake the sky and the earth.
 \v 22 I will end the power of the kings of many nations. I will cause their chariots and their drivers, their horses and the soldiers who are riding on them to be destroyed. The soldiers will kill each other with their own swords.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 Zerubbabel, you will become my servant on that day. And I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, declare that like kings wear signet rings to show that they have authority to rule people, I will appoint you and cause you to have authority to rule. I will do that because I have chosen you. That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, have said it."
+\v 23 Zerubbabel, you will become my servant on that day. And I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, declare that like kings wear signet rings to show that they have authority to rule people, I will appoint you and cause you to have authority to rule. I will do that because I have chosen you. That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, have said it.”
 

38-ZEC.usfm

@@ -12,15 +12,15 @@
 \p
 \v 1 When Darius had been the emperor of Persia for two years, in the eighth month his reign, Yahweh gave Zechariah the prophet, son of Berekiah and grandson of Iddo the prophet, this message:
 \p
-\v 2 "I was very angry with your ancestors.
-\v 3 So tell this to the people: Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says this: 'Return to me, and if you do that, I will help you again.
+\v 2 “I was very angry with your ancestors.
+\v 3 So tell this to the people: Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says this: ‘Return to me, and if you do that, I will help you again.
 
 \s5
 \v 4 Do not be like your ancestors. Prophets, who have now died, continually proclaimed to your ancestors that they should stop doing the evil things that they were always doing. But they refused to pay attention to what I said.
 \v 5 Your ancestors have died and are now in their graves. Even the prophets did not live forever either.
 \v 6 But the commands and the decrees that I had instructed my servants the prophets to tell them—your ancestors did not obey them, so I punished them.
 
-So then they repented and said that I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, had done to them what they deserved for their evil behavior, just like I had said I would do.'"
+So then they repented and said that I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, had done to them what they deserved for their evil behavior, just like I had said I would do.’”
 
 \s5
 
@@ -29,23 +29,23 @@ So then they repented and said that I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, ha
 \p
 \v 8 During the night I had a vision. In the vision I saw an angel who was on a red horse. He was in a narrow valley among some myrtle trees. Behind him were angels on other horses—red, reddish-brown, and white horses.
 \p
-\v 9 I asked the angel who had been talking to me, "Sir, who are those angels on the horses?"
-\p He replied, "I will show you who they are."
+\v 9 I asked the angel who had been talking to me, “Sir, who are those angels on the horses?”
+\p He replied, “I will show you who they are.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 Then the angel who had stopped under the myrtle trees explained. He said, "They are the angels whom Yahweh has sent to patrol the entire world."
+\v 10 Then the angel who had stopped under the myrtle trees explained. He said, “They are the angels whom Yahweh has sent to patrol the entire world.”
 \p
-\v 11 Then those angels reported to the angel of Yahweh who was under the myrtle trees, "We have traveled throughout the world, and we have found out that the army of the emperor has conquered nations throughout the world, and that they are now helpless and inactive."
+\v 11 Then those angels reported to the angel of Yahweh who was under the myrtle trees, “We have traveled throughout the world, and we have found out that the army of the emperor has conquered nations throughout the world, and that they are now helpless and inactive.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Then the angel asked, "Yahweh, Commander of the angel armies, how long will you continue to not act mercifully toward Jerusalem and the other towns in Judah? You have been angry with them for seventy years!"
+\v 12 Then the angel asked, “Yahweh, Commander of the angel armies, how long will you continue to not act mercifully toward Jerusalem and the other towns in Judah? You have been angry with them for seventy years!”
 \v 13 So Yahweh spoke kindly to the angel who had talked to me, saying things that comforted him.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Then the angel who had been talking with me said to me, "Proclaim this to the people of Jerusalem: Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says that he is very concerned about the people who live on Mount Zion and in the other parts of Jerusalem.
+\v 14 Then the angel who had been talking with me said to me, “Proclaim this to the people of Jerusalem: Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says that he is very concerned about the people who live on Mount Zion and in the other parts of Jerusalem.
 
 \v 15 And he is very angry with the nations that are proud and feel safe. He was only a little bit angry with Judah, but they caused them to suffer much more.
 
@@ -53,49 +53,49 @@ So then they repented and said that I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, ha
 \v 16 Therefore, he says that
 he will go back to Jerusalem and help the people. It will be as if he himself had surveyed and measured all the land in the city.
 \v 17 Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, also said to tell people in his cities in Judah that they will soon be very prosperous again.
-He will encourage the people of Jerusalem again, and he will again choose Jerusalem as his special city."
+He will encourage the people of Jerusalem again, and he will again choose Jerusalem as his special city.”
 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 18 Then I looked up and saw four animal horns in front of me.
-\v 19 I asked the angel who had been speaking to me, "What are those horns?"
-\p He replied, "Those horns represent the nations that forced the people of Jerusalem and other places in Judah and Israel to go to other countries."
+\v 19 I asked the angel who had been speaking to me, “What are those horns?”
+\p He replied, “Those horns represent the nations that forced the people of Jerusalem and other places in Judah and Israel to go to other countries.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 Then Yahweh showed me four blacksmiths.
-\v 21 I asked, "What are those men coming to do?"
-\p He replied, "The nations that those horns represent scattered the people of Judah, so they suffered greatly. But these blacksmiths are coming to frighten and destroy those nations and to throw down their horns, their power—all those nations who had attacked the land of Judah."
+\v 21 I asked, “What are those men coming to do?”
+\p He replied, “The nations that those horns represent scattered the people of Judah, so they suffered greatly. But these blacksmiths are coming to frighten and destroy those nations and to throw down their horns, their power—all those nations who had attacked the land of Judah.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 2
 \p
-\v 1 Then I looked up and saw a man with a surveyor's line.
-\v 2 I asked him, "Where are you going?"
-\p He replied, "I am going to survey Jerusalem, to determine how wide it is and how long it is."
+\v 1 Then I looked up and saw a man with a surveyor’s line.
+\v 2 I asked him, “Where are you going?”
+\p He replied, “I am going to survey Jerusalem, to determine how wide it is and how long it is.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 3 Then the angel who had been talking to me started to leave, and another angel walked toward him.
-\v 4 The second angel said to him, "Run and tell that young man with the surveyor's line: Some day there will be very many people and livestock in Jerusalem, so they will not all be able to live inside the city walls; many will live outside the walls in the open country.
+\v 4 The second angel said to him, “Run and tell that young man with the surveyor’s line: Some day there will be very many people and livestock in Jerusalem, so they will not all be able to live inside the city walls; many will live outside the walls in the open country.
 
-\v 5 Yahweh says that he himself will be like a wall of fire around the city, and he will be among the people with his glory."
+\v 5 Yahweh says that he himself will be like a wall of fire around the city, and he will be among the people with his glory.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Yahweh declares to the people who the Babylonians took away as slaves: "Run! Run! Flee from Babylonia, and flee from the places where I scattered you to the four winds!"
+\v 6 Yahweh declares to the people who the Babylonians took away as slaves: “Run! Run! Flee from Babylonia, and flee from the places where I scattered you to the four winds!”
 \p
-\v 7 Run! You who now live in Babylon, run here to Jerusalem!"
+\v 7 Run! You who now live in Babylon, run here to Jerusalem!”
 
 \s5
 \v 8 Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, honored me by telling me to go to the nations who took everything you owned, for those who harm you harm what is most precious to him! After he did that, he said this to me:
-\v 9 "Tell them that I, Yahweh, will attack them. Their own slaves will take back their possessions from them, the people who had taken them in the first place." When that happens, you Jewish people will know that Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, is the one who sent me, Zechariah, as a prophet.
+\v 9 “Tell them that I, Yahweh, will attack them. Their own slaves will take back their possessions from them, the people who had taken them in the first place.” When that happens, you Jewish people will know that Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, is the one who sent me, Zechariah, as a prophet.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 Yahweh says, "You people of Jerusalem, shout and be happy, because I will come to you and live among you!"
+\v 10 Yahweh says, “You people of Jerusalem, shout and be happy, because I will come to you and live among you!”
 \p
 \v 11 At that time, people of many nations will join with Yahweh and become his people. He will live among all of you; and you will know that Yahweh, powerful Commander of the angel armies, is the one who sent me to you as a prophet.
 
@@ -108,30 +108,30 @@ He will encourage the people of Jerusalem again, and he will again choose Jerusa
 \c 3
 
 \p
-\v 1 Then Yahweh showed me Joshua, the high priest, who was standing in front of the angel that Yahweh had sent. And Satan was standing at Joshua's right side, ready to accuse him of having sinned.
-\v 2 But the angel of Yahweh said to Satan, "Satan, may Yahweh rebuke you! He has chosen Jerusalem to be his special city, and may he rebuke you! This man, Joshua, has been brought back from Babylonia; he is certainly like a burning stick that someone has snatched from a fire."
+\v 1 Then Yahweh showed me Joshua, the high priest, who was standing in front of the angel that Yahweh had sent. And Satan was standing at Joshua’s right side, ready to accuse him of having sinned.
+\v 2 But the angel of Yahweh said to Satan, “Satan, may Yahweh rebuke you! He has chosen Jerusalem to be his special city, and may he rebuke you! This man, Joshua, has been brought back from Babylonia; he is certainly like a burning stick that someone has snatched from a fire.”
 \p
 \v 3 Now as Joshua was standing in front of the angel, he was wearing filthy clothes.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 So the angel said to those other angels who were standing in front of him, "Take off those clothes he is wearing!"
-\p After they did that, the angel said to Joshua, "Look! I have taken away the guilt of your sins, and I will put beautiful clothes on you instead."
+\v 4 So the angel said to those other angels who were standing in front of him, “Take off those clothes he is wearing!”
+\p After they did that, the angel said to Joshua, “Look! I have taken away the guilt of your sins, and I will put beautiful clothes on you instead.”
 \p
-\v 5 Then the angel said to them, "Put a clean turban on his head!" So they put a clean turban on his head and new clothes on him, while the angel of Yahweh was standing there looking on.
+\v 5 Then the angel said to them, “Put a clean turban on his head!” So they put a clean turban on his head and new clothes on him, while the angel of Yahweh was standing there looking on.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 Then the same angel said this to Joshua:
-\v 7 "Yahweh, Commander of the angel armies, says that if you do what I want you to do and obey my instructions, you will be in charge of my temple and its courtyard. And I will allow you to be part of this group of angels who are always standing near to me and can speak with me at any time.
+\v 7 “Yahweh, Commander of the angel armies, says that if you do what I want you to do and obey my instructions, you will be in charge of my temple and its courtyard. And I will allow you to be part of this group of angels who are always standing near to me and can speak with me at any time.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 Joshua, you are the high priest, and your associates are sitting in front of you. The fact that they are here means that I will bring a special servant of mine, someone who I will call the Branch."
-\v 9 Then the angel of Yahweh placed a stone in front of Joshua and said to him and to the other men with him: "Look at the stone that I have put in front of Joshua. There are seven sides on the stone. I will engrave a message on that stone, and in one day I will remove the guilt of all the people of this country.
+\v 8 Joshua, you are the high priest, and your associates are sitting in front of you. The fact that they are here means that I will bring a special servant of mine, someone who I will call the Branch.”
+\v 9 Then the angel of Yahweh placed a stone in front of Joshua and said to him and to the other men with him: “Look at the stone that I have put in front of Joshua. There are seven sides on the stone. I will engrave a message on that stone, and in one day I will remove the guilt of all the people of this country.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 At that time, each of you will invite his friends to come and sit under his grapevine and under his fig tree. That is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, declares."
+\v 10 At that time, each of you will invite his friends to come and sit under his grapevine and under his fig tree. That is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, declares.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -139,41 +139,41 @@ He will encourage the people of Jerusalem again, and he will again choose Jerusa
 
 \p
 \v 1 Then the angel who had been talking with me returned, and he called to me while I was thinking deeply, as though I had been asleep.
-\v 2 He asked me, "What do you see?"
-\p I replied, "I see a lampstand made completely of gold. There is a small bowl for olive oil at the top, and there are seven small lamps around the bowl, and a place for seven wicks on each lamp.
-\v 3 Furthermore, I see two olive trees, one at the right side of the lampstand and one at the left side."
+\v 2 He asked me, “What do you see?”
+\p I replied, “I see a lampstand made completely of gold. There is a small bowl for olive oil at the top, and there are seven small lamps around the bowl, and a place for seven wicks on each lamp.
+\v 3 Furthermore, I see two olive trees, one at the right side of the lampstand and one at the left side.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 I asked the angel who was talking with me, "Sir, what do these things mean?"
+\v 4 I asked the angel who was talking with me, “Sir, what do these things mean?”
 \p
-\v 5 He replied, "Surely you know what they mean."
-\p I replied, "No, I do not know."
+\v 5 He replied, “Surely you know what they mean.”
+\p I replied, “No, I do not know.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Then the angel said to me, "This is the message from Yahweh to you, Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah: 'You will do what I want you to do, but it will not be by your own strength or power. It will be done by the power of my Spirit,' says Yahweh, commander of the angel armies."
-\v 7 The angel continued to speak to me: "Zerubbabel, you have many difficult matters to handle. They are like high mountains. But it will be as though they became flat land. And you will bring to the new temple the final stone, the highest stone, to complete it. When you set it in place, all the people will shout repeatedly, 'It is beautiful! May God bless it!'"
+\v 6 Then the angel said to me, “This is the message from Yahweh to you, Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah: ‘You will do what I want you to do, but it will not be by your own strength or power. It will be done by the power of my Spirit,’ says Yahweh, commander of the angel armies.”
+\v 7 The angel continued to speak to me: “Zerubbabel, you have many difficult matters to handle. They are like high mountains. But it will be as though they became flat land. And you will bring to the new temple the final stone, the highest stone, to complete it. When you set it in place, all the people will shout repeatedly, ‘It is beautiful! May God bless it!’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 Then Yahweh gave me another message.
-\v 9 He said to me, "Zerubbabel himself laid some of the stones for the foundation of the temple, and he will put some of the last stones in their places." Then I said to the other men with him, "When that happens, the people will know that it is Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, who has sent me to you.
+\v 9 He said to me, “Zerubbabel himself laid some of the stones for the foundation of the temple, and he will put some of the last stones in their places.” Then I said to the other men with him, “When that happens, the people will know that it is Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, who has sent me to you.
 
 \p
 \v 10 The people who are mocking the slow way in which they are building the temple again—these same people will be glad when they see Zerubbabel holding a plumb line in his hand.
-\p The seven lamps represent the eyes of Yahweh, who looks back and forth at everything that happens all over the earth."
-\v 11 Then I asked the angel, "What is the meaning of the two olive trees, one on each side of the lampstand?
+\p The seven lamps represent the eyes of Yahweh, who looks back and forth at everything that happens all over the earth.”
+\v 11 Then I asked the angel, “What is the meaning of the two olive trees, one on each side of the lampstand?
 
 \s5
-\v 12 And what is the meaning of the two olive branches, one alongside each of the gold pipes from which olive oil flows to the lamps?"
+\v 12 And what is the meaning of the two olive branches, one alongside each of the gold pipes from which olive oil flows to the lamps?”
 \p
-\v 13 He replied, "Surely you know what they are."
-\p I replied, "No, sir, I do not know."
+\v 13 He replied, “Surely you know what they are.”
+\p I replied, “No, sir, I do not know.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 So he said, "They represent the two men whom the Lord who rules the whole earth has appointed."
+\v 14 So he said, “They represent the two men whom the Lord who rules the whole earth has appointed.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -182,34 +182,34 @@ He will encourage the people of Jerusalem again, and he will again choose Jerusa
 \p
 \v 1 I looked up again, and I saw a scroll that was flying through the air.
 \p
-\v 2 The angel asked me, "What do you see?"
-\p I replied, "I see a flying scroll that is huge, nine meters long and four and a half meters wide."
+\v 2 The angel asked me, “What do you see?”
+\p I replied, “I see a flying scroll that is huge, nine meters long and four and a half meters wide.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 Then he said to me, "On this scroll Yahweh has written the words that he is speaking to curse the entire land of Judah. On one side of the scroll it is written that every thief will be banished. On the other side it is written that everyone who tells a lie when he is calling on Yahweh to witness that he is telling the truth will also be banished from the country.
-\v 4 The Commander of the angel armies says, 'I will send this scroll to the places where thieves live and to the houses of those who use my name when they call on me to witness that they are telling the truth. This scroll will stay in their houses until those houses and all their wood and stones are destroyed.'"
+\v 3 Then he said to me, “On this scroll Yahweh has written the words that he is speaking to curse the entire land of Judah. On one side of the scroll it is written that every thief will be banished. On the other side it is written that everyone who tells a lie when he is calling on Yahweh to witness that he is telling the truth will also be banished from the country.
+\v 4 The Commander of the angel armies says, ‘I will send this scroll to the places where thieves live and to the houses of those who use my name when they call on me to witness that they are telling the truth. This scroll will stay in their houses until those houses and all their wood and stones are destroyed.’”
 
 \s5
 
 \p
-\v 5 Then the angel who had been talking to me came closer to me and said, "Look up and see what is coming!"
+\v 5 Then the angel who had been talking to me came closer to me and said, “Look up and see what is coming!”
 \p
-\v 6 I asked him, "What is it?"
-\p He replied, "It is a big barrel for measuring grain. But it contains a record of the sins that everyone in this nation has committed."
+\v 6 I asked him, “What is it?”
+\p He replied, “It is a big barrel for measuring grain. But it contains a record of the sins that everyone in this nation has committed.”
 \p
-\v 7 Then the angel lifted the barrel's cover, which was made of lead. There was a woman sitting inside the barrel!
+\v 7 Then the angel lifted the barrel’s cover, which was made of lead. There was a woman sitting inside the barrel!
 
 \s5
-\v 8 The angel said, "She represents the wicked things that people do." Then he pushed her back into the barrel and closed the very heavy lid again.
+\v 8 The angel said, “She represents the wicked things that people do.” Then he pushed her back into the barrel and closed the very heavy lid again.
 \p
-\v 9 Then I looked up and saw two women in front of me. They were flying toward us, with their wings spread out in the wind. Their wings were large, like storks' wings. They lifted the barrel up into the sky.
+\v 9 Then I looked up and saw two women in front of me. They were flying toward us, with their wings spread out in the wind. Their wings were large, like storks’ wings. They lifted the barrel up into the sky.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 I asked the angel who had been talking to me, "Where are they taking that barrel?"
+\v 10 I asked the angel who had been talking to me, “Where are they taking that barrel?”
 \p
-\v 11 He replied, "They are taking it to Babylonia to build a temple for it. When the temple is finished, they will set the barrel there on a pedestal for people to worship it."
+\v 11 He replied, “They are taking it to Babylonia to build a temple for it. When the temple is finished, they will set the barrel there on a pedestal for people to worship it.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -219,33 +219,33 @@ He will encourage the people of Jerusalem again, and he will again choose Jerusa
 \v 1 I looked up again, and I saw four chariots coming toward me. They were coming between two mountains that were made of bronze.
 \v 2 The first chariot was pulled by red horses, the second chariot was pulled by black horses,
 \v 3 the third chariot was pulled by white horses, and the fourth chariot was pulled by spotted gray horses.
-\v 4 I asked the angel who had been speaking to me, "Sir, what do those chariots mean?"
+\v 4 I asked the angel who had been speaking to me, “Sir, what do those chariots mean?”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 The angel replied, "These chariots and their horses represent the four winds going out from heaven; they have come from standing in the presence of the Lord who controls the entire earth. They will go across the sky in four directions.
-\v 6 The chariot pulled by black horses will go north, the one pulled by white horses will go west, and the one pulled by spotted gray horses will go south."
+\v 5 The angel replied, “These chariots and their horses represent the four winds going out from heaven; they have come from standing in the presence of the Lord who controls the entire earth. They will go across the sky in four directions.
+\v 6 The chariot pulled by black horses will go north, the one pulled by white horses will go west, and the one pulled by spotted gray horses will go south.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 When those powerful horses left, they were eager to go throughout the world. As they were leaving, the angel said to them, "Go throughout the world and see what is happening!" So they left to do that.
+\v 7 When those powerful horses left, they were eager to go throughout the world. As they were leaving, the angel said to them, “Go throughout the world and see what is happening!” So they left to do that.
 \p
-\v 8 Then the angel called to me and said, "Look, the chariots that have gone north will mollify the Spirit of Yahweh by punishing the people in that region."
+\v 8 Then the angel called to me and said, “Look, the chariots that have gone north will mollify the Spirit of Yahweh by punishing the people in that region.”
 
 \s5
 
 \p
 \v 9 Then Yahweh gave me another message.
-\v 10 He said, "Today Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah will be bringing some silver and gold from the people who were exiled in Babylon. As soon as they arrive, go to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah.
-\v 11 Take some of that silver and gold from them and make a crown. Then put it on the head of Jehozadak's son Joshua, the high priest.
+\v 10 He said, “Today Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah will be bringing some silver and gold from the people who were exiled in Babylon. As soon as they arrive, go to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah.
+\v 11 Take some of that silver and gold from them and make a crown. Then put it on the head of Jehozadak’s son Joshua, the high priest.
 
 \s5
 \v 12 Tell him that I, the Commander of the angel armies, say that the man who is called the Branch will come. He will leave the place where he is now, and he will supervise those who build my temple.
 \v 13 He is the one who will tell those who will build my temple what to do. He will wear royal clothing and he will sit on his throne and rule. He will also be a priest sitting sitting on his throne, and there will be peace between the two roles.
 
 \s5
-\v 14 The crown was handed over to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen son of Zephaniah, and they were to place it in the house of Yahweh, as a way to honor them."
-\v 15 People who are living far away will come and help to build Yahweh's temple. When that happens, you people will know that Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, have sent me to you people. That will happen if all of you faithfully obey Yahweh, your God.
+\v 14 The crown was handed over to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen son of Zephaniah, and they were to place it in the house of Yahweh, as a way to honor them.”
+\v 15 People who are living far away will come and help to build Yahweh’s temple. When that happens, you people will know that Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, have sent me to you people. That will happen if all of you faithfully obey Yahweh, your God.
 
 
 \s5
@@ -254,20 +254,20 @@ He will encourage the people of Jerusalem again, and he will again choose Jerusa
 \p
 \v 1 When Darius had been the emperor for almost four years, on the fourth day of Kislev (which was the ninth month in their calendar), Yahweh gave me another message.
 \v 2 The people of the city of Bethel sent two men, Sharezer and Regem-Melek,, along with some other men, to the temple of Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, to request that Yahweh be kind to them.
-\v 3 They also asked the priests at Yahweh's temple and the prophets this question: "For many years, during the fifth month and during the seventh month of each year, we have mourned and fasted. Should we continue to do that?"
+\v 3 They also asked the priests at Yahweh’s temple and the prophets this question: “For many years, during the fifth month and during the seventh month of each year, we have mourned and fasted. Should we continue to do that?”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 Then Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, gave me a message.
-\v 5 He told me to say this to the priests and, in fact, to everyone in the whole land: "Tell me whom you were honoring when you did not eat but went around in dirty clothing. You were not really honoring me, were you?
+\v 5 He told me to say this to the priests and, in fact, to everyone in the whole land: “Tell me whom you were honoring when you did not eat but went around in dirty clothing. You were not really honoring me, were you?
 \v 6 And when you feasted at my temple, you did it just to have a good time; you did not really intend to honor me, did you?
-\v 7 This is exactly what I kept telling the former prophets to proclaim to the people, when the people in Jerusalem and the nearby towns were many and prosperous, and when people also lived in the southern Judean wilderness, and in the foothills to the west."
+\v 7 This is exactly what I kept telling the former prophets to proclaim to the people, when the people in Jerusalem and the nearby towns were many and prosperous, and when people also lived in the southern Judean wilderness, and in the foothills to the west.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 Yahweh gave another message to me:
-\v 9 "Tell the people that this is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says: 'I told you to do what is just, to act kindly and mercifully toward each other, in order to honor my covenant with you.
-\v 10 I told you not to oppress widows or orphans or foreigners or poor people. I said to not even think about doing evil to anyone else.'"
+\v 9 “Tell the people that this is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says: ‘I told you to do what is just, to act kindly and mercifully toward each other, in order to honor my covenant with you.
+\v 10 I told you not to oppress widows or orphans or foreigners or poor people. I said to not even think about doing evil to anyone else.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -276,33 +276,33 @@ He will encourage the people of Jerusalem again, and he will again choose Jerusa
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 In those times, when Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, called to the people, they refused to listen. So he said, "In exactly the same way, I will refuse to listen when they call to me.
-\v 14 And I will scatter them among many nations, nations that they have never been to before. I will scatter them as a storm scatters leaves. After they are gone, their own land will be empty, with no one living there. No one will travel through it and no one will come back to it, because they have turned it, their most pleasant land, into a wilderness."
+\v 13 In those times, when Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, called to the people, they refused to listen. So he said, “In exactly the same way, I will refuse to listen when they call to me.
+\v 14 And I will scatter them among many nations, nations that they have never been to before. I will scatter them as a storm scatters leaves. After they are gone, their own land will be empty, with no one living there. No one will travel through it and no one will come back to it, because they have turned it, their most pleasant land, into a wilderness.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 8
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
-\v 2 "This is what I, Yahweh the Commander of the angel armies, say: I love the people of Jerusalem; I love them very much, and I am very angry with their enemies.
+\v 2 “This is what I, Yahweh the Commander of the angel armies, say: I love the people of Jerusalem; I love them very much, and I am very angry with their enemies.
 \p
-\v 3 So this is what I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, say: Some day I will return to Mount Zion and I will live there. At that time, Jerusalem will be called The City of Faithful People, and Mount Zion will be called The Mountain that Belongs to Yahweh."
+\v 3 So this is what I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, say: Some day I will return to Mount Zion and I will live there. At that time, Jerusalem will be called The City of Faithful People, and Mount Zion will be called The Mountain that Belongs to Yahweh.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, also says this: "Some day old men and old women will again sit along the streets of Jerusalem, each of them holding a cane because of their being very old.
-\v 5 And the city streets with be full of boys and girls playing."
+\v 4 Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, also says this: “Some day old men and old women will again sit along the streets of Jerusalem, each of them holding a cane because of their being very old.
+\v 5 And the city streets with be full of boys and girls playing.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, also says this: "When those things happen, it will seem marvelous to the people who are still alive, but it certainly will not seem marvelous to me!"
+\v 6 Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, also says this: “When those things happen, it will seem marvelous to the people who are still alive, but it certainly will not seem marvelous to me!”
 \p
-\v 7 Yahweh also says this: "I will bring my people back from the land to the east—Babylonia—and from the land to the west—Egypt—to which they had to go.
-\v 8 I will bring them back to Judah, and they will again live in Jerusalem. They will again worship me as my people, and I will be their God. I will be faithful to them and act toward them in a just manner."
+\v 7 Yahweh also says this: “I will bring my people back from the land to the east—Babylonia—and from the land to the west—Egypt—to which they had to go.
+\v 8 I will bring them back to Judah, and they will again live in Jerusalem. They will again worship me as my people, and I will be their God. I will be faithful to them and act toward them in a just manner.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, also says this: "When the foundation for my temple was laid, there were prophets there who gave messages from me. Some of you people heard what those prophets said. So be brave while you are building the temple, in order that you may finish building it.
+\v 9 Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, also says this: “When the foundation for my temple was laid, there were prophets there who gave messages from me. Some of you people heard what those prophets said. So be brave while you are building the temple, in order that you may finish building it.
 \v 10 Before you started to rebuild the temple, your fields gave no crops, no return for either man or beast working in them. And people were afraid to go anywhere because I had caused people to be against each other.
 
 \s5
@@ -311,29 +311,29 @@ He will encourage the people of Jerusalem again, and he will again choose Jerusa
 \v 12 From now on, I will give you peace. Your grapevines will produce grapes, and good crops will grow in your fields. There will be rain from the sky. I will always give all these things to you people who are still alive.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 You people of Judah and Israel, the people of other nations think of you when they speak of what a curse means. But I will rescue you, and I will give you many good things. So do not be afraid; work hard to finish building the temple."
+\v 13 You people of Judah and Israel, the people of other nations think of you when they speak of what a curse means. But I will rescue you, and I will give you many good things. So do not be afraid; work hard to finish building the temple.”
 \p
-\v 14 Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, also says this: "When your ancestors caused me to become very angry, I did not change my mind about that. Instead, I indeed punished them.
+\v 14 Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, also says this: “When your ancestors caused me to become very angry, I did not change my mind about that. Instead, I indeed punished them.
 \v 15 But now I will do something different. I am planning to do good things to the people of Jerusalem and other towns in Judah again. So do not be afraid.
 
 \s5
 \v 16 These are the things that you should do: You should always tell the truth to each other. In the courts, your judges must make decisions according to what is correct and fair.
-\v 17 Do not plan to do evil things to others, and do approve of swearing false accusations against others. I hate all those things."
+\v 17 Do not plan to do evil things to others, and do approve of swearing false accusations against others. I hate all those things.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 18 Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, spoke to me again.
-\v 19 This is what he said: "The times when you people of Judah abstain from food during the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months of each year will become times when you celebrate pleasant and joyful festivals instead. But you must want to speak truthfully and to be peaceful."
+\v 19 This is what he said: “The times when you people of Judah abstain from food during the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months of each year will become times when you celebrate pleasant and joyful festivals instead. But you must want to speak truthfully and to be peaceful.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, also says this: "Some day people from many people groups and foreign cities will come here to Jerusalem.
-\v 21 People from one city will go to the people in another city and say, 'Let us go together to Jerusalem to worship Yahweh and request him to bless us; we ourselves are going.'
-\v 22 And people from many people groups and from powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to worship Yahweh and request him to bless them."
+\v 20 Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, also says this: “Some day people from many people groups and foreign cities will come here to Jerusalem.
+\v 21 People from one city will go to the people in another city and say, ‘Let us go together to Jerusalem to worship Yahweh and request him to bless us; we ourselves are going.’
+\v 22 And people from many people groups and from powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to worship Yahweh and request him to bless them.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, also says this: "At that time, this is what will happen everywhere: For every Jewish person, there will be ten foreigners, people who speak a different language, who will come and grab the fringe of his robe. They will say to him, 'We have heard people say that God is with you. So allow us to go with you to Jerusalem to worship him.' People from every nation and language will do this."
+\v 23 Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, also says this: “At that time, this is what will happen everywhere: For every Jewish person, there will be ten foreigners, people who speak a different language, who will come and grab the fringe of his robe. They will say to him, ‘We have heard people say that God is with you. So allow us to go with you to Jerusalem to worship him.’ People from every nation and language will do this.”
  
 
 
@@ -350,7 +350,7 @@ He will encourage the people of Jerusalem again, and he will again choose Jerusa
 
 \s5
 \v 5 The people in the city of Ashkelon will see that happen, and they will become very afraid. The people in the city of Gaza will shake because they are terrified, and the people in the city of Ekron will shake too, because they no longer hope to escape enemies. The king of Gaza will die; no one will live any longer in Ashkelon.
-\v 6 Yahweh says, "Foreigners will occupy the city of Ashdod. I will no longer allow the people in all those cities of Philistia to be proud.
+\v 6 Yahweh says, “Foreigners will occupy the city of Ashdod. I will no longer allow the people in all those cities of Philistia to be proud.
 \v 7 I will no longer allow them to eat meat that still has blood in it, and I will forbid them to eat food that they offered to idols. At that time, the people in the region of Philistia who survive will worship me; they will become like a clan in Judah. The people of the city of Ekron will become part of my people, as the people of the city of Jebus did when the Israelites conquered them.
 
 \s5
@@ -372,7 +372,7 @@ He will encourage the people of Jerusalem again, and he will again choose Jerusa
 
 \v 12 You people who were prisoners in those countries who still believe that I will help you, return to Judah, for I will defend you there. Today I declare that I will give you two blessings for each of the troubles that you have experienced.
 
-\v 13 I will cause Judah to be like my bow, and I will cause Israel to be like my arrow. I will enable you young men of Jerusalem to fight against the soldiers of Greece; you will be like a warrior's sword."
+\v 13 I will cause Judah to be like my bow, and I will cause Israel to be like my arrow. I will enable you young men of Jerusalem to fight against the soldiers of Greece; you will be like a warrior’s sword.”
 
 \s5
 \v 14 One day Yahweh will appear in the sky above his people, and the arrows that he shoots will be like lightning bolts. Yahweh our Lord will blow his trumpet, and he will march with the powerful storms that come from the land of Teman in the south.
@@ -392,7 +392,7 @@ He will encourage the people of Jerusalem again, and he will again choose Jerusa
 \v 2 What people think that the idols in their houses say is only nonsense, and people who say that they can interpret dreams tell only lies. When they tell people things to comfort them, what they say is useless, so the people who consult them are like lost sheep; they are in danger because they have no one to protect them like sheep with no shepherd.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 Yahweh says, "I am angry with the leaders of my people, and I will punish them. I, Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, I will take care of my people, the people of Judah, like a shepherd takes care of his flock, and I will cause them to be like war horses in battle.
+\v 3 Yahweh says, “I am angry with the leaders of my people, and I will punish them. I, Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, I will take care of my people, the people of Judah, like a shepherd takes care of his flock, and I will cause them to be like war horses in battle.
 
 \s5
 \v 4 From Judah will come rulers who will be very important. From Judah will come leaders who will hold the people together, like a tent peg keeps a tent up. From Judah will come leaders who will take the soldiers into war, like a king holding his own bow for battle. From them will come every one of their own leaders.
@@ -410,7 +410,7 @@ He will encourage the people of Jerusalem again, and he will again choose Jerusa
 
 \s5
 \v 11 I will go before them through their sufferings, as if I were walking through a sea, but I will calm those waves and end their sufferings, as if I were drying up the Nile River. I will defeat the proud soldiers of Assyria, and I will cause Egypt to no longer be powerful.
-\v 12 I will enable my people to be strong, and they will honor me and obey me. That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it."
+\v 12 I will enable my people to be strong, and they will honor me and obey me. That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -424,38 +424,38 @@ Listen to the lions roar; they roar because the thick forest where they live nea
 \s5
 
 \p
-\v 4 This is what Yahweh my God said to me: "I want you to supervise this flock of sheep until the flock perishes.
-\v 5 The dealers in sheep will kill the sheep, and no one will punish them. Those who sell the sheep will say, 'I praise Yahweh, because I will become rich!' And the shepherds whom the owners hire do not feel sorry for the sheep.
-\v 6 And similarly, I no longer feel sorry for the people of this country. I am going to allow their fellow countrymen and their king, to oppress them. They will ruin this country, and I will not rescue any of them."
+\v 4 This is what Yahweh my God said to me: “I want you to supervise this flock of sheep until the flock perishes.
+\v 5 The dealers in sheep will kill the sheep, and no one will punish them. Those who sell the sheep will say, ‘I praise Yahweh, because I will become rich!’ And the shepherds whom the owners hire do not feel sorry for the sheep.
+\v 6 And similarly, I no longer feel sorry for the people of this country. I am going to allow their fellow countrymen and their king, to oppress them. They will ruin this country, and I will not rescue any of them.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 So I became the shepherd of a flock of sheep that dealers were going to slaughter and to sell the meat. Then I took two shepherds' staffs. I named the one staff 'Kindness' and the other staff 'Union.' This is how I began to shepherd the sheep.
+\v 7 So I became the shepherd of a flock of sheep that dealers were going to slaughter and to sell the meat. Then I took two shepherds’ staffs. I named the one staff ‘Kindness’ and the other staff ‘Union.’ This is how I began to shepherd the sheep.
 \v 8 But the three shepherds who had been with the flock detested me, and I became impatient with the owners who had hired us all. Within one month I had destroyed those shepherds.
 \p
-\v 9 So I said to the dealers, "I will no longer be a shepherd for you. I will allow the ones that are dying to die. I will allow the ones that are getting lost to perish. And I will not prevent those that remain from eating each other."
+\v 9 So I said to the dealers, “I will no longer be a shepherd for you. I will allow the ones that are dying to die. I will allow the ones that are getting lost to perish. And I will not prevent those that remain from eating each other.”
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 Then I took the staff that I had named 'Kindness,' and I broke it. I did this because Yahweh had told me to cancel the covenant that he had made with all his tribes of Israel.
+\v 10 Then I took the staff that I had named ‘Kindness,’ and I broke it. I did this because Yahweh had told me to cancel the covenant that he had made with all his tribes of Israel.
 \v 11 So that covenant was ended on that very day. The dealers who were watching me knew by seeing what I was doing that I was giving them a message from Yahweh.
 \p
-\v 12 I told them, "If you think it is right, pay me for my work. If you do not think it is right, do not pay me." So they paid me only thirty pieces of silver.
+\v 12 I told them, “If you think it is right, pay me for my work. If you do not think it is right, do not pay me.” So they paid me only thirty pieces of silver.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 Then Yahweh said to me, "That is a ridiculously small amount of money that they have for your work. So put it into the treasury." So I took the silver to the temple of Yahweh, and I deposited it in the treasury there.
+\v 13 Then Yahweh said to me, “That is a ridiculously small amount of money that they have for your work. So put it into the treasury.” So I took the silver to the temple of Yahweh, and I deposited it in the treasury there.
 \p
-\v 14 Then I broke my second staff, the one that I had named "Union." That indicated that Judah and Israel would no longer be together as brothers.
+\v 14 Then I broke my second staff, the one that I had named “Union.” That indicated that Judah and Israel would no longer be together as brothers.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 Then Yahweh said to me, "Take again the things that a foolish shepherd uses,
+\v 15 Then Yahweh said to me, “Take again the things that a foolish shepherd uses,
 \v 16 because I am going to appoint a new shepherd for the people, one who will not take care of my people. He will be a foolish shepherd: He will ignore the dying sheep and those that have gotten lost. As for the healthy sheep, he will not feed them; instead, he will butcher them for his own food and will tear off their hooves.
 \s5
 
 \v 17 But terrible things will happen to that foolish shepherd who abandons the flock.
-May his enemies strike his arm and his right eye with their swords. May he have no more strength in his arm, and may his right eye become completely blind."
+May his enemies strike his arm and his right eye with their swords. May he have no more strength in his arm, and may his right eye become completely blind.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -463,34 +463,34 @@ May his enemies strike his arm and his right eye with their swords. May he have
 
 \p
 \v 1 This is a message from Yahweh concerning Israel—Yahweh, the one who stretched out the sky, who created the earth, and who gave life to human beings. This is what he says:
-\v 2 "I will soon cause Jerusalem to be like a cup full of very strong alcoholic drink, and the people of other nations who drink it will stagger around. The people of Judah will drink it, too, for they also will suffer when the enemy besieges Jerusalem.
+\v 2 “I will soon cause Jerusalem to be like a cup full of very strong alcoholic drink, and the people of other nations who drink it will stagger around. The people of Judah will drink it, too, for they also will suffer when the enemy besieges Jerusalem.
 
-\v 3 At that time, the armies of all the people groups will gather to attack Jerusalem, but I will cause Jerusalem to be like a very heavy rock, and all who try to lift it will be badly injured. This will happen when the armies of all the world's nations attack Jerusalem.
+\v 3 At that time, the armies of all the people groups will gather to attack Jerusalem, but I will cause Jerusalem to be like a very heavy rock, and all who try to lift it will be badly injured. This will happen when the armies of all the world’s nations attack Jerusalem.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 At that time I will cause every one of their enemies' horses to panic, and their riders to become crazy. I will protect the people of Judah, but I will cause all their enemies' horses to become blind.
-\v 5 Then the leaders of Judah will say to themselves, 'The people in Jerusalem encourage us because Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, is the one they worship.'
+\v 4 At that time I will cause every one of their enemies’ horses to panic, and their riders to become crazy. I will protect the people of Judah, but I will cause all their enemies’ horses to become blind.
+\v 5 Then the leaders of Judah will say to themselves, ‘The people in Jerusalem encourage us because Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies, is the one they worship.’
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 At that time I will make the leaders of Judah like a pot of fire that someone puts in piles of firewood; and like a burning torch in a field of ripe grain. The leaders of Judah and their soldiers will destroy the people groups surrounding them in all directions. But the people of Jerusalem will remain safe in their own city."
+\v 6 At that time I will make the leaders of Judah like a pot of fire that someone puts in piles of firewood; and like a burning torch in a field of ripe grain. The leaders of Judah and their soldiers will destroy the people groups surrounding them in all directions. But the people of Jerusalem will remain safe in their own city.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 Yahweh will protect those who live in the other places in Judah before he rescues the people of Jerusalem, in order that people will not honor the descendants of David and those in Jerusalem more than the people in all the rest of Judah.
 \v 8 At that time, Yahweh will protect everyone in Jerusalem. The weakest soldiers among them will be as strong as David was, and the descendants of David will be like God; they will lead the others like the angel of Yahweh himself.
-\v 9 "At that time, I will start to destroy all the armies that attack Jerusalem."
+\v 9 “At that time, I will start to destroy all the armies that attack Jerusalem.”
 
 \s5
 
 \p
-\v 10 "I, Yahweh, will cause the descendants of David to have mercy on others, and to beg me to have mercy on themselves. They will gaze at me, whom they pierced." They will cry bitterly, as people cry for a firstborn son, an only son, who has died.
+\v 10 “I, Yahweh, will cause the descendants of David to have mercy on others, and to beg me to have mercy on themselves. They will gaze at me, whom they pierced.” They will cry bitterly, as people cry for a firstborn son, an only son, who has died.
 \v 11 At that time, many people in Jerusalem will be crying bitterly, as people cry at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
 
 \s5
 \v 12 Many people in Judah will cry, each clan by themselves. The male descendants of David will mourn by themselves, and their wives will mourn by themselves; the male descendants of Nathan will mourn by themselves, and their wives will mourn by themselves.
 \v 13 The male descendants of Levi will mourn by themselves, and their wives will mourn by themselves; the male descendants of Shimei will mourn by themselves, and their wives will mourn by themselves.
-\v 14 All the clans will mourn separately, their males by themselves, and their wives by themselves."
+\v 14 All the clans will mourn separately, their males by themselves, and their wives by themselves.”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -499,27 +499,27 @@ May his enemies strike his arm and his right eye with their swords. May he have
 \v 1 At that time it will be as though there is a spring of water that will continuously flow to cleanse the descendants of King David and all the other people in Jerusalem from the guilt of the sins that they have committed, especially from becoming unacceptable to Yahweh by worshiping idols.
 
 \p
-\v 2 Yahweh, the Commander of angel armies, says, "At that time, I will prevent people from even mentioning the names of the idols in their country, and no one will worship them anymore. I will also drive away from the land all the people who falsely claim that they are prophets; I will also drive away the evil spirit that leads them to tell the people false messages from me.
+\v 2 Yahweh, the Commander of angel armies, says, “At that time, I will prevent people from even mentioning the names of the idols in their country, and no one will worship them anymore. I will also drive away from the land all the people who falsely claim that they are prophets; I will also drive away the evil spirit that leads them to tell the people false messages from me.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 If someone continues to prophesy falsely, his own parents, even though he is their own son, will say to him, 'You have told lies saying that Yahweh gave those messages to you, so you must die.' Then they will stab him and kill him.
+\v 3 If someone continues to prophesy falsely, his own parents, even though he is their own son, will say to him, ‘You have told lies saying that Yahweh gave those messages to you, so you must die.’ Then they will stab him and kill him.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 At that time, the false prophets will be ashamed to announce that he has received any vision at all. They will no longer put on cloaks made with animal hair that prophets normally wear, because they will want the people to think that they were never really prophets at all.
-\v 5 So each of them will say, 'I am not really a prophet; I am a farmer, and I have been a farmer on my land ever since I was a boy!'
-\v 6 But others will see scars on their bodies and think that they cut themselves in order to please idols while they were worshiping them. So they will ask, 'Why do you have those scars?' And they will tell a lie: 'I was injured in a quarrel at my friend's house.'"
+\v 5 So each of them will say, ‘I am not really a prophet; I am a farmer, and I have been a farmer on my land ever since I was a boy!’
+\v 6 But others will see scars on their bodies and think that they cut themselves in order to please idols while they were worshiping them. So they will ask, ‘Why do you have those scars?’ And they will tell a lie: ‘I was injured in a quarrel at my friend’s house.’”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 Yahweh, the Commander of angel armies, says,
-\q "Someone must attack and kill the one who is like a shepherd working for me, 
+\q “Someone must attack and kill the one who is like a shepherd working for me, 
 \q the man who is my close companion. 
 \q You with the sword! When you kill my shepherd, my people will run away like sheep.
-\q And I myself will attack my ordinary people, those who are like little sheep."
+\q And I myself will attack my ordinary people, those who are like little sheep.”
 
 \s5
-\v 8 Yahweh also says, "Two-thirds of the people in Judah will die;
+\v 8 Yahweh also says, “Two-thirds of the people in Judah will die;
 Only one-third of the people in Judah will remain alive.
 \v 9 I will test the ones that remain alive by causing them to experience great difficulties, to find out if they will continue to worship me.
 I will purify them as someone purifies gold or silver by putting it into a very hot fire.
@@ -553,7 +553,7 @@ Then my people will call to me for help, and I will answer them. I will tell the
 \p
 \v 9 After that time, Yahweh will be the king who rules the entire world. Everyone will know that Yahweh, and only Yahweh, is the true God.
 \p
-\v 10 At that time, all the land in Judah will be flat, like the plain along the Jordan, from the town of Geba in the north to the town of Rimmon far to the south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem will remain high up, as it has always been. The city will extend northeast from the Benjamin Gate and the Corner Gate, which was the old gate, and to the Tower of Hananel, and then extending to the king's winepresses to the southwest.
+\v 10 At that time, all the land in Judah will be flat, like the plain along the Jordan, from the town of Geba in the north to the town of Rimmon far to the south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem will remain high up, as it has always been. The city will extend northeast from the Benjamin Gate and the Corner Gate, which was the old gate, and to the Tower of Hananel, and then extending to the king’s winepresses to the southwest.
 \v 11 Many people will live there, and God will never again threaten the city with destruction. It will be a completely safe city to live in.
 
 \s5
@@ -576,6 +576,6 @@ Then my people will call to me for help, and I will answer them. I will tell the
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 At that time, the words "Dedicated to Yahweh" will be written on the bells that are fastened to the horses. The cooking pots in the courtyard of the temple will belong to Yahweh, like the bowls that are in front of the altar.
+\v 20 At that time, the words “Dedicated to Yahweh” will be written on the bells that are fastened to the horses. The cooking pots in the courtyard of the temple will belong to Yahweh, like the bowls that are in front of the altar.
 \v 21 Every pot in Jerusalem and everywhere else in Judah will be dedicated to Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies. So everyone who offers sacrifices there in Jerusalem will be able to take some of the meat that has been brought for sacrifices and cook it in their own pots. And at that time, people will no longer buy or sell things in the courtyard of the temple of Yahweh, the Commander of the angel armies.
 

39-MAL.usfm

@@ -12,59 +12,59 @@
 \v 1 This is a message that Yahweh gave to Malachi for the Israelites.
 
 \p
-\v 2-3 Yahweh says, "I have loved you." But I, Malachi, hear you people reply, "How have you shown us that you love us?"
+\v 2-3 Yahweh says, “I have loved you.” But I, Malachi, hear you people reply, “How have you shown us that you love us?”
 \p Yahweh replies,
-\pi "Is it not true that Esau and Jacob were brothers? Yet I have a covenant with Jacob and his descendants, but I have no covenant with Esau and his descendants. I caused Esau's region to be abandoned, a place where wild dogs live."
+\pi “Is it not true that Esau and Jacob were brothers? Yet I have a covenant with Jacob and his descendants, but I have no covenant with Esau and his descendants. I caused Esau’s region to be abandoned, a place where wild dogs live.”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 The descendants of Esau who now live in Edom may say,
-\pi "Yes, God has demolished our cities, but we will rebuild houses in the ruins."
+\pi “Yes, God has demolished our cities, but we will rebuild houses in the ruins.”
 \p But Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, replies,
-\pi "They may build houses again, but I will demolish them again. Their country will be called 'The land where wicked people live,' and their people will be called 'The people with whom Yahweh is angry forever.'"
+\pi “They may build houses again, but I will demolish them again. Their country will be called ‘The land where wicked people live,’ and their people will be called ‘The people with whom Yahweh is angry forever.’”
 \m
-\v 5 When you Israelite people yourselves see what Yahweh will do to them, you will say, "It is evident that Yahweh is very powerful even in foreign lands!"
+\v 5 When you Israelite people yourselves see what Yahweh will do to them, you will say, “It is evident that Yahweh is very powerful even in foreign lands!”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 But the Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says to the people,
-\pi "Boys honor their fathers, and servants respect their masters. So, if I am like your father and your master, why do you not honor me? Why do you not obey me?"
+\pi “Boys honor their fathers, and servants respect their masters. So, if I am like your father and your master, why do you not honor me? Why do you not obey me?”
 \m And Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, has something to say to you priests:
-\pi "You show no respect for me! But you priests ask,
-\pi2 'How have shown no respect for you?'
+\pi “You show no respect for me! But you priests ask,
+\pi2 ‘How have shown no respect for you?’
 \pi
 \v 7 I answer: Instead of honoring me, you have disgraced me by offering sacrifices on my altar that are unworthy of me, sacrifices that I would never accept. Then you dare to ask,
-\pi2 'What sacrifices have we given that are unworthy of you?'
+\pi2 ‘What sacrifices have we given that are unworthy of you?’
 \pi I answer: You think that it does not matter if you do not honor my altar.
 
 \s5
 \pi
-\v 8 You offer for sacrifices animals that are blind. Is that not wrong? You offer animals that are sick or lame. Do you really think I would accept such gifts? You would not dare to offer such gifts to your own governor! You know that he would not take them. You know that he would be displeased with you and would not welcome you!"
+\v 8 You offer for sacrifices animals that are blind. Is that not wrong? You offer animals that are sick or lame. Do you really think I would accept such gifts? You would not dare to offer such gifts to your own governor! You know that he would not take them. You know that he would be displeased with you and would not welcome you!”
 \m That is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says!
 \p
 \v 9 I, Malachi, see you continually go through the motions of asking God to help us. But Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says,
-\pi "If you bring to me sacrifices that are not acceptable to me, why should I help you?"
+\pi “If you bring to me sacrifices that are not acceptable to me, why should I help you?”
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 10 Yahweh also says,
-\pi "I wish that one of you would shut the gates of the temple courtyard, in order that no one could offer those worthless sacrifices. I am not pleased with you, and I will not accept the offerings that you bring to me."
+\pi “I wish that one of you would shut the gates of the temple courtyard, in order that no one could offer those worthless sacrifices. I am not pleased with you, and I will not accept the offerings that you bring to me.”
 \m This is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says.
 \v 11 He also says,
-\pi "People of other nations from east to west will indeed honor me. They will burn incense to honor me, and they will bring right offerings, offerings that I will accept. This will happen because people in all the nations will praise and honor me.
+\pi “People of other nations from east to west will indeed honor me. They will burn incense to honor me, and they will bring right offerings, offerings that I will accept. This will happen because people in all the nations will praise and honor me.
 \p
 \v 12 But you priests—you priests act in a way that shows me no honor at all. You say,
-\pi2 'It is all right if people disgrace the altar by bringing sacrifices that he will not accept.'
+\pi2 ‘It is all right if people disgrace the altar by bringing sacrifices that he will not accept.’
 
 \s5
 \pi
 \v 13 You also say,
-\pi2 'We are tired of burning all these sacrifices on the altar.'
-\pi2 You turn up your noses at doing this. You bring sheep or goats that wild animals have attacked and torn in two. You also bring animals that are sick or that cannot walk. You cannot really think that I should accept these from you, can you?"
+\pi2 ‘We are tired of burning all these sacrifices on the altar.’
+\pi2 You turn up your noses at doing this. You bring sheep or goats that wild animals have attacked and torn in two. You also bring animals that are sick or that cannot walk. You cannot really think that I should accept these from you, can you?”
 \m This is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says.
 \p
 \v 14 Yahweh also says,
-\pi "I will curse anyone who tries to cheat me by swearing that he will bring to me a perfect animal from his herd, and who then brings me one that has defects. If anyone does that, I will punish him, because I am a great king, and people of the other nations honor me, but you do not!"
+\pi “I will curse anyone who tries to cheat me by swearing that he will bring to me a perfect animal from his herd, and who then brings me one that has defects. If anyone does that, I will punish him, because I am a great king, and people of the other nations honor me, but you do not!”
 \m This is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says.
 
 
@@ -73,17 +73,17 @@
 \p
 \v 1 You priests, I will say something to warn you.
 \v 2 Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says this:
-\pi "Pay attention to what I am saying, and then decide to honor me. If you do not do that, I will curse you, and I will curse the things that I have done for you to help you. And I have already cursed them, because you have not honored me.
+\pi “Pay attention to what I am saying, and then decide to honor me. If you do not do that, I will curse you, and I will curse the things that I have done for you to help you. And I have already cursed them, because you have not honored me.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 I will punish your descendants, and it will be as though I had splattered on your faces the dung from the animals that you have sacrificed, and I will make others come and throw you away with that dung.
 \p
-\v 4 When that happens, you will know that I warned you like this, in order that you descendants of Levi will obey my covenant with the priests."
+\v 4 When that happens, you will know that I warned you like this, in order that you descendants of Levi will obey my covenant with the priests.”
 \m This is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, is saying to you.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 He also says,
-\pi "I made my covenant with your ancestor Levi because I wanted the priests to live prosperously and peacefully. And that is what I enabled them to do. I required that they greatly respect me and honor me, and they did so.
+\pi “I made my covenant with your ancestor Levi because I wanted the priests to live prosperously and peacefully. And that is what I enabled them to do. I required that they greatly respect me and honor me, and they did so.
 \v 6 They taught the people what was true and right; they did not tell lies. They worked for me peacefully and loyally, and they helped many people to stop sinning.
 \p
 \v 7 What priests say should enable people to continue to learn the truth from generation to generation. They should be certain that the priests will teach them correction, because they must be true messengers from me, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies.
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 But, you priests do not act in that way any more. Instead, what you have taught people has caused many of them to sin. You have rejected the covenant that I made with the descendants of Levi long ago.
-\v 9 Therefore I have caused all the people to despise you, and I have caused them to shame you, for you have not obeyed me. Instead, you teach people different things, depending on how important they are."
+\v 9 Therefore I have caused all the people to despise you, and I have caused them to shame you, for you have not obeyed me. Instead, you teach people different things, depending on how important they are.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -102,19 +102,19 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 This is another thing that you do: You come and weep in front of Yahweh's altar, covering it with your tears. You wail because he no longer pays attention to your offerings.
+\v 13 This is another thing that you do: You come and weep in front of Yahweh’s altar, covering it with your tears. You wail because he no longer pays attention to your offerings.
 
 \s5
-\v 14 You cry out, saying "Why does Yahweh not like our offerings?" The answer is that Yahweh heard that each of you men solemnly promised to be faithful to your wives when you were young. But you men have not done what you promised; you have sent them away, the ones with whom you made that covenant, so you could marry foreign women.
+\v 14 You cry out, saying “Why does Yahweh not like our offerings?” The answer is that Yahweh heard that each of you men solemnly promised to be faithful to your wives when you were young. But you men have not done what you promised; you have sent them away, the ones with whom you made that covenant, so you could marry foreign women.
 \p
 \v 15 Indeed, Yahweh made you one with your wife, and he gave you some of his spirit. He did this because he wanted you to have children who would honor him. So you must be careful not to let other women attract you. Let none of you be faithless to the woman whom you married when you were young.
 \p
-\v 16 Yahweh, the God to whom we Israelites belong, says, "I hate divorce!" So if you men divorce your wives, you are overwhelming them by acting cruelly toward them. So be sure that you are not disloyal to your wives. That is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says.
+\v 16 Yahweh, the God to whom we Israelites belong, says, “I hate divorce!” So if you men divorce your wives, you are overwhelming them by acting cruelly toward them. So be sure that you are not disloyal to your wives. That is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 You have made Yahweh lose his paitence with you by saying all those disgusting things. But you dare to ask, "How have we made him impatient?"
-\p The answer is that you have said that Yahweh is pleased with all those who do what is evil, that he actually views them as good. And you have also made him impatient by always saying, "Why does God not act justly toward us?"
+\v 17 You have made Yahweh lose his paitence with you by saying all those disgusting things. But you dare to ask, “How have we made him impatient?”
+\p The answer is that you have said that Yahweh is pleased with all those who do what is evil, that he actually views them as good. And you have also made him impatient by always saying, “Why does God not act justly toward us?”
 
 
 \s5
@@ -122,44 +122,44 @@
 
 \p
 \v 1 Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says this:
-\pi "Look, I will soon send a messenger to you, who will get you ready to welcome me. I, the Lord, whom you say you desire to come, will appear suddenly in my temple. A messenger will come, whom Yahweh had promised in the covenant that you say you take pleasure in. I myself am coming." This is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says.
+\pi “Look, I will soon send a messenger to you, who will get you ready to welcome me. I, the Lord, whom you say you desire to come, will appear suddenly in my temple. A messenger will come, whom Yahweh had promised in the covenant that you say you take pleasure in. I myself am coming.” This is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says.
 \p
 \v 2 And none of you will be able to stop Yahweh from judging you. For he will declare no one innocent when he comes. He will act like a fire that burns hot enough to refine precious metals. He will act as the strong soap that laundrymen use to clean clothing.
-\v 3 Yahweh will judge you; he will be like a silversmith who sits down and makes his silver pure, free from all impurities. Yahweh will forgive you and make all of you priests and Levite temple workers not want to sin any longer. He will make you like pure gold or silver. Then he will accept your offerings that you bring to him, because you will be righteous."
+\v 3 Yahweh will judge you; he will be like a silversmith who sits down and makes his silver pure, free from all impurities. Yahweh will forgive you and make all of you priests and Levite temple workers not want to sin any longer. He will make you like pure gold or silver. Then he will accept your offerings that you bring to him, because you will be righteous.”
 
 \s5
 \m
 \v 4 When that happens, Yahweh will again accept the offerings that the people of Jerusalem and Judah bring to him, as he did previously.
 \p
 \v 5 This is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says:
-\pi "At that time, I will come to you to judge you. I will quickly testify against all those who practice sorcery, against those who mistreat helpless widows and orphans, against those who do not treat the foreigners among you justly, and against those who refuse to honor me."
+\pi “At that time, I will come to you to judge you. I will quickly testify against all those who practice sorcery, against those who mistreat helpless widows and orphans, against those who do not treat the foreigners among you justly, and against those who refuse to honor me.”
 
 \s5
 \pi
 \v 6 I am Yahweh, and I never change. That is why I have not yet gotten rid of you, although you deceive people like your ancestor Jacob did.
 \v 7 Ever since the time when your ancestors were alive, you have ignored my commands and refused to obey them. Now return to me; if you do so, I will return to you. That is what I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, say. But you ask,
-\pi2 'We have never gone away from you, so how can we return to you?'
+\pi2 ‘We have never gone away from you, so how can we return to you?’
 
 \s5
 \pi
 \v 8 I reply: People should certainly not cheat God; but you people have cheated me! You ask,
-\pi2 'In what way did we cheat you?'
+\pi2 ‘In what way did we cheat you?’
 \pi I reply: You have cheated me by not bringing to me each year the tithes and other offerings that I have required you to give me.
 \v 9 I have cursed everything that you do, because all you people in this country have been cheating me.
 
 \s5
 \v 10 Now bring all the tithes to the storerooms of the temple, in order that there may be enough food for the people who serve me there. If you do that, I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, promise that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out from them blessings on you. If you bring your tithes to the temple, the blessings will be very great, with the result that you will not have enough space to store all of them. So test me to see if I am telling the truth.
 \v 11 You will have abundant crops to harvest, because I will protect them in order that locusts do not harm them. Your grapes will not fall from the vines before they are ripe.
-\v 12 When that happens, the people of all nations will say that I have truly helped you, because your country will be delightful. That is what I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, say."
+\v 12 When that happens, the people of all nations will say that I have truly helped you, because your country will be delightful. That is what I, Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, say.”
 
 \s5
 \pi
-\v 13 "I, Yahweh, have something else to say to you. You have said terrible things about me.
+\v 13 “I, Yahweh, have something else to say to you. You have said terrible things about me.
 \p But you reply,
-\pi2 'What terrible things have we said about you?'
+\pi2 ‘What terrible things have we said about you?’
 \p
 \v 14 I reply: You have said that it is useless for you to worship me. You say that you have gained nothing by obeying my commands. You say that you have gained nothing by being sorry for your sins.
-\v 15 You have also decided that from now on, you will say that I like to help arrogant people. You think that it is those who do evil who become rich. You say they dare me to punish them because they think I never will."
+\v 15 You have also decided that from now on, you will say that I like to help arrogant people. You think that it is those who do evil who become rich. You say they dare me to punish them because they think I never will.”
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -168,23 +168,23 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says this about those people:
-\pi "They will be my people. On the day that I punish the wicked people among you, I will not punish them. I will be just like a father who does not punish his son who obeys him.
-\v 18 When that happens, you will again see that the manner in which I treat righteous people is different from the manner in which I treat wicked people. You will see that the manner in which I act toward those who worship me is different from the manner in which I act toward those who do not."
+\pi “They will be my people. On the day that I punish the wicked people among you, I will not punish them. I will be just like a father who does not punish his son who obeys him.
+\v 18 When that happens, you will again see that the manner in which I treat righteous people is different from the manner in which I treat wicked people. You will see that the manner in which I act toward those who worship me is different from the manner in which I act toward those who do not.”
 
 
 \s5
 \c 4
 
 \p
-\v 1 This is also what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says: "There will be a time when I will judge and punish all the proud people and evildoers in Israel. When that happens, it will be like a day that they burn the useless remains of crops in the fields. Those people will burn up completely—as roots and branches and everything else on a tree burns completely in a very hot fire.
+\v 1 This is also what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says: “There will be a time when I will judge and punish all the proud people and evildoers in Israel. When that happens, it will be like a day that they burn the useless remains of crops in the fields. Those people will burn up completely—as roots and branches and everything else on a tree burns completely in a very hot fire.
 \v 2 But for you who honor me, I, who always act righteously, will come to you and heal you, as the sun rises in the morning. You will be as happy as young calves when they leave their stalls to play in the fields.
 
-\v 3 On the day when I judge the wicked, you will celebrate. It will be as if you had walked all over them." This is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, promises.
+\v 3 On the day when I judge the wicked, you will celebrate. It will be as if you had walked all over them.” This is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, promises.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 Be sure to obey the laws that I commanded Moses, who served me well, to give you. Obey all the commandments and decrees that I gave him on Mount Sinai, for all you people of Israel to obey.
 \p
 \v 5 Listen to this: One day I will send to you the prophet Elijah. He will arrive before the great and dreadful day when I, Yahweh, will judge everyone and punish those who deserve punishment.
-\v 6 Because of what Elijah will preach, parents and their children join together in loving each other again. If that does not happen, I will come and destroy your country."
+\v 6 Because of what Elijah will preach, parents and their children join together in loving each other again. If that does not happen, I will come and destroy your country.”