Book of Luke: Zacchaeus in a Sycamore Tree

Luke 19:1-10 (NKJV)

[1]Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
[2] Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.
[3] And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.
[4] So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.
[5] And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”
[6]So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.
[7]But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”
[8] Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”
[9] And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham;
[10] for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Book of Mark: Wind and Wave Obey Jesus

Mark 4:35-41 (NKJV)

[35] On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”
[36] Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.
[37] And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.
[38] But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
[39] Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
[40] But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”
[41] And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

Book of Matthew: Jesus heals a great multitude

Matthew 4:23-25 (NKJV)

[23] And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 
[24] Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.
[25] Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

Book of Malachi: Your words have been harsh against Me

Malachi 3:13-15 (NKJV)

[13] “Your words have been harsh against Me,”

Says the Lord,
“Yet you say,
What have we spoken against You?
[14] You have said,
“It is useless to serve God;
What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance,
And that we have walked as mourners
Before the Lord of hosts?”
[15] So now we call the proud blessed,
For those who do wickedness are raised up;
They even tempt God and go free.”

Book of Zachariah: I saw a flying scroll

Zechariah 5:1-4 (NKJV)

[1] Then I turned and raised my eyes, and saw there a flying scroll.

[2] And he said to me, “What do you see?”
So I answered, “I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits.”
[3] Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole earth: Every thief shall be expelled, according to this side of the scroll; and “Every perjurer shall be expelled, according to that side of it.”
[4] “I will send out the curse,” says the Lord of hosts;
“It shall enter the house of the thief
And the house of the one who swears falsely by My name.
It shall remain in the midst of his house
And consume it, with its timber and stones.”

Book of Haggai: I struck you with blight

Haggai 2:15-17 (NKJV)

[15] And now, carefully consider from this day forward: from before stone was laid upon stone in the temple of the Lord—

[16] since those days, when one came to a heap of twenty ephahs, there were but ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty baths from the press, there were but twenty.
[17] “I struck you with blight and mildew and hail in all the labors of your hands; yet you did not turn to Me,” says the Lord.

Book of Zephaniah: The King of Israel is in your midst

Zephaniah 3:14-17 (NKJV)

[14] Sing, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
[15] The Lord has taken away your judgments,
He has cast out your enemy.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
You shall see disaster no more.
[16] In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear;
Zion, let not your hands be weak.
[17] The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Book of Habakkuk: To make mute idols

Habakkuk 2:18-19 (NKJV)

[18] “What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it,

The molded image, a teacher of lies,
That the maker of its mold should trust in it,
To make mute idols?
[19] Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’
To silent stone, ‘Arise! It shall teach!’
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
Yet in it there is no breath at all.

Book of Nahum: God’s wrath on His enemies

Nahum 1:2-6 (NLT)

[2] The Lord is a jealous God,

filled with vengeance and rage.
He takes revenge on all who oppose Him
and continues to rage against His enemies!
[3] The Lord is slow to get angry, but his power is great,
and he never lets the guilty go unpunished.
He displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm.
The billowing clouds are the dust beneath his feet.
[4] At his command the oceans dry up,
and the rivers disappear.
The lush pastures of Bashan and Carmel fade,
and the green forests of Lebanon wither.
[5] In his presence the mountains quake,
and the hills melt away;
the earth trembles, and its people are destroyed.
[6] Who can stand before his fierce anger?
Who can survive his burning fury?
His rage blazes forth like fire,
and the mountains crumble to dust in his presence.

Book of Micah: I will wait for the God of my salvation

Micah 7:5-7 (NKJV)

[5] Do not trust in a friend;
Do not put your confidence in a companion;
Guard the doors of your mouth
From her who lies in your bosom.
[6] For son dishonors father,
Daughter rises against her mother,
Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
A man’s enemies are the men of his own household.
[7] Therefore I will look to the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
My God will hear me.

Book of Jonah~ Jonah wasn't swolled by a whale

Jonah 2:1-10 (NKJV)

[1] Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly.

[2] And he said:
“I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction,
And He answered me.
“Out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
And You heard my voice.
[3] For You cast me into the deep,
Into the heart of the seas,
And the floods surrounded me;
All Your billows and Your waves passed over me.
[4] Then I said, ‘I have been cast out of Your sight;
Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’
[5] The waters surrounded me, even to my soul;
The deep closed around me;
Weeds were wrapped around my head.
[6] I went down to the moorings of the mountains;
The earth with its bars closed behind me forever;
Yet You have brought up my life from the pit,
O Lord, my God.
[7] “When my soul fainted within me,
I remembered the Lord;
And my prayer went up to You,
Into Your holy temple.
[8] “Those who regard worthless idols
Forsake their own Mercy.
[9] But I will sacrifice to You
With the voice of thanksgiving;
I will pay what I have vowed.
Salvation is of the Lord.”
[10] So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Book of Obadiah~ Living among the stars

Obadiah 1:2-4 (NKJV)

[2] “Behold, I will make you small among the nations;
You shall be greatly despised.
[3] The pride of your heart has deceived you,
You who dwell in the clefts of the rock,
Whose habitation is high;
You who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’
[4] Though you ascend as high as the eagle,
And though you set your nest among the stars,
From there I will bring you down,” says the Lord.

Book of Amos~ The days are coming

Amos 8:11-12 (NKJV)

[11] “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God,

“That I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine of bread,
Nor a thirst for water,
But of hearing the words of the Lord.
[12] They shall wander from sea to sea,
And from north to east;
They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord,
But shall not find it.

Book of Joel~ For the day is at hand

Joel 1:15-20 (NKJV)

[15] Alas for the day!

For the day of the Lord is at hand;
It shall come as destruction from the Almighty.
[16] Is not the food cut off before our eyes,
Joy and gladness from the house of our God?
[17] The seed shrivels under the clods,
Storehouses are in shambles;
Barns are broken down,
For the grain has withered.
[18] How the animals groan!
The herds of cattle are restless,
Because they have no pasture;
Even the flocks of sheep suffer punishment.
[19] O Lord, to You I cry out;
For fire has devoured the open pastures,
And a flame has burned all the trees of the field.
[20] The beasts of the field also cry out to You,
For the water brooks are dried up,
And fire has devoured the open pastures.

Book of Hosea~ He married her anyway

Hosea 1:2-3 (NKJV)

[2] When the Lord began to speak by Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea:

“Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry
And children of harlotry,
For the land has committed great harlotry
By departing from the Lord.”
[3] So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

Hosea 3:1-3 (NKJV)

[1] Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.”

[2] So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley.
[3] And I said to her, “You shall stay with me many days; you shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man—so, too, will I be toward you.”

Book of Daniel~ Daniel’s friends thrown into the fiery furnace

Daniel 3:13-18 (NKJV)

[13] Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. So they brought these men before the king.
[14] Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up?
[15] Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”
[16] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
[17] If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.
[18] But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

Book of Ezekiel~ Israel’s Future Blessing

Ezekiel 28:25-26 (NKJV)

[25] Thus says the Lord God: “When I have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and am hallowed in them in the sight of the Gentiles, then they will dwell in their own land which I gave to My servant Jacob.

[26] And they will dwell safely there, build houses, and plant vineyards; yes, they will dwell securely, when I execute judgments on all those around them who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord their God.”

Book of Lamentations~ Feelings of anguish and hope

Lamentations 3:49-57 (NKJV)

[49] My eyes flow and do not cease,
Without interruption,
[50] Till the Lord from heaven
Looks down and sees.
[51] My eyes bring suffering to my soul
Because of all the daughters of my city.
[52] My enemies without cause
Hunted me down like a bird.
[53] They silenced my life in the pit
And threw stones at me.
[54] The waters flowed over my head;
I said, “I am cut off!”
[55] I called on Your name, O Lord,
From the lowest pit.
[56] You have heard my voice:
“Do not hide Your ear
From my sighing, from my cry for help.”
[57] You drew near on the day I called on You,
And said, “Do not fear!”

Book of Jeremiah~ Fashioning a disaster

Jeremiah 18:7-11 (NKJV)

[7] The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it,

[8] if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it.
[9] And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it,
[10] if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it.
[11] Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, “Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now everyone from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.”

Book of Isaiah~ Luxuries of Life

Isaiah 3:16-24 (NKJV)

[16] Moreover the Lord says:

“Because the daughters of Zion are haughty,
And walk with outstretched necks
And wanton eyes,
Walking and mincing as they go,
Making a jingling with their feet,
[17] Therefore the Lord will strike with a scab
The crown of the head of the daughters of Zion,
And the Lord will uncover their secret parts.”
[18] In that day the Lord will take away the finery:
The jingling anklets, the scarves, and the crescents;
[19] The pendants, the bracelets, and the veils;
[20] The headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands;
The perfume boxes, the charms,
[21] and the rings;
The nose jewels,
[22] the festal apparel, and the mantles;
The outer garments, the purses,
[23] and the mirrors;
The fine linen, the turbans, and the robes.
[24] And so it shall be:
Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench;
Instead of a sash, a rope;
Instead of well-set hair, baldness;
Instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth;
And branding instead of beauty.

Book of Song of Solomon~ The voice of my Beloved!

Song of Solomon 2:8-14 (NKJV)

[8] The voice of my beloved!

Behold, he comes
Leaping upon the mountains,
Skipping upon the hills.
[9] My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Behold, he stands behind our wall;
He is looking through the windows,
Gazing through the lattice.
[10] My beloved spoke, and said to me:
“Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away.
[11] For lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone.
[12] The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of singing has come,
And the voice of the turtledove
Is heard in our land.
[13] The fig tree puts forth her green figs,
And the vines with the tender grapes
Give a good smell.
Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away!
[14] “O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
In the secret places of the cliff,
Let me see your face,
Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet,
And your face is lovely.”

Book of Ecclesiastes: A time to Love, and a time to hate

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NKJV)

[1] To everything there is a season,

    A time for every purpose under heaven:

[2 A time to be born,

    And a time to die;

    A time to plant,

    And a time to pluck what is planted;

[3] A time to kill,

     And a time to heal;

     A time to break down,

     And a time to build up;

[4] A time to weep,

     And a time to laugh;

     A time to mourn,

    And a time to dance;

[5] A time to cast away stones,

     And a time to gather stones;

     A time to embrace,

    And a time to refrain from embracing;

[6] A time to gain,

     And a time to lose;

     A time to keep,

    And a time to throw away;

[7] A time to tear,

     And a time to sew;

     A time to keep silence,

    And a time to speak;

[8] A time to love,

     And a time to hate;

     A time of war,

    And a time of peace.

Book of Proverbs: Beginning of Knowledge

Proverbs 1:2-7 (NKJV)

[2] To know wisdom and instruction,

To perceive the words of understanding,

[3] To receive the instruction of wisdom,

Justice, judgment, and equity;

[4] To give prudence to the simple,

To the young man knowledge and discretion—

[5] A wise man will hear and increase learning,

And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,

[6] To understand a proverb and an enigma,

The words of the wise and their riddles.

[7] The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,

But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Book of Psalm: I have not seen the righteous forsaken

Psalm 37:23-26 (NKJV)

[23] The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,

And He delights in his way.
[24] Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the Lord upholds him with His hand.
[25] I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.
[26] He is ever merciful, and lends;
And his descendants are blessed.

Book of Job: The latter days of Job

Job 42:12-17 (NKJV)

[12] Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys.

[13] He also had seven sons and three daughters.
[14] And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-Happuch.
[15] In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.
[16] After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations.
[17] So Job died, old and full of days

Book of Esther: The Feast of Purim

Esther 9:18-23 (NKJV)

[18] But the Jews who were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day, as well as on the fourteenth; and on the fifteenth of the month they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.
[19] Therefore the Jews of the villages who dwelt in the unwalled towns celebrated the fourteenth day of the month of Adar with gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and for sending presents to one another.
[20] And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus,
[21] to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar,
[22] as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor.
[23] So the Jews accepted the custom which they had begun, as Mordecai had written to them,

Book of Nehemiah: Great outcry of the people

Nehemiah 5:1-5 (NKJV)

[1] And there was a great outcry of the people and their wives against their Jewish brethren.

[2] For there were those who said, “We, our sons, and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain, that we may eat and live.”
[3] There were also some who said, “We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses, that we might buy grain because of the famine.”
[4] There were also those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our lands and vineyards.
[5] Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery. It is not in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards.”

Book of Ezra: Builders laid the foundation

Ezra 3:10-13 (NKJV)

[10] When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the ordinance of David king of Israel.

[11] And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord:

“For He is good,

For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.”

Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.

[12] But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy,

[13] so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off.

Book of II Chronicles: Queen Sheba said, "It was true"

II Chronicles 9:5-8 (NKJV)

[5] Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom.

[6] However I did not believe their words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You exceed the fame of which I heard.

[7] Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!

[8] Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you, setting you on His throne to be king for the Lord your God! Because your God has loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.”