Chapter 3 Scriptures
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Acts 10.34,35
At this Peter opened his mouth and said: "For a certainty I perceive that God is not partial, but in every nation the man that fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him."

Mark 13.10
Also, in all the nations the good news has to be preached first.

Isa 56.6,7
"And the foreigners that have joined themselves to Jehovah to minister to him and to love the name of Jehovah, in order to become servants to him, all those keeping the sabbath in order not to profane it and laying hold of my covenant, I will also bring them to my holy mountain and make them rejoice inside my house of prayer. Their whole burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be for acceptance upon my altar. For my own house will be called even a house of prayer for all the peoples."

2 Sam 23.2
The spirit of Jehovah it was that spoke by me, and his word was upon my tongue.
Joel 1.1
The word of Jehovah that occurred to Joel the son of Pethu'el:

Matt 23.1-12
Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the seat of Moses. Therefore all the things they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds, for they say but do not perform. They bind up heavy loads and put them upon the shoulders of men, but they themselves are not willing to budge them with their finger. All the works they do they do to be viewed by men; for they broaden the [scripture-containing] cases that they wear as safeguards, and enlarge the fringes [of their garments]. They like the most prominent place at evening meals and the front seats in the synagogues, and the greetings in the marketplaces and to be called Rabbi by men. But you, do not you be called Rabbi, for one is your teacher, whereas all you are brothers. Moreover, do not call anyone your father on earth, for one is your Father, the heavenly One. Neither be called 'leaders,' for your Leader is one, the Christ. But the greatest one among you must be your minister. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

James 5.1-6
Come, now, you rich: weep, howling over your miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted, and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh. Something like fire is what you have stored up in the last days. Look! The wages due the workers who harvested your fields but which are held up by you, keep crying out, and the calls for help on the part of the reapers have entered into the ears of Jehovah of armies. You have lived in luxury upon the earth and have gone in for sensual pleasure. You have fattened your hearts on the day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the righteous one. Is he not opposing you?

Jer 22.13-17
"Woe to the one building his house, but not with righteousness, and his upper chambers, but not with justice, by use of his fellowman who serves for nothing, and whose wages he does not give him; the one saying, ‘I am going to build for myself a roomy house and commodious upper chambers; and my windows must be widened out for it, and the paneling will be with cedar and smeared with vermilion.’ Will you continue reigning because you are competing by use of cedar [paneling]? As for your father, did he not eat and drink and execute justice and righteousness? In that case it went well with him. He pleaded the legal claim of the afflicted one and the poor one. In that case it went well. ‘Was not that a case of knowing me?’ is the utterance of Jehovah. ‘Assuredly your eyes and your heart are upon nothing but upon your unjust gain, and upon the blood of the innocent one in order to shed it, and upon defrauding and extortion in order to carry them on.’"

Ps 12.6,7
The sayings of Jehovah are pure sayings, as silver refined in a smelting furnace of earth, clarified seven times. You yourself, O Jehovah, will guard them; you will preserve each one from this generation to time indefinite.

Job 26.7
He is stretching out the north over the empty place, hanging the earth upon nothing.

Isa 40.22
There is One who is dwelling above the circle of the earth, the dwellers in which are as grasshoppers...

Micah 5.2
You, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, the one too little to get to be among the thousands of Judah, from you there will come out to me the one who is to become ruler in Israel, whose origin is from early times, from the days of time indefinite.

Matt 2.1-6
After Jesus had been born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, look! astrologers from eastern parts came to Jerusalem, saying: "Where is the one born king of the Jews? For we saw his star [when we were] in the east, and we have come to do him obeisance." At hearing this King Herod was agitated, and all Jerusalem along with him; and on gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born. They said to him: "In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is how it has been written through the prophet, ‘And you, O Bethlehem of the land of Judah, are by no means the most insignificant among the governors of Judah; for out of you will come forth a governing one, who will shepherd my people, Israel.’"

Isa 7.14
Therefore Jehovah himself will give you men a sign: Look! The maiden herself will actually become pregnant, and she is giving birth to a son, and she will certainly call his name Immanuel.

Matt 1.18-23
18 But the birth of Jesus Christ was in this way: During the time his mother Mary was promised in marriage to Joseph, she was found to be pregnant by holy spirit before they were united. However, Joseph her husband, because he was righteous and did not want to make her a public spectacle, intended to divorce her secretly. But after he had thought these things over, look! Jehovah's angel appeared to him in a dream, saying: "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife home, for that which has been begotten in her is by holy spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you must call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this actually came about for that to be fulfilled which was spoken by Jehovah through his prophet, saying: "Look! The virgin will become pregnant and will give birth to a son, and they will call his name Immanuel," which means, when translated, "With Us Is God."

Isa 53.12
For that reason I shall deal him a portion among the many, and it will be with the mighty ones that he will apportion the spoil, due to the fact that he poured out his soul to the very death, and it was with the transgressors that he was counted in; and he himself carried the very sin of many people, and for the transgressors he proceeded to interpose.

Luke 22.37,52
37 For I tell you that this which is written must be accomplished in me, namely, 'And he was reckoned with lawless ones.' For that which concerns me is having an accomplishment."
52 Jesus then said to the chief priests and captains of the temple and older men that had come there for him: "Did you come out with swords and clubs as against a robber?
Luke 23.32,33
But two other men, evildoers, were also being led to be executed with him. And when they got to the place called Skull, there they impaled him and the evildoers, one on his right and one on his left.

Ps 22.18
They apportion my garments among themselves, and upon my clothing they cast lots.
Matt 27.35
When they had impaled him they distributed his outer garments by casting lots.

Acts 5.27-33
So they brought them and stood them in the Sanhedrin hall. And the high priest questioned them and said: "We positively ordered you not to keep teaching upon the basis of this name, and yet, look! you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you are determined to bring the blood of this man upon us." In answer Peter and the [other] apostles said: "We must obey God as ruler rather than men. The God of our forefathers raised up Jesus, whom you slew, hanging him upon a stake. God exalted this one as Chief Agent and Savior to his right hand, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these matters, and so is the holy spirit, which God has given to those obeying him as ruler." When they heard this, they felt deeply cut and were wanting to do away with them.

Hebrews 11.32-38
And what more shall I say? For the time will fail me if I go on to relate about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David as well as Samuel and the [other] prophets, who through faith defeated kingdoms in conflict, effected righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, stayed the force of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from a weak state were made powerful, became valiant in war, routed the armies of foreigners. Women received their dead by resurrection; but other [men] were tortured because they would not accept release by some ransom, in order that they might attain a better resurrection. Yes, others received their trial by mockings and scourgings, indeed, more than that, by bonds and prisons. They were stoned, they were tried, they were sawn asunder, they died by slaughter with the sword, they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, while they were in want, in tribulation, under ill-treatment; and the world was not worthy of them. They wandered about in deserts and mountains and caves and dens of the earth.

John 1.29
The next day he beheld Jesus coming toward him, and he said: "See, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world!

Another example of an expression not to be taken too exactly is found at Mark 1.5:
"All the territory of Judea and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem made their way out to him [John the Baptizer], and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, openly confessing their sins."
Taken literally, John baptized millions of people, including the chief priests and everyone who despised and ridiculed him, and all the Roman officials and legionnaires as well. Only a fanatic would insist that is what happened, because that is what it says and it must be believed exactly as written. Generally speaking, any verse that uses an absolute expression ('all' or 'none' or the like) should be understood with the absolute moderated by context and reason. The absolute is often used as merely an intensifier, a method of emphasis, not as a precise measurement.

1 Thess 2.13
When you received God’s word, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it truthfully is, as the word of God.

1 Cor 13:4-7
Love is long-suffering and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, does not get puffed up, 5 does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. 6 It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Deut 9:7, 8
[Moses reminded the Israelites:] "Do not forget how you have provoked Jehovah your God in the wilderness. From the day that you went out of the land of Egypt until your coming to this place you people have proved rebellious in your behavior with Jehovah. Even in Horeb you provoked Jehovah to anger so that Jehovah got incensed at you to the point of annihilating you."

Exodus 34:14
For you must not prostrate yourself to another god, because Jehovah, whose name is Jealous, he is a jealous God.

Gal 4:22-25
For example, it is written that Abraham acquired two sons, one by the servant girl [Hagar] and one by the free woman [Sarah]; the one by the servant girl was born in the manner of flesh, the other, by the free woman, through a [divine] promise. These things stand as a symbolic drama; for these [women] mean two covenants, the one from Mount Sinai [the Law], which brings forth children for slavery, and which is Hagar. Now Hagar means Sinai, a mountain in Arabia, and she corresponds with the Jerusalem today, for she is in slavery with her children [the Jews who cling to the Law]. But the Jerusalem above [the New covenant which replaces the Law] is free, and she is our mother.

The New covenant (which in turn represents the entire arrangement* that it establishes) is figuratively "mother" of anointed Christians, just as the Law (and the holy nation it established) was figurative "mother" of the people of Israel. This draws from the poetic depiction in Isaiah of literal Jerusalem (as symbol of the nation) as "mother" to her citizens, particularly in chapter 54. This is multilayered symbolism, which illustrates the point of how deep some scriptures are. To understand it fully, one must be familiar with the original stories and background.

*The New Jerusalem, located "above" (on a "Mt Zion" in heaven), represents the Kingdom government that brings divine rule to the earth (as described in Revelation 21:2-4). There the city is figuratively Jesus' wife. This does not create a contradiction, where Christians are simultaneously Jesus' children and his wife. Paul's figures of speech work in their context (all Christians, included those selected for heaven, are "children" of Christ, and those selected to be the new Israel are "sons" of that kingdom), and John's independently in his (those chosen to reign with Christ together compose a figurative "wife" to him). The Kingdom is discussed further in chapter 6 of this book.

Revelation 21:2-4, 9, 10:
I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: "Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. Yes, God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and there will be no death, no mourning, no outcry, nor pain anymore. The former things have passed away."
9 There came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, and he spoke with me and said: "Come here, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife." So he carried me away in spirit to a great and lofty mountain, and he showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.

Titus 1:2
. . . upon the basis of a hope of the everlasting life which God, who cannot lie, promised long ago.
Matt 19:26 Jesus said to them: "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Genesis 7 and 8 (abridged to bring out essential point at hand)
After that Jehovah said to Noah: "Go, you and all your household, into the ark, because you are the one I have seen to be righteous before me among this generation. . . . 4 For in just seven days more I am making it rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will wipe every existing thing that I have made off the surface of the ground." . . . 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on this day all the springs of the vast watery deep were broken open and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 12 And the downpour upon the earth went on for forty days and forty nights. . . . 17 And the deluge went on for forty days upon the earth, and the waters kept increasing and began carrying the ark and it was floating high above the earth. . . . 19 And the waters overwhelmed the earth so greatly that all the tall mountains that were under the whole heavens came to be covered. 20 Up to fifteen cubits [22-25 feet, or 8 meters] the waters overwhelmed them and the mountains became covered. 21 So all flesh that was moving upon the earth expired, among the flying creatures and among the domestic animals and among the wild beasts and among all the swarms that were swarming upon the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything in which the breath of the force of life was active in its nostrils, namely, all that were on the dry ground, died. 23 Thus he wiped out every existing thing that was on the surface of the ground, from man to beast, to moving animal and to flying creature of the heavens, and they were wiped off the earth; and only Noah and those who were with him in the ark kept on surviving. 24 And the waters continued overwhelming the earth a hundred and fifty days. 8 After that God . . . caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters began to subside. 2 And the springs of the watery deep and the floodgates of the heavens became stopped up, and so the downpour from the heavens was restrained. 3 And the waters began receding from off the earth, progressively receding; and at the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters were lacking. 4 And in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters kept on progressively lessening until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first of the month, the tops of the mountains appeared. 6 So it occurred that at the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark. . . 7 [And] he sent out a raven, and it continued flying outdoors, going and returning, until the waters dried off the earth. 8 Later he sent out a dove . . . 9 And the dove did not find any resting-place for the sole of its foot, and so it returned to him into the ark because the waters were yet upon the surface of the whole earth. At that he put his hand out and took it and brought it to himself inside the ark. 10 And he went on waiting still another seven days, and once again he sent out the dove from the ark. 11 Later on the dove came to him about the time of evening and, look! there was an olive leaf freshly plucked in its bill, and so Noah got to know that the waters had abated from the earth. 12 And he went on waiting still another seven days. Then he sent out the dove, but it did not come back again to him anymore. 13 Now in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, it came about that the waters had drained from off the earth; and Noah proceeded to remove the covering of the ark and to look, and here the surface of the ground had drained dry. 14 And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried off.

Matt 24:37-40, 42
For just as the days of Noah were, so the presence* of the Son of man will be. For as they were in those days before the flood, eating and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and they took no note until the flood came and swept them all away, so the presence of the Son of man will be. . . 42 Keep on the watch, therefore, because you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

*literally, "being alongside", a word sometimes used in describing a visit by a king. Why Jesus used this word is explained in chapter 7. The point here is Jesus' use of Noah and the Flood as a serious warning for an even greater event, which he surely would not have done if the Flood never happened.

Gen 2:5, 6
Now there was as yet no bush of the field found in the earth and no vegetation of the field was as yet sprouting, because Jehovah God had not made it rain upon the earth and there was no man to cultivate the ground. But a mist would go up from the earth and it watered the entire surface of the ground. 7 And Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust . . .

This appears to be a parenthetical comment about agriculture, not vegetation entirely, since Gen 1:11 says that God created plants long before man; science concurs. Hence the reference to "rain" cannot be taken absolutely. Exactly what it does mean is not clear.
Some say that this is an insertion summarizing conditions before any vegetation was created on the third "day", with a tremendous leap in time into the next verse, where man is created, on the 6th "day". But that would be confusing, since there was no logical connection between the absence of man and the flourishing of abundant vegetation on the 3rd day. Rather than reject the whole story because of one aside that doesn't make easy sense, we simply let it go and not make too much of it. It was not an essential detail then nor is it now.