1194 verses about Encouragement

Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of Yahweh of Armies, their God,

“Speak now to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying,

‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Isn’t it in your eyes as nothing?

Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ says Yahweh. ‘Be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ says Yahweh, ‘and work, for I am with you,’ says Yahweh of Armies.

This is the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, and my Spirit lived among you. ‘Don’t be afraid.’

‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says Yahweh of Armies; ‘and in this place will I give peace,’ says Yahweh of Armies.”

‘Consider, please, from this day and backward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, since the day that the foundation of Yahweh’s temple was laid, consider it.

Yahweh answered the angel who talked with me with kind and comforting words.

Who are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you are a plain; and he will bring out the capstone with shouts of ‘Grace, grace, to it!’”

Indeed, who despises the day of small things? For these seven shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. These are Yahweh’s eyes, which run back and forth through the whole earth.”

Yahweh of Armies says: “Let your hands be strong, you who hear in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets who were in the day that the foundation of the house of Yahweh of Armies was laid, even the temple, that it might be built.

so again I have thought in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Don’t be afraid.

The chieftains of Judah will say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Yahweh of Armies their God.’

Tobit said to her, “Don’t worry, my sister. He will return safe and sound, and your eyes will see him.

For a good angel will go with him. His journey will be prospered, and he will return safe and sound.”

So she stopped weeping.

“Be comforted, my child. May the Lord of heaven and earth give you favor for this your sorrow. Be comforted, my daughter.”

Tobit saih to her, “Hold your peace. Don’t worry. He is in good health.”

And he said to them, “Don’t be afraid. You will all have peace; but bless God forever.

Give thanks to the Lord with goodness, and bless the everlasting King, that his tabernacle may be built in you again with joy, and that he may make glad in you those who are captives, and love in you forever those who are miserable.

They comforted Achior, and praised him exceedingly.

And Ozias said to them, “Brethren, be of good courage! Let us endure five more days, during which the Lord our God will turn his mercy toward us; for he will not forsake us utterly.

And Ozias said to her, “All that you have spoken, you have spoken with a good heart. There is no one who will deny your words.

When they came to her, they all blessed her with one accord, and said to her, “You are the exaltation of Jerusalem! You are the great glory of Israel! You are the great rejoicing of our race!

The they made themselves garlands of olive, she and those who were with her, and she went before all the people in the dance, leading all the women. All the men of Israel followed in their armor with garlands, and with songs in their mouths.

And he gave him the copy of the writing that was published in Susa concerning their destruction, to show to Esther; and told him to charge her to go in and entreat the king, and to beg him for the people, remembering, said he , the days of your low estate, how you were nursed by my hand: because Haman who holds the next place to the king has spoken against us for death. Do you call upon the Lord, and speak to the king concerning us, to deliver us from death.

Then Mordecai said to Hathach, Go, and say to her, Esther, say not to yourself that you alone will escape in the kingdom, more than all the other Jews.

And the king said to Esther at the banquet on the second day, What is it, queen Esther? and what is your request, and what is your petition? and it shall be done for you, to the half of my kingdom.

And Mordecai wrote these things in a book, and sent them to the Jews, as many as were in the kingdom of Ahasuerus, both them that were near and them that were afar off,

I determined therefore to take her to me to live with me, Knowing that she is one who would give me good thoughts for counsel, And encourage me in cares and grief.

But wisdom delivered out of troubles those that waited on her.

For in all things, O Lord, you did magnify your people, And you did glorify them and not lightly regard them; Standing by their side in every time and place.

A man that is longsuffering will bear for a season, And afterward gladness will spring up to him;

Put your trust in him, and he will help you: Order your ways aright, and set your hope on him.

Make not a hungry soul sorrowful; Neither provoke a man in his distress.

To a heart that is provoked add not more trouble; And defer not to give to him that is in need.

Be not lacking to those who weep; And mourn with those who mourn.

Be not slow to visit a sick man; For by such things you will gain love.

And lifted up his head; And many marveled at him.

Timber girded and bound into a building will not be loosed with shaking: So a heart established in due season on well advised counsel will not be afraid.

I will not be ashamed to shelter a friend; And I will not hide myself from his face:

Help your neighbor according to your power, And take heed to yourself that you fall not to the same.

Give not over your soul to sorrow; And afflict not yourself in your own counsel.

Love your own soul, and comfort your heart: And remove sorrow far from you; For sorrow has destroyed many, And there is no profit therein.

Rebuke not your neighbor at a banquet of wine, Neither set him at nothing in his mirth: Speak not to him a word of reproach, And press not upon him by asking back a debt.

But rather be continually with a godly man, Whom you shall have known to be a keeper of the commandments, Who in his soul is as your own soul, And who will grieve with you, if you shall miscarry.

Give not your heart to sorrow: Put it away, remembering the last end:

A mist coming speedily is the healing of all things; A dew coming after heat shall bring cheerfulness.

He saw by an excellent spirit what should come to pass at the last; And he comforted those who mourned in Sion.

Also of the twelve prophets May the bones flourish again out of their place. And he comforted Jacob, And delivered them by confidence of hope.

Be of good cheer, my people, the memorial of Israel.

Be of good cheer, O my children, cry to God, and he shall deliver you from the power and hand of the enemies.

Be of good cheer, O my children, and cry to God: for you⌃ shall be remembered of him that has brought these things upon you.

Be of good cheer, O Jerusalem: for he that called you by name will comfort you.

Put off, O Jerusalem, the garment of your mourning and affliction, and put on the comeliness of the glory that comes from God forever.

And call to remembrance the deeds of our fathers which they did in their generations; and receive great glory and an everlasting name.

But when they saw the army coming to meet them, they said to Judas, What? shall we be able, being a small company, to fight against so great and strong a multitude? and we for our part are faint, having tasted no food this day.

And Judas gathered together those that lagged behind, and encouraged the people all the way through, until he came into the land of Judah.

We have heard of you, that you are a mighty man of valour, and meet to be our Friend.

I also will write to them words of encouragement and of honor and of gifts, that they may be with me to aid me.

Therefore we also, albeit we need none of these things, having for our encouragement the holy books which are in our hands,

and now, since this is come to our knowledge, you⌃ shall do well to write to us of your prosperity.

And they perceived that he was taken and had perished, and those who were with him; and they encouraged one another, and went on their way close together, prepared to fight.

and he encouraged them, and said to them, You⌃ yourselves know all the things that I, and my kindred, and my father’s house, have done for the laws and the sanctuary, and the battles and the distresses which we have seen:

And the spirit of the people revived, as soon as they heard these words.

The ambassadors that were sent to our people made report to us of your glory and honor: and we were glad for their coming,

And now we here are praying for you.

And with other such words exhorted he them, that the law should not depart from their heart.

I beseech therefore those that read this book, that they be not discouraged because of the calamities, but account that these punishments were not for the destruction, but for the chastening of our race.

Wherefore he never withdraws his mercy from us; but though he chasteneth with calamity, yet does he not forsake his own people.

And when he was utterly maimed, the king commanded to bring him to the fire, being yet alive, and to fry him in the pan. And as the vapor of the pan spread far, they and their mother also exhorted one another to die nobly, saying thus:

But above all was the mother marvelous and worthy of honorable memory; for when she looked on seven sons perishing within the space of one day, she bare the sight with a good courage for the hopes that she had set on the Lord.

And when he had exhorted her with many words, she undertook to persuade her son.

But bending toward him, laughing the cruel tyrant to scorn, she spoke thus in the language of her fathers: My son, have pity upon me that carried you nine months in my womb, and gave you suck three years, and nourished and brought you up to this age, and sustained you.

And when he had with these words made them of good courage, and ready to die for the laws and their country, he divided his army into four parts;

not despairing of myself, but having great hope to escape from the sickness.

I exhort you therefore and beseech you, having in your remembrance the benefits done to you in common and severally, to preserve each of you your present good will toward me and my son.

For I am persuaded that he in gentleness and kindness will follow my purpose and treat you with indulgence.

And they kept eight days with gladness in the manner of the feast of tabernacles, remembering how that not long before, during the feast of tabernacles, they were wandering in the mountains and in the caves after the manner of wild beasts.

And Maccabaeus himself took up arms first, and exhorted the others to jeopard themselves together with him and succour their kindred; and they sallied forth with him right willingly.

Moreover I have sent Menelaus also, that he may encourage you.

But when the Jews that were settled there testified of the good will that the Scythopolitans had shewn toward them, and of their kindly bearing toward them in the times of their misfortune,

they gave thanks, and further exhorted them to remain well affected toward the race for the future; and they went up to Jerusalem, the feast of weeks being close to hand.

But do you, O king, having informed yourself of these things severally, take thought both for our country and for our race, which is surrounded by foes, according to the gracious kindness with which you receive all.

but Maccabaeus still trusted unceasingly, with all hope that he should obtain help from the Lord.

And he exhorted his company not to be fearful at the inroad of the heathen, but, keeping in mind the help which of old they had oftentimes received from heaven, so now also to look for the victory which would come to them from the Almighty;

and comforting them out of the law and the prophets, and withal putting them in mind of the conflicts that they had maintained, he made them more eager for the battle.

And arming each one of them, not so much with the sure defence of shields and spears as with the encouragement that lies in good words, and moreover relating to them a dream worthy to be believed, he made them all exceeding glad.

And being encouraged by the words of Judas, which were of a lofty strain, and able to incite to virtue and to stir the souls of the young to manly courage, they determined not to carry on a campaign, but nobly to bear down upon the enemy, and fighting hand to hand with all courage bring the matter to an issue, because the city and the sanctuary and the temple were in danger.

Then Darius the king stood up, and kissed him, and wrote letters for him to all the treasurers and governors and captains and satraps, that they should safely bring on their way both him, and all those that should go up with him to build Jerusalem.

And I also do command to have it built up whole again; and that they look diligently to help those that be of the captivity of Judea, till the house of the Lord be finished:

and has honored me in the sight of the king, and his counselors, and all his friends and nobles.

Therefore was I encouraged by the help of the Lord my God, and gathered together out of Israel men to go up with me.

For we had said to the king, that the power of our Lord would be with those who seek him, to support them in all ways.

Arise, and put in execution: for to you does this matter appertain, and we will be with you to do valiantly.

Having vanquished this attempt, the king then decided to proceed to the neighbouring cities, and encourage them.

Nor was this unexpected uproar and sudden conflux of people unobserved by the Greeks who lived in the city, concerning men who had never harmed them: yet to aid them was not in their power, since all was oppression around; but they encouraged them in their troubles, and expected a favourable turn of affairs:

Some of the neighbors, friends, and fellow dealers of the Jews, even called them secretly to an interview, pledged them their assistance, and promised to do their very utmost for them.

When the king said this, the company present were glad, and approved; and then each man went to his own home.

Ceasing their miserable strain of woe, they took up the subject of their fatherland, hymning in praise God their wonder-working Saviour. All groans, all wailing, were laid aside: they formed dances in token of serene joy.