When law and order are being destroyed, what can godly people do?”

根基若毁坏，义人还能做什么呢？”

根基若毁坏，义人还能做什么呢？”

根基若毁坏，义人还能做什么呢？”

根基若遭毁坏，义人还能做什么？”

根基既然毁坏，义人还能作什么呢？”

如果根基被毁，义人还能做什么呢？

根基若毀壞，義人還能做甚麼呢？

根基若毀壞，義人還能做甚麼呢？」

根基若毀壞，義人還能做甚麼呢？」

根基若遭毀壞，義人還能做什麼？」

根基既然毀壞，義人還能作甚麼呢？”

根基若毁壞，義人還能作甚麼？』

如果根基被毀，義人還能做什麼呢？

基礎如其傾圮、義者將何為兮、

根基若壞、善人亦復何為、

國家根基已崩潰。賢人焉能獨支撐。

When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

The foundations of law and order have collapsed. What can the righteous do?”

When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?”

If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?

If the foundations be destroyed, What can the righteous do?

When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

When the foundations are destroyed, what can the godly accomplish?”

If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?

“ You leaders don’t know anything. You don’t understand anything. You are in the dark about what is right. Law and order have been destroyed all over the world.

But God’s solid foundation stands firm. Here is the message written on it.“ The Lord knows who his own people are.”( Numbers 16:5) Also,“ All who say they believe in the Lord must turn away from evil.”

Your people will rebuild the cities that were destroyed long ago. And you will build again on the old foundations. You will be called One Who Repairs Broken Walls. You will be called One Who Makes City Streets Like New Again.

When the earth and all its people tremble, I keep everything from falling to pieces.

You will hear the horns, flutes, zithers, lyres, harps, pipes and other musical instruments. When you do, fall down and worship the statue I made. If you will, that’s very good. But if you won’t, you will be thrown at once into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to save you from my power?”Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him. They said,“ King Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to talk about this anymore.We might be thrown into the blazing furnace. But the God we serve is able to bring us out of it alive. He will save us from your power.But we want you to know this, Your Majesty. Even if we knew that our God wouldn’t save us, we still wouldn’t serve your gods. We wouldn’t worship the gold statue you set up.”

One day I went to Shemaiah’s house. He was the son of Delaiah. Delaiah was the son of Mehetabel. Shemaiah had shut himself up in his home. He said,“ Let’s go to God’s house. Let’s meet inside the temple and close the doors. Some men are coming at night to kill you.”But I said,“ Should a man like me run away? Should someone like me go into the temple just to save his life? No! I won’t go!”I realized that God hadn’t sent Shemaiah. Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. That’s why he had prophesied lies about me.

Where is the king of Hamath? Where is the king of Arpad? Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?’ ”When Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers, he read it. Then he went up to the Lord’ s temple. There he spread the letter out in front of the Lord.Hezekiah prayed to the Lord. He said,“ Lord, you are the God of Israel. You sit on your throne between the cherubim. You alone are God over all the kingdoms on earth. You have made heaven and earth.Listen, Lord. Hear us. Open your eyes, Lord. Look at the trouble we’re in. Listen to what Sennacherib is saying. You are the living God. And he dares to make fun of you!“ Lord, it’s true that the kings of Assyria have completely destroyed many nations and their lands.They have thrown the statues of the gods of those nations into the fire. And they have destroyed them. That’s because they weren’t really gods at all. They were nothing but statues made out of wood and stone. They were made by human hands.

The believers heard this. Then they raised their voices together in prayer to God.“ Lord and King,” they said,“ you made the heavens, the earth and the sea. You made everything in them.Long ago you spoke by the Holy Spirit. You spoke through the mouth of our father David, who served you. You said,“‘ Why are the nations angry? Why do the people make useless plans?The kings of the earth rise up. The rulers of the earth gather together against the Lord and against his anointed king.’( Psalm 2:1, 2)In fact, Herod and Pontius Pilate met with the Gentiles in this city. They also met with the people of Israel. All of them made plans against your holy servant Jesus. He is the one you anointed.They did what your power and purpose had already decided should happen.Now, Lord, consider the bad things they say they are going to do. Help us to be very bold when we speak your word.Stretch out your hand to heal. Do signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit. They were bold when they spoke God’s word.All the believers were agreed in heart and mind. They didn’t claim that anything they had was their own. Instead, they shared everything they owned.With great power the apostles continued their teaching. They were telling people that the Lord Jesus had risen from the dead. And God’s grace was working powerfully in all of them.

“‘ Don’t you know what I and the kings who ruled before me have done? Don’t you know what we’ve done to all the peoples of the other lands? Were the gods of those nations ever able to save their lands from my power?The kings who ruled before me destroyed many nations. Which one of the gods of those nations has been able to save his people from me? So how can your god save you from my power?Don’t let Hezekiah trick you. He’s telling you lies. Don’t believe him. No god of any nation or kingdom has been able to save his people from my power. No god has been able to save his people from the power of the kings who ruled before me. So your god won’t save you from my power either!’ ”

Daniel found out that the king had signed the order. In spite of that, he did just as he had always done before. He went home to his upstairs room. Its windows opened toward Jerusalem. He went to his room three times a day to pray. He got down on his knees and gave thanks to his God.Some of the other royal officials went to where Daniel was staying. They saw him praying and asking God for help.So they went to the king. They spoke to him about his royal order. They said,“ Your Majesty, didn’t you sign an official order? It said that for the next 30 days your people could pray only to you. They could not pray to anyone else, whether god or human being. If they did, they would be thrown into the lions’ den.” The king answered,“ The order must still be obeyed. It’s what the law of the Medes and Persians requires. So it can’t be changed.”Then they spoke to the king again. They said,“ Daniel is one of the prisoners from Judah. He doesn’t pay any attention to you, Your Majesty. He doesn’t obey the order you put in writing. He still prays to his God three times a day.”When the king heard this, he was very upset. He didn’t want Daniel to be harmed in any way. Until sunset, he did everything he could to save him.Then the men went as a group to King Darius. They said to him,“ Your Majesty, remember that no order or command you give can be changed. That’s what the law of the Medes and Persians requires.”So the king gave the order. Daniel was brought out and thrown into the lions’ den. The king said to him,“ You always serve your God faithfully. So may he save you!”A stone was brought and placed over the opening of the den. The king sealed it with his own special ring. He also sealed it with the rings of his nobles. Then nothing could be done to help Daniel.The king returned to his palace. He didn’t eat anything that night. He didn’t ask for anything to be brought to him for his enjoyment. And he couldn’t sleep.As soon as the sun began to rise, the king got up. He hurried to the lions’ den.When he got near it, he called out to Daniel. His voice was filled with great concern. He said,“ Daniel! You serve the living God. You always serve him faithfully. So has he been able to save you from the lions?”Daniel answered,“ Your Majesty, may you live forever!My God sent his angel. And his angel shut the mouths of the lions. They haven’t hurt me at all. That’s because I haven’t done anything wrong in God’s sight. I’ve never done anything wrong to you either, Your Majesty.”The king was filled with joy. He ordered his servants to lift Daniel out of the den. So they did. They didn’t see any wounds on him. That’s because he had trusted in his God.Then the king gave another order. The men who had said bad things about Daniel were brought in. They were thrown into the lions’ den. So were their wives and children. Before they hit the bottom of the den, the lions attacked them. And the lions crushed all their bones.Then King Darius wrote to people of all nations, no matter what language they spoke. He said,“ May you have great success!“ I order people in every part of my kingdom to respect and honor Daniel’s God.“ He is the living God. He will live forever. His kingdom will not be destroyed. His rule will never end.He sets people free and saves them. He does miraculous signs and wonders. He does them in the heavens and on the earth. He has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.”So Daniel had success while Darius was king. Things went well with Daniel during the rule of Cyrus, the Persian.

“ But Rabbi,” they said,“ a short time ago the Jews there tried to kill you with stones. Are you still going back?”Jesus answered,“ Aren’t there 12 hours of daylight? Anyone who walks during the day won’t trip and fall. They can see because of this world’s light.But when they walk at night, they’ll trip and fall. They have no light.”

Then the priests and prophets spoke to the officials and all the people. They said,“ This man should be sentenced to death. He has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!”Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and people. He said,“ The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and this city. He told me to say everything you have heard.So change the way you live and act. Obey the Lord your God. Then he won’t do what he said he would. He won’t bring on you the trouble he said he would bring.As for me, I’m in your hands. Do to me what you think is good and right.But you can be sure of one thing. If you put me to death, you will be held responsible for spilling my blood. And I haven’t even done anything wrong. You will bring guilt on yourselves and this city and those who live in it. The Lord has sent me to you. He wanted me to say all these things so you could hear them. And that’s the truth.”

The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem.Annas, the high priest, was there. So were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and other people in the high priest’s family.They had Peter and John brought to them. They wanted to question them.“ By what power did you do this?” they asked.“ And through whose name?”Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit. He said to them,“ Rulers and elders of the people!Are you asking us to explain our actions today? Do you want to know why we were kind to a man who couldn’t walk? Are you asking how he was healed?Then listen to this, you and all the people of Israel! You nailed Jesus Christ of Nazareth to the cross. But God raised him from the dead. It is through Jesus’ name that this man stands healed in front of you.Scripture says that Jesus is“‘ the stone you builders did not accept. But it has become the most important stone of all.’( Psalm 118:22)You can’t be saved by believing in anyone else. God has given people no other name under heaven that will save them.”

He gave orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Akbor, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah. Ahikam was the son of Shaphan. Akbor was the son of Micaiah. And Asaiah was the king’s attendant. Josiah commanded them,“ Go. Ask the Lord for advice. Ask him about what is written in this book that has been found. Do it for me. Also do it for the people and the whole nation of Judah. The Lord is very angry with us. That’s because our people who have lived before us didn’t obey the words of this book. They didn’t do everything written there about us.”Hilkiah the priest went to speak to Huldah the prophet. So did Ahikam, Akbor, Shaphan and Asaiah. Huldah was the wife of Shallum. Shallum was the son of Tikvah. Tikvah was the son of Harhas. Shallum took care of the sacred robes. Huldah lived in the New Quarter of Jerusalem.