By: Rabbi Tuly Weisz

More than any other topic, the Bible is in love with Israel, and nearly every page of the Tanakh (Torah, Prophets, Writings) bursts with passionate descriptions about the beauty of the Land. The all-new website www.TheIsraelBible.com highlights these incredibly moving passages along with interactive maps, entertaining videos, and a unique commentary that honors the God, the People of Israel, and the Land of Israel. From the thousands of beautiful passages throughout the Tanakh that describe our miraculous land, here are 68 biblical verses to celebrate Israel’s 68th birthday on this Yom Ha’atzmaut (Independence Day).

1. It is a Land that the Lord your God seeks out; the eyes of the Lord your God, are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. DEUTERONOMY (11:12)

2. I will return the captivity of my people Israel, and they will rebuild desolate cities and settle them. AMOS (9:14)

3. A Land where you will eat bread without poverty—you will lack nothing there. DEUTERONOMY (8:9)

4. He brought us to this place and He gave us this Land, a Land flowing with milk and honey. DEUTERONOMY (26:9)

5. There shall be no woman who loses her young or is barren in your Land. EXODUS (23:26)

6. This Land shall become yours as an inheritance. EZEKIEL (47:14)

7. Let it be known to the king that the Jews who went up from you have arrived in Jerusalem. EZRA (4:12)

8. The people all assembled as one man to Jerusalem. EZRA (3:1)

9. Jacob arose from his sleep and said, “Surely God is present in this place and I did not know!” GENESIS (28:16)

10. He planted a tree in Beer-sheba, and there he proclaimed in the Name of the Lord, God of the Universe. GENESIS (21:33)

11. The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this Land.” GENESIS (12:7)

12. Sojourn in this Land and I will be with you and bless you. GENESIS (26:3)

13. For now God has granted us ample space, and we can be fruitful in the Land. GENESIS (26:22)

14. And he named it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba until this very day. GENESIS (26:33)

15. David assembled to Jerusalem all the leaders of Israel. I CHRONICLES (28:1)

16. They came to Hebron wholeheartedly, to crown David king over all of Israel. I CHRONICLES (12:39).

17. They found rich and good pasture, and the land was wide open, quiet and peaceful. I CHRONICLES (4:40)

18. David ascended from there and dwelt in the strongholds of Ein Gedi. I SAMUEL (23:29)

19. The entire people of the land rejoiced and the city was tranquil. II CHRONICLES (23:21)

20. There was great joy in Jerusalem. II CHRONICLES (30:26)

21. Like flying birds, so will God protect Jerusalem. ISAIAH (31:5)

22. No longer will violence be heard in your Land, nor plunder and calamity at your borders. ISAIAH (60:18)

23. Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Land. ISAIAH (62:7)

24. For from Jerusalem shall emerge a remnant, and survivors from Mount Zion. ISAIAH (37:32)

25. I will establish My salvation in Zion, my splendor for Israel. ISAIAH (46:13)

26. Zion shall be redeemed through justice, and those who return to her through faithfulness. ISAIAH (1:27)

27. The entire Land is at rest and tranquil, they broke out in glad song. ISAIAH (14:7)

28. On that day this song will be sung in the Land of Judah. ISAIAH (26:1)

29. The desert will be glad and blossom like a lily. ISAIAH (35:1)

30. Shake the dust from yourself; arise and sit, O Jerusalem. ISAIAH (52:2)

31. You will yet plant vineyards in the mountains of Samaria; the planters will plant and redeem. JEREMIAH (7:4)

32. A king will reign and prosper and he will administer justice and righteousness in the Land. JEREMIAH (23:5)

33. Return, O Maiden of Israel, return to these cities of yours. JEREMIAH (31:20)

34. I brought you to this country of farmland to enjoy its fruit and bounty. JEREMIAH (2:7)

35. I shall take you one from a city and two from a family and I will bring you to Zion. JEREMIAH (3:14)

36. And they will come and sing joyously on the height of Zion. JEREMIAH (31:11)

37. Fear not, O Land; exult and be glad, for God has done great kindness. JOEL (2:21)

38. Every place upon which the sole of your foot will tread I have given to you. JOSHUA (1:3)

39. Go walk through the Land, describe it in writing, and return to me. JOSHUA (18:8)

40. You shall emerge from the vineyards and take a wife from the daughters of Shiloh. JUDGES (21:21)

41. For from Zion shall come forth the Torah, and the word of God from Jerusalem. MICAH (4:2)

42. The people blessed all those who volunteered to settle in Jerusalem. NEHEMIAH (11:2)

43.  You multiplied their children like the stars of the heavens, and You brought them to the Land. NEHEMIAH (9:23)

44. A song of ascents, when God will return the captivity of Zion, we will be like dreamers. PSALMS (126:1)

45. May you see children born to your children, peace upon Israel. PSALMS (128:6)

46. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; those who love you will be serene. PSALMS (122:6)

47. Tabor and Hermon sing forth Your name. PSALMS (89:12)

48. The dew of Hermon descends upon the mountains of Zion, for there the Lord, God, has commanded the blessing. PSALMS (133:3)

49. May there be peace within your wall, serenity within your palaces. PSALMS (122:7)

50. Blessed is God from Zion, He Who dwells in Jerusalem, Hallelujah! PSALMS (135:21)

51. The built up Jerusalem is like a city united together. PSALMS (122:3)

52. Jerusalem, mountains enwrap it, and God enwraps His people, from now and forever more. PSALMS (125:2)

53. If I forget thee O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its cunning. PSALMS (137:5)

54. The builder of Jerusalem is God, the outcast of Israel He will gather in. PSALMS (147:2)

55. I myself have anointed my king, over Zion, My Holy mountain. PSALMS (2:6)

56. May Mount Zion be glad, may the daughters of Judah rejoice because of Your judgments. PSALMS (48:11)

57. May God bless you from Zion, Maker of Heaven and Earth. PSALMS (134:3)

58. God loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. PSALMS (87:2)

59. God is recognized in Judah; in Israel His Name is great. PSALMS (114:2)

60. It is He who makes your borders peaceful, and with the cream of the wheat, He satisfies you. PSALMS (147:14)

61. Trust in God and do good, dwell in the Land and nourish yourself with faithfulness. PSALMS (37:3)

62. And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in its streets. ZECHARIAH (8:5)

63. God will have mercy on Zion once again and He will choose Jerusalem once again. ZECHARIAH (1:17)

64. Thus said the Lord, “My cities will once again spread out with bounty.” ZECHARIAH (1:17)

65. Sing and be glad, O daughter of Zion, for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst. ZECHARIAH (2:14)

66. On that day, it will be said to Jerusalem, “Have no fear! O Zion, do not despair!” ZECHARIAH (3:16)

67. You will arise and show Zion mercy, for the time to favor her, the appointed time has come. PSALMS (102:13)

68. Judah will exist forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. JOEL (4:20)

Rabbi Tuly Weisz is the founder of Israel365.com and BreakingIsraelNews.com, and the editor of “The Israel Bible,” the world’s first Tanakh to highlight the Land of Israel, the People of Israel, and the unique relationship between them. Visit the new website www.TheIsraelBible.com to download the FREE eBook “24 Inspirational Verses from the 24 Books of the Israel Bible.”