# verse

text:
 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel: 


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 The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, and the sons of Shobai, in all 139. 


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 The sons of Solomon&amp;apos;s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Hassophereth, the sons of Peruda, 


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 The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, though they could not prove their fathers&amp;apos; houses or their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: 


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 Also, of the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, and the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name). 


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 These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but they were not found there, and so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 


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 The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food, until there should be a priest to consult Urim and Thummim. 


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 besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337, and they had 200 male and female singers. 


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 Some of the heads of families, when they came to the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem, made freewill offerings for the house of God, to erect it on its site. 


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 According to their ability they gave to the treasury of the work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priests&amp;apos; garments. 


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 Now the priests, the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their towns, and all the rest of Israel in their towns. 


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 When the seventh month came, and the children of Israel were in the towns, the people gathered as one man to Jerusalem. 


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 Then arose Jeshua the son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel with his kinsmen, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. 


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 They set the altar in its place, for fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, burnt offerings morning and evening. 


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 And they kept the Feast of Booths, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the rule, as each day required, 


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 and after that the regular burnt offerings, the offerings at the new moon and at all the appointed feasts of the LORD, and the offerings of everyone who made a freewill offering to the LORD. 


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 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid. 


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 So they gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus king of Persia. 


text:
 Now in the second year after their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak made a beginning, together with the rest of their kinsmen, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity. They appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to supervise the work of the house of the LORD. 


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 And Jeshua with his sons and his brothers, and Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together supervised the workmen in the house of God, along with the sons of Henadad and the Levites, their sons and brothers. 


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 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the directions of David king of Israel. 


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 And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, &amp;quot;For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.&amp;quot; And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. 


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 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers&amp;apos; houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, 


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 so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people&amp;apos;s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away. 


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 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the LORD, the God of Israel, 


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 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers&amp;apos; houses and said to them, &amp;quot;Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.&amp;quot; 


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 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers&amp;apos; houses in Israel said to them, &amp;quot;You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.&amp;quot; 


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 and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. 


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 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. 


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 In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and Mithredath and Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated. 


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 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows: 


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 Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the governors, the officials, the Persians, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the Elamites, 


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 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River. 


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 (This is a copy of the letter that they sent.) &amp;quot;To Artaxerxes the king: Your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River, send greeting. And now 


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 be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations. 


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 Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired. 


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 Now because we eat the salt of the palace and it is not fitting for us to witness the king&amp;apos;s dishonor, therefore we send and inform the king, 


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 in order that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it from of old. That was why this city was laid waste. 


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 We make known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River.&amp;quot; 


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 The king sent an answer: &amp;quot;To Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River, greeting. And now 


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 And I made a decree, and search has been made, and it has been found that this city from of old has risen against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it. 


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 And mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, who ruled over the whole province Beyond the River, to whom tribute, custom, and toll were paid. 


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 Therefore make a decree that these men be made to cease, and that this city be not rebuilt, until a decree is made by me. 


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 And take care not to be slack in this matter. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the king?&amp;quot; 


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 Then, when the copy of King Artaxerxes&amp;apos; letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their associates, they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease. 


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 Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia. 


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 Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. 


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 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them. 


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 At the same time Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and their associates came to them and spoke to them thus: &amp;quot;Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?&amp;quot; 


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 They also asked them this: &amp;quot;What are the names of the men who are building this building?&amp;quot; 


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 But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until the report should reach Darius and then an answer be returned by letter concerning it. 


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 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and his associates, the governors who were in the province Beyond the River, sent to Darius the king. 


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 Be it known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones, and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands. 


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 Then we asked those elders and spoke to them thus: &amp;apos;Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?&amp;apos; 


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 We also asked them their names, for your information, that we might write down the names of their leaders. 


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 And this was their reply to us: &amp;apos;We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished. 


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 But because our fathers had angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried away the people to Babylonia. 


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 However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree that this house of God should be rebuilt. 


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 And the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon, these Cyrus the king took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor; 


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 and he said to him, &amp;quot;Take these vessels, go and put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site.&amp;quot; 


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 Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it has been in building, and it is not yet finished.&amp;apos; 


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 Therefore, if it seems good to the king, let search be made in the royal archives there in Babylon, to see whether a decree was issued by Cyrus the king for the rebuilding of this house of God in Jerusalem. And let the king send us his pleasure in this matter.&amp;quot; 


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 Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in Babylonia, in the house of the archives where the documents were stored. 


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 And in Ecbatana, the capital that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found on which this was written: &amp;quot;A record. 


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 In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt, the place where sacrifices were offered, and let its foundations be retained. Its height shall be sixty cubits and its breadth sixty cubits, 


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 with three layers of great stones and one layer of timber. Let the cost be paid from the royal treasury. 


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 And also let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought back to the temple that is in Jerusalem, each to its place. You shall put them in the house of God.&amp;quot; 


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 &amp;quot;Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates the governors who are in the province Beyond the River, keep away. 


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 Let the work on this house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site. 


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 Moreover, I make a decree regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God. The cost is to be paid to these men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province from Beyond the River. 


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 And whatever is needed--bulls, rams, or sheep for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, or oil, as the priests at Jerusalem require--let that be given to them day by day without fail, 


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 that they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons. 


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 Also I make a decree that if anyone alters this edict, a beam shall be pulled out of his house, and he shall be impaled on it, and his house shall be made a dunghill. 


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 May the God who has caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who shall put out a hand to alter this, or to destroy this house of God that is in Jerusalem. I Darius make a decree; let it be done with all diligence.&amp;quot; 


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 Then, according to the word sent by Darius the king, Tattenai, the governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates did with all diligence what Darius the king had ordered. 


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 And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia; 


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 and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. 


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 And the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. 


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 They offered at the dedication of this house of God 100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel 12 male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. 


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 And they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their divisions, for the service of God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses. 


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 For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were clean. So they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves. 


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 It was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile, and also by every one who had joined them and separated himself from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to worship the LORD, the God of Israel. 


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 And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the LORD had made them joyful and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel. 


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 Now after this, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, 


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 this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the LORD, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him. 


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 And there went up also to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king, some of the people of Israel, and some of the priests and Levites, the singers and gatekeepers, and the temple servants. 


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 For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylonia, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, for the good hand of his God was on him. 


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 For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. 


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 This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, a man learned in matters of the commandments of the LORD and his statutes for Israel: 


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 &amp;quot;Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven. Peace. And now 


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 I make a decree that anyone of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom, who freely offers to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. 


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 For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand, 


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 and also to carry the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 


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 with all the silver and gold that you shall find in the whole province of Babylonia, and with the freewill offerings of the people and the priests, vowed willingly for the house of their God that is in Jerusalem. 


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 With this money, then, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and you shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God that is in Jerusalem. 


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 Whatever seems good to you and your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do, according to the will of your God. 


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 The vessels that have been given you for the service of the house of your God, you shall deliver before the God of Jerusalem. 


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 And whatever else is required for the house of your God, which it falls to you to provide, you may provide it out of the king&amp;apos;s treasury. 


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 &amp;quot;And I, Artaxerxes the king, make a decree to all the treasurers in the province Beyond the River: Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, requires of you, let it be done with all diligence, 


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 up to 100 talents of silver, 100 cors of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. 


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 Whatever is decreed by the God of heaven, let it be done in full for the house of the God of heaven, lest his wrath be against the realm of the king and his sons. 


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 We also notify you that it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll on anyone of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, or other servants of this house of God. 


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 &amp;quot;And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God. And those who do not know them, you shall teach. 


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 Whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be strictly executed on him, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment.&amp;quot; 


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 Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem, 


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 and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king&amp;apos;s mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the LORD my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me. 


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 These are the heads of their fathers&amp;apos; houses, and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylonia, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king: 


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 Of the sons of Shecaniah, who was of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah, with whom were registered 150 men. 


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 Of the sons of Adonikam, those who came later, their names being Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men. 


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 I gathered them to the river that runs to Ahava, and there we camped three days. As I reviewed the people and the priests, I found there none of the sons of Levi. 


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 Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, leading men, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of insight, 


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 and sent them to Iddo, the leading man at the place Casiphia, telling them what to say to Iddo and his brothers and the temple servants at the place Casiphia, namely, to send us ministers for the house of our God. 


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 And by the good hand of our God on us, they brought us a man of discretion, of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, son of Israel, namely Sherebiah with his sons and kinsmen, 18; 


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 besides 220 of the temple servants, whom David and his officials had set apart to attend the Levites. These were all mentioned by name. 


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 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. 


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 For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, &amp;quot;The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.&amp;quot; 


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 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their kinsmen with them. 


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 And I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God that the king and his counselors and his lords and all Israel there present had offered. 


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 I weighed out into their hand 650 talents of silver, and silver vessels worth 200 talents, and 100 talents of gold, 


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 And I said to them, &amp;quot;You are holy to the LORD, and the vessels are holy, and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your fathers. 


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 Guard them and keep them until you weigh them before the chief priests and the Levites and the heads of fathers&amp;apos; houses in Israel at Jerusalem, within the chambers of the house of the LORD.&amp;quot; 


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 So the priests and the Levites took over the weight of the silver and the gold and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God. 


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 Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way. 


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 On the fourth day, within the house of our God, the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed into the hands of Meremoth the priest, son of Uriah, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas, and with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui. 


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 At that time those who had come from captivity, the returned exiles, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and as a sin offering twelve male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD. 


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 They also delivered the king&amp;apos;s commissions to the king&amp;apos;s satraps and to the governors of the province Beyond the River, and they aided the people and the house of God. 


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 After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, &amp;quot;The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 


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 For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.&amp;quot; 


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 As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. 


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 Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the faithlessness of the returned exiles, gathered around me while I sat appalled until the evening sacrifice. 


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 And at the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God, 


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 saying: &amp;quot;O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens. 


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 From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as it is today. 


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 But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery. 


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 For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem. 


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 &amp;quot;And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments, 


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 which you commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, &amp;apos;The land that you are entering, to take possession of it, is a land impure with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations that have filled it from end to end with their uncleanness. 


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 Therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.&amp;apos; 


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 And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, 


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 shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape? 


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 O LORD, the God of Israel, you are just, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand before you because of this.&amp;quot; 


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 While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly. 


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 And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra: &amp;quot;We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. 


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 Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law. 


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 Then Ezra arose and made the leading priests and Levites and all Israel take oath that they would do as had been said. So they took the oath. 


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 Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib, where he spent the night, neither eating bread nor drinking water, for he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles. 


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 And a proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the returned exiles that they should assemble at Jerusalem, 


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 and that if anyone did not come within three days, by order of the officials and the elders all his property should be forfeited, and he himself banned from the congregation of the exiles. 


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 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month. And all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the heavy rain. 


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 And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, &amp;quot;You have broken faith and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel. 


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 Now then make confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.&amp;quot; 


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 Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, &amp;quot;It is so; we must do as you have said. 


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 But the people are many, and it is a time of heavy rain; we cannot stand in the open. Nor is this a task for one day or for two, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter. 


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 Let our officials stand for the whole assembly. Let all in our cities who have taken foreign wives come at appointed times, and with them the elders and judges of every city, until the fierce wrath of our God over this matter is turned away from us.&amp;quot; 


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 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them. 


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 Then the returned exiles did so. Ezra the priest selected men, heads of fathers&amp;apos; houses, according to their fathers&amp;apos; houses, each of them designated by name. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to examine the matter; 


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 and by the first day of the first month they had come to the end of all the men who had married foreign women. 


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 Now there were found some of the sons of the priests who had married foreign women: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah, some of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers. 


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 They pledged themselves to put away their wives, and their guilt offering was a ram of the flock for their guilt. 


text:
 And of Israel: of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Hashabiah, and Benaiah. 


text:
 Of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh. 


text:
 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the capital, 


text:
 that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. 


text:
 And they said to me, &amp;quot;The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.&amp;quot; 


text:
 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 


text:
 And I said, &amp;quot;O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 


text:
 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father&amp;apos;s house have sinned. 


text:
 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. 


text:
 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, &amp;apos;If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, 


text:
 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.&amp;apos; 


text:
 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 


text:
 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.&amp;quot; Now I was cupbearer to the king. 


text:
 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. 


text:
 And the king said to me, &amp;quot;Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.&amp;quot; Then I was very much afraid. 


text:
 I said to the king, &amp;quot;Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers&amp;apos; graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then the king said to me, &amp;quot;What are you requesting?&amp;quot; So I prayed to the God of heaven. 


text:
 And I said to the king, &amp;quot;If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers&amp;apos; graves, that I may rebuild it.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), &amp;quot;How long will you be gone, and when will you return?&amp;quot; So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. 


text:
 And I said to the king, &amp;quot;If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 


text:
 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king&amp;apos;s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.&amp;quot; And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me. 


text:
 Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king&amp;apos;s letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. 


text:
 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel. 


text:
 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode. 


text:
 I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. 


text:
 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King&amp;apos;s Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass. 


text:
 Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 


text:
 And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work. 


text:
 Then I said to them, &amp;quot;You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, &amp;quot;Let us rise up and build.&amp;quot; So they strengthened their hands for the good work. 


text:
 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, &amp;quot;What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then I replied to them, &amp;quot;The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel. 


text:
 The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They laid its beams and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. 


text:
 And next to them Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired. And next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel repaired. And next to them Zadok the son of Baana repaired. 


text:
 Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Gate of Yeshanah. They laid its beams and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. 


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 And next to them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, the seat of the governor of the province Beyond the River. 


text:
 Next to them Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths, repaired. Next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, repaired, and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. 


text:
 Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph repaired opposite his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah repaired. 


text:
 Malchijah the son of Harim and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens. 


text:
 Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired, he and his daughters. 


text:
 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall, as far as the Dung Gate. 


text:
 Malchijah the son of Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem, repaired the Dung Gate. He rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. 


text:
 And Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it and covered it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. And he built the wall of the Pool of Shelah of the king&amp;apos;s garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the city of David. 


text:
 After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district of Beth-zur, repaired to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool, and as far as the house of the mighty men. 


text:
 After him the Levites repaired: Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, repaired for his district. 


text:
 After him their brothers repaired: Bavvai the son of Henadad, ruler of half the district of Keilah. 


text:
 Next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section opposite the ascent to the armory at the buttress. 


text:
 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai repaired another section from the buttress to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 


text:
 After him Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired another section from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib. 


text:
 After them Benjamin and Hasshub repaired opposite their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah repaired beside his own house. 


text:
 After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to the buttress 


text:
 and to the corner. Palal the son of Uzai repaired opposite the buttress and the tower projecting from the upper house of the king at the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh 


text:
 and the temple servants living on Ophel repaired to a point opposite the Water Gate on the east and the projecting tower. 


text:
 After him the Tekoites repaired another section opposite the great projecting tower as far as the wall of Ophel. 


text:
 After them Zadok the son of Immer repaired opposite his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, repaired. 


text:
 After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah repaired opposite his chamber. 


text:
 After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, opposite the Muster Gate, and to the upper chamber of the corner. 


text:
 And between the upper chamber of the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants repaired. 


text:
 Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. 


text:
 And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, &amp;quot;What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?&amp;quot; 


text:
 Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, &amp;quot;Yes, what they are building--if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!&amp;quot; 


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 Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. 


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 Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders. 


text:
 So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. 


text:
 But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. 


text:
 In Judah it was said, &amp;quot;The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And our enemies said, &amp;quot;They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.&amp;quot; 


text:
 At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, &amp;quot;You must return to us.&amp;quot; 


text:
 So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 


text:
 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, &amp;quot;Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.&amp;quot; 


text:
 When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. 


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 From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, 


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 who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. 


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 And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. 


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 And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, &amp;quot;The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. 


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 In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.&amp;quot; 


text:
 So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. 


text:
 I also said to the people at that time, &amp;quot;Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day.&amp;quot; 


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 So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand. 


text:
 For there were those who said, &amp;quot;With our sons and our daughters, we are many. So let us get grain, that we may eat and keep alive.&amp;quot; 


text:
 There were also those who said, &amp;quot;We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And there were those who said, &amp;quot;We have borrowed money for the king&amp;apos;s tax on our fields and our vineyards. 


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 Now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children are as their children. Yet we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but it is not in our power to help it, for other men have our fields and our vineyards.&amp;quot; 


text:
 I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, &amp;quot;You are exacting interest, each from his brother.&amp;quot; And I held a great assembly against them 


text:
 and said to them, &amp;quot;We, as far as we are able, have bought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!&amp;quot; They were silent and could not find a word to say. 


text:
 So I said, &amp;quot;The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies? 


text:
 Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest. 


text:
 Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then they said, &amp;quot;We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say.&amp;quot; And I called the priests and made them swear to do as they had promised. 


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 I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, &amp;quot;So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.&amp;quot; And all the assembly said &amp;quot;Amen&amp;quot; and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised. 


text:
 Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor. 


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 The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God. 


text:
 I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. 


text:
 Moreover, there were at my table 150 men, Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. 


text:
 Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people. 


text:
 Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), 


text:
 Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, &amp;quot;Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.&amp;quot; But they intended to do me harm. 


text:
 And I sent messengers to them, saying, &amp;quot;I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?&amp;quot; 


text:
 In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. 


text:
 In it was written, &amp;quot;It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports you wish to become their king. 


text:
 And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, &amp;apos;There is a king in Judah.&amp;apos; And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come and let us take counsel together.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then I sent to him, saying, &amp;quot;No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.&amp;quot; 


text:
 For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, &amp;quot;Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.&amp;quot; But now, O God, strengthen my hands. 


text:
 Now when I went into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his home, he said, &amp;quot;Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple. Let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. They are coming to kill you by night.&amp;quot; 


text:
 But I said, &amp;quot;Should such a man as I run away? And what man such as I could go into the temple and live? I will not go in.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And I understood and saw that God had not sent him, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 


text:
 For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin, and so they could give me a bad name in order to taunt me. 


text:
 Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid. 


text:
 And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. 


text:
 Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah&amp;apos;s letters came to them. 


text:
 For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah: and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as his wife. 


text:
 Also they spoke of his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid. 


text:
 Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, 


text:
 I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many. 


text:
 And I said to them, &amp;quot;Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and I found written in it: 


text:
 These were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried into exile. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his town. 


text:
 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel: 


text:
 The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, 138. 


text:
 The sons of Solomon&amp;apos;s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Perida, 


text:
 The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove their fathers&amp;apos; houses nor their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: 


text:
 Also, of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name). 


text:
 These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but it was not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 


text:
 The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food until a priest with Urim and Thummim should arise. 


text:
 besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337. And they had 245 singers, male and female. 


text:
 Now some of the heads of fathers&amp;apos; houses gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 basins, 30 priests&amp;apos; garments and 500 minas of silver. 


text:
 And some of the heads of fathers&amp;apos; houses gave into the treasury of the work 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. 


text:
 And what the rest of the people gave was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 priests&amp;apos; garments. 


text:
 So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel, lived in their towns. And when the seventh month had come, the people of Israel were in their towns. 


text:
 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD had commanded Israel. 


text:
 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. 


text:
 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. 


text:
 And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. 


text:
 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. 


text:
 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, &amp;quot;Amen, Amen,&amp;quot; lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. 


text:
 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. 


text:
 They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. 


text:
 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, &amp;quot;This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep.&amp;quot; For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. 


text:
 Then he said to them, &amp;quot;Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.&amp;quot; 


text:
 So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, &amp;quot;Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them. 


text:
 On the second day the heads of fathers&amp;apos; houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the Law. 


text:
 And they found it written in the Law that the LORD had commanded by Moses that the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, 


text:
 and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their towns and in Jerusalem, &amp;quot;Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.&amp;quot; 


text:
 So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. 


text:
 And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing. 


text:
 And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule. 


text:
 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. 


text:
 And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 


text:
 And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the LORD their God. 


text:
 On the stairs of the Levites stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani; and they cried with a loud voice to the LORD their God. 


text:
 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, &amp;quot;Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. 


text:
 &amp;quot;You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. 


text:
 You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham. 


text:
 You found his heart faithful before you, and made with him the covenant to give to his offspring the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite. And you have kept your promise, for you are righteous. 


text:
 and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that they acted arrogantly against our fathers. And you made a name for yourself, as it is to this day. 


text:
 And you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters. 


text:
 By a pillar of cloud you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go. 


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 You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, 


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 and you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant. 


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 You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them. 


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 &amp;quot;But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. 


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 They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. 


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 Even when they had made for themselves a golden calf and said, &amp;apos;This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,&amp;apos; and had committed great blasphemies, 


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 you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. 


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 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. 


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 Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. 


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 &amp;quot;And you gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner. So they took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan. 


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 You multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, and you brought them into the land that you had told their fathers to enter and possess. 


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 So the descendants went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. 


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 And they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness. 


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 &amp;quot;Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies. 


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 Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. And in the time of their suffering they cried out to you and you heard them from heaven, and according to your great mercies you gave them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies. 


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 But after they had rest they did evil again before you, and you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. Yet when they turned and cried to you, you heard from heaven, and many times you delivered them according to your mercies. 


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 And you warned them in order to turn them back to your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey your commandments, but sinned against your rules, which if a person does them, he shall live by them, and they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. 


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 Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. 


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 Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God. 


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 &amp;quot;Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. 


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 Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly. 


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 Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law or paid attention to your commandments and your warnings that you gave them. 


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 Even in their own kingdom, and amid your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you or turn from their wicked works. 


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 Behold, we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves. 


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 And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress. 


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 &amp;quot;Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing; on the sealed document are the names of our princes, our Levites, and our priests. 


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 &amp;quot;The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all who have separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding, 


text:
 join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God&amp;apos;s Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord and his rules and his statutes. 


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 And if the peoples of the land bring in goods or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. And we will forego the crops of the seventh year and the exaction of every debt. 


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 &amp;quot;We also take on ourselves the obligation to give yearly a third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God: 


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 for the showbread, the regular grain offering, the regular burnt offering, the Sabbaths, the new moons, the appointed feasts, the holy things, and the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God. 


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 We, the priests, the Levites, and the people, have likewise cast lots for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to our fathers&amp;apos; houses, at times appointed, year by year, to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the Law. 


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 We obligate ourselves to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the LORD; 


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 also to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God, the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks; 


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 and to bring the first of our dough, and our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the wine and the oil, to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and to bring to the Levites the tithes from our ground, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all our towns where we labor. 


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 And the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive the tithes. And the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse. 


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 For the people of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution of grain, wine, and oil to the chambers, where the vessels of the sanctuary are, as well as the priests who minister, and the gatekeepers and the singers. We will not neglect the house of our God.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem. And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten remained in the other towns. 


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 These are the chiefs of the province who lived in Jerusalem; but in the towns of Judah everyone lived on his property in their towns: Israel, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants, and the descendants of Solomon&amp;apos;s servants. 


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 And in Jerusalem lived certain of the sons of Judah and of the sons of Benjamin. Of the sons of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of the sons of Perez; 


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 and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, son of the Shilonite. 


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 And these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah, 


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 Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer; and Judah the son of Hassenuah was second over the city. 


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 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, ruler of the house of God, 


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 and their brothers who did the work of the house, 822; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah, 


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 and his brothers, heads of fathers&amp;apos; houses, 242; and Amashsai, the son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer, 


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 and Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chiefs of the Levites, who were over the outside work of the house of God; 


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 and Mattaniah the son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, who was the leader of the praise, who gave thanks, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brothers; and Abda the son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun. 


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 And the rest of Israel, and of the priests and the Levites, were in all the towns of Judah, every one in his inheritance. 


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 The overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica, of the sons of Asaph, the singers, over the work of the house of God. 


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 For there was a command from the king concerning them, and a fixed provision for the singers, as every day required. 


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 And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the sons of Zerah the son of Judah, was at the king&amp;apos;s side in all matters concerning the people. 


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 And as for the villages, with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba and its villages, and in Dibon and its villages, and in Jekabzeel and its villages, 


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 Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, and Azekah and its villages. So they encamped from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom. 


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 These are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 


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 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the chiefs of the priests and of their brothers in the days of Jeshua. 


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 And the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who with his brothers was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving. 


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 And Jeshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim the father of Eliashib, Eliashib the father of Joiada, 


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 And in the days of Joiakim were priests, heads of fathers&amp;apos; houses: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; 


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 In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, the Levites were recorded as heads of fathers&amp;apos; houses; so too were the priests in the reign of Darius the Persian. 


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 As for the sons of Levi, their heads of fathers&amp;apos; houses were written in the Book of the Chronicles until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib. 


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 And the chiefs of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers who stood opposite them, to praise and to give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, watch by watch. 


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 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers standing guard at the storehouses of the gates. 


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 These were in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra, the priest and scribe. 


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 And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres. 


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 And the sons of the singers gathered together from the district surrounding Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites; 


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 also from Beth-gilgal and from the region of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem. 


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 And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people and the gates and the wall. 


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 Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall and appointed two great choirs that gave thanks. One went to the south on the wall to the Dung Gate. 


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 and certain of the priests&amp;apos; sons with trumpets: Zechariah the son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph; 


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 and his relatives, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them. 


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 At the Fountain Gate they went up straight before them by the stairs of the city of David, at the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, to the Water Gate on the east. 


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 The other choir of those who gave thanks went to the north, and I followed them with half of the people, on the wall, above the Tower of the Ovens, to the Broad Wall, 


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 and above the Gate of Ephraim, and by the Gate of Yeshanah, and by the Fish Gate and the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, to the Sheep Gate; and they came to a halt at the Gate of the Guard. 


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 So both choirs of those who gave thanks stood in the house of God, and I and half of the officials with me; 


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 and the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets; 


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 and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang with Jezrahiah as their leader. 


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 And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away. 


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 On that day men were appointed over the storerooms, the contributions, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them the portions required by the Law for the priests and for the Levites according to the fields of the towns, for Judah rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who ministered. 


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 And they performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the command of David and his son Solomon. 


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 For long ago in the days of David and Asaph there were directors of the singers, and there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. 


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 And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah gave the daily portions for the singers and the gatekeepers; and they set apart that which was for the Levites; and the Levites set apart that which was for the sons of Aaron. 


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 On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. And in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, 


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 for they did not meet the people of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them--yet our God turned the curse into a blessing. 


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 Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, and who was related to Tobiah, 


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 prepared for Tobiah a large chamber where they had previously put the grain offering, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests. 


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 While this was taking place, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. And after some time I asked leave of the king 


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 and came to Jerusalem, and I then discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, preparing for him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. 


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 Then I gave orders, and they cleansed the chambers, and I brought back there the vessels of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense. 


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 I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled each to his field. 


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 So I confronted the officials and said, &amp;quot;Why is the house of God forsaken?&amp;quot; And I gathered them together and set them in their stations. 


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 And I appointed as treasurers over the storehouses Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and as their assistant Hanan the son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah, for they were considered reliable, and their duty was to distribute to their brothers. 


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 Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service. 


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 In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them on the day when they sold food. 


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 Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah, in Jerusalem itself! 


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 Then I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, &amp;quot;What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? 


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 Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.&amp;quot; 


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 As soon as it began to grow dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. And I stationed some of my servants at the gates, that no load might be brought in on the Sabbath day. 


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 But I warned them and said to them, &amp;quot;Why do you lodge outside the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you.&amp;quot; From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath. 


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 Then I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your steadfast love. 


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 And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but only the language of each people. 


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 And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. And I made them take oath in the name of God, saying, &amp;quot;You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. 


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 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin. 


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 Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?&amp;quot; 


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 And one of the sons of Jehoiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I chased him from me. 


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 Remember them, O my God, because they have desecrated the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites. 


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 Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I established the duties of the priests and Levites, each in his work; 


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 and I provided for the wood offering at appointed times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good. 


text:
 Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces, 


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 in the third year of his reign he gave a feast for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him, 


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 while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days. 


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 And when these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in Susa, the citadel, both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king&amp;apos;s palace. 


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 There were white cotton curtains and violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rods and marble pillars, and also couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and precious stones. 


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 Drinks were served in golden vessels, vessels of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king. 


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 And drinking was according to this edict: &amp;quot;There is no compulsion.&amp;quot; For the king had given orders to all the staff of his palace to do as each man desired. 


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 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, 


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 to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown, in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely to look at. 


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 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king&amp;apos;s command delivered by the eunuchs. At this the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him. 


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 Then the king said to the wise men who knew the times (for this was the king&amp;apos;s procedure toward all who were versed in law and judgment, 


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 the men next to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king&amp;apos;s face, and sat first in the kingdom): 


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 &amp;quot;According to the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti, because she has not performed the command of King Ahasuerus delivered by the eunuchs?&amp;quot; 


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 Then Memucan said in the presence of the king and the officials, &amp;quot;Not only against the king has Queen Vashti done wrong, but also against all the officials and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 


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 For the queen&amp;apos;s behavior will be made known to all women, causing them to look at their husbands with contempt, since they will say, &amp;apos;King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, and she did not come.&amp;apos; 


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 This very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen&amp;apos;s behavior will say the same to all the king&amp;apos;s officials, and there will be contempt and wrath in plenty. 


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 If it please the king, let a royal order go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes so that it may not be repealed, that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus. And let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. 


text:
 So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, for it is vast, all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low alike.&amp;quot; 


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 He sent letters to all the royal provinces, to every province in its own script and to every people in its own language, that every man be master in his own household and speak according to the language of his people. 


text:
 After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. 


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 Then the king&amp;apos;s young men who attended him said, &amp;quot;Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king. 


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 And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the capital, under custody of Hegai, the king&amp;apos;s eunuch, who is in charge of the women. Let their cosmetics be given them. 


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 And let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.&amp;quot; This pleased the king, and he did so. 


text:
 Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, 


text:
 who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away. 


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 He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter. 


text:
 So when the king&amp;apos;s order and his edict were proclaimed, and when many young women were gathered in Susa the citadel in custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king&amp;apos;s palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women. 


text:
 And the young woman pleased him and won his favor. And he quickly provided her with her cosmetics and her portion of food, and with seven chosen young women from the king&amp;apos;s palace, and advanced her and her young women to the best place in the harem. 


text:
 Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mordecai had commanded her not to make it known. 


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 And every day Mordecai walked in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her. 


text:
 Now when the turn came for each young woman to go in to King Ahasuerus, after being twelve months under the regulations for the women, since this was the regular period of their beautifying, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments for women-- 


text:
 when the young woman went in to the king in this way, she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the harem to the king&amp;apos;s palace. 


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 In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second harem in custody of Shaashgaz, the king&amp;apos;s eunuch, who was in charge of the concubines. She would not go in to the king again, unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name. 


text:
 When the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai the king&amp;apos;s eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther was winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her. 


text:
 And when Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign, 


text:
 the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 


text:
 Then the king gave a great feast for all his officials and servants; it was Esther&amp;apos;s feast. He also granted a remission of taxes to the provinces and gave gifts with royal generosity. 


text:
 Now when the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king&amp;apos;s gate. 


text:
 Esther had not made known her kindred or her people, as Mordecai had commanded her, for Esther obeyed Mordecai just as when she was brought up by him. 


text:
 In those days, as Mordecai was sitting at the king&amp;apos;s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king&amp;apos;s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 


text:
 And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai, and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai. 


text:
 When the affair was investigated and found to be so, the men were both hanged on the gallows. And it was recorded in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king. 


text:
 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him. 


text:
 And all the king&amp;apos;s servants who were at the king&amp;apos;s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage. 


text:
 Then the king&amp;apos;s servants who were at the king&amp;apos;s gate said to Mordecai, &amp;quot;Why do you transgress the king&amp;apos;s command?&amp;quot; 


text:
 And when they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they told Haman, in order to see whether Mordecai&amp;apos;s words would stand, for he had told them that he was a Jew. 


text:
 And when Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage to him, Haman was filled with fury. 


text:
 But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus. 


text:
 In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, they cast lots) before Haman day after day; and they cast it month after month till the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. 


text:
 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, &amp;quot;There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king&amp;apos;s laws, so that it is not to the king&amp;apos;s profit to tolerate them. 


text:
 If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king&amp;apos;s business, that they may put it into the king&amp;apos;s treasuries.&amp;quot; 


text:
 So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. 


text:
 And the king said to Haman, &amp;quot;The money is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then the king&amp;apos;s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and an edict, according to all that Haman commanded, was written to the king&amp;apos;s satraps and to the governors over all the provinces and to the officials of all the peoples, to every province in its own script and every people in its own language. It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king&amp;apos;s signet ring. 


text:
 Letters were sent by couriers to all the king&amp;apos;s provinces with instruction to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods. 


text:
 A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province by proclamation to all the peoples to be ready for that day. 


text:
 The couriers went out hurriedly by order of the king, and the decree was issued in Susa the citadel. And the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion. 


text:
 When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry. 


text:
 He went up to the entrance of the king&amp;apos;s gate, for no one was allowed to enter the king&amp;apos;s gate clothed in sackcloth. 


text:
 And in every province, wherever the king&amp;apos;s command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes. 


text:
 When Esther&amp;apos;s young women and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed. She sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. 


text:
 Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king&amp;apos;s eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what this was and why it was. 


text:
 and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king&amp;apos;s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. 


text:
 Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people. 


text:
 &amp;quot;All the king&amp;apos;s servants and the people of the king&amp;apos;s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law--to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, &amp;quot;Do not think to yourself that in the king&amp;apos;s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 


text:
 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father&amp;apos;s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?&amp;quot; 


text:
 &amp;quot;Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.&amp;quot; 


text:
 On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king&amp;apos;s palace, in front of the king&amp;apos;s quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace. 


text:
 And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight, and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. 


text:
 And the king said to her, &amp;quot;What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And Esther said, &amp;quot;If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then the king said, &amp;quot;Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther has asked.&amp;quot; So the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared. 


text:
 And as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king said to Esther, &amp;quot;What is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.&amp;quot; 


text:
 If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my wish and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And Haman went out that day joyful and glad of heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai in the king&amp;apos;s gate, that he neither rose nor trembled before him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai. 


text:
 Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and brought his friends and his wife Zeresh. 


text:
 And Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king. 


text:
 Then Haman said, &amp;quot;Even Queen Esther let no one but me come with the king to the feast she prepared. And tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king. 


text:
 Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king&amp;apos;s gate.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, &amp;quot;Let a gallows fifty cubits high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast.&amp;quot; This idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made. 


text:
 On that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. 


text:
 And it was found written how Mordecai had told about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king&amp;apos;s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, and who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 


text:
 And the king said, &amp;quot;What honor or distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?&amp;quot; The king&amp;apos;s young men who attended him said, &amp;quot;Nothing has been done for him.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And the king said, &amp;quot;Who is in the court?&amp;quot; Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king&amp;apos;s palace to speak to the king about having Mordecai hanged on the gallows that he had prepared for him. 


text:
 And the king&amp;apos;s young men told him, &amp;quot;Haman is there, standing in the court.&amp;quot; And the king said, &amp;quot;Let him come in.&amp;quot; 


text:
 So Haman came in, and the king said to him, &amp;quot;What should be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?&amp;quot; And Haman said to himself, &amp;quot;Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?&amp;quot; 


text:
 let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, and the horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown is set. 


text:
 And let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king&amp;apos;s most noble officials. Let them dress the man whom the king delights to honor, and let them lead him on the horse through the square of the city, proclaiming before him: &amp;apos;Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then the king said to Haman, &amp;quot;Hurry; take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king&amp;apos;s gate. Leave out nothing that you have mentioned.&amp;quot; 


text:
 So Haman took the robes and the horse, and he dressed Mordecai and led him through the square of the city, proclaiming before him, &amp;quot;Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then Mordecai returned to the king&amp;apos;s gate. But Haman hurried to his house, mourning and with his head covered. 


text:
 And Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, &amp;quot;If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him.&amp;quot; 


text:
 While they were yet talking with him, the king&amp;apos;s eunuchs arrived and hurried to bring Haman to the feast that Esther had prepared. 


text:
 And on the second day, as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king again said to Esther, &amp;quot;What is your wish, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then Queen Esther answered, &amp;quot;If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. 


text:
 For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, &amp;quot;Who is he, and where is he, who has dared to do this?&amp;quot; 


text:
 And Esther said, &amp;quot;A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!&amp;quot; Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen. 


text:
 And the king arose in his wrath from the wine-drinking and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm was determined against him by the king. 


text:
 And the king returned from the palace garden to the place where they were drinking wine, as Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. And the king said, &amp;quot;Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?&amp;quot; As the word left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman&amp;apos;s face. 


text:
 Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, &amp;quot;Moreover, the gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman&amp;apos;s house, fifty cubits high.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And the king said, &amp;quot;Hang him on that.&amp;quot; So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the wrath of the king abated. 


text:
 On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her. 


text:
 And the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman. 


text:
 Then Esther spoke again to the king. She fell at his feet and wept and pleaded with him to avert the evil plan of Haman the Agagite and the plot that he had devised against the Jews. 


text:
 Esther rose and stood before the king. And she said, &amp;quot;If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king. 


text:
 For how can I bear to see the calamity that is coming to my people? Or how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, &amp;quot;Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows, because he intended to lay hands on the Jews. 


text:
 But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king&amp;apos;s ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king&amp;apos;s ring cannot be revoked.&amp;quot; 


text:
 The king&amp;apos;s scribes were summoned at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day. And an edict was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded concerning the Jews, to the satraps and the governors and the officials of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, 127 provinces, to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language, and also to the Jews in their script and their language. 


text:
 And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king&amp;apos;s signet ring. Then he sent the letters by mounted couriers riding on swift horses that were used in the king&amp;apos;s service, bred from the royal stud, 


text:
 saying that the king allowed the Jews who were in every city to gather and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, children and women included, and to plunder their goods, 


text:
 on one day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. 


text:
 A copy of what was written was to be issued as a decree in every province, being publicly displayed to all peoples, and the Jews were to be ready on that day to take vengeance on their enemies. 


text:
 So the couriers, mounted on their swift horses that were used in the king&amp;apos;s service, rode out hurriedly, urged by the king&amp;apos;s command. And the decree was issued in Susa the citadel. 


text:
 Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a robe of fine linen and purple, and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. 


text:
 And in every province and in every city, wherever the king&amp;apos;s command and his edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, for fear of the Jews had fallen on them. 


text:
 Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king&amp;apos;s command and edict were about to be carried out, on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them. 


text:
 The Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could stand against them, for the fear of them had fallen on all peoples. 


text:
 All the officials of the provinces and the satraps and the governors and the royal agents also helped the Jews, for the fear of Mordecai had fallen on them. 


text:
 For Mordecai was great in the king&amp;apos;s house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces, for the man Mordecai grew more and more powerful. 


text:
 The Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and did as they pleased to those who hated them. 


text:
 the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, but they laid no hand on the plunder. 


text:
 And the king said to Queen Esther, &amp;quot;In Susa the citadel the Jews have killed and destroyed 500 men and also the ten sons of Haman. What then have they done in the rest of the king&amp;apos;s provinces! Now what is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what further is your request? It shall be fulfilled.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And Esther said, &amp;quot;If it please the king, let the Jews who are in Susa be allowed tomorrow also to do according to this day&amp;apos;s edict. And let the ten sons of Haman be hanged on the gallows.&amp;quot; 


text:
 So the king commanded this to be done. A decree was issued in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hanged. 


text:
 The Jews who were in Susa gathered also on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and they killed 300 men in Susa, but they laid no hands on the plunder. 


text:
 Now the rest of the Jews who were in the king&amp;apos;s provinces also gathered to defend their lives, and got relief from their enemies and killed 75,000 of those who hated them, but they laid no hands on the plunder. 


text:
 This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested and made that a day of feasting and gladness. 


text:
 But the Jews who were in Susa gathered on the thirteenth day and on the fourteenth, and rested on the fifteenth day, making that a day of feasting and gladness. 


text:
 Therefore the Jews of the villages, who live in the rural towns, hold the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day for gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and as a day on which they send gifts of food to one another. 


text:
 And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 


text:
 obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, 


text:
 as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor. 


text:
 For Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur (that is, cast lots), to crush and to destroy them. 


text:
 But when it came before the king, he gave orders in writing that his evil plan that he had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. 


text:
 Therefore they called these days Purim, after the term Pur. Therefore, because of all that was written in this letter, and of what they had faced in this matter, and of what had happened to them, 


text:
 the Jews firmly obligated themselves and their offspring and all who joined them, that without fail they would keep these two days according to what was written and at the time appointed every year, 


text:
 that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, in every clan, province, and city, and that these days of Purim should never fall into disuse among the Jews, nor should the commemoration of these days cease among their descendants. 


text:
 Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew gave full written authority, confirming this second letter about Purim. 


text:
 Letters were sent to all the Jews, to the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, in words of peace and truth, 


text:
 that these days of Purim should be observed at their appointed seasons, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther obligated them, and as they had obligated themselves and their offspring, with regard to their fasts and their lamenting. 


text:
 And all the acts of his power and might, and the full account of the high honor of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? 


text:
 For Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers, for he sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people. 


text:
 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. 


text:
 He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east. 


text:
 His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 


text:
 And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, &amp;quot;It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.&amp;quot; Thus Job did continually. 


text:
 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. 


text:
 The LORD said to Satan, &amp;quot;From where have you come?&amp;quot; Satan answered the LORD and said, &amp;quot;From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And the LORD said to Satan, &amp;quot;Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?&amp;quot; 


text:
 Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 


text:
 But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And the LORD said to Satan, &amp;quot;Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.&amp;quot; So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. 


text:
 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother&amp;apos;s house, 


text:
 and there came a messenger to Job and said, &amp;quot;The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 


text:
 and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.&amp;quot; 


text:
 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, &amp;quot;The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.&amp;quot; 


text:
 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, &amp;quot;The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.&amp;quot; 


text:
 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, &amp;quot;Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother&amp;apos;s house, 


text:
 and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And he said, &amp;quot;Naked I came from my mother&amp;apos;s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD. 


text:
 And the LORD said to Satan, &amp;quot;From where have you come?&amp;quot; Satan answered the LORD and said, &amp;quot;From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And the LORD said to Satan, &amp;quot;Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then Satan answered the LORD and said, &amp;quot;Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. 


text:
 But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.&amp;quot; 


text:
 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 


text:
 Then his wife said to him, &amp;quot;Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.&amp;quot; 


text:
 But he said to her, &amp;quot;You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?&amp;quot; In all this Job did not sin with his lips. 


text:
 Now when Job&amp;apos;s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. 


text:
 And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. 


text:
 And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Let the day perish on which I was born, and the night that said, &amp;apos;A man is conceived.&amp;apos; 


text:
 Let gloom and deep darkness claim it. Let clouds dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it. 


text:
 That night--let thick darkness seize it! Let it not rejoice among the days of the year; let it not come into the number of the months. 


text:
 Let the stars of its dawn be dark; let it hope for light, but have none, nor see the eyelids of the morning, 


text:
 For then I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept; then I would have been at rest, 


text:
 It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes; there was silence, then I heard a voice: 


text:
 how much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed like the moth. 


text:
 Between morning and evening they are beaten to pieces; they perish forever without anyone regarding it. 


text:
 Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them, do they not die, and that without wisdom?&amp;apos; 


text:
 His children are far from safety; they are crushed in the gate, and there is no one to deliver them. 


text:
 The hungry eat his harvest, and he takes it even out of thorns, and the thirsty pant after his wealth. 


text:
 He catches the wise in their own craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty. 


text:
 For you shall be in league with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you. 


text:
 You shall know also that your offspring shall be many, and your descendants as the grass of the earth. 


text:
 For the arrows of the Almighty are in me; my spirit drinks their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me. 


text:
 Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt, or is there any taste in the juice of the mallow? 


text:
 This would be my comfort; I would even exult in pain unsparing, for I have not denied the words of the Holy One. 


text:
 Have I said, &amp;apos;Make me a gift&amp;apos;? Or, &amp;apos;From your wealth offer a bribe for me&amp;apos;? 


text:
 Or, &amp;apos;Deliver me from the adversary&amp;apos;s hand&amp;apos;? Or, &amp;apos;Redeem me from the hand of the ruthless&amp;apos;? 


text:
 &amp;quot;Has not man a hard service on earth, and are not his days like the days of a hired hand? 


text:
 When I lie down I say, &amp;apos;When shall I arise?&amp;apos; But the night is long, and I am full of tossing till the dawn. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. 


text:
 If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind? Why have you made me your mark? Why have I become a burden to you? 


text:
 Why do you not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity? For now I shall lie in the earth; you will seek me, but I shall not be.&amp;quot; 


text:
 If your children have sinned against him, he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression. 


text:
 if you are pure and upright, surely then he will rouse himself for you and restore your rightful habitation. 


text:
 If he is destroyed from his place, then it will deny him, saying, &amp;apos;I have never seen you.&amp;apos; 


text:
 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the tent of the wicked will be no more.&amp;quot; 


text:
 He is wise in heart and mighty in strength --who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded?-- 


text:
 Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back? Who will say to him, &amp;apos;What are you doing?&amp;apos; 


text:
 If it is a contest of strength, behold, he is mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him? 


text:
 Though I am in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse. 


text:
 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; he covers the faces of its judges-- if it is not he, who then is it? 


text:
 If I say, &amp;apos;I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad face, and be of good cheer,&amp;apos; 


text:
 &amp;quot;I loathe my life; I will give free utterance to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. 


text:
 Does it seem good to you to oppress, to despise the work of your hands and favor the designs of the wicked? 


text:
 If I am guilty, woe to me! If I am in the right, I cannot lift up my head, for I am filled with disgrace and look on my affliction. 


text:
 You renew your witnesses against me and increase your vexation toward me; you bring fresh troops against me. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Why did you bring me out from the womb? Would that I had died before any eye had seen me 


text:
 the land of gloom like thick darkness, like deep shadow without any order, where light is as thick darkness.&amp;quot; 


text:
 and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom! For he is manifold in understanding. Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves. 


text:
 And you will feel secure, because there is hope; you will look around and take your rest in security. 


text:
 But the eyes of the wicked will fail; all way of escape will be lost to them, and their hope is to breathe their last.&amp;quot; 


text:
 But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these? 


text:
 I am a laughingstock to my friends; I, who called to God and he answered me, a just and blameless man, am a laughingstock. 


text:
 In the thought of one who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune; it is ready for those whose feet slip. 


text:
 The tents of robbers are at peace, and those who provoke God are secure, who bring their god in their hand. 


text:
 &amp;quot;But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; 


text:
 He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth and makes them wander in a pathless waste. 


text:
 Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass, 


text:
 &amp;quot;For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease. 


text:
 so a man lies down and rises not again; till the heavens are no more he will not awake or be roused out of his sleep. 


text:
 Oh that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would conceal me until your wrath be past, that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me! 


text:
 If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my service I would wait, till my renewal should come. 


text:
 the waters wear away the stones; the torrents wash away the soil of the earth; so you destroy the hope of man. 


text:
 The wicked man writhes in pain all his days, through all the years that are laid up for the ruthless. 


text:
 He wanders abroad for bread, saying, &amp;apos;Where is it?&amp;apos; He knows that a day of darkness is ready at his hand; 


text:
 and has lived in desolate cities, in houses that none should inhabit, which were ready to become heaps of ruins; 


text:
 he will not be rich, and his wealth will not endure, nor will his possessions spread over the earth; 


text:
 he will not depart from darkness; the flame will dry up his shoots, and by the breath of his mouth he will depart. 


text:
 I also could speak as you do, if you were in my place; I could join words together against you and shake my head at you. 


text:
 And he has shriveled me up, which is a witness against me, and my leanness has risen up against me; it testifies to my face. 


text:
 He has torn me in his wrath and hated me; he has gnashed his teeth at me; my adversary sharpens his eyes against me. 


text:
 Men have gaped at me with their mouth; they have struck me insolently on the cheek; they mass themselves together against me. 


text:
 I was at ease, and he broke me apart; he seized me by the neck and dashed me to pieces; he set me up as his target; 


text:
 his archers surround me. He slashes open my kidneys and does not spare; he pours out my gall on the ground. 


text:
 He who informs against his friends to get a share of their property-- the eyes of his children will fail. 


text:
 They make night into day: &amp;apos;The light,&amp;apos; they say, &amp;apos;is near to the darkness.&amp;apos; 


text:
 if I say to the pit, &amp;apos;You are my father,&amp;apos; and to the worm, &amp;apos;My mother,&amp;apos; or &amp;apos;My sister,&amp;apos; 


text:
 You who tear yourself in your anger, shall the earth be forsaken for you, or the rock be removed out of its place? 


text:
 Surely such are the dwellings of the unrighteous, such is the place of him who knows not God.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Behold, I cry out, &amp;apos;Violence!&amp;apos; but I am not answered; I call for help, but there is no justice. 


text:
 His troops come on together; they have cast up their siege ramp against me and encamp around my tent. 


text:
 The guests in my house and my maidservants count me as a stranger; I have become a foreigner in their eyes. 


text:
 whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me! 


text:
 If you say, &amp;apos;How we will pursue him!&amp;apos; and, &amp;apos;The root of the matter is found in him,&amp;apos; 


text:
 be afraid of the sword, for wrath brings the punishment of the sword, that you may know there is a judgment.&amp;quot; 


text:
 he will perish forever like his own dung; those who have seen him will say, &amp;apos;Where is he?&amp;apos; 


text:
 He will fly away like a dream and not be found; he will be chased away like a vision of the night. 


text:
 He will give back the fruit of his toil and will not swallow it down; from the profit of his trading he will get no enjoyment. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Because he knew no contentment in his belly, he will not let anything in which he delights escape him. 


text:
 In the fullness of his sufficiency he will be in distress; the hand of everyone in misery will come against him. 


text:
 To fill his belly to the full, God will send his burning anger against him and rain it upon him into his body. 


text:
 It is drawn forth and comes out of his body; the glittering point comes out of his gallbladder; terrors come upon him. 


text:
 Utter darkness is laid up for his treasures; a fire not fanned will devour him; what is left in his tent will be consumed. 


text:
 The possessions of his house will be carried away, dragged off in the day of God&amp;apos;s wrath. 


text:
 This is the wicked man&amp;apos;s portion from God, the heritage decreed for him by God.&amp;quot; 


text:
 What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?&amp;apos; 


text:
 &amp;quot;How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity comes upon them? That God distributes pains in his anger? 


text:
 You say, &amp;apos;God stores up their iniquity for their children.&amp;apos; Let him pay it out to them, that they may know it. 


text:
 For you say, &amp;apos;Where is the house of the prince? Where is the tent in which the wicked lived?&amp;apos; 


text:
 The clods of the valley are sweet to him; all mankind follows after him, and those who go before him are innumerable. 


text:
 How then will you comfort me with empty nothings? There is nothing left of your answers but falsehood.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right, or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless? 


text:
 For you have exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing and stripped the naked of their clothing. 


text:
 They said to God, &amp;apos;Depart from us,&amp;apos; and &amp;apos;What can the Almighty do to us?&amp;apos; 


text:
 saying, &amp;apos;Surely our adversaries are cut off, and what they left the fire has consumed.&amp;apos; 


text:
 You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways. 


text:
 For when they are humbled you say, &amp;apos;It is because of pride&amp;apos;; but he saves the lowly. 


text:
 He delivers even the one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.&amp;quot; 


text:
 on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him; he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him. 


text:
 I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty, and why do those who know him never see his days? 


text:
 Behold, like wild donkeys in the desert the poor go out to their toil, seeking game; the wasteland yields food for their children. 


text:
 (There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast, and they take a pledge against the poor.) 


text:
 From out of the city the dying groan, and the soul of the wounded cries for help; yet God charges no one with wrong. 


text:
 &amp;quot;There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths. 


text:
 The murderer rises before it is light, that he may kill the poor and needy, and in the night he is like a thief. 


text:
 The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight, saying, &amp;apos;No eye will see me&amp;apos;; and he veils his face. 


text:
 For deep darkness is morning to all of them; for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness. 


text:
 &amp;quot;You say, &amp;apos;Swift are they on the face of the waters; their portion is cursed in the land; no treader turns toward their vineyards. 


text:
 The womb forgets them; the worm finds them sweet; they are no longer remembered, so wickedness is broken like a tree.&amp;apos; 


text:
 They are exalted a little while, and then are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like the heads of grain. 


text:
 &amp;quot;How you have helped him who has no power! How you have saved the arm that has no strength! 


text:
 Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?&amp;quot; 


text:
 &amp;quot;As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, 


text:
 I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Let my enemy be as the wicked, and let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous. 


text:
 &amp;quot;This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage that oppressors receive from the Almighty: 


text:
 Man puts an end to darkness and searches out to the farthest limit the ore in gloom and deep darkness. 


text:
 He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives; they are forgotten by travelers; they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro. 


text:
 He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle, and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light. 


text:
 The deep says, &amp;apos;It is not in me,&amp;apos; and the sea says, &amp;apos;It is not with me.&amp;apos; 


text:
 And he said to man, &amp;apos;Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
 The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me, and I caused the widow&amp;apos;s heart to sing for joy. 


text:
 I chose their way and sat as chief, and I lived like a king among his troops, like one who comforts mourners. 


text:
 &amp;quot;But now they laugh at me, men who are younger than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to set with the dogs of my flock. 


text:
 On my right hand the rabble rise; they push away my feet; they cast up against me their ways of destruction. 


text:
 Terrors are turned upon me; my honor is pursued as by the wind, and my prosperity has passed away like a cloud. 


text:
 You lift me up on the wind; you make me ride on it, and you toss me about in the roar of the storm. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Yet does not one in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand, and in his disaster cry for help? 


text:
 if my step has turned aside from the way and my heart has gone after my eyes, and if any spot has stuck to my hands, 


text:
 &amp;quot;If my heart has been enticed toward a woman, and I have lain in wait at my neighbor&amp;apos;s door, 


text:
 for that would be a fire that consumes as far as Abaddon, and it would burn to the root all my increase. 


text:
 &amp;quot;If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant, when they brought a complaint against me, 


text:
 &amp;quot;If I have withheld anything that the poor desired, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail, 


text:
 (for from my youth the fatherless grew up with me as with a father, and from my mother&amp;apos;s womb I guided the widow), 


text:
 this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges, for I would have been false to God above. 


text:
 if the men of my tent have not said, &amp;apos;Who is there that has not been filled with his meat?&amp;apos; 


text:
 because I stood in great fear of the multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silence, and did not go out of doors-- 


text:
 Oh, that I had one to hear me! (Here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me!) Oh, that I had the indictment written by my adversary! 


text:
 let thorns grow instead of wheat, and foul weeds instead of barley.&amp;quot; The words of Job are ended. 


text:
 Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God. 


text:
 He burned with anger also at Job&amp;apos;s three friends because they had found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong. 


text:
 And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, he burned with anger. 


text:
 And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said: &amp;quot;I am young in years, and you are aged; therefore I was timid and afraid to declare my opinion to you. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Behold, I waited for your words, I listened for your wise sayings, while you searched out what to say. 


text:
 I gave you my attention, and, behold, there was none among you who refuted Job or who answered his words. 


text:
 Why do you contend against him, saying, &amp;apos;He will answer none of man&amp;apos;s words&amp;apos;? 


text:
 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds, 


text:
 If there be for him an angel, a mediator, one of the thousand, to declare to man what is right for him, 


text:
 and he is merciful to him, and says, &amp;apos;Deliver him from going down into the pit; I have found a ransom; 


text:
 let his flesh become fresh with youth; let him return to the days of his youthful vigor&amp;apos;; 


text:
 then man prays to God, and he accepts him; he sees his face with a shout of joy, and he restores to man his righteousness. 


text:
 He sings before men and says: &amp;apos;I sinned and perverted what was right, and it was not repaid to me. 


text:
 He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look upon the light.&amp;apos; 


text:
 in spite of my right I am counted a liar; my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.&amp;apos; 


text:
 &amp;quot;Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong. 


text:
 For according to the work of a man he will repay him, and according to his ways he will make it befall him. 


text:
 who says to a king, &amp;apos;Worthless one,&amp;apos; and to nobles, &amp;apos;Wicked man,&amp;apos; 


text:
 who shows no partiality to princes, nor regards the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of his hands? 


text:
 In a moment they die; at midnight the people are shaken and pass away, and the mighty are taken away by no human hand. 


text:
 When he is quiet, who can condemn? When he hides his face, who can behold him, whether it be a nation or a man?-- 


text:
 &amp;quot;For has anyone said to God, &amp;apos;I have borne punishment; I will not offend any more; 


text:
 Will he then make repayment to suit you, because you reject it? For you must choose, and not I; therefore declare what you know. 


text:
 For he adds rebellion to his sin; he claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God.&amp;quot; 


text:
 &amp;quot;Do you think this to be just? Do you say, &amp;apos;It is my right before God,&amp;apos; 


text:
 that you ask, &amp;apos;What advantage have I? How am I better off than if I had sinned?&amp;apos; 


text:
 If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him? And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him? 


text:
 &amp;quot;Because of the multitude of oppressions people cry out; they call for help because of the arm of the mighty. 


text:
 who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?&amp;apos; 


text:
 How much less when you say that you do not see him, that the case is before him, and you are waiting for him! 


text:
 &amp;quot;Bear with me a little, and I will show you, for I have yet something to say on God&amp;apos;s behalf. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Behold, God is mighty, and does not despise any; he is mighty in strength of understanding. 


text:
 He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous, but with kings on the throne he sets them forever, and they are exalted. 


text:
 If they listen and serve him, they complete their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasantness. 


text:
 He also allured you out of distress into a broad place where there was no cramping, and what was set on your table was full of fatness. 


text:
 Beware lest wrath entice you into scoffing, and let not the greatness of the ransom turn you aside. 


text:
 After it his voice roars; he thunders with his majestic voice, and he does not restrain the lightnings when his voice is heard. 


text:
 For to the snow he says, &amp;apos;Fall on the earth,&amp;apos; likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour. 


text:
 They turn around and around by his guidance, to accomplish all that he commands them on the face of the habitable world. 


text:
 &amp;quot;And now no one looks on the light when it is bright in the skies, when the wind has passed and cleared them. 


text:
 The Almighty--we cannot find him; he is great in power; justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 


text:
 and said, &amp;apos;Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed&amp;apos;? 


text:
 &amp;quot;Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, 


text:
 &amp;quot;Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, 


text:
 What is the way to the place where the light is distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth? 


text:
 Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God for help, and wander about for lack of food? 


text:
 She deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers; though her labor be in vain, yet she has no fear, 


text:
 With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground; he cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet. 


text:
 When the trumpet sounds, he says &amp;apos;Aha!&amp;apos; He smells the battle from afar, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened; he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth. 


text:
 &amp;quot;I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, or his mighty strength, or his goodly frame. 


text:
 &amp;apos;Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?&amp;apos; Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 


text:
 After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite: &amp;quot;My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. 


text:
 Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.&amp;quot; 


text:
 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the LORD had told them, and the LORD accepted Job&amp;apos;s prayer. 


text:
 And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. 


text:
 Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold. 


text:
 And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 


text:
 And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. 


text:
 And in all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job&amp;apos;s daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. 


text:
 And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons&amp;apos; sons, four generations. 


text:
 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 


text:
 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 


text:
 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 


text:
 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, 


text:
 I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, &amp;quot;You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 


text:
 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter&amp;apos;s vessel.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. 


text:
 A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; 


text:
 Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. 


text:
 To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David. Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! 


text:
 O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah 


text:
 There are many who say, &amp;quot;Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!&amp;quot; 


text:
 To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David. Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. 


text:
 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. 


text:
 For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. 


text:
 Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you. 


text:
 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. 


text:
 To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David. O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. 


text:
 I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. 


text:
 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment. 


text:
 A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite. O LORD my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me, 


text:
 let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Selah 


text:
 Arise, O LORD, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed a judgment. 


text:
 The LORD judges the peoples; judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me. 


text:
 Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous-- you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God! 


text:
 I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High. 


text:
 To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 


text:
 Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. 


text:
 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 


text:
 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 


text:
 To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David. I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. 


text:
 You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. 


text:
 The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins; their cities you rooted out; the very memory of them has perished. 


text:
 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. 


text:
 Be gracious to me, O LORD! See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death, 


text:
 that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation. 


text:
 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught. 


text:
 The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah 


text:
 In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised. 


text:
 For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD. 


text:
 In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, &amp;quot;There is no God.&amp;quot; 


text:
 His ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of his sight; as for all his foes, he puffs at them. 


text:
 He says in his heart, &amp;quot;I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.&amp;quot; 


text:
 His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity. 


text:
 He sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places he murders the innocent. His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless; 


text:
 he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket; he lurks that he may seize the poor; he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net. 


text:
 He says in his heart, &amp;quot;God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, &amp;quot;You will not call to account&amp;quot;? 


text:
 But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless. 


text:
 O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear 


text:
 to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more. 


text:
 To the choirmaster. Of David. In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, &amp;quot;Flee like a bird to your mountain, 


text:
 for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart; 


text:
 The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD&amp;apos;s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man. 


text:
 Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. 


text:
 To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David. Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man. 


text:
 those who say, &amp;quot;With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us?&amp;quot; 


text:
 &amp;quot;Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise,&amp;quot; says the LORD; &amp;quot;I will place him in the safety for which he longs.&amp;quot; 


text:
 The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. 


text:
 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 


text:
 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 


text:
 lest my enemy say, &amp;quot;I have prevailed over him,&amp;quot; lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. 


text:
 To the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, &amp;quot;There is no God.&amp;quot; They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. 


text:
 The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 


text:
 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. 


text:
 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the LORD? 


text:
 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad. 


text:
 who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; 


text:
 in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; 


text:
 who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved. 


text:
 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. 


text:
 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. 


text:
 A Prayer of David. Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit! 


text:
 You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night, you have tested me, and you will find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress. 


text:
 Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand. 


text:
 from men by your hand, O LORD, from men of the world whose portion is in this life. You fill their womb with treasure; they are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants. 


text:
 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness. 


text:
 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love you, O LORD, my strength. 


text:
 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 


text:
 In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. 


text:
 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry. 


text:
 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire. 


text:
 Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils. 


text:
 The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me. 


text:
 So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. 


text:
 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great. 


text:
 They cried for help, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them. 


text:
 You delivered me from strife with the people; you made me the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me. 


text:
 who delivered me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you rescued me from the man of violence. 


text:
 Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever. 


text:
 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 


text:
 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, 


text:
 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. 


text:
 Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. 


text:
 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 


text:
 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 


text:
 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. 


text:
 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 


text:
 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. 


text:
 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. 


text:
 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! 


text:
 May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 


text:
 Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. 


text:
 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults! 


text:
 You have given him his heart&amp;apos;s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah 


text:
 For the king trusts in the LORD, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 


text:
 You will make them as a blazing oven when you appear. The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will consume them. 


text:
 You will destroy their descendants from the earth, and their offspring from among the children of man. 


text:
 To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? 


text:
 &amp;quot;He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!&amp;quot; 


text:
 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; 


text:
 my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. 


text:
 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! 


text:
 For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him. 


text:
 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. 


text:
 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever! 


text:
 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. 


text:
 All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. 


text:
 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 


text:
 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 


text:
 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. 


text:
 A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD&amp;apos;s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 


text:
 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 


text:
 Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 


text:
 Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 


text:
 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 


text:
 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. 


text:
 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD! 


text:
 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. 


text:
 Of David. Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering. 


text:
 Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 


text:
 When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. 


text:
 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. 


text:
 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. 


text:
 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. 


text:
 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the LORD. 


text:
 You have said, &amp;quot;Seek my face.&amp;quot; My heart says to you, &amp;quot;Your face, LORD, do I seek.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation! 


text:
 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. 


text:
 Of David. To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. 


text:
 Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary. 


text:
 Do not drag me off with the wicked, with the workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts. 


text:
 Give to them according to their work and according to the evil of their deeds; give to them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward. 


text:
 Because they do not regard the works of the LORD or the work of his hands, he will tear them down and build them up no more. 


text:
 The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. 


text:
 The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, &amp;quot;Glory!&amp;quot; 


text:
 A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of the temple. I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. 


text:
 O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit. 


text:
 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. 


text:
 &amp;quot;What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? 


text:
 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, 


text:
 that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever! 


text:
 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! 


text:
 Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! 


text:
 I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul, 


text:
 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. 


text:
 For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away. 


text:
 Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach, especially to my neighbors, and an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me. 


text:
 For I hear the whispering of many-- terror on every side!-- as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life. 


text:
 O LORD, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you; let the wicked be put to shame; let them go silently to Sheol. 


text:
 Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind! 


text:
 In the cover of your presence you hide them from the plots of men; you store them in your shelter from the strife of tongues. 


text:
 Blessed be the LORD, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city. 


text:
 I had said in my alarm, &amp;quot;I am cut off from your sight.&amp;quot; But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help. 


text:
 Love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. 


text:
 Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 


text:
 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah 


text:
 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, &amp;quot;I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,&amp;quot; and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah 


text:
 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. 


text:
 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah 


text:
 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. 


text:
 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. 


text:
 Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away. I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 


text:
 The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. 


text:
 Of David. Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! 


text:
 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, &amp;quot;I am your salvation!&amp;quot; 


text:
 Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life! Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me! 


text:
 Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it! And let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it--to his destruction! 


text:
 All my bones shall say, &amp;quot;O LORD, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?&amp;quot; 


text:
 But I, when they were sick-- I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest. 


text:
 I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother; as one who laments his mother, I bowed down in mourning. 


text:
 But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered; they gathered together against me; wretches whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing; 


text:
 How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions! 


text:
 Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes, and let not those wink the eye who hate me without cause. 


text:
 For they do not speak peace, but against those who are quiet in the land they devise words of deceit. 


text:
 They open wide their mouths against me; they say, &amp;quot;Aha, Aha! Our eyes have seen it!&amp;quot; 


text:
 Let them not say in their hearts, &amp;quot;Aha, our heart&amp;apos;s desire!&amp;quot; Let them not say, &amp;quot;We have swallowed him up.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Let them be put to shame and disappointed altogether who rejoice at my calamity! Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me! 


text:
 Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, &amp;quot;Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant!&amp;quot; 


text:
 To the choirmaster. Of David, the servant of the LORD. Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. 


text:
 He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil. 


text:
 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD. 


text:
 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 


text:
 They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. 


text:
 Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart! 


text:
 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! 


text:
 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. 


text:
 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright; 


text:
 But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish--like smoke they vanish away. 


text:
 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. 


text:
 For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. 


text:
 Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off. 


text:
 The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. 


text:
 A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering. O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath! 


text:
 There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. 


text:
 Those who seek my life lay their snares; those who seek my hurt speak of ruin and meditate treachery all day long. 


text:
 For I said, &amp;quot;Only let them not rejoice over me, who boast against me when my foot slips!&amp;quot; 


text:
 To the choirmaster: to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. I said, &amp;quot;I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, so long as the wicked are in my presence.&amp;quot; 


text:
 &amp;quot;O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! 


text:
 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah 


text:
 Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather! 


text:
 When you discipline a man with rebukes for sin, you consume like a moth what is dear to him; surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah 


text:
 &amp;quot;Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers. 


text:
 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. 


text:
 He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. 


text:
 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD. 


text:
 Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie! 


text:
 You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told. 


text:
 In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. 


text:
 I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD. 


text:
 I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation. 


text:
 As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me! 


text:
 For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me. 


text:
 Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether who seek to snatch away my life; let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt! 


text:
 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, &amp;quot;Great is the LORD!&amp;quot; 


text:
 As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God! 


text:
 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him; 


text:
 the LORD protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies. 


text:
 As for me, I said, &amp;quot;O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!&amp;quot; 


text:
 And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words, while his heart gathers iniquity; when he goes out, he tells it abroad. 


text:
 They say, &amp;quot;A deadly thing is poured out on him; he will not rise again from where he lies.&amp;quot; 


text:
 To the choirmaster. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah. As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. 


text:
 My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, &amp;quot;Where is your God?&amp;quot; 


text:
 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. 


text:
 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation 


text:
 and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 


text:
 Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me. 


text:
 By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. 


text:
 I say to God, my rock: &amp;quot;Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?&amp;quot; 


text:
 As with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all the day long, &amp;quot;Where is your God?&amp;quot; 


text:
 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. 


text:
 Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me! 


text:
 For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 


text:
 Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! 


text:
 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. 


text:
 To the choirmaster. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah. O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old: 


text:
 you with your own hand drove out the nations, but them you planted; you afflicted the peoples, but them you set free; 


text:
 for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm save them, but your right hand and your arm, and the light of your face, for you delighted in them. 


text:
 All this has come upon us, though we have not forgotten you, and we have not been false to your covenant. 


text:
 To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah; a love song. My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe. 


text:
 You are the most handsome of the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever. 


text:
 In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome deeds! 


text:
 you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions; 


text:
 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad; 


text:
 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor; at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir. 


text:
 Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear: forget your people and your father&amp;apos;s house, 


text:
 I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore nations will praise you forever and ever. 


text:
 To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 


text:
 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 


text:
 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!&amp;quot; 


text:
 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! 


text:
 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted! 


text:
 A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, 


text:
 beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. 


text:
 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God, which God will establish forever. Selah 


text:
 As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness. 


text:
 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, 


text:
 For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others. 


text:
 Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own names. 


text:
 This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah 


text:
 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright shall rule over them in the morning. Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell. 


text:
 For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed --and though you get praise when you do well for yourself-- 


text:
 A Psalm of Asaph. The Mighty One, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. 


text:
 Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire, around him a mighty tempest. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God. 


text:
 But to the wicked God says: &amp;quot;What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips? 


text:
 These things you have done, and I have been silent; you thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Mark this, then, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver! 


text:
 The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!&amp;quot; 


text:
 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 


text:
 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. 


text:
 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. 


text:
 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 


text:
 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 


text:
 then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar. 


text:
 To the choirmaster. A Maskil of David, when Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, &amp;quot;David has come to the house of Ahimelech.&amp;quot; Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all the day. 


text:
 But God will break you down forever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah 


text:
 &amp;quot;See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!&amp;quot; 


text:
 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever. 


text:
 I will thank you forever, because you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly. 


text:
 To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath. A Maskil of David. The fool says in his heart, &amp;quot;There is no God.&amp;quot; They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good. 


text:
 God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 


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 They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. 


text:
 Have those who work evil no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God? 


text:
 There they are, in great terror, where there is no terror! For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you; you put them to shame, for God has rejected them. 


text:
 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad. 


text:
 To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, &amp;quot;Is not David hiding among us?&amp;quot; O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might. 


text:
 For strangers have risen against me; ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before themselves. Selah 


text:
 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good. 


text:
 To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David. Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy! 


text:
 because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me. 


text:
 For it is not an enemy who taunts me-- then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me-- then I could hide from him. 


text:
 Let death steal over them; let them go down to Sheol alive; for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart. 


text:
 God will give ear and humble them, he who is enthroned from of old, Selah because they do not change and do not fear God. 


text:
 His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords. 


text:
 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. 


text:
 But you, O God, will cast them down into the pit of destruction; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in you. 


text:
 To the choirmaster: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. A Miktam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath. Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; 


text:
 For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. 


text:
 To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave. Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. 


text:
 He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness! 


text:
 My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts-- the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. 


text:
 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah 


text:
 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. 


text:
 To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David. Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? Do you judge the children of man uprightly? 


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 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime, like the stillborn child who never sees the sun. 


text:
 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns, whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away! 


text:
 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked. 


text:
 Mankind will say, &amp;quot;Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.&amp;quot; 


text:
 To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him. Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me; 


text:
 For behold, they lie in wait for my life; fierce men stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD, 


text:
 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Rouse yourself to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah 


text:
 There they are, bellowing with their mouths with swords in their lips-- for &amp;quot;Who,&amp;quot; they think, &amp;quot;will hear us?&amp;quot; 


text:
 Kill them not, lest my people forget; make them totter by your power and bring them down, O Lord, our shield! 


text:
 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter, 


text:
 consume them in wrath; consume them till they are no more, that they may know that God rules over Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah 


text:
 But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. 


text:
 O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love. 


text:
 To the choirmaster: according to Shushan Eduth. A Miktam of David; for instruction; when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return struck down twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt. O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses; you have been angry; oh, restore us. 


text:
 God has spoken in his holiness: &amp;quot;With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Vale of Succoth. 


text:
 from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, 


text:
 May he be enthroned forever before God; appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him! 


text:
 To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. 


text:
 They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah 


text:
 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah 


text:
 Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath. 


text:
 Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them. 


text:
 and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work. 


text:
 A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 


text:
 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, 


text:
 But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped. 


text:
 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy. 


text:
 They hold fast to their evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly, thinking, &amp;quot;Who can see them?&amp;quot; 


text:
 They search out injustice, saying, &amp;quot;We have accomplished a diligent search.&amp;quot; For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep! 


text:
 They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them; all who see them will wag their heads. 


text:
 Let the righteous one rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him! Let all the upright in heart exult! 


text:
 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song. Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion, and to you shall vows be performed. 


text:
 Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple! 


text:
 By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; 


text:
 so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy. 


text:
 You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it. 


text:
 You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. 


text:
 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy. 


text:
 Say to God, &amp;quot;How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. 


text:
 All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.&amp;quot; Selah 


text:
 He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did we rejoice in him, 


text:
 who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations-- let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah 


text:
 you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance. 


text:
 I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals, with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah 


text:
 To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song. May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah 


text:
 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah 


text:
 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song. God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him! 


text:
 As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before God! 


text:
 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; exult before him! 


text:
 God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land. 


text:
 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel. 


text:
 &amp;quot;The kings of the armies--they flee, they flee!&amp;quot; The women at home divide the spoil-- 


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 though you men lie among the sheepfolds-- the wings of a dove covered with silver, its pinions with shimmering gold. 


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 Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain, at the mount that God desired for his abode, yes, where the LORD will dwell forever? 


text:
 The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary. 


text:
 You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there. 


text:
 But God will strike the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways. 


text:
 The Lord said, &amp;quot;I will bring them back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea, 


text:
 that you may strike your feet in their blood, that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.&amp;quot; 


text:
 &amp;quot;Bless God in the great congregation, the LORD, O you who are of Israel&amp;apos;s fountain!&amp;quot; 


text:
 There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead, the princes of Judah in their throng, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali. 


text:
 Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds, the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute; scatter the peoples who delight in war. 


text:
 to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice. 


text:
 Awesome is God from his sanctuary; the God of Israel--he is the one who gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God! 


text:
 To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. Of David. Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. 


text:
 I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. 


text:
 More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies. What I did not steal must I now restore? 


text:
 Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord GOD of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel. 


text:
 For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me. 


text:
 But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness. 


text:
 Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters. 


text:
 Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. 


text:
 For they persecute him whom you have struck down, and they recount the pain of those you have wounded. 


text:
 For God will save Zion and build up the cities of Judah, and people shall dwell there and possess it; 


text:
 To the choirmaster. Of David, for the memorial offering. Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O LORD, make haste to help me! 


text:
 Let them be put to shame and confusion who seek my life! Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt! 


text:
 May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, &amp;quot;God is great!&amp;quot; 


text:
 But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay! 


text:
 Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. 


text:
 Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother&amp;apos;s womb. My praise is continually of you. 


text:
 and say, &amp;quot;God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is none to deliver him.&amp;quot; 


text:
 May my accusers be put to shame and consumed; with scorn and disgrace may they be covered who seek my hurt. 


text:
 My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. 


text:
 With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone. 


text:
 So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. 


text:
 Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? 


text:
 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. 


text:
 I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. 


text:
 And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long, for they have been put to shame and disappointed who sought to do me hurt. 


text:
 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor! 


text:
 May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! 


text:
 Long may he live; may gold of Sheba be given to him! May prayer be made for him continually, and blessings invoked for him all the day! 


text:
 May there be abundance of grain in the land; on the tops of the mountains may it wave; may its fruit be like Lebanon; and may people blossom in the cities like the grass of the field! 


text:
 May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed! 


text:
 Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen! 


text:
 If I had said, &amp;quot;I will speak thus,&amp;quot; I would have betrayed the generation of your children. 


text:
 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. 


text:
 But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works. 


text:
 A Maskil of Asaph. O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture? 


text:
 Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage! Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt. 


text:
 They set your sanctuary on fire; they profaned the dwelling place of your name, bringing it down to the ground. 


text:
 They said to themselves, &amp;quot;We will utterly subdue them&amp;quot;; they burned all the meeting places of God in the land. 


text:
 We do not see our signs; there is no longer any prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long. 


text:
 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the fold of your garment and destroy them! 


text:
 Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild beasts; do not forget the life of your poor forever. 


text:
 Have regard for the covenant, for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence. 


text:
 Do not forget the clamor of your foes, the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually! 


text:
 To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song. We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds. 


text:
 I say to the boastful, &amp;apos;Do not boast,&amp;apos; and to the wicked, &amp;apos;Do not lift up your horn; 


text:
 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs. 


text:
 To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song. In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel. 


text:
 The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil; they sank into sleep; all the men of war were unable to use their hands. 


text:
 Make your vows to the LORD your God and perform them; let all around him bring gifts to him who is to be feared, 


text:
 To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph. I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. 


text:
 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted. 


text:
 I said, &amp;quot;Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.&amp;quot; Then my spirit made a diligent search: 


text:
 Then I said, &amp;quot;I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.&amp;quot; 


text:
 When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; indeed, the deep trembled. 


text:
 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lighted up the world; the earth trembled and shook. 


text:
 Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen. 


text:
 A Maskil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! 


text:
 We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. 


text:
 He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, 


text:
 that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, 


text:
 so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; 


text:
 and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God. 


text:
 He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?&amp;quot; 


text:
 Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob; his anger rose against Israel, 


text:
 the anger of God rose against them, and he killed the strongest of them and laid low the young men of Israel. 


text:
 Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath. 


text:
 He let loose on them his burning anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels. 


text:
 He made a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death, but gave their lives over to the plague. 


text:
 He drove out nations before them; he apportioned them for a possession and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents. 


text:
 For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their idols. 


text:
 from following the nursing ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance. 


text:
 A Psalm of Asaph. O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins. 


text:
 They have given the bodies of your servants to the birds of the heavens for food, the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth. 


text:
 They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them. 


text:
 Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call upon your name! 


text:
 Do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low. 


text:
 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name&amp;apos;s sake! 


text:
 Why should the nations say, &amp;quot;Where is their God?&amp;quot; Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes! 


text:
 Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die! 


text:
 Return sevenfold into the lap of our neighbors the taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord! 


text:
 But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise. 


text:
 To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Testimony. Of Asaph, a Psalm. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth. 


text:
 But let your hand be on the man of your right hand, the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself! 


text:
 To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. Of Asaph. Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob! 


text:
 He made it a decree in Joseph when he went out over the land of Egypt. I hear a language I had not known: 


text:
 In distress you called, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah 


text:
 I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. 


text:
 But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.&amp;quot; 


text:
 A Psalm of Asaph. God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: 


text:
 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. 


text:
 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. 


text:
 They say, &amp;quot;Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!&amp;quot; 


text:
 To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! 


text:
 My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. 


text:
 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God. 


text:
 As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. 


text:
 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 


text:
 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. 


text:
 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. LORD, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. 


text:
 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly. 


text:
 All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. 


text:
 O God, insolent men have risen up against me; a band of ruthless men seeks my life, and they do not set you before them. 


text:
 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. 


text:
 Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant, and save the son of your maidservant. 


text:
 Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me. 


text:
 Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon; behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush-- &amp;quot;This one was born there,&amp;quot; they say. 


text:
 And of Zion it shall be said, &amp;quot;This one and that one were born in her&amp;quot;; for the Most High himself will establish her. 


text:
 A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite. O LORD, God of my salvation; I cry out day and night before you. 


text:
 like one set loose among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your hand. 


text:
 You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape; 


text:
 A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. 


text:
 For I said, &amp;quot;Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.&amp;quot; 


text:
 You have said, &amp;quot;I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: 


text:
 &amp;apos;I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; Selah 


text:
 a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? 


text:
 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them. 


text:
 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you. 


text:
 Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said: &amp;quot;I have granted help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people. 


text:
 My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him, and in my name shall his horn be exalted. 


text:
 Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked, and how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many nations, 


text:
 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. 


text:
 For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. 


text:
 You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: 


text:
 The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. 


text:
 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil. 


text:
 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands! 


text:
 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. 


text:
 You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. 


text:
 When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. 


text:
 A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath. It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; 


text:
 that though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever; 


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 For behold, your enemies, O LORD, for behold, your enemies shall perish; all evildoers shall be scattered. 


text:
 The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. 


text:
 The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring. 


text:
 Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the LORD on high is mighty! 


text:
 He will bring back on them their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the LORD our God will wipe them out. 


text:
 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! 


text:
 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, 


text:
 For forty years I loathed that generation and said, &amp;quot;They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Say among the nations, &amp;quot;The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.&amp;quot; 


text:
 before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness. 


text:
 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. 


text:
 All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods! 


text:
 O you who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked. 


text:
 A Psalm. Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. 


text:
 The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. 


text:
 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 


text:
 before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity. 


text:
 The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! 


text:
 The King in his might loves justice. You have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. 


text:
 Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called upon his name. They called to the LORD, and he answered them. 


text:
 In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them; they kept his testimonies and the statute that he gave them. 


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 O LORD our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings. 


text:
 Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 


text:
 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! 


text:
 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. 


text:
 I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; 


text:
 I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. 


text:
 Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure. 


text:
 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me. 


text:
 No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes. 


text:
 Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD. 


text:
 A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you! 


text:
 Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress! Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call! 


text:
 Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD: 


text:
 &amp;quot;O my God,&amp;quot; I say, &amp;quot;take me not away in the midst of my days-- you whose years endure throughout all generations!&amp;quot; 


text:
 They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, 


text:
 The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you. 


text:
 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 


text:
 But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children&amp;apos;s children, 


text:
 Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, 


text:
 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; 


text:
 From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. 


text:
 You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth 


text:
 and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man&amp;apos;s heart. 


text:
 O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. 


text:
 Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great. 


text:
 When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. 


text:
 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. 


text:
 Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more! Bless the LORD, O my soul! Praise the LORD! 


text:
 saying, &amp;quot;To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold, and there was none among his tribes who stumbled. 


text:
 And he gave them the lands of the nations, and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples&amp;apos; toil, 


text:
 Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! 


text:
 that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance. 


text:
 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. 


text:
 Therefore he said he would destroy them-- had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them. 


text:
 they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood. 


text:
 Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity. 


text:
 For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love. 


text:
 Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise. 


text:
 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, &amp;quot;Amen!&amp;quot; Praise the LORD! 


text:
 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. 


text:
 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; 


text:
 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders. 


text:
 Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD. 


text:
 A Song. A Psalm of David. My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being! 


text:
 I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. 


text:
 God has promised in his holiness: &amp;quot;With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Valley of Succoth. 


text:
 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out! 


text:
 For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted, to put them to death. 


text:
 He loved to curse; let curses come upon him! He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him! 


text:
 He clothed himself with cursing as his coat; may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones! 


text:
 But you, O GOD my Lord, deal on my behalf for your name&amp;apos;s sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me! 


text:
 Let them curse, but you will bless! They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad! 


text:
 For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death. 


text:
 A Psalm of David. The LORD says to my Lord: &amp;quot;Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. 


text:
 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, &amp;quot;You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.&amp;quot; 


text:
 He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. 


text:
 Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. 


text:
 He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name! 


text:
 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever! 


text:
 He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor. 


text:
 The wicked man sees it and is angry; he gnashes his teeth and melts away; the desire of the wicked will perish! 


text:
 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! 


text:
 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. 


text:
 The LORD has remembered us; he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron; 


text:
 The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. 


text:
 O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds. 


text:
 For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD! 


text:
 They surrounded me like bees; they went out like a fire among thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them off! 


text:
 Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous: &amp;quot;The right hand of the LORD does valiantly, 


text:
 The LORD is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar! 


text:
 I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes. 


text:
 Let the insolent be put to shame, because they have wronged me with falsehood; as for me, I will meditate on your precepts. 


text:
 A Song of Ascents. Of David. I was glad when they said to me, &amp;quot;Let us go to the house of the LORD!&amp;quot; 


text:
 to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD. 


text:
 For my brothers and companions&amp;apos; sake I will say, &amp;quot;Peace be within you!&amp;quot; 


text:
 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us. 


text:
 Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud. 


text:
 A Song of Ascents. Of David. If it had not been the LORD who was on our side-- let Israel now say-- 


text:
 We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped! 


text:
 A Song of Ascents. Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. 


text:
 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore. 


text:
 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous stretch out their hands to do wrong. 


text:
 But those who turn aside to their crooked ways the LORD will lead away with evildoers! Peace be upon Israel! 


text:
 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, &amp;quot;The LORD has done great things for them.&amp;quot; 


text:
 He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. 


text:
 A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. 


text:
 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. 


text:
 Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. 


text:
 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. 


text:
 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. 


text:
 A Song of Ascents. &amp;quot;Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth&amp;quot;-- let Israel now say-- 


text:
 nor do those who pass by say, &amp;quot;The blessing of the LORD be upon you! We bless you in the name of the LORD!&amp;quot; 


text:
 my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. 


text:
 O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. 


text:
 A Song of Ascents. Of David. O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. 


text:
 But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. 


text:
 The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: &amp;quot;One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne. 


text:
 If your sons keep my covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them, their sons also forever shall sit on your throne.&amp;quot; 


text:
 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! 


text:
 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore. 


text:
 A Song of Ascents. Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who stand by night in the house of the LORD! 


text:
 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses. 


text:
 For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, &amp;quot;Sing us one of the songs of Zion!&amp;quot; 


text:
 Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy! 


text:
 Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, &amp;quot;Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!&amp;quot; 


text:
 O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us! 


text:
 I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. 


text:
 All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O LORD, for they have heard the words of your mouth, 


text:
 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. 


text:
 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. 


text:
 If I say, &amp;quot;Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,&amp;quot; 


text:
 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. 


text:
 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 


text:
 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 


text:
 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. 


text:
 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men; preserve me from violent men, 


text:
 They make their tongue sharp as a serpent&amp;apos;s, and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah 


text:
 Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from violent men, who have planned to trip up my feet. 


text:
 The arrogant have hidden a trap for me, and with cords they have spread a net; beside the way they have set snares for me. Selah 


text:
 Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked; do not further their evil plot, or they will be exalted! Selah 


text:
 I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and will execute justice for the needy. 


text:
 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice! 


text:
 Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies! 


text:
 Let a righteous man strike me--it is a kindness; let him rebuke me--it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it. Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds. 


text:
 When their judges are thrown over the cliff, then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant. 


text:
 A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer. With my voice I cry out to the LORD; with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD. 


text:
 When my spirit faints within me, you know my way! In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me. 


text:
 Look to the right and see: there is none who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for my soul. 


text:
 I cry to you, O LORD; I say, &amp;quot;You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low! Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me! 


text:
 Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name! The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me. 


text:
 A Psalm of David. Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness! 


text:
 For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead. 


text:
 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands. 


text:
 Answer me quickly, O LORD! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. 


text:
 Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. 


text:
 For your name&amp;apos;s sake, O LORD, preserve my life! In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble! 


text:
 And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies, and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul, for I am your servant. 


text:
 he is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me. 


text:
 Stretch out your hand from on high; rescue me and deliver me from the many waters, from the hand of foreigners, 


text:
 Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, whose mouths speak lies and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood. 


text:
 May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace; 


text:
 may our granaries be full, providing all kinds of produce; may our sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields; 


text:
 may our cattle be heavy with young, suffering no mishap or failure in bearing; may there be no cry of distress in our streets! 


text:
 A Song of Praise. Of David. I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. 


text:
 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. 


text:
 to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 


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 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. (The LORD is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.) 


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 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever. 


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 who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; 


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 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. 


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 The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. 


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 Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. 


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 He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills. 


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 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven. 


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 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him. Praise the LORD! 


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 Hear, my son, your father&amp;apos;s instruction, and forsake not your mother&amp;apos;s teaching, 


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 If they say, &amp;quot;Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason; 


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 Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors. 


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 &amp;quot;How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? 


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 If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you. 


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 Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, 


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 when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. 


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 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. 


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 but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.&amp;quot; 


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 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. 


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 Do not say to your neighbor, &amp;quot;Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it&amp;quot;--when you have it with you. 


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 The LORD&amp;apos;s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 


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 he taught me and said to me, &amp;quot;Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live. 


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 She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.&amp;quot; 


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 For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. 


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 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. 


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 a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love. 


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 Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman and embrace the bosom of an adulteress? 


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 then do this, my son, and save yourself, for you have come into the hand of your neighbor: go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor. 


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 save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler. 


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 When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. 


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 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life, 


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 for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious life. 


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 till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life. 


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 The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate. 


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 when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, 


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 then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, 


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 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning. 


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 The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother. 


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 He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame. 


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 On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense. 


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 The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness. 


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 The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust. 


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 With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered. 


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 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness. 


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 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown. 


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 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered. 


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 Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm, but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure. 


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 Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the LORD, but those of blameless ways are his delight. 


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 Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered. 


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 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. 


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 Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart. 


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 An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones. 


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 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense. 


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 From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man&amp;apos;s hand comes back to him. 


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 From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence. 


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 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. 


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 Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded. 


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 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children&amp;apos;s children, but the sinner&amp;apos;s wealth is laid up for the righteous. 


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 The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways. 


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 Do they not go astray who devise evil? Those who devise good meet steadfast love and faithfulness. 


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 Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding, but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools. 


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 A servant who deals wisely has the king&amp;apos;s favor, but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully. 


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 In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, but trouble befalls the income of the wicked. 


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 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him. 


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 The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things. 


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 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the LORD; be assured, he will not go unpunished. 


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 By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil. 


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 In the light of a king&amp;apos;s face there is life, and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain. 


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 Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. 


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 A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers. 


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 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD. 


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 A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity. 


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 Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. 


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 Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. 


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 The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body. 


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 A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarreling is like the bars of a castle. 


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 From the fruit of a man&amp;apos;s mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is satisfied by the yield of his lips. 


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 A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. 


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 Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool. 


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 All a poor man&amp;apos;s brothers hate him; how much more do his friends go far from him! He pursues them with words, but does not have them. 


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 A foolish son is ruin to his father, and a wife&amp;apos;s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain. 


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 A man of great wrath will pay the penalty, for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again. 


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 The fear of the LORD leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm. 


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 Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence; reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge. 


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 He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother is a son who brings shame and reproach. 


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 The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion; whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life. 


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 The purpose in a man&amp;apos;s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out. 


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 Take a man&amp;apos;s garment when he has put up security for a stranger, and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for foreigners. 


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 It is a snare to say rashly, &amp;quot;It is holy,&amp;quot; and to reflect only after making vows. 


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 The king&amp;apos;s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will. 


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 The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. 


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 When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise; when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge. 


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 &amp;quot;Scoffer&amp;quot; is the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride. 


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 Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty. 


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 Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men. 


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 When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven. 


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 for he is like one who is inwardly calculating. &amp;quot;Eat and drink!&amp;quot; he says to you, but his heart is not with you. 


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 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? 


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 You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, like one who lies on the top of a mast. 


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 &amp;quot;They struck me,&amp;quot; you will say, &amp;quot;but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake? I must have another drink.&amp;quot; 


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 Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. 


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 If you say, &amp;quot;Behold, we did not know this,&amp;quot; does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work? 


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 Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off. 


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 Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous; do no violence to his home; 


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 Whoever says to the wicked, &amp;quot;You are in the right,&amp;quot; will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations, 


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 Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house. 


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 Do not say, &amp;quot;I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.&amp;quot; 


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 and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. 


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 take away the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness. 


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 for it is better to be told, &amp;quot;Come up here,&amp;quot; than to be put lower in the presence of a noble. What your eyes have seen 


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 do not hastily bring into court, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame? 


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 Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters. 


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 Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor&amp;apos;s house, lest he have his fill of you and hate you. 


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 A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a war club, or a sword, or a sharp arrow. 


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 Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, and like vinegar on soda. 


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 Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight. 


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 The sluggard says, &amp;quot;There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!&amp;quot; 


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 Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel. 


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 Do not forsake your friend and your father&amp;apos;s friend, and do not go to your brother&amp;apos;s house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away. 


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 Take a man&amp;apos;s garment when he has put up security for a stranger, and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an adulteress. 


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 Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, will be counted as cursing. 


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 Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his folly will not depart from him. 


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 When the grass is gone and the new growth appears and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered, 


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 There will be enough goats&amp;apos; milk for your food, for the food of your household and maintenance for your girls. 


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 When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but with a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability will long continue. 


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 The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding, but a companion of gluttons shames his father. 


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 Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit gathers it for him who is generous to the poor. 


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 Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance. 


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 When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves. 


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 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. 


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 Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity. 


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 A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor, but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days. 


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 If one is burdened with the blood of another, he will be a fugitive until death; let no one help him. 


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 Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall. 


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 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty. 


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 Whoever robs his father or his mother and says, &amp;quot;That is no transgression,&amp;quot; is a companion to a man who destroys. 


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 When the wicked increase, transgression increases, but the righteous will look upon their downfall. 


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 Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law. 


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 An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked. 


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 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle. The man declares, I am weary, O God; I am weary, O God, and worn out. 


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 Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son&amp;apos;s name? Surely you know! 


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 Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, 


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 lest I be full and deny you and say, &amp;quot;Who is the LORD?&amp;quot; or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. 


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 There are those whose teeth are swords, whose fangs are knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, the needy from among mankind. 


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 The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, &amp;quot;Enough&amp;quot;: 


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 Sheol, the barren womb, the land never satisfied with water, and the fire that never says, &amp;quot;Enough.&amp;quot; 


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 The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be picked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures. 


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 the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a virgin. 


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 This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, &amp;quot;I have done no wrong.&amp;quot; 


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 If you have been foolish, exalting yourself, or if you have been devising evil, put your hand on your mouth. 


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 For pressing milk produces curds, pressing the nose produces blood, and pressing anger produces strife. 


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 What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows? 


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 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink, 


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 The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. 


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 All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again. 


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 All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. 


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 What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. 


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 Is there a thing of which it is said, &amp;quot;See, this is new&amp;quot;? It has been already in the ages before us. 


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 There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after. 


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 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 


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 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. 


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 I said in my heart, &amp;quot;I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.&amp;quot; 


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 And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. 


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 I said in my heart, &amp;quot;Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.&amp;quot; But behold, this also was vanity. 


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 I said of laughter, &amp;quot;It is mad,&amp;quot; and of pleasure, &amp;quot;What use is it?&amp;quot; 


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 I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine--my heart still guiding me with wisdom--and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. 


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 I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. 


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 I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the children of man. 


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 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. 


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 And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. 


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 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun. 


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 So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done. 


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 Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. 


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 The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them. 


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 Then I said in my heart, &amp;quot;What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?&amp;quot; And I said in my heart that this also is vanity. 


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 For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool! 


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 So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind. 


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 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, 


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 and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. 


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 because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 


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 For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity. 


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 There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, 


text:
 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. 


text:
 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 


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 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man&amp;apos;s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 


text:
 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 


text:
 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil--this is God&amp;apos;s gift to man. 


text:
 I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. 


text:
 That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away. 


text:
 Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. 


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 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work. 


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 I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. 


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 For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. 


text:
 Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? 


text:
 So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him? 


text:
 Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. 


text:
 But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun. 


text:
 Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man&amp;apos;s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. 


text:
 one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, &amp;quot;For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?&amp;quot; This also is vanity and an unhappy business. 


text:
 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 


text:
 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him--a threefold cord is not quickly broken. 


text:
 Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice. 


text:
 I saw all the living who move about under the sun, along with that youth who was to stand in the king&amp;apos;s place. 


text:
 There was no end of all the people, all of whom he led. Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind. 


text:
 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. 


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 Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. 


text:
 When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. 


text:
 Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? 


text:
 If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. 


text:
 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. 


text:
 When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? 


text:
 Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. 


text:
 There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, 


text:
 and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand. 


text:
 As he came from his mother&amp;apos;s womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. 


text:
 This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind? 


text:
 Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. 


text:
 Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil--this is the gift of God. 


text:
 For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart. 


text:
 a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grievous evil. 


text:
 If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life&amp;apos;s good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. 


text:
 Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy no good--do not all go to the one place? 


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 For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living? 


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 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a striving after wind. 


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 Whatever has come to be has already been named, and it is known what man is, and that he is not able to dispute with one stronger than he. 


text:
 For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow? For who can tell man what will be after him under the sun? 


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 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. 


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 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. 


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 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. 


text:
 Say not, &amp;quot;Why were the former days better than these?&amp;quot; For it is not from wisdom that you ask this. 


text:
 For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it. 


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 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. 


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 In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. 


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 It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them. 


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 All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, &amp;quot;I will be wise,&amp;quot; but it was far from me. 


text:
 I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness. 


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 And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. 


text:
 Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things-- 


text:
 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. 


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 Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man&amp;apos;s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed. 


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 Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. 


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 For the word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him, &amp;quot;What are you doing?&amp;quot; 


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 Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way. 


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 No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. 


text:
 All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt. 


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 Then I saw the wicked buried. They used to go in and out of the holy place and were praised in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity. 


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 Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. 


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 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. 


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 But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God. 


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 There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. 


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 And I commend joy, for man has no good thing under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun. 


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 When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on earth, how neither day nor night do one&amp;apos;s eyes see sleep, 


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 then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out. 


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 But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him. 


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 It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath. 


text:
 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. 


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 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. 


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 Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun. 


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 Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. 


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 Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. 


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 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going. 


text:
 Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. 


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 For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them. 


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 There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. 


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 But there was found in it a poor, wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. 


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 But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man&amp;apos;s wisdom is despised and his words are not heard. 


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 Dead flies make the perfumer&amp;apos;s ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. 


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 If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest. 


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 If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed. 


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 A fool multiplies words, though no man knows what is to be, and who can tell him what will be after him? 


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 Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness! 


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 Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter. 


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 If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. 


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 As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. 


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 In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good. 


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 So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity. 


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 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. 


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 Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity. 


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 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, &amp;quot;I have no pleasure in them&amp;quot;; 


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 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, 


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 in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, 


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 and the doors on the street are shut--when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low-- 


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 they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets-- 


text:
 before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, 


text:
 Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. 


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 The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. 


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 My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. 


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 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 


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 Draw me after you; let us run. The king has brought me into his chambers. We will exult and rejoice in you; we will extol your love more than wine; rightly do they love you. 


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 I am very dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon. 


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 Do not gaze at me because I am dark, because the sun has looked upon me. My mother&amp;apos;s sons were angry with me; they made me keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept! 


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 Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where you pasture your flock, where you make it lie down at noon; for why should I be like one who veils herself beside the flocks of your companions? 


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 If you do not know, O most beautiful among women, follow in the tracks of the flock, and pasture your young goats beside the shepherds&amp;apos; tents. 


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 As an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men. With great delight I sat in his shadow, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. 


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 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or the does of the field, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases. 


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 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, there he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, looking through the lattice. 


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 The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. 


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 The fig tree ripens its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away. 


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 O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the crannies of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. 


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 Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom.&amp;quot; 


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 Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, turn, my beloved, be like a gazelle or a young stag on cleft mountains. 


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 I will rise now and go about the city, in the streets and in the squares; I will seek him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but found him not. 


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 The watchmen found me as they went about in the city. &amp;quot;Have you seen him whom my soul loves?&amp;quot; 


text:
 Scarcely had I passed them when I found him whom my soul loves. I held him, and would not let him go until I had brought him into my mother&amp;apos;s house, and into the chamber of her who conceived me. 


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 What is that coming up from the wilderness like columns of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all the fragrant powders of a merchant? 


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 Behold, it is the litter of Solomon! Around it are sixty mighty men, some of the mighty men of Israel, 


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 all of them wearing swords and expert in war, each with his sword at his thigh, against terror by night. 


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 He made its posts of silver, its back of gold, its seat of purple; its interior was inlaid with love by the daughters of Jerusalem. 


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 Go out, O daughters of Zion, and look upon King Solomon, with the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, on the day of the gladness of his heart. 


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 Behold, you are beautiful, my love, behold, you are beautiful! Your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead. 


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 Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes that have come up from the washing, all of which bear twins, and not one among them has lost its young. 


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 Your lips are like a scarlet thread, and your mouth is lovely. Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind your veil. 


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 Your neck is like the tower of David, built in rows of stone; on it hang a thousand shields, all of them shields of warriors. 


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 Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, I will go away to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense. 


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 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride; come with me from Lebanon. Depart from the peak of Amana, from the peak of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of lions, from the mountains of leopards. 


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 You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride; you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace. 


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 How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice! 


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 Your lips drip nectar, my bride; honey and milk are under your tongue; the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon. 


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 nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all choice spices-- 


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 Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind! Blow upon my garden, let its spices flow. Let my beloved come to his garden, and eat its choicest fruits. 


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 I came to my garden, my sister, my bride, I gathered my myrrh with my spice, I ate my honeycomb with my honey, I drank my wine with my milk. Eat, friends, drink, and be drunk with love! 


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 I slept, but my heart was awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking. &amp;quot;Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one, for my head is wet with dew, my locks with the drops of the night.&amp;quot; 


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 I arose to open to my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with liquid myrrh, on the handles of the bolt. 


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 I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had turned and gone. My soul failed me when he spoke. I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he gave no answer. 


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 The watchmen found me as they went about in the city; they beat me, they bruised me, they took away my veil, those watchmen of the walls. 


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 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him I am sick with love. 


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 What is your beloved more than another beloved, O most beautiful among women? What is your beloved more than another beloved, that you thus adjure us? 


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 His cheeks are like beds of spices, mounds of sweet-smelling herbs. His lips are lilies, dripping liquid myrrh. 


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 His legs are alabaster columns, set on bases of gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as the cedars. 


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 His mouth is most sweet, and he is altogether desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. 


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 Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you? 


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 My beloved has gone down to his garden to the beds of spices, to graze in the gardens and to gather lilies. 


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 Turn away your eyes from me, for they overwhelm me-- Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead. 


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 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes that have come up from the washing; all of them bear twins; not one among them has lost its young. 


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 My dove, my perfect one, is the only one, the only one of her mother, pure to her who bore her. The young women saw her and called her blessed; the queens and concubines also, and they praised her. 


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 &amp;quot;Who is this who looks down like the dawn, beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun, awesome as an army with banners?&amp;quot; 


text:
 I went down to the nut orchard to look at the blossoms of the valley, to see whether the vines had budded, whether the pomegranates were in bloom. 


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 Return, return, O Shulammite, return, return, that we may look upon you. Why should you look upon the Shulammite, as upon a dance before two armies? 


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 How beautiful are your feet in sandals, O noble daughter! Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of a master hand. 


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 Your navel is a rounded bowl that never lacks mixed wine. Your belly is a heap of wheat, encircled with lilies. 


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 Your neck is like an ivory tower. Your eyes are pools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath-rabbim. Your nose is like a tower of Lebanon, which looks toward Damascus. 


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 Your head crowns you like Carmel, and your flowing locks are like purple; a king is held captive in the tresses. 


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 I say I will climb the palm tree and lay hold of its fruit. Oh may your breasts be like clusters of the vine, and the scent of your breath like apples, 


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 and your mouth like the best wine. It goes down smoothly for my beloved, gliding over lips and teeth. 


text:
 let us go out early to the vineyards and see whether the vines have budded, whether the grape blossoms have opened and the pomegranates are in bloom. There I will give you my love. 


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 The mandrakes give forth fragrance, and beside our doors are all choice fruits, new as well as old, which I have laid up for you, O my beloved. 


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 Oh that you were like a brother to me who nursed at my mother&amp;apos;s breasts! If I found you outside, I would kiss you, and none would despise me. 


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 I would lead you and bring you into the house of my mother-- she who used to teach me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, the juice of my pomegranate. 


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 Who is that coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved? Under the apple tree I awakened you. There your mother was in labor with you; there she who bore you was in labor. 


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 Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD. 


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 Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised. 


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 We have a little sister, and she has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister on the day when she is spoken for? 


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 If she is a wall, we will build on her a battlement of silver, but if she is a door, we will enclose her with boards of cedar. 


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 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; he let out the vineyard to keepers; each one was to bring for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver. 


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 My vineyard, my very own, is before me; you, O Solomon, may have the thousand, and the keepers of the fruit two hundred. 


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 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. 


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 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the LORD has spoken: &amp;quot;Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. 


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 The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master&amp;apos;s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.&amp;quot; 


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 Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged. 


text:
 Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 


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 From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and raw wounds; they are not pressed out or bound up or softened with oil. 


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 Your country lies desolate; your cities are burned with fire; in your very presence foreigners devour your land; it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners. 


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 And the daughter of Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard, like a lodge in a cucumber field, like a besieged city. 


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 If the LORD of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah. 


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 Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! 


text:
 &amp;quot;What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. 


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 Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations-- I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. 


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 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. 


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 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. 


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 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, 


text:
 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow&amp;apos;s cause. 


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 &amp;quot;Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. 


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 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.&amp;quot; 


text:
 How the faithful city has become a whore, she who was full of justice! Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers. 


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 Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not bring justice to the fatherless, and the widow&amp;apos;s cause does not come to them. 


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 Therefore the Lord declares, the LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel: &amp;quot;Ah, I will get relief from my enemies and avenge myself on my foes. 


text:
 I will turn my hand against you and will smelt away your dross as with lye and remove all your alloy. 


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 And I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.&amp;quot; 


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 But rebels and sinners shall be broken together, and those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed. 


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 For they shall be ashamed of the oaks that you desired; and you shall blush for the gardens that you have chosen. 


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 And the strong shall become tinder, and his work a spark, and both of them shall burn together, with none to quench them. 


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 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, 


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 and many peoples shall come, and say: &amp;quot;Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.&amp;quot; For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 


text:
 He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. 


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 For you have rejected your people, the house of Jacob, because they are full of things from the east and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners. 


text:
 Their land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures; their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots. 


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 Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made. 


text:
 Enter into the rock and hide in the dust from before the terror of the LORD, and from the splendor of his majesty. 


text:
 The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. 


text:
 For the LORD of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up--and it shall be brought low; 


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 And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. 


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 And people shall enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground, from before the terror of the LORD, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth. 


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 In that day mankind will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats, 


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 to enter the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs, from before the terror of the LORD, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth. 


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 For behold, the Lord GOD of hosts is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah support and supply, all support of bread, and all support of water; 


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 the captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor and the skillful magician and the expert in charms. 


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 And the people will oppress one another, every one his fellow and every one his neighbor; the youth will be insolent to the elder, and the despised to the honorable. 


text:
 For a man will take hold of his brother in the house of his father, saying: &amp;quot;You have a cloak; you shall be our leader, and this heap of ruins shall be under your rule&amp;quot;; 


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 in that day he will speak out, saying: &amp;quot;I will not be a healer; in my house there is neither bread nor cloak; you shall not make me leader of the people.&amp;quot; 


text:
 For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, because their speech and their deeds are against the LORD, defying his glorious presence. 


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 For the look on their faces bears witness against them; they proclaim their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves. 


text:
 Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him. 


text:
 My people--infants are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, your guides mislead you and they have swallowed up the course of your paths. 


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 The LORD will enter into judgment with the elders and princes of his people: &amp;quot;It is you who have devoured the vineyard, the spoil of the poor is in your houses. 


text:
 What do you mean by crushing my people, by grinding the face of the poor?&amp;quot; declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 


text:
 The LORD said: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with outstretched necks, glancing wantonly with their eyes, mincing along as they go, tinkling with their feet, 


text:
 therefore the Lord will strike with a scab the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will lay bare their secret parts. 


text:
 Instead of perfume there will be rottenness; and instead of a belt, a rope; and instead of well-set hair, baldness; and instead of a rich robe, a skirt of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty. 


text:
 And seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, &amp;quot;We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach.&amp;quot; 


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 In that day the branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel. 


text:
 And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, 


text:
 when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning. 


text:
 Then the LORD will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy. 


text:
 There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain. 


text:
 Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 


text:
 He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. 


text:
 What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? 


text:
 And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. 


text:
 I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 


text:
 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry! 


text:
 Woe to those who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is no more room, and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land. 


text:
 The LORD of hosts has sworn in my hearing: &amp;quot;Surely many houses shall be desolate, large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant. 


text:
 For ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield but an ephah.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening as wine inflames them! 


text:
 They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts, but they do not regard the deeds of the LORD, or see the work of his hands. 


text:
 Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge; their honored men go hungry, and their multitude is parched with thirst. 


text:
 Therefore Sheol has enlarged its appetite and opened its mouth beyond measure, and the nobility of Jerusalem and her multitude will go down, her revelers and he who exults in her. 


text:
 But the LORD of hosts is exalted in justice, and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness. 


text:
 who say: &amp;quot;Let him be quick, let him speed his work that we may see it; let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near, and let it come, that we may know it!&amp;quot; 


text:
 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! 


text:
 Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom go up like dust; for they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts, and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. 


text:
 Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people, and he stretched out his hand against them and struck them, and the mountains quaked; and their corpses were as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. 


text:
 He will raise a signal for nations far away, and whistle for them from the ends of the earth; and behold, quickly, speedily they come! 


text:
 None is weary, none stumbles, none slumbers or sleeps, not a waistband is loose, not a sandal strap broken; 


text:
 their arrows are sharp, all their bows bent, their horses&amp;apos; hoofs seem like flint, and their wheels like the whirlwind. 


text:
 Their roaring is like a lion, like young lions they roar; they growl and seize their prey; they carry it off, and none can rescue. 


text:
 They will growl over it on that day, like the growling of the sea. And if one looks to the land, behold, darkness and distress; and the light is darkened by its clouds. 


text:
 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 


text:
 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 


text:
 And one called to another and said: &amp;quot;Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!&amp;quot; 


text:
 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 


text:
 And I said: &amp;quot;Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 


text:
 And he touched my mouth and said: &amp;quot;Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, &amp;quot;Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?&amp;quot; Then I said, &amp;quot;Here am I! Send me.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And he said, &amp;quot;Go, and say to this people: &amp;quot;&amp;apos;Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.&amp;apos; 


text:
 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then I said, &amp;quot;How long, O Lord?&amp;quot; And he said: &amp;quot;Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste, 


text:
 And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled.&amp;quot; The holy seed is its stump. 


text:
 In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. 


text:
 When the house of David was told, &amp;quot;Syria is in league with Ephraim,&amp;quot; the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind. 


text:
 And the LORD said to Isaiah, &amp;quot;Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer&amp;apos;s Field. 


text:
 And say to him, &amp;apos;Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,&amp;quot; 


text:
 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered from being a people. 


text:
 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
 And he said, &amp;quot;Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 


text:
 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 


text:
 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. 


text:
 The LORD will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father&amp;apos;s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah--the king of Assyria.&amp;quot; 


text:
 In that day the LORD will whistle for the fly that is at the end of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 


text:
 And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines, and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thornbushes, and on all the pastures. 


text:
 In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired beyond the River--with the king of Assyria--the head and the hair of the feet, and it will sweep away the beard also. 


text:
 and because of the abundance of milk that they give, he will eat curds, for everyone who is left in the land will eat curds and honey. 


text:
 In that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand shekels of silver, will become briers and thorns. 


text:
 And as for all the hills that used to be hoed with a hoe, you will not come there for fear of briers and thorns, but they will become a place where cattle are let loose and where sheep tread. 


text:
 Then the LORD said to me, &amp;quot;Take a large tablet and write on it in common characters, &amp;apos;Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz.&amp;apos; 


text:
 And I will get reliable witnesses, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah, to attest for me.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the LORD said to me, &amp;quot;Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz; 


text:
 for before the boy knows how to cry &amp;apos;My father&amp;apos; or &amp;apos;My mother,&amp;apos; the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.&amp;quot; 


text:
 &amp;quot;Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and rejoice over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, 


text:
 therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the River, mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks, 


text:
 and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Be broken, you peoples, and be shattered; give ear, all you far countries; strap on your armor and be shattered; strap on your armor and be shattered. 


text:
 Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing; speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us. 


text:
 For the LORD spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 


text:
 &amp;quot;Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 


text:
 But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 


text:
 And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 


text:
 And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion. 


text:
 And when they say to you, &amp;quot;Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,&amp;quot; should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? 


text:
 To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. 


text:
 They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God, and turn their faces upward. 


text:
 And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness. 


text:
 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 


text:
 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. 


text:
 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 


text:
 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 


text:
 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 


text:
 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 


text:
 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. 


text:
 and all the people will know, Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say in pride and in arrogance of heart: 


text:
 &amp;quot;The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place.&amp;quot; 


text:
 The Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the west devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. 


text:
 for those who guide this people have been leading them astray, and those who are guided by them are swallowed up. 


text:
 Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. 


text:
 For wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns; it kindles the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke. 


text:
 Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts the land is scorched, and the people are like fuel for the fire; no one spares another. 


text:
 They slice meat on the right, but are still hungry, and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied; each devours the flesh of his own arm, 


text:
 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim devours Manasseh; together they are against Judah. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. 


text:
 to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey! 


text:
 What will you do on the day of punishment, in the ruin that will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth? 


text:
 Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. 


text:
 Against a godless nation I send him, and against the people of my wrath I command him, to take spoil and seize plunder, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. 


text:
 But he does not so intend, and his heart does not so think; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few; 


text:
 As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols, whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria, 


text:
 When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he will punish the speech of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes. 


text:
 For he says: &amp;quot;By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I have understanding; I remove the boundaries of peoples, and plunder their treasures; like a bull I bring down those who sit on thrones. 


text:
 My hand has found like a nest the wealth of the peoples; and as one gathers eggs that have been forsaken, so I have gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved a wing or opened the mouth or chirped.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it? As if a rod should wield him who lifts it, or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood! 


text:
 Therefore the Lord GOD of hosts will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors, and under his glory a burning will be kindled, like the burning of fire. 


text:
 The light of Israel will become a fire, and his Holy One a flame, and it will burn and devour his thorns and briers in one day. 


text:
 The glory of his forest and of his fruitful land the LORD will destroy, both soul and body, and it will be as when a sick man wastes away. 


text:
 In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on him who struck them, but will lean on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 


text:
 For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. 


text:
 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD of hosts: &amp;quot;O my people, who dwell in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrians when they strike with the rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did. 


text:
 For in a very little while my fury will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction. 


text:
 And the LORD of hosts will wield against them a whip, as when he struck Midian at the rock of Oreb. And his staff will be over the sea, and he will lift it as he did in Egypt. 


text:
 And in that day his burden will depart from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because of the fat.&amp;quot; 


text:
 they have crossed over the pass; at Geba they lodge for the night; Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul has fled. 


text:
 This very day he will halt at Nob; he will shake his fist at the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. 


text:
 Behold, the Lord GOD of hosts will lop the boughs with terrifying power; the great in height will be hewn down, and the lofty will be brought low. 


text:
 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an axe, and Lebanon will fall by the Majestic One. 


text:
 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 


text:
 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 


text:
 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, 


text:
 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 


text:
 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. 


text:
 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 


text:
 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder&amp;apos;s den. 


text:
 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. 


text:
 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples--of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious. 


text:
 In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. 


text:
 He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. 


text:
 The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, and those who harass Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim. 


text:
 But they shall swoop down on the shoulder of the Philistines in the west, and together they shall plunder the people of the east. They shall put out their hand against Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites shall obey them. 


text:
 And the LORD will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt, and will wave his hand over the River with his scorching breath, and strike it into seven channels, and he will lead people across in sandals. 


text:
 And there will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant that remains of his people, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt. 


text:
 You will say in that day: &amp;quot;I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And you will say in that day: &amp;quot;Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. 


text:
 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.&amp;quot; 


text:
 On a bare hill raise a signal; cry aloud to them; wave the hand for them to enter the gates of the nobles. 


text:
 I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger, my proudly exulting ones. 


text:
 The sound of a tumult is on the mountains as of a great multitude! The sound of an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together! The LORD of hosts is mustering a host for battle. 


text:
 They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens, the LORD and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. 


text:
 They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame. 


text:
 Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. 


text:
 For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. 


text:
 I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. 


text:
 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the LORD of hosts in the day of his fierce anger. 


text:
 And like a hunted gazelle, or like sheep with none to gather them, each will turn to his own people, and each will flee to his own land. 


text:
 Their infants will be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished. 


text:
 Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold. 


text:
 Their bows will slaughter the young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children. 


text:
 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them. 


text:
 It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there; no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there. 


text:
 But wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches will dwell, and there wild goats will dance. 


text:
 Hyenas will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged. 


text:
 For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and sojourners will join them and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob. 


text:
 And the peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them in the LORD&amp;apos;s land as male and female slaves. They will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them. 


text:
 When the LORD has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, 


text:
 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: &amp;quot;How the oppressor has ceased, the insolent fury ceased! 


text:
 that struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution. 


text:
 The cypresses rejoice at you, the cedars of Lebanon, saying, &amp;apos;Since you were laid low, no woodcutter comes up against us.&amp;apos; 


text:
 Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come; it rouses the shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations. 


text:
 All of them will answer and say to you: &amp;apos;You too have become as weak as we! You have become like us!&amp;apos; 


text:
 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are laid as a bed beneath you, and worms are your covers. 


text:
 &amp;quot;How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! 


text:
 You said in your heart, &amp;apos;I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 


text:
 Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: &amp;apos;Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, 


text:
 who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?&amp;apos; 


text:
 but you are cast out, away from your grave, like a loathed branch, clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit, like a dead body trampled underfoot. 


text:
 You will not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land, you have slain your people. &amp;quot;May the offspring of evildoers nevermore be named! 


text:
 Prepare slaughter for his sons because of the guilt of their fathers, lest they rise and possess the earth, and fill the face of the world with cities.&amp;quot; 


text:
 &amp;quot;I will rise up against them,&amp;quot; declares the LORD of hosts, &amp;quot;and will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, descendants and posterity,&amp;quot; declares the LORD. 


text:
 &amp;quot;And I will make it a possession of the hedgehog, and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,&amp;quot; declares the LORD of hosts. 


text:
 The LORD of hosts has sworn: &amp;quot;As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand, 


text:
 that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains trample him underfoot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder.&amp;quot; 


text:
 This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. 


text:
 For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back? 


text:
 Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod that struck you is broken, for from the serpent&amp;apos;s root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent. 


text:
 And the firstborn of the poor will graze, and the needy lie down in safety; but I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant it will slay. 


text:
 Wail, O gate; cry out, O city; melt in fear, O Philistia, all of you! For smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks. 


text:
 What will one answer the messengers of the nation? &amp;quot;The LORD has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people find refuge.&amp;quot; 


text:
 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone. 


text:
 He has gone up to the temple, and to Dibon, to the high places to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn; 


text:
 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears. 


text:
 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles. 


text:
 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction; 


text:
 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more. 


text:
 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows. 


text:
 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim. 


text:
 For the waters of Dibon are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land. 


text:
 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by way of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of Zion. 


text:
 Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive; 


text:
 let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land, 


text:
 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.&amp;quot; 


text:
 We have heard of the pride of Moab-- how proud he is!-- of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right. 


text:
 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth. 


text:
 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have struck down its branches, which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea. 


text:
 Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; for over your summer fruit and your harvest the shout has ceased. 


text:
 And joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful field, and in the vineyards no songs are sung, no cheers are raised; no treader treads out wine in the presses; I have put an end to the shouting. 


text:
 And when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail. 


text:
 But now the LORD has spoken, saying, &amp;quot;In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.&amp;quot; 


text:
 An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins. 


text:
 The cities of Aroer are deserted; they will be for flocks, which will lie down, and none will make them afraid. 


text:
 The fortress will disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Syria will be like the glory of the children of Israel, declares the LORD of hosts. 


text:
 And it shall be as when the reaper gathers standing grain and his arm harvests the ears, and as when one gleans the ears of grain in the Valley of Rephaim. 


text:
 Gleanings will be left in it, as when an olive tree is beaten-- two or three berries in the top of the highest bough, four or five on the branches of a fruit tree, declares the LORD God of Israel. 


text:
 He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made, either the Asherim or the altars of incense. 


text:
 In that day their strong cities will be like the deserted places of the wooded heights and the hilltops, which they deserted because of the children of Israel, and there will be desolation. 


text:
 For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge; therefore, though you plant pleasant plants and sow the vine-branch of a stranger, 


text:
 though you make them grow on the day that you plant them, and make them blossom in the morning that you sow, yet the harvest will flee away in a day of grief and incurable pain. 


text:
 Ah, the thunder of many peoples; they thunder like the thundering of the sea! Ah, the roar of nations; they roar like the roaring of mighty waters! 


text:
 The nations roar like the roaring of many waters, but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away, chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind and whirling dust before the storm. 


text:
 At evening time, behold, terror! Before morning, they are no more! This is the portion of those who loot us, and the lot of those who plunder us. 


text:
 which sends ambassadors by the sea, in vessels of papyrus on the waters! Go, you swift messengers, to a nation, tall and smooth, to a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide. 


text:
 All you inhabitants of the world, you who dwell on the earth, when a signal is raised on the mountains, look! When a trumpet is blown, hear! 


text:
 For thus the LORD said to me: &amp;quot;I will quietly look from my dwelling like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.&amp;quot; 


text:
 For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he cuts off the shoots with pruning hooks, and the spreading branches he lops off and clears away. 


text:
 They shall all of them be left to the birds of prey of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth. And the birds of prey will summer on them, and all the beasts of the earth will winter on them. 


text:
 At that time tribute will be brought to the LORD of hosts from a people tall and smooth, from a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide, to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the LORD of hosts. 


text:
 An oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them. 


text:
 And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians, and they will fight, each against another and each against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom; 


text:
 and the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out, and I will confound their counsel; and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers, and the mediums and the necromancers; 


text:
 and I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a hard master, and a fierce king will rule over them, declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 


text:
 and its canals will become foul, and the branches of Egypt&amp;apos;s Nile will diminish and dry up, reeds and rushes will rot away. 


text:
 There will be bare places by the Nile, on the brink of the Nile, and all that is sown by the Nile will be parched, will be driven away, and will be no more. 


text:
 The fishermen will mourn and lament, all who cast a hook in the Nile; and they will languish who spread nets on the water. 


text:
 The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the wisest counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel. How can you say to Pharaoh, &amp;quot;I am a son of the wise, a son of ancient kings&amp;quot;? 


text:
 Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you that they might know what the LORD of hosts has purposed against Egypt. 


text:
 The princes of Zoan have become fools, and the princes of Memphis are deluded; those who are the cornerstones of her tribes have made Egypt stagger. 


text:
 The LORD has mingled within her a spirit of confusion, and they will make Egypt stagger in all its deeds, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit. 


text:
 In that day the Egyptians will be like women, and tremble with fear before the hand that the LORD of hosts shakes over them. 


text:
 And the land of Judah will become a terror to the Egyptians. Everyone to whom it is mentioned will fear because of the purpose that the LORD of hosts has purposed against them. 


text:
 In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the LORD of hosts. One of these will be called the City of Destruction. 


text:
 In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its border. 


text:
 It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the LORD because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them. 


text:
 And the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the LORD and perform them. 


text:
 And the LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the LORD, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them. 


text:
 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. 


text:
 In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 


text:
 whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, &amp;quot;Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.&amp;quot; 


text:
 In the year that the commander in chief, who was sent by Sargon the king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and fought against it and captured it-- 


text:
 at that time the LORD spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, &amp;quot;Go, and loose the sackcloth from your waist and take off your sandals from your feet,&amp;quot; and he did so, walking naked and barefoot. 


text:
 Then the LORD said, &amp;quot;As my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and a portent against Egypt and Cush, 


text:
 so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptian captives and the Cushite exiles, both the young and the old, naked and barefoot, with buttocks uncovered, the nakedness of Egypt. 


text:
 And the inhabitants of this coastland will say in that day, &amp;apos;Behold, this is what has happened to those in whom we hoped and to whom we fled for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria! And we, how shall we escape?&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
 The oracle concerning the wilderness of the sea. As whirlwinds in the Negeb sweep on, it comes from the wilderness, from a terrible land. 


text:
 A stern vision is told to me; the traitor betrays, and the destroyer destroys. Go up, O Elam; lay siege, O Media; all the sighing she has caused I bring to an end. 


text:
 Therefore my loins are filled with anguish; pangs have seized me, like the pangs of a woman in labor; I am bowed down so that I cannot hear; I am dismayed so that I cannot see. 


text:
 My heart staggers; horror has appalled me; the twilight I longed for has been turned for me into trembling. 


text:
 They prepare the table, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink. Arise, O princes; oil the shield! 


text:
 When he sees riders, horsemen in pairs, riders on donkeys, riders on camels, let him listen diligently, very diligently.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then he who saw cried out: &amp;quot;Upon a watchtower I stand, O Lord, continually by day, and at my post I am stationed whole nights. 


text:
 And behold, here come riders, horsemen in pairs!&amp;quot; And he answered, &amp;quot;Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the carved images of her gods he has shattered to the ground.&amp;quot; 


text:
 O my threshed and winnowed one, what I have heard from the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, I announce to you. 


text:
 The oracle concerning Dumah. One is calling to me from Seir, &amp;quot;Watchman, what time of the night? Watchman, what time of the night?&amp;quot; 


text:
 The watchman says: &amp;quot;Morning comes, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire; come back again.&amp;quot; 


text:
 For they have fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow, and from the press of battle. 


text:
 For thus the Lord said to me, &amp;quot;Within a year, according to the years of a hired worker, all the glory of Kedar will come to an end. 


text:
 And the remainder of the archers of the mighty men of the sons of Kedar will be few, for the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken.&amp;quot; 


text:
 The oracle concerning the valley of vision. What do you mean that you have gone up, all of you, to the housetops, 


text:
 you who are full of shoutings, tumultuous city, exultant town? Your slain are not slain with the sword or dead in battle. 


text:
 All your leaders have fled together; without the bow they were captured. All of you who were found were captured, though they had fled far away. 


text:
 Therefore I said: &amp;quot;Look away from me; let me weep bitter tears; do not labor to comfort me concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people.&amp;quot; 


text:
 For the Lord GOD of hosts has a day of tumult and trampling and confusion in the valley of vision, a battering down of walls and a shouting to the mountains. 


text:
 He has taken away the covering of Judah. In that day you looked to the weapons of the House of the Forest, 


text:
 and you saw that the breaches of the city of David were many. You collected the waters of the lower pool, 


text:
 You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you did not look to him who did it, or see him who planned it long ago. 


text:
 In that day the Lord GOD of hosts called for weeping and mourning, for baldness and wearing sackcloth; 


text:
 and behold, joy and gladness, killing oxen and slaughtering sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine. &amp;quot;Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.&amp;quot; 


text:
 The LORD of hosts has revealed himself in my ears: &amp;quot;Surely this iniquity will not be atoned for you until you die,&amp;quot; says the Lord GOD of hosts. 


text:
 Thus says the Lord GOD of hosts, &amp;quot;Come, go to this steward, to Shebna, who is over the household, and say to him: 


text:
 What have you to do here, and whom have you here, that you have cut out here a tomb for yourself, you who cut out a tomb on the height and carve a dwelling for yourself in the rock? 


text:
 and whirl you around and around, and throw you like a ball into a wide land. There you shall die, and there shall be your glorious chariots, you shame of your master&amp;apos;s house. 


text:
 and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. 


text:
 And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. 


text:
 And I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his father&amp;apos;s house. 


text:
 And they will hang on him the whole honor of his father&amp;apos;s house, the offspring and issue, every small vessel, from the cups to all the flagons. 


text:
 In that day, declares the LORD of hosts, the peg that was fastened in a secure place will give way, and it will be cut down and fall, and the load that was on it will be cut off, for the LORD has spoken.&amp;quot; 


text:
 The oracle concerning Tyre. Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor! From the land of Cyprus it is revealed to them. 


text:
 And on many waters your revenue was the grain of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile; you were the merchant of the nations. 


text:
 Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea has spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying: &amp;quot;I have neither labored nor given birth, I have neither reared young men nor brought up young women.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Is this your exultant city whose origin is from days of old, whose feet carried her to settle far away? 


text:
 Who has purposed this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth? 


text:
 The LORD of hosts has purposed it, to defile the pompous pride of all glory, to dishonor all the honored of the earth. 


text:
 He has stretched out his hand over the sea; he has shaken the kingdoms; the LORD has given command concerning Canaan to destroy its strongholds. 


text:
 And he said: &amp;quot;You will no more exult, O oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon; arise, cross over to Cyprus, even there you will have no rest.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Behold the land of the Chaldeans! This is the people that was not; Assyria destined it for wild beasts. They erected their siege towers, they stripped her palaces bare, they made her a ruin. 


text:
 In that day Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, like the days of one king. At the end of seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute: 


text:
 &amp;quot;Take a harp; go about the city, O forgotten prostitute! Make sweet melody; sing many songs, that you may be remembered.&amp;quot; 


text:
 At the end of seventy years, the LORD will visit Tyre, and she will return to her wages and will prostitute herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth. 


text:
 Her merchandise and her wages will be holy to the LORD. It will not be stored or hoarded, but her merchandise will supply abundant food and fine clothing for those who dwell before the LORD. 


text:
 Behold, the LORD will empty the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants. 


text:
 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the slave, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor. 


text:
 The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and withers; the highest people of the earth languish. 


text:
 The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. 


text:
 Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left. 


text:
 The mirth of the tambourines is stilled, the noise of the jubilant has ceased, the mirth of the lyre is stilled. 


text:
 There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine; all joy has grown dark; the gladness of the earth is banished. 


text:
 For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth among the nations, as when an olive tree is beaten, as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done. 


text:
 They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the LORD they shout from the west. 


text:
 Therefore in the east give glory to the LORD; in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 


text:
 From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One. But I say, &amp;quot;I waste away, I waste away. Woe is me! For the traitors have betrayed, with betrayal the traitors have betrayed.&amp;quot; 


text:
 He who flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble. 


text:
 The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again. 


text:
 On that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth. 


text:
 They will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit; they will be shut up in a prison, and after many days they will be punished. 


text:
 Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the LORD of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders. 


text:
 O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. 


text:
 For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the foreigners&amp;apos; palace is a city no more; it will never be rebuilt. 


text:
 For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall, 


text:
 like heat in a dry place. You subdue the noise of the foreigners; as heat by the shade of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is put down. 


text:
 On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. 


text:
 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 


text:
 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. 


text:
 It will be said on that day, &amp;quot;Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.&amp;quot; 


text:
 For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain, and Moab shall be trampled down in his place, as straw is trampled down in a dunghill. 


text:
 And he will spread out his hands in the midst of it as a swimmer spreads his hands out to swim, but the LORD will lay low his pompous pride together with the skill of his hands. 


text:
 And the high fortifications of his walls he will bring down, lay low, and cast to the ground, to the dust. 


text:
 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: &amp;quot;We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks. 


text:
 For he has humbled the inhabitants of the height, the lofty city. He lays it low, lays it low to the ground, casts it to the dust. 


text:
 In the path of your judgments, O LORD, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul. 


text:
 My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. 


text:
 If favor is shown to the wicked, he does not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly and does not see the majesty of the LORD. 


text:
 O LORD, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed. Let the fire for your adversaries consume them. 


text:
 O LORD our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone we bring to remembrance. 


text:
 They are dead, they will not live; they are shades, they will not arise; to that end you have visited them with destruction and wiped out all remembrance of them. 


text:
 But you have increased the nation, O LORD, you have increased the nation; you are glorified; you have enlarged all the borders of the land. 


text:
 O LORD, in distress they sought you; they poured out a whispered prayer when your discipline was upon them. 


text:
 Like a pregnant woman who writhes and cries out in her pangs when she is near to giving birth, so were we because of you, O LORD; 


text:
 we were pregnant, we writhed, but we have given birth to wind. We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen. 


text:
 Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead. 


text:
 Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by. 


text:
 For behold, the LORD is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it, and will no more cover its slain. 


text:
 In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea. 


text:
 I, the LORD, am its keeper; every moment I water it. Lest anyone punish it, I keep it night and day; 


text:
 I have no wrath. Would that I had thorns and briers to battle! I would march against them, I would burn them up together. 


text:
 Or let them lay hold of my protection, let them make peace with me, let them make peace with me.&amp;quot; 


text:
 In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit. 


text:
 Has he struck them as he struck those who struck them? Or have they been slain as their slayers were slain? 


text:
 Measure by measure, by exile you contended with them; he removed them with his fierce breath in the day of the east wind. 


text:
 Therefore by this the guilt of Jacob will be atoned for, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin: when he makes all the stones of the altars like chalkstones crushed to pieces, no Asherim or incense altars will remain standing. 


text:
 For the fortified city is solitary, a habitation deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness; there the calf grazes; there it lies down and strips its branches. 


text:
 When its boughs are dry, they are broken; women come and make a fire of them. For this is a people without discernment; therefore he who made them will not have compassion on them; he who formed them will show them no favor. 


text:
 In that day from the river Euphrates to the Brook of Egypt the LORD will thresh out the grain, and you will be gleaned one by one, O people of Israel. 


text:
 And in that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain at Jerusalem. 


text:
 Ah, the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, and the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine! 


text:
 Behold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong; like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest, like a storm of mighty, overflowing waters, he casts down to the earth with his hand. 


text:
 and the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley, will be like a first-ripe fig before the summer: when someone sees it, he swallows it as soon as it is in his hand. 


text:
 In that day the LORD of hosts will be a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people, 


text:
 and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate. 


text:
 These also reel with wine and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed by wine, they stagger with strong drink, they reel in vision, they stumble in giving judgment. 


text:
 &amp;quot;To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast? 


text:
 For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.&amp;quot; 


text:
 to whom he has said, &amp;quot;This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose&amp;quot;; yet they would not hear. 


text:
 And the word of the LORD will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little, that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. 


text:
 Because you have said, &amp;quot;We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement, when the overwhelming whip passes through it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter&amp;quot;; 


text:
 therefore thus says the Lord GOD, &amp;quot;Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: &amp;apos;Whoever believes will not be in haste.&amp;apos; 


text:
 And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be beaten down by it. 


text:
 As often as it passes through it will take you; for morning by morning it will pass through, by day and by night; and it will be sheer terror to understand the message. 


text:
 For the LORD will rise up as on Mount Perazim; as in the Valley of Gibeon he will be roused; to do his deed--strange is his deed! and to work his work--alien is his work! 


text:
 Now therefore do not scoff, lest your bonds be made strong; for I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord GOD of hosts against the whole land. 


text:
 When he has leveled its surface, does he not scatter dill, sow cumin, and put in wheat in rows and barley in its proper place, and emmer as the border? 


text:
 Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin, but dill is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod. 


text:
 Does one crush grain for bread? No, he does not thresh it forever; when he drives his cart wheel over it with his horses, he does not crush it. 


text:
 Ah, Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped! Add year to year; let the feasts run their round. 


text:
 Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be moaning and lamentation, and she shall be to me like an Ariel. 


text:
 And I will encamp against you all around, and will besiege you with towers and I will raise siegeworks against you. 


text:
 And you will be brought low; from the earth you shall speak, and from the dust your speech will be bowed down; your voice shall come from the ground like the voice of a ghost, and from the dust your speech shall whisper. 


text:
 But the multitude of your foreign foes shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the ruthless like passing chaff. And in an instant, suddenly, 


text:
 you will be visited by the LORD of hosts with thunder and with earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire. 


text:
 And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, all that fight against her and her stronghold and distress her, shall be like a dream, a vision of the night. 


text:
 As when a hungry man dreams he is eating and awakes with his hunger not satisfied, or as when a thirsty man dreams he is drinking and awakes faint, with his thirst not quenched, so shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion. 


text:
 Astonish yourselves and be astonished; blind yourselves and be blind! Be drunk, but not with wine; stagger, but not with strong drink! 


text:
 For the LORD has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers). 


text:
 And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, &amp;quot;Read this,&amp;quot; he says, &amp;quot;I cannot, for it is sealed.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, &amp;quot;Read this,&amp;quot; he says, &amp;quot;I cannot read.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And the Lord said: &amp;quot;Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, 


text:
 therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Ah, you who hide deep from the LORD your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, &amp;quot;Who sees us? Who knows us?&amp;quot; 


text:
 You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, &amp;quot;He did not make me&amp;quot;; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, &amp;quot;He has no understanding&amp;quot;? 


text:
 Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest? 


text:
 In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. 


text:
 The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. 


text:
 For the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off, 


text:
 who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right. 


text:
 Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: &amp;quot;Jacob shall no more be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale. 


text:
 For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst, they will sanctify my name; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. 


text:
 And those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding, and those who murmur will accept instruction.&amp;quot; 


text:
 &amp;quot;Ah, stubborn children,&amp;quot; declares the LORD, &amp;quot;who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; 


text:
 who set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for my direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt! 


text:
 Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation. 


text:
 everyone comes to shame through a people that cannot profit them, that brings neither help nor profit, but shame and disgrace.&amp;quot; 


text:
 An oracle on the beasts of the Negeb. Through a land of trouble and anguish, from where come the lioness and the lion, the adder and the flying fiery serpent, they carry their riches on the backs of donkeys, and their treasures on the humps of camels, to a people that cannot profit them. 


text:
 Egypt&amp;apos;s help is worthless and empty; therefore I have called her &amp;quot;Rahab who sits still.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And now, go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever. 


text:
 For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the LORD; 


text:
 who say to the seers, &amp;quot;Do not see,&amp;quot; and to the prophets, &amp;quot;Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, 


text:
 leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, &amp;quot;Because you despise this word and trust in oppression and perverseness and rely on them, 


text:
 therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach in a high wall, bulging out, and about to collapse, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant; 


text:
 and its breaking is like that of a potter&amp;apos;s vessel that is smashed so ruthlessly that among its fragments not a shard is found with which to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern.&amp;quot; 


text:
 For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, &amp;quot;In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.&amp;quot; But you were unwilling, 


text:
 and you said, &amp;quot;No! We will flee upon horses&amp;quot;; therefore you shall flee away; and, &amp;quot;We will ride upon swift steeds&amp;quot;; therefore your pursuers shall be swift. 


text:
 A thousand shall flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you shall flee, till you are left like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain, like a signal on a hill. 


text:
 Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. 


text:
 For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. 


text:
 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. 


text:
 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, &amp;quot;This is the way, walk in it,&amp;quot; when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. 


text:
 Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, &amp;quot;Be gone!&amp;quot; 


text:
 And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures, 


text:
 and the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. 


text:
 And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. 


text:
 Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the LORD binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow. 


text:
 Behold, the name of the LORD comes from afar, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke; his lips are full of fury, and his tongue is like a devouring fire; 


text:
 his breath is like an overflowing stream that reaches up to the neck; to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction, and to place on the jaws of the peoples a bridle that leads astray. 


text:
 You shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart, as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel. 


text:
 And the LORD will cause his majestic voice to be heard and the descending blow of his arm to be seen, in furious anger and a flame of devouring fire, with a cloudburst and storm and hailstones. 


text:
 And every stroke of the appointed staff that the LORD lays on them will be to the sound of tambourines and lyres. Battling with brandished arm, he will fight with them. 


text:
 For a burning place has long been prepared; indeed, for the king it is made ready, its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it. 


text:
 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the LORD! 


text:
 And yet he is wise and brings disaster; he does not call back his words, but will arise against the house of the evildoers and against the helpers of those who work iniquity. 


text:
 The Egyptians are man, and not God, and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out his hand, the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall, and they will all perish together. 


text:
 For thus the LORD said to me, &amp;quot;As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey, and when a band of shepherds is called out against him he is not terrified by their shouting or daunted at their noise, so the LORD of hosts will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill. 


text:
 Like birds hovering, so the LORD of hosts will protect Jerusalem; he will protect and deliver it; he will spare and rescue it.&amp;quot; 


text:
 For in that day everyone shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your hands have sinfully made for you. 


text:
 &amp;quot;And the Assyrian shall fall by a sword, not of man; and a sword, not of man, shall devour him; and he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be put to forced labor. 


text:
 His rock shall pass away in terror, and his officers desert the standard in panic,&amp;quot; declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, and whose furnace is in Jerusalem. 


text:
 Each will be like a hiding place from the wind, a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a weary land. 


text:
 Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed, and the ears of those who hear will give attention. 


text:
 The heart of the hasty will understand and know, and the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak distinctly. 


text:
 For the fool speaks folly, and his heart is busy with iniquity, to practice ungodliness, to utter error concerning the LORD, to leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied, and to deprive the thirsty of drink. 


text:
 As for the scoundrel--his devices are evil; he plans wicked schemes to ruin the poor with lying words, even when the plea of the needy is right. 


text:
 Rise up, you women who are at ease, hear my voice; you complacent daughters, give ear to my speech. 


text:
 In little more than a year you will shudder, you complacent women; for the grape harvest fails, the fruit harvest will not come. 


text:
 Tremble, you women who are at ease, shudder, you complacent ones; strip, and make yourselves bare, and tie sackcloth around your waist. 


text:
 for the soil of my people growing up in thorns and briers, yes, for all the joyous houses in the exultant city. 


text:
 For the palace is forsaken, the populous city deserted; the hill and the watchtower will become dens forever, a joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks; 


text:
 until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest. 


text:
 And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. 


text:
 Ah, you destroyer, who yourself have not been destroyed, you traitor, whom none has betrayed! When you have ceased to destroy, you will be destroyed; and when you have finished betraying, they will betray you. 


text:
 O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble. 


text:
 and he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is Zion&amp;apos;s treasure. 


text:
 The highways lie waste; the traveler ceases. Covenants are broken; cities are despised; there is no regard for man. 


text:
 The land mourns and languishes; Lebanon is confounded and withers away; Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Now I will arise,&amp;quot; says the LORD, &amp;quot;now I will lift myself up; now I will be exalted. 


text:
 And the peoples will be as if burned to lime, like thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire.&amp;quot; 


text:
 The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless: &amp;quot;Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?&amp;quot; 


text:
 He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking on evil, 


text:
 he will dwell on the heights; his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks; his bread will be given him; his water will be sure. 


text:
 Your heart will muse on the terror: &amp;quot;Where is he who counted, where is he who weighed the tribute? Where is he who counted the towers?&amp;quot; 


text:
 You will see no more the insolent people, the people of an obscure speech that you cannot comprehend, stammering in a tongue that you cannot understand. 


text:
 Behold Zion, the city of our appointed feasts! Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an untroubled habitation, an immovable tent, whose stakes will never be plucked up, nor will any of its cords be broken. 


text:
 But there the LORD in majesty will be for us a place of broad rivers and streams, where no galley with oars can go, nor majestic ship can pass. 


text:
 Your cords hang loose; they cannot hold the mast firm in its place or keep the sail spread out. Then prey and spoil in abundance will be divided; even the lame will take the prey. 


text:
 And no inhabitant will say, &amp;quot;I am sick&amp;quot;; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity. 


text:
 Draw near, O nations, to hear, and give attention, O peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that fills it; the world, and all that comes from it. 


text:
 For the LORD is enraged against all the nations, and furious against all their host; he has devoted them to destruction, has given them over for slaughter. 


text:
 Their slain shall be cast out, and the stench of their corpses shall rise; the mountains shall flow with their blood. 


text:
 All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree. 


text:
 For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction. 


text:
 The LORD has a sword; it is sated with blood; it is gorged with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom. 


text:
 Wild oxen shall fall with them, and young steers with the mighty bulls. Their land shall drink its fill of blood, and their soil shall be gorged with fat. 


text:
 And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and her soil into sulfur; her land shall become burning pitch. 


text:
 Night and day it shall not be quenched; its smoke shall go up forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever. 


text:
 But the hawk and the porcupine shall possess it, the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. He shall stretch the line of confusion over it, and the plumb line of emptiness. 


text:
 Thorns shall grow over its strongholds, nettles and thistles in its fortresses. It shall be the haunt of jackals, an abode for ostriches. 


text:
 And wild animals shall meet with hyenas; the wild goat shall cry to his fellow; indeed, there the night bird settles and finds for herself a resting place. 


text:
 There the owl nests and lays and hatches and gathers her young in her shadow; indeed, there the hawks are gathered, each one with her mate. 


text:
 Seek and read from the book of the LORD: Not one of these shall be missing; none shall be without her mate. For the mouth of the LORD has commanded, and his Spirit has gathered them. 


text:
 He has cast the lot for them; his hand has portioned it out to them with the line; they shall possess it forever; from generation to generation they shall dwell in it. 


text:
 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; 


text:
 it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God. 


text:
 Say to those who have an anxious heart, &amp;quot;Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.&amp;quot; 


text:
 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 


text:
 the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. 


text:
 And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. 


text:
 No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. 


text:
 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 


text:
 And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem, with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer&amp;apos;s Field. 


text:
 And there came out to him Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder. 


text:
 Behold, you are trusting in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 


text:
 But if you say to me, &amp;quot;We trust in the LORD our God,&amp;quot; is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, &amp;quot;You shall worship before this altar&amp;quot;? 


text:
 Moreover, is it without the LORD that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land and destroy it.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, &amp;quot;Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall.&amp;quot; 


text:
 But the Rabshakeh said, &amp;quot;Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: &amp;quot;Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! 


text:
 Thus says the king: &amp;apos;Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. 


text:
 Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD by saying, &amp;quot;The LORD will surely deliver us. This city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Do not listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, 


text:
 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 


text:
 Beware lest Hezekiah mislead you by saying, &amp;quot;The LORD will deliver us.&amp;quot; Has any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 


text:
 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 


text:
 Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
 But they were silent and answered him not a word, for the king&amp;apos;s command was, &amp;quot;Do not answer him.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh. 


text:
 They said to him, &amp;quot;Thus says Hezekiah, &amp;apos;This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. 


text:
 It may be that the LORD your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the LORD your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
 Isaiah said to them, &amp;quot;Say to your master, &amp;apos;Thus says the LORD: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the young men of the king of Assyria have reviled me. 


text:
 The Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left Lachish. 


text:
 Now the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, &amp;quot;He has set out to fight against you.&amp;quot; And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 


text:
 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. 


text:
 &amp;quot;O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. 


text:
 Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 


text:
 and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men&amp;apos;s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. 


text:
 So now, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the LORD.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, &amp;quot;Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, 


text:
 this is the word that the LORD has spoken concerning him: &amp;quot;&amp;apos;She despises you, she scorns you-- the virgin daughter of Zion; she wags her head behind you-- the daughter of Jerusalem. 


text:
 &amp;quot;&amp;apos;Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes to the heights? Against the Holy One of Israel! 


text:
 By your servants you have mocked the Lord, and you have said, With my many chariots I have gone up the heights of the mountains, to the far recesses of Lebanon, to cut down its tallest cedars, its choicest cypresses, to come to its remotest height, its most fruitful forest. 


text:
 &amp;quot;&amp;apos;Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass, that you should make fortified cities crash into heaps of ruins, 


text:
 &amp;quot;&amp;apos;I know your sitting down and your going out and coming in, and your raging against me. 


text:
 Because you have raged against me and your complacency has come to my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back on the way by which you came.&amp;apos; 


text:
 &amp;quot;And this shall be the sign for you: this year you shall eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs from that. Then in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 


text:
 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. 


text:
 And the angel of the LORD went out and struck down a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 


text:
 And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword. And after they escaped into the land of Ararat, Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place. 


text:
 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, &amp;quot;Thus says the LORD: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.&amp;quot; 


text:
 and said, &amp;quot;Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.&amp;quot; And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 


text:
 &amp;quot;Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. 


text:
 I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city. 


text:
 &amp;quot;This shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he has promised: 


text:
 Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps.&amp;quot; So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined. 


text:
 I said, In the middle of my days I must depart; I am consigned to the gates of Sheol for the rest of my years. 


text:
 I said, I shall not see the LORD, the LORD in the land of the living; I shall look on man no more among the inhabitants of the world. 


text:
 My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me like a shepherd&amp;apos;s tent; like a weaver I have rolled up my life; he cuts me off from the loom; from day to night you bring me to an end; 


text:
 I calmed myself until morning; like a lion he breaks all my bones; from day to night you bring me to an end. 


text:
 Like a swallow or a crane I chirp; I moan like a dove. My eyes are weary with looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; be my pledge of safety! 


text:
 What shall I say? For he has spoken to me, and he himself has done it. I walk slowly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul. 


text:
 O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit. Oh restore me to health and make me live! 


text:
 Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back. 


text:
 For Sheol does not thank you; death does not praise you; those who go down to the pit do not hope for your faithfulness. 


text:
 The living, the living, he thanks you, as I do this day; the father makes known to the children your faithfulness. 


text:
 The LORD will save me, and we will play my music on stringed instruments all the days of our lives, at the house of the LORD. 


text:
 Now Isaiah had said, &amp;quot;Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Hezekiah also had said, &amp;quot;What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?&amp;quot; 


text:
 At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 


text:
 And Hezekiah welcomed them gladly. And he showed them his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his whole armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. 


text:
 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, &amp;quot;What did these men say? And from where did they come to you?&amp;quot; Hezekiah said, &amp;quot;They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon.&amp;quot; 


text:
 He said, &amp;quot;What have they seen in your house?&amp;quot; Hezekiah answered, &amp;quot;They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.&amp;quot; 


text:
 And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, &amp;quot;The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.&amp;quot; For he thought, &amp;quot;There will be peace and security in my days.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD&amp;apos;s hand double for all her sins. 


text:
 A voice cries: &amp;quot;In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 


text:
 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 


text:
 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.&amp;quot; 


text:
 A voice says, &amp;quot;Cry!&amp;quot; And I said, &amp;quot;What shall I cry?&amp;quot; All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. 


text:
 The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass. 


text:
 Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, &amp;quot;Behold your God!&amp;quot; 


text:
 Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 


text:
 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. 


text:
 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? 


text:
 Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? 


text:
 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust. 


text:
 All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness. 


text:
 An idol! A craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts for it silver chains. 


text:
 He who is too impoverished for an offering chooses wood that will not rot; he seeks out a skillful craftsman to set up an idol that will not move. 


text:
 Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 


text:
 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; 


text:
 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. 


text:
 Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing. 


text:
 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, &amp;quot;My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God&amp;quot;? 


text:
 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 


text:
 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. 


text:
 Listen to me in silence, O coastlands; let the peoples renew their strength; let them approach, then let them speak; let us together draw near for judgment. 


text:
 Who stirred up one from the east whom victory meets at every step? He gives up nations before him, so that he tramples kings underfoot; he makes them like dust with his sword, like driven stubble with his bow. 


text:
 Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he. 


text:
 The coastlands have seen and are afraid; the ends of the earth tremble; they have drawn near and come. 


text:
 The craftsman strengthens the goldsmith, and he who smooths with the hammer him who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, &amp;quot;It is good&amp;quot;; and they strengthen it with nails so that it cannot be moved. 


text:
 you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, &amp;quot;You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off&amp;quot;; 


text:
 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 


text:
 Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. 


text:
 You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. 


text:
 For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, &amp;quot;Fear not, I am the one who helps you.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declares the LORD; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. 


text:
 Behold, I make of you a threshing sledge, new, sharp, and having teeth; you shall thresh the mountains and crush them, and you shall make the hills like chaff; 


text:
 you shall winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the tempest shall scatter them. And you shall rejoice in the LORD; in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory. 


text:
 When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the LORD will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them. 


text:
 I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. 


text:
 I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive. I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane and the pine together, 


text:
 that they may see and know, may consider and understand together, that the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it. 


text:
 Let them bring them, and tell us what is to happen. Tell us the former things, what they are, that we may consider them, that we may know their outcome; or declare to us the things to come. 


text:
 Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; do good, or do harm, that we may be dismayed and terrified. 


text:
 Behold, you are nothing, and your work is less than nothing; an abomination is he who chooses you. 


text:
 I stirred up one from the north, and he has come, from the rising of the sun, and he shall call upon my name; he shall trample on rulers as on mortar, as the potter treads clay. 


text:
 Who declared it from the beginning, that we might know, and beforehand, that we might say, &amp;quot;He is right&amp;quot;? There was none who declared it, none who proclaimed, none who heard your words. 


text:
 I was the first to say to Zion, &amp;quot;Behold, here they are!&amp;quot; and I give to Jerusalem a herald of good news. 


text:
 But when I look, there is no one; among these there is no counselor who, when I ask, gives an answer. 


text:
 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. 


text:
 a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 


text:
 He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law. 


text:
 Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: 


text:
 &amp;quot;I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, 


text:
 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 


text:
 Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it, the coastlands and their inhabitants. 


text:
 Let the desert and its cities lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar inhabits; let the habitants of Sela sing for joy, let them shout from the top of the mountains. 


text:
 The LORD goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his zeal; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes. 


text:
 For a long time I have held my peace; I have kept still and restrained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in labor; I will gasp and pant. 


text:
 I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn the rivers into islands, and dry up the pools. 


text:
 And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them. 


text:
 They are turned back and utterly put to shame, who trust in carved idols, who say to metal images, &amp;quot;You are our gods.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Who is blind but my servant, or deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is blind as my dedicated one, or blind as the servant of the LORD? 


text:
 The LORD was pleased, for his righteousness&amp;apos; sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious. 


text:
 But this is a people plundered and looted; they are all of them trapped in holes and hidden in prisons; they have become plunder with none to rescue, spoil with none to say, &amp;quot;Restore!&amp;quot; 


text:
 Who gave up Jacob to the looter, and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the LORD, against whom we have sinned, in whose ways they would not walk, and whose law they would not obey? 


text:
 So he poured on him the heat of his anger and the might of battle; it set him on fire all around, but he did not understand; it burned him up, but he did not take it to heart. 


text:
 But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: &amp;quot;Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 


text:
 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. 


text:
 For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. 


text:
 Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. 


text:
 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. 


text:
 I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, 


text:
 All the nations gather together, and the peoples assemble. Who among them can declare this, and show us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to prove them right, and let them hear and say, It is true. 


text:
 &amp;quot;You are my witnesses,&amp;quot; declares the LORD, &amp;quot;and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. 


text:
 I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses,&amp;quot; declares the LORD, &amp;quot;and I am God. 


text:
 Also henceforth I am he; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?&amp;quot; 


text:
 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: &amp;quot;For your sake I send to Babylon and bring them all down as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, in the ships in which they rejoice. 


text:
 who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: 


text:
 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 


text:
 The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, 


text:
 You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings, or honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, or wearied you with frankincense. 


text:
 You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities. 


text:
 &amp;quot;I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. 


text:
 Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary, and deliver Jacob to utter destruction and Israel to reviling. 


text:
 Thus says the LORD who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you: Fear not, O Jacob my servant, Jeshurun whom I have chosen. 


text:
 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. 


text:
 This one will say, &amp;apos;I am the LORD&amp;apos;s,&amp;apos; another will call on the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, &amp;apos;The LORD&amp;apos;s,&amp;apos; and name himself by the name of Israel.&amp;quot; 


text:
 Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: &amp;quot;I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. 


text:
 Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. 


