Tuesday, March 11, 2031

^9:9The bricks are fallen down, but come, let us hew stones, and cut down sycamores and cedars, and let us build for ourselves a tower. ¹⁰And God shall dash down them that rise up against him on mount Sion, and shall scatter his enemies; ¹¹even Syria from the rising of the sun, and the Greeks from the setting of the sun, who devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but still his hand is exalted. ¹²But the people turned not until they were smitten, and they sought not the Lord.

¹³So the Lord took away from Israel the head and tail, great and small, in one day: ¹⁴the old man, and them that respect persons, this is the head; and the prophet teaching unlawful things, he is the tail. ¹⁵And they that pronounce this people blessed shall mislead them; and they mislead them that they may devour them. ¹⁶Therefore the Lord shall not take pleasure in their young men, neither shall he have pity on their orphans or on their widows: for they are all transgressors and wicked, and every mouth speaks unjustly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is yet exalted.

¹⁷And iniquity shall burn as fire, and shall be devoured by fire as dry grass: and it shall burn in the thickets of the wood, and shall devour all that is round about the hills. ¹⁸The whole earth is set on fire because of the fierce anger of the Lord, and the people shall be as men burnt by fire: no man shall pity his brother. ¹⁹But one shall turn aside to the right hand, for he shall be hungry; and shall eat on the left, and a man shall by no means be satisfied with eating the flesh of his own arm.

²⁰For Manasses shall eat the flesh of Ephraim, and Ephraim the flesh of Manasses; for they shall besiege Juda together. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is yet exalted. ^10:1Woe to them that write wickedness; for when they write they do write wickedness, ²perverting the cause of the poor, violently wresting the judgment of the needy ones of my people, that the widow may be a prey to them, and the orphan a spoil. ³And what will they do in the day of visitation? for affliction shall come to you from afar: and to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory, ⁴that ye may not fall into captivity? For all this his wrath is not turned away, but his hand is yet exalted.

^7:1And the Lord God said to Noe, Enter thou and all thy family into the ark, for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. ²And of the clean cattle take in to thee sevens, male and female, and of the unclean cattle pairs male and female. ³And of clean flying creatures of the sky sevens, male and female, and of all unclean flying creatures pairs, male and female, to maintain seed on all the earth. ⁴For yet seven days having passed I bring rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will blot out every offspring which I have made from the face of all the earth. ⁵And Noe did all things whatever the Lord God commanded him.

^8:32Now then, my son, hear me: blessed is the man who shall hearken to me, and the mortal who shall keep my ways; ³⁴watching daily at my doors, waiting at the posts of my entrances. ³⁵For my outgoings are the outgoings of life, and in them is prepared favour from the Lord. ³⁶But they that sin against me act wickedly against their own souls: and they that hate me love death. ^9:1Wisdom has built a house for herself, and set up seven pillars. ²She has killed her beasts; she has mingled her wine in a bowl, and prepared her table.

³She has sent forth her servants, calling with a loud proclamation to the feast, saying, ⁴Whoso is foolish, let him turn aside to me: and to them that want understanding she says, ⁵Come, eat of my bread, and drink wine which I have mingled for you. ⁶Leave folly, that ye may reign for ever; and seek wisdom, and improve understanding by knowledge. ⁷He that reproves evil men shall get dishonour to himself; and he that rebukes an ungodly man shall disgrace himself. ⁸Rebuke not evil men, lest they should hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.

⁹Give an opportunity to a wise man, and he will be wiser: instruct a just man, and he will receive more instruction. ¹⁰The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the counsel of saints is understanding: ¹¹For in this way thou shalt live long, and years of thy life shall be added to thee.

^9:9The bricks are fallen down, but come, let us hew stones, and cut down sycamores and cedars, and let us build for ourselves a tower. ¹⁰And God shall dash down them that rise up against him on mount Sion, and shall scatter his enemies; ¹¹even Syria from the rising of the sun, and the Greeks from the setting of the sun, who devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but still his hand is exalted. ¹²But the people turned not until they were smitten, and they sought not the Lord.

¹³So the Lord took away from Israel the head and tail, great and small, in one day: ¹⁴the old man, and them that respect persons, this is the head; and the prophet teaching unlawful things, he is the tail. ¹⁵And they that pronounce this people blessed shall mislead them; and they mislead them that they may devour them. ¹⁶Therefore the Lord shall not take pleasure in their young men, neither shall he have pity on their orphans or on their widows: for they are all transgressors and wicked, and every mouth speaks unjustly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is yet exalted.

¹⁷And iniquity shall burn as fire, and shall be devoured by fire as dry grass: and it shall burn in the thickets of the wood, and shall devour all that is round about the hills. ¹⁸The whole earth is set on fire because of the fierce anger of the Lord, and the people shall be as men burnt by fire: no man shall pity his brother. ¹⁹But one shall turn aside to the right hand, for he shall be hungry; and shall eat on the left, and a man shall by no means be satisfied with eating the flesh of his own arm.

²⁰For Manasses shall eat the flesh of Ephraim, and Ephraim the flesh of Manasses; for they shall besiege Juda together. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is yet exalted. ^10:1Woe to them that write wickedness; for when they write they do write wickedness, ²perverting the cause of the poor, violently wresting the judgment of the needy ones of my people, that the widow may be a prey to them, and the orphan a spoil. ³And what will they do in the day of visitation? for affliction shall come to you from afar: and to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory, ⁴that ye may not fall into captivity? For all this his wrath is not turned away, but his hand is yet exalted.

^7:1And the Lord God said to Noe, Enter thou and all thy family into the ark, for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. ²And of the clean cattle take in to thee sevens, male and female, and of the unclean cattle pairs male and female. ³And of clean flying creatures of the sky sevens, male and female, and of all unclean flying creatures pairs, male and female, to maintain seed on all the earth. ⁴For yet seven days having passed I bring rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will blot out every offspring which I have made from the face of all the earth. ⁵And Noe did all things whatever the Lord God commanded him.

^8:32Now then, my son, hear me: blessed is the man who shall hearken to me, and the mortal who shall keep my ways; ³⁴watching daily at my doors, waiting at the posts of my entrances. ³⁵For my outgoings are the outgoings of life, and in them is prepared favour from the Lord. ³⁶But they that sin against me act wickedly against their own souls: and they that hate me love death. ^9:1Wisdom has built a house for herself, and set up seven pillars. ²She has killed her beasts; she has mingled her wine in a bowl, and prepared her table.

³She has sent forth her servants, calling with a loud proclamation to the feast, saying, ⁴Whoso is foolish, let him turn aside to me: and to them that want understanding she says, ⁵Come, eat of my bread, and drink wine which I have mingled for you. ⁶Leave folly, that ye may reign for ever; and seek wisdom, and improve understanding by knowledge. ⁷He that reproves evil men shall get dishonour to himself; and he that rebukes an ungodly man shall disgrace himself. ⁸Rebuke not evil men, lest they should hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.

⁹Give an opportunity to a wise man, and he will be wiser: instruct a just man, and he will receive more instruction. ¹⁰The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the counsel of saints is understanding: ¹¹For in this way thou shalt live long, and years of thy life shall be added to thee.

^10:31The mouth of the righteous drops wisdom: but the tongue of the unjust shall perish. ³²The lips of just men drop grace: but the mouth of the ungodly is perverse. ^11:1False balances are an abomination before the Lord: but a just weight is acceptable unto him. ²Wherever pride enters, there will be also disgrace: but the mouth of the lowly meditates wisdom. ³When a just man dies he leaves regret: but the destruction of the ungodly is speedy, and causes joy. ⁵Righteousness traces out blameless paths: but ungodliness encounters unjust dealing.

⁶The righteousness of upright men delivers them: but transgressors are caught in their own destruction. ⁷At the death of a just man his hope does not perish: but the boast of the ungodly perishes. ⁸A righteous man escapes from a snare, and the ungodly man is delivered up in his place. ⁹In the mouth of ungodly men is a snare to citizens: but the understanding of righteous men is prosperous. ¹⁰In the prosperity of righteous men a city prospers: ¹¹but by the mouths of ungodly men it is overthrown. ¹²A man void of understanding sneers at his fellow citizens: but a sensible man is quiet.

^4:7But though the righteous be prevented with death, yet shall he be in rest. ⁸For honourable age is not that which standeth in length of time, nor that is measured by number of years. ⁹But wisdom is the grey hair unto men, and an unspotted life is old age. ¹⁰He pleased God, and was beloved of him: so that living among sinners he was translated. ¹¹Yea, speedily was he taken away, lest that wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile his soul. ¹²For the bewitching of naughtiness doth obscure things that are honest; and the wandering of concupiscence doth undermine the simple mind.

¹³He, being made perfect in a short time, fulfilled a long time: ¹⁴for his soul pleased the Lord: therefore hasted he to take him away from among the wicked. ¹⁵This the people saw, and understood not, neither laid they up this in their minds, That his grace and mercy is with his saints, and that he hath respect unto his chosen.