# verses

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For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.


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For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.


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To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.<p/>LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.


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I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.


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For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.


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Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.


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All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.


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O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them.


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But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.


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O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.


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Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me.


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I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there.


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And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her.


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A Song or Psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief Musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite.<p/> O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:


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Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.


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Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.


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Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.


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Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite.<p/>I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.


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For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.


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And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.


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For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?


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God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.


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Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.


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The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.


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Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.


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Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.


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Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.


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to me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.


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Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.


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What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.


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Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants; how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people;


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Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O LORD; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed.


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Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.


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For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.


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Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.


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The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.


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Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil.


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And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.


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He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.


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A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.


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Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.


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Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.


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He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.


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A Psalm or Song for the sabbath day.<p/>It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:


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When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:


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For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.


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Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.


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The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.


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The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.


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He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?


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Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?


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And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.


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For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,


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Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:


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Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.


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Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.


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Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.


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The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.


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Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods.


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Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.


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A Psalm.<p/>O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.


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The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.


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He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.


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Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.


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The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.


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The king's strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.


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Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the LORD, and he answered them.


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He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them.


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Thou answeredst them, O LORD our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.


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Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.


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Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.


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I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.


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I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.


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Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.


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Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.


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He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.


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I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD.


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A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD.<p/>Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee.


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Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.


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This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.


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For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth;


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I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations.


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They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:


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But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;


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Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.


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Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.


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Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:


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They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.


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He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;


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And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.


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O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.


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So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.


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Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.


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Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.


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He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.


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Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation;


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That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance.


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Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea.


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He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.


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And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.


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Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.


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And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.


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Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.


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Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked him with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity.


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Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise.


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Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the LORD.


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And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.


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Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!


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They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.


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Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.


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He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; and suffereth not their cattle to decrease.


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He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way.


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Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.


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A Song or Psalm of David.<p/>O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.


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For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.


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Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.


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Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.


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Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.


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Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.


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As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.


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As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.


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Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.


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Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the LORD, and of them that speak evil against my soul.


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But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name's sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.


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Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.


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A Psalm of David.<p/> The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.


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Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.


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The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.


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He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.


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Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.


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He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.


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He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.


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The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.


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Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.


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Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.


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He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.


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The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.


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He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.


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Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.


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They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.


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The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron.


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The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.


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O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.


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For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.


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The LORD taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.


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They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.


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They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.


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The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.


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Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD.


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God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.


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My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes.


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JOD. Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.


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Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in thy precepts.


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The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.


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A Song of degrees of David.<p/> I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.


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Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.


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Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.


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Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.


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A Song of degrees of David.<p/> If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say;


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Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.


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A Song of degrees.<p/> They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.


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As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.


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For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.


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As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the LORD shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity: but peace shall be upon Israel.


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A Song of degrees.<p/>When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.


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Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.


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He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.


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A Song of degrees for Solomon.<p/>Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.


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It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.


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Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.


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Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.


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The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.


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Neither do they which go by say, The blessing of the LORD be upon you: we bless you in the name of the LORD.


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My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.


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Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.


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A Song of degrees of David.<p/> LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.


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Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.


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The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.


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If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.


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A Song of degrees of David.<p/> Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!


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It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;


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As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.


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A Song of degrees.<p/>Behold, bless ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD.


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He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.


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Who sent tokens and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants.


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For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.


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If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.


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Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.


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O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.


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A Psalm of David.<p/>I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.


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I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.


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Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.


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The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.


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Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.


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I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.


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My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.


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Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.


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Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?


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To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.<p/> Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man;


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Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow my goings.


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The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set gins for me. Selah.


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Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked: further not his wicked device; lest they exalt themselves. Selah.


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Let burning coals fall upon them: let them be cast into the fire; into deep pits, that they rise not up again.


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Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth: evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.


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Psalm of David.<p/>LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.


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Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.


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Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.


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Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.


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Maschil of David; A Prayer when he was in the cave.<p/>I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication.


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When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me.


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I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.


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Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.


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Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.


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A Psalm of David.<p/> Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.


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For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.


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Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.


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Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.


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Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.


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And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.


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A Psalm of David.<p/>Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:


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My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me.


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LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!


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Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children;


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I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.


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Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood:


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That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:


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That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store: that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets:


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That our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets.


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David's Psalm of praise.<p/> I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.


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My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.


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Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners:


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The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:


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The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.


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Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.


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Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.


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He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the LORD.


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Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.


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He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the LORD.


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A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:


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If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:


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So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.


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She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,


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How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?


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Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.


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When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.


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Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:


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Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:


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For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.


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She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.


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When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.


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Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.


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He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.


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For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.


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Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.


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His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.


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Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.


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When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.


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For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:


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For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.


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But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.


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He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;


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Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.


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For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.


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The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.


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While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.


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When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:


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Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;


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He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.


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Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.


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Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,


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The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.


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The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.


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He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.


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In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.


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The way of the LORD is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.


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The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.


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The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.


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The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.


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The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness.


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An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.


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When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth: and when the wicked perish, there is shouting.


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By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.


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They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight.


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Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.


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There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.


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He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.


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He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.


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He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.


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A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.


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The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood: but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them.


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A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: but he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised.


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He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.


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He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.


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A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompence of a man's hands shall be rendered unto him.


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The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.


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A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence.


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He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.


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The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.


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There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.


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Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.


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A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.


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He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.


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The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.


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In the multitude of people is the king's honour: but in the want of people is the destruction of the prince.


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He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.


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Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding: but that which is in the midst of fools is made known.


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The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.


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The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD: but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness.


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The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.


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Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.


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The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD: but the words of the pure are pleasant words.


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He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.


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Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.


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How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!


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He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.


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A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren.


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Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.


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A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.


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He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.


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The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.


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He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.


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He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.


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Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.


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A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.


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A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.


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A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.


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Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.


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Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.


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All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.


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A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.


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He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.


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The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.


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Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware: and reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge.


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He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach.


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The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul.


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The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.


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He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.


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The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.


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The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.


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When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise: and when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge.


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The righteous man wisely considereth the house of the wicked: but God overthroweth the wicked for their wickedness.


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The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.


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There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.


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A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.


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Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.


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He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.


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That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?


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Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.


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Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.


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For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.


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For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.


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The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.


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Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?


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Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.


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Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.


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They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.


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If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?


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So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.


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He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him:


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Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.


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And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.


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For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.


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Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.


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As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.


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Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.


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As he that taketh away a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon nitre, so is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart.


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It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house.


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He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.


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Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.


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He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.


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Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured.


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Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.


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And thou shalt have goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens.


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For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.


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Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.


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He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.


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Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit: but the upright shall have good things in possession.


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He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.


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The prince that wanteth understanding is also a great oppressor: but he that hateth covetousness shall prolong his days.


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He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough.


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A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.


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Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression; the same is the companion of a destroyer.


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He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat.


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He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.


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When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.


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Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father: but he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance.


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He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child shall have him become his son at the length.


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An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.


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The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,


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Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?


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Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:


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Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.


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There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.


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The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:


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The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.


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The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.


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The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.


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Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.


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If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.


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Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.


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She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.


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The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.


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All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.


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All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.


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The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.


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Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.


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There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.


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And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.


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I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.


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I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.


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And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.


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I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.


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I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.


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I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:


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I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.


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So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.


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And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.


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Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.


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And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.


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The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all.


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Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.


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For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.


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Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.


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Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.


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And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.


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For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.


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For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?


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For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.


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There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.


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For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.


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A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;


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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 hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.


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And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.


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I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.


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That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.


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And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.


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I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.


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I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.


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For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.


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Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?


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Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?


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So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.


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Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.


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Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.


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There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.


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For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.


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And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.


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I considered all the living which walk under the sun, with the second child that shall stand up in his stead.


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There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.


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Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.


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Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.


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For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words.


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When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.


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Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?


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If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.


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He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.


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When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?


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The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.


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There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.


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As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.


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And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?


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Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.


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Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.


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For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.


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A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.


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If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he.


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For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.


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Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?


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For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?


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Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.


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That which hath been is named already, and it is known that it is man: neither may he contend with him that is mightier than he.


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For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall 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 that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.


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Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.


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Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.


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For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.


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In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.


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All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.


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It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.


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I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:


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And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.


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Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.


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Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.


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Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.


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Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.


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Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment.


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There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.


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All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.


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And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity.


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Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.


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Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:


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But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.


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There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.


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Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.


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When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes:)


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Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.


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For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.


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All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.


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This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.


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For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.


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For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.


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Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.


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Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.


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Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.


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Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.


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I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.


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For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.


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There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:


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Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.


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Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.


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Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.


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Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.


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If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.


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Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.


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If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.


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The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.


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A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?


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Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!


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By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.


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Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.


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If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.


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As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.


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In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.


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But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.


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Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.


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Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.


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Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;


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While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:


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In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,


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And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;


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Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:


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Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.


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Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.


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And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.


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The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.


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The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.


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And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.


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Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.


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For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.


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Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.


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Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.


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I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.


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Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.


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Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?


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If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents.


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As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.


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I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.


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My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.


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The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;


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The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.


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O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.


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Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.


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I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.


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It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.


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Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?


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They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.


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He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.


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Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.


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Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.


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Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.


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Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.


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Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.


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Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.


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Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards.


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Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.


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How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!


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Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.


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Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:


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Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.


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I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.


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I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.


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I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.


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I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.


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The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.


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I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.


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What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?


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His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.


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His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires.


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His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.


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His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.


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Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.


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My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.


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Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.


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Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.


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My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.


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Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?


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I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded.


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Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.


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How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.


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Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor: thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies.


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Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bathrabbim: thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.


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Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple; the king is held in the galleries.


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I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples;


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And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.


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Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my loves.


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The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.


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O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised.


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I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate.


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Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.


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Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.


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Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.


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We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?


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If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar.


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Solomon had a vineyard at Baalhamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver.


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My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.


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Love righteousness, ye that be judges of the earth: think of the Lord with a good (heart,) and in simplicity of heart seek him.


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For he will be found of them that tempt him not; and sheweth himself unto such as do not distrust him.


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For the holy spirit of discipline will flee deceit, and remove from thoughts that are without understanding, and will not abide when unrighteousness cometh in.


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For wisdom is a loving spirit; and will not acquit a blasphemer of his words: for God is witness of his reins, and a true beholder of his heart, and a hearer of his tongue.


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For the Spirit of the Lord filleth the world: and that which containeth all things hath knowledge of the voice.


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Therefore he that speaketh unrighteous things cannot be hid: neither shall vengeance, when it punisheth, pass by him.


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For inquisition shall be made into the counsels of the ungodly: and the sound of his words shall come unto the Lord for the manifestation of his wicked deeds.


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Therefore beware of murmuring, which is unprofitable; and refrain your tongue from backbiting: for there is no word so secret, that shall go for nought: and the mouth that belieth slayeth the soul.


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Seek not death in the error of your life: and pull not upon yourselves destruction with the works of your hands.


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For he created all things, that they might have their being: and the generations of the world were healthful; and there is no poison of destruction in them, nor the kingdom of death upon the earth:


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But ungodly men with their works and words called it to them: for when they thought to have it their friend, they consumed to nought, and made a covenant with it, because they are worthy to take part with it.


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For the ungodly said, reasoning with themselves, but not aright, Our life is short and tedious, and in the death of a man there is no remedy: neither was there any man known to have returned from the grave.


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For we are born at all adventure: and we shall be hereafter as though we had never been: for the breath in our nostrils is as smoke, and a little spark in the moving of our heart:


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Which being extinguished, our body shall be turned into ashes, and our spirit shall vanish as the soft air,


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And our name shall be forgotten in time, and no man shall have our works in remembrance, and our life shall pass away as the trace of a cloud, and shall be dispersed as a mist, that is driven away with the beams of the sun, and overcome with the heat thereof.


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For our time is a very shadow that passeth away; and after our end there is no returning: for it is fast sealed, so that no man cometh again.


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Come on therefore, let us enjoy the good things that are present: and let us speedily use the creatures like as in youth.


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Let none of us go without his part of our voluptuousness: let us leave tokens of our joyfulness in every place: for this is our portion, and our lot is this.


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Let us oppress the poor righteous man, let us not spare the widow, nor reverence the ancient gray hairs of the aged.


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Therefore let us lie in wait for the righteous; because he is not for our turn, and he is clean contrary to our doings: he upbraideth us with our offending the law, and objecteth to our infamy the transgressings of our education.


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He is grievous unto us even to behold: for his life is not like other men's, his ways are of another fashion.


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We are esteemed of him as counterfeits: he abstaineth from our ways as from filthiness: he pronounceth the end of the just to be blessed, and maketh his boast that God is his father.


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For if the just man be the son of God, he will help him, and deliver him from the hand of his enemies.


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Let us examine him with despitefulness and torture, that we may know his meekness, and prove his patience.


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As for the mysteries of God, they kn ew them not: neither hoped they for the wages of righteousness, nor discerned a reward for blameless souls.


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Nevertheless through envy of the devil came death into the world: and they that do hold of his side do find it.


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And having been a little chastised, they shall be greatly rewarded: for God proved them, and found them worthy for himself.


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And in the time of their visitation they shall shine, and run to and fro like sparks among the stubble.


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They shall judge the nations, and have dominion over the people, and their Lord shall reign for ever.


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They that put their trust in him shall understand the truth: and such as be faithful in love shall abide with him: for grace and mercy is to his saints, and he hath care for his elect.


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But the ungodly shall be punished according to their own imaginations, which have neglected the righteous, and forsaken the Lord.


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For whoso despiseth wisdom and nurture, he is miserable, and their hope is vain, their labours unfruitful, and their works unprofitable:


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Their offspring is cursed. Wherefore blessed is the barren that is undefiled, which hath not known the sinful bed: she shall have fruit in the visitation of souls.


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And blessed is the eunuch, which with his hands hath wrought no iniquity, nor imagined wicked things against God: for unto him shall be given the special gift of faith, and an inheritance in the temple of the Lord more acceptable to his mind.


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As for the children of adulterers, they shall not come to their perfection, and the seed of an unrighteous bed shall be rooted out.


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For though they live long, yet shall they be nothing regarded: and their last age shall be without honour.


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Better it is to have no children, and to have virtue: for the memorial thereof is immortal: because it is known with God, and with men.


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When it is present, men take example at it; and when it is gone, they desire it: it weareth a crown, and triumpheth for ever, having gotten the victory, striving for undefiled rewards.


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But the multiplying brood of the ungodly shall not thrive, nor take deep rooting from bastard slips, nor lay any fast foundation.


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For though they flourish in branches for a time; yet standing not last, they shall be shaken with the wind, and through the force of winds they shall be rooted out.


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The imperfect branches shall be broken off, their fruit unprofitable, not ripe to eat, yea, meet for nothing.


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For children begotten of unlawful beds are witnesses of wickedness against their parents in their trial.


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For honourable age is not that which standeth in length of time, nor that is measured by number of years.


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Yea speedily was he taken away, lest that wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile his soul.


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For the bewitching of naughtiness doth obscure things that are honest; and the wandering of concupiscence doth undermine the simple mind.


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This the people saw, and understood it 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.


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Thus the righteous that is dead shall condemn the ungodly which are living; and youth that is soon perfected the many years and old age of the unrighteous.


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For they shall see the end of the wise, and shall not understand what God in his counsel hath decreed of him, and to what end the Lord hath set him in safety.


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They shall see him, and despise him; but God shall laugh them to scorn: and they shall hereafter be a vile carcase, and a reproach among the dead for evermore.


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For he shall rend them, and cast them down headlong, that they shall be speechless; and he shall shake them from the foundation; and they shall be utterly laid waste, and be in sorrow; and their memorial shall perish.


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And when they cast up the accounts of their sins, they shall come with fear: and their own iniquities shall convince them to their face.


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Then shall the righteous man stand in great boldness before the face of such as have afflicted him, and made no account of his labours.


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When they see it, they shall be troubled with terrible fear, and shall be amazed at the strangeness of his salvation, so far beyond all that they looked for.


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And they repenting and groaning for anguish of spirit shall say within themselves, This was he, whom we had sometimes in derision, and a proverb of reproach:


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Therefore have we erred from the way of truth, and the light of righteousness hath not shined unto us, and the sun of righteousness rose not upon us.


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We wearied ourselves in the way of wickedness and destruction: yea, we have gone through deserts, where there lay no way: but as for the way of the Lord, we have not known it.


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And as a ship that passeth over the waves of the water, which when it is gone by, the trace thereof cannot be found, neither the pathway of the keel in the waves;


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Or as when a bird hath flown through the air, there is no token of her way to be found, but the light air being beaten with the stroke of her wings and parted with the violent noise and motion of them, is passed through, and therein afterwards no sign where she went is to be found;


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Or like as when an arrow is shot at a mark, it parteth the air, which immediately cometh together again, so that a man cannot know where it went through:


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Even so we in like manner, as soon as we were born, began to draw to our end, and had no sign of virtue to shew; but were consumed in our own wickedness.


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For the hope of the Godly is like dust that is blown away with the wind; like a thin froth that is driven away with the storm; like as the smoke which is dispersed here and there with a tempest, and passeth away as the remembrance of a guest that tarrieth but a day.


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But the righteous live for evermore; their reward also is with the Lord, and the care of them is with the most High.


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Therefore shall they receive a glorious kingdom, and a beautiful crown from the Lord's hand: for with his right hand shall he cover them, and with his arm shall he protect them.


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He shall take to him his jealousy for complete armour, and make the creature his weapon for the revenge of his enemies.


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His severe wrath shall he sharpen for a sword, and the world shall fight with him against the unwise.


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Then shall the right aiming thunderbolts go abroad; and from the clouds, as from a well drawn bow, shall they fly to the mark.


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And hailstones full of wrath shall be cast as out of a stone bow, and the water of the sea shall rage against them, and the floods shall cruelly drown them.


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Yea, a mighty wind shall stand up against them, and like a storm shall blow them away: thus iniquity shall lay waste the whole earth, and ill dealing shall overthrow the thrones of the mighty.


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For power is given you of the Lord, and sovereignty from the Highest, who shall try your works, and search out your counsels.


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Because, being ministers of his kingdom, ye have not judged aright, nor kept the law, nor walked after the counsel of God;


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Horribly and speedily shall he come upon you: for a sharp judgment shall be to them that be in high places.


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For he which is Lord over all shall fear no man's person, neither shall he stand in awe of any man's greatness: for he hath made the small and great, and careth for all alike.


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For they that keep holiness holily shall be judged holy: and they that have learned such things shall find what to answer.


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Wisdom is glorious, and never fadeth away: yea, she is easily seen of them that love her, and found of such as seek her.


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To think therefore upon her is perfection of wisdom: and whoso watcheth for her shall quickly be without care.


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For she goeth about seeking such as are worthy of her, sheweth herself favourably unto them in the ways, and meeteth them in every thought.


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And love is the keeping of her laws; and the giving heed unto her laws is the assurance of incorruption;


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If your delight be then in thrones and sceptres, O ye kings of the people, honour wisdom, that ye may reign for evermore.


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As for wisdom, what she is, and how she came up, I will tell you, and will not hide mysteries from you: but will seek her out from the beginning of her nativity, and bring the knowledge of her into light, and will not pass over the truth.


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But the multitude of the wise is the welfare of the world: and a wise king is the upholding of the people.


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I myself also am a mortal man, like to all, and the offspring of him that was first made of the earth,


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And in my mother's womb was fashioned to be flesh in the time of ten months, being compacted in blood, of the seed of man, and the pleasure that came with sleep.


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And when I was born, I drew in the common air, and fell upon the earth, which is of like nature, and the first voice which I uttered was crying, as all others do.


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Wherefore I prayed, and understanding was given me: I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.


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Neither compared I unto her any precious stone, because all gold in respect of her is as a little sand, and silver shall be counted as clay before her.


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I loved her above health and beauty, and chose to have her instead of light: for the light that cometh from her never goeth out.


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And I rejoiced in them all, because wisdom goeth before them: and I knew not that she was the mother of them.


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For she is a treasure unto men that never faileth: which they that use become the friends of God, being commended for the gifts that come from learning.


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God hath granted me to speak as I would, and to conceive as is meet for the things that are given me: because it is he that leadeth unto wisdom, and directeth the wise.


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For he hath given me certain knowledge of the things that are, namely, to know how the world was made, and the operation of the elements:


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The beginning, ending, and midst of the times: the alterations of the turning of the sun, and the change of seasons:


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The natures of living creatures, and the furies of wild beasts: the violence of winds, and the reasonings of men: the diversities of plants and the virtues of roots:


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For wisdom, which is the worker of all things, taught me: for in her is an understanding spirit holy, one only, manifold, subtil, lively, clear, undefiled, plain, not subject to hurt, loving the thing that is good quick, which cannot be letted, ready to do good,


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Kind to man, steadfast, sure, free from care, having all power, overseeing all things, and going through all understanding, pure, and most subtil, spirits.


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For wisdom is more moving than any motion: she passeth and goeth through all things by reason of her pureness.


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For she is the breath of the power of God, and a pure influence flowing from the glory of the Almighty: therefore can no defiled thing fall into her.


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For she is the brightness of the everlasting light, the unspotted mirror of the power of God, and the image of his goodness.


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And being but one, she can do all things: and remaining in herself, she maketh all things new: and in all ages entering into holy souls, she maketh them friends of God, and prophets.


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For she is more beautiful than the sun, and above all the order of stars: being compared with the light, she is found before it.


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I loved her, and sought her out from my youth, I desired to make her my spouse, and I was a lover of her beauty.


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In that she is conversant with God, she magnifieth her nobility: yea, the Lord of all things himself loved her.


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If riches be a possession to be desired in this life; what is richer than wisdom, that worketh all things?


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And if a man love righteousness her labours are virtues: for she teacheth temperance and prudence, justice and fortitude: which are such things, as en can have nothing more profitable in their life.


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If a man desire much experience, she knoweth things of old, and conjectureth aright what is to come: she knoweth the subtilties of speeches, and can expound dark sentences: she foreseeth signs and wonders, and the events of seasons and times.


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Therefore I purposed to take her to me to live with me, knowing that she would be a counsellor of good things, and a comfort in cares and grief.


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For her sake I shall have estimation among the multitude, and honour with the elders, though I be young.


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When I hold my tongue, they shall bide my leisure, and when I speak, they shall give good ear unto me: if I talk much, they shall lay their hands upon their mouth.


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Moreover by the means of her I shall obtain immortality, and leave behind me an everlasting memorial to them that come after me.


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Horrible tyrants shall be afraid, when they do but hear of me; I shall be found good among the multitude, and valiant in war.


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After I am come into mine house, I will repose myself with her: for her conversation hath no bitterness; and to live with her hath no sorrow, but mirth and joy.


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Now when I considered these things in myself, and pondered them in my heart, how that to be allied unto wisdom is immortality;


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And great pleasure it is to have her friendship; and in the works of her hands are infinite riches; and in the exercise of conference with her, prudence; and in talking with her, a good report; I went about seeking how to take her to me.


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Nevertheless, when I perceived that I could not otherwise obtain her, except God gave her me; and that was a point of wisdom also to know whose gift she was; I prayed unto the Lord, and besought him, and with my whole heart I said,


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And ordained man through thy wisdom, that he should have dominion over the creatures which thou hast made,


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And order the world according to equity and righteousness, and execute judgment with an upright heart:


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For I thy servant and son of thine handmaid am a feeble person, and of a short time, and too young for the understanding of judgment and laws.


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For though a man be never so perfect among the children of men, yet if thy wisdom be not with him, he shall be nothing regarded.


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Thou hast commanded me to build a temple upon thy holy mount, and an altar in the city wherein thou dwellest, a resemblance of the holy tabernacle, which thou hast prepared from the beginning.


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And wisdom was with thee: which knoweth thy works, and was present when thou madest the world, and knew what was acceptable in thy sight, and right in thy commandments.


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O send her out of thy holy heavens, and from the throne of thy glory, that being present she may labour with me, that I may know what is pleasing unto thee.


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For she knoweth and understandeth all things, and she shall lead me soberly in my doings, and preserve me in her power.


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So shall my works be acceptable, and then shall I judge thy people righteously, and be worthy to sit in my father's seat.


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For the corruptible body presseth down the soul, and the earthy tabernacle weigheth down the mind that museth upon many things.


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And hardly do we guess aright at things that are upon earth, and with labour do we find the things that are before us: but the things that are in heaven who hath searched out?


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For so the ways of them which lived on the earth were reformed, and men were taught the things that are pleasing unto thee, and were saved through wisdom.


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She preserved the first formed father of the world, that was created alone, and brought him out of his fall,


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But when the unrighteous went away from her in his anger, he perished also in the fury wherewith he murdered his brother.


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For whose cause the earth being drowned with the flood, wisdom again preserved it, and directed the course of the righteous in a piece of wood of small value.


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Moreover, the nations in their wicked conspiracy being confounded, she found out the righteous, and preserved him blameless unto God, and kept him strong against his tender compassion toward his son.


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When the ungodly perished, she delivered the righteous man, who fled from the fire which fell down upon the five cities.


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Of whose wickedness even to this day the waste land that smoketh is a testimony, and plants bearing fruit that never come to ripeness: and a standing pillar of salt is a monument of an unbelieving soul.


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For regarding not wisdom, they gat not only this hurt, that they knew not the things which were good; but also left behind them to the world a memorial of their foolishness: so that in the things wherein they offended they could not so much as be hid.


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When the righteous fled from his brother's wrath she guided him in right paths, shewed him the kingdom of God, and gave him knowledge of holy things, made him rich in his travels, and multiplied the fruit of his labours.


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She defended him from his enemies, and kept him safe from those that lay in wait, and in a sore conflict she gave him the victory; that he might know that goodness is stronger than all.


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When the righteous was sold, she forsook him not, but delivered him from sin: she went down with him into the pit,


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And left him not in bonds, till she brought him the sceptre of the kingdom, and power against those that oppressed him: as for them that had accused him, she shewed them to be liars, and gave him perpetual glory.


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She entered into the soul of the servant of the Lord, and withstood dreadful kings in wonders and signs;


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Rendered to the righteous a reward of their labours, guided them in a marvellous way, and was unto them for a cover by day, and a light of stars in the night season;


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Therefore the righteous spoiled the ungodly, and praised thy holy name, O Lord, and magnified with one accord thine hand, that fought for them.


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They went through the wilderness that was not inhabited, and pitched tents in places where there lay no way.


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When they were thirsty, they called upon thee, and water was given them out of the flinty rock, and their thirst was quenched out of the hard stone.


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For a manifest reproof of that commandment, whereby the infants were slain, thou gavest unto them abundance of water by a means which they hoped not for:


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For when they were tried albeit but in mercy chastised, they knew how the ungodly were judged in wrath and tormented, thirsting in another manner than the just.


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For these thou didst admonish and try, as a father: but the other, as a severe king, thou didst condemn and punish.


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For when they heard by their own punishments the other to be benefited, they had some feeling of the Lord.


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For whom they respected with scorn, when he was long before thrown out at the casting forth of the infants, him in the end, when they saw what came to pass, they admired.


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But for the foolish devices of their wickedness, wherewith being deceived they worshipped serpents void of reason, and vile beasts, thou didst send a multitude of unreasonable beasts upon them for vengeance;


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For thy Almighty hand, that made the world of matter without form, wanted not means to send among them a multitude of bears or fierce lions,


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Or unknown wild beasts, full of rage, newly created, breathing out either a fiery vapour, or filthy scents of scattered smoke, or shooting horrible sparkles out of their eyes:


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Whereof not only the harm might dispatch them at once, but also the terrible sight utterly destroy them.


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Yea, and without these might they have fallen down with one blast, being persecuted of vengeance, and scattered abroad through the breath of thy power: but thou hast ordered all things in measure and number and weight.


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For thou canst shew thy great strength at all times when thou wilt; and who may withstand the power of thine arm?


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For the whole world before thee is as a little grain of the balance, yea, as a drop of the morning dew that falleth down upon the earth.


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But thou hast mercy upon all; for thou canst do all things, and winkest at the sins of men, because they should amend.


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For thou lovest all the things that are, and abhorrest nothing which thou hast made: for never wouldest thou have made any thing, if thou hadst hated it.


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And how could any thing have endured, if it had not been thy will? or been preserved, if not called by thee?


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Therefore chastenest thou them by little and little that offend, and warnest them by putting them in remembrance wherein they have offended, that leaving their wickedness they may believe on thee, O Lord.


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For it was thy will to destroy by the hands of our fathers both those old inhabitants of thy holy land,


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And also those merciless murderers of children, and devourers of man's flesh, and the feasts of blood,


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With their priests out of the midst of their idolatrous crew, and the parents, that killed with their own hands souls destitute of help:


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That the land, which thou esteemedst above all other, might receive a worthy colony of God's children.


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Nevertheless even those thou sparedst as men, and didst send wasps, forerunners of thine host, to destroy them by little and little.


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Not that thou wast unable to bring the ungodly under the hand of the righteous in battle, or to destroy them at once with cruel beasts, or with one rough word:


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But executing thy judgments upon them by little and little, thou gavest them place of repentance, not being ignorant that they were a naughty generation, and that their malice was bred in them, and that their cogitation would never be changed.


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For it was a cursed seed from the beginning; neither didst thou for fear of any man give them pardon for those things wherein they sinned.


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For who shall say, What hast thou done? or who shall withstand thy judgment? or who shall accuse thee for the nations that perish, whom thou made? or who shall come to stand against thee, to be revenged for the unrighteous men?


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For neither is there any God but thou that careth for all, to whom thou mightest shew that thy judgment is not unright.


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Forsomuch then as thou art righteous thyself, thou orderest all things righteously: thinking it not agreeable with thy power to condemn him that hath not deserved to be punished.


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For thy power is the beginning of righteousness, and because thou art the Lord of all, it maketh thee to be gracious unto all.


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For when men will not believe that thou art of a full power, thou shewest thy strength, and among them that know it thou makest their boldness manifest.


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But thou, mastering thy power, judgest with equity, and orderest us with great favour: for thou mayest use power when thou wilt.


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But by such works hast thou taught thy people that the just man should be merciful, and hast made thy children to be of a good hope that thou givest repentance for sins.


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For if thou didst punish the enemies of thy children, and the condemned to death, with such deliberation, giving them time and place, whereby they might be delivered from their malice:


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With how great circumspection didst thou judge thine own sons, unto whose fathers thou hast sworn, and made covenants of good promises?


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Therefore, whereas thou dost chasten us, thou scourgest our enemies a thousand times more, to the intent that, when we judge, we should carefully think of thy goodness, and when we ourselves are judged, we should look for mercy.


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Wherefore, whereas men have lived dissolutely and unrighteously, thou hast tormented them with their own abominations.


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For they went astray very far in the ways of error, and held them for gods, which even among the beasts of their enemies were despised, being deceived, as children of no understanding.


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Therefore unto them, as to children without the use of reason, thou didst send a judgment to mock them.


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But they that would not be reformed by that correction, wherein he dallied with them, shall feel a judgment worthy of God.


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For, look, for what things they grudged, when they were punished, that is, for them whom they thought to be gods; [now] being punished in them, when they saw it, they acknowledged him to be the true God, whom before they denied to know: and therefore came extreme damnation upon them.


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Surely vain are all men by nature, who are ignorant of God, and could not out of the good things that are seen know him that is: neither by considering the works did they acknowledge the workmaster;


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But deemed either fire, or wind, or the swift air, or the circle of the stars, or the violent water, or the lights of heaven, to be the gods which govern the world.


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With whose beauty if they being delighted took them to be gods; let them know how much better the Lord of them is: for the first author of beauty hath created them.


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But if they were astonished at their power and virtue, let them understand by them, how much mightier he is that made them.


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But yet for this they are the less to be blamed: for they peradventure err, seeking God, and desirous to find him.


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For being conversant in his works they search him diligently, and believe their sight: because the things are beautiful that are seen.


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For if they were able to know so much, that they could aim at the world; how did they not sooner find out the Lord thereof?


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But miserable are they, and in dead things is their hope, who call them gods, which are the works of men's hands, gold and silver, to shew art in, and resemblances of beasts, or a stone good for nothing, the work of an ancient hand.


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Now a carpenter that felleth timber, after he hath sawn down a tree meet for the purpose, and taken off all the bark skilfully round about, and hath wrought it handsomely, and made a vessel thereof fit for the service of man's life;


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And taking the very refuse among those which served to no use, being a crooked piece of wood, and full of knots, hath carved it diligently, when he had nothing else to do, and formed it by the skill of his understanding, and fashioned it to the image of a man;


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Or made it like some vile beast, laying it over with vermilion, and with paint colouring it red, and covering every spot therein;


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For he provided for it that it might not fall, knowing that it was unable to help itself; for it is an image, and hath need of help:


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Then maketh he prayer for his goods, for his wife and children, and is not ashamed to speak to that which hath no life.


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For health he calleth upon that which is weak: for life prayeth to that which is dead; for aid humbly beseecheth that which hath least means to help: and for a good journey he asketh of that which cannot set a foot forward:


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And for gaining and getting, and for good success of his hands, asketh ability to do of him, that is most unable to do any thing.


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Again, one preparing himself to sail, and about to pass through the raging waves, calleth upon a piece of wood more rotten than the vessel that carrieth him.


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But thy providence, O Father, governeth it: for thou hast made a way in the sea, and a safe path in the waves;


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Nevertheless thou wouldest not that the works of thy wisdom should be idle, and therefore do men commit their lives to a small piece of wood, and passing the rough sea in a weak vessel are saved.


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For in the old time also, when the proud giants perished, the hope of the world governed by thy hand escaped in a weak vessel, and left to all ages a seed of generation.


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But that which is made with hands is cursed, as well it, as he that made it: he, because he made it; and it, because, being corruptible, it was called god.


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Therefore even upon the idols of the Gentiles shall there be a visitation: because in the creature of God they are become an abomination, and stumblingblocks to the souls of men, and a snare to the feet of the unwise.


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For the devising of idols was the beginning of spiritual fornication, and the invention of them the corruption of life.


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For by the vain glory of men they entered into the world, and therefore shall they come shortly to an end.


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For a father afflicted with untimely mourning, when he hath made an image of his child soon taken away, now honoured him as a god, which was then a dead man, and delivered to those that were under him ceremonies and sacrifices.


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Thus in process of time an ungodly custom grown strong was kept as a law, and graven images were worshipped by the commandments of kings.


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Whom men could not honour in presence, because they dwelt far off, they took the counterfeit of his visage from far, and made an express image of a king whom they honoured, to the end that by this their forwardness they might flatter him that was absent, as if he were present.


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Also the singular diligence of the artificer did help to set forward the ignorant to more superstition.


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For he, peradventure willing to please one in authority, forced all his skill to make the resemblance of the best fashion.


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And so the multitude, allured by the grace of the work, took him now for a god, which a little before was but honoured.


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And this was an occasion to deceive the world: for men, serving either calamity or tyranny, did ascribe unto stones and stocks the incommunicable name.


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Moreover this was not enough for them, that they erred in the knowledge of God; but whereas they lived in the great war of ignorance, those so great plagues called they peace.


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For whilst they slew their children in sacrifices, or used secret ceremonies, or made revellings of strange rites;


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They kept neither lives nor marriages any longer undefiled: but either one slew another traiterously, or grieved him by adultery.


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So that there reigned in all men without exception blood, manslaughter, theft, and dissimulation, corruption, unfaithfulness, tumults, perjury,


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Disquieting of good men, forgetfulness of good turns, defiling of souls, changing of kind, disorder in marriages, adultery, and shameless uncleanness.


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For either they are mad when they be merry, or prophesy lies, or live unjustly, or else lightly forswear themselves.


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For insomuch as their trust is in idols, which have no life; though they swear falsely, yet they look not to be hurt.


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Howbeit for both causes shall they be justly punished: both because they thought not well of God, giving heed unto idols, and also unjustly swore in deceit, despising holiness.


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For it is not the power of them by whom they swear: but it is the just vengeance of sinners, that punisheth always the offence of the ungodly.


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For if we sin, we are thine, knowing thy power: but we will not sin, knowing that we are counted thine.


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For neither did the mischievous invention of men deceive us, nor an image spotted with divers colours, the painter's fruitless labour;


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The sight whereof enticeth fools to lust after it, and so they desire the form of a dead image, that hath no breath.


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Both they that make them, they that desire them, and they that worship them, are lovers of evil things, and are worthy to have such things to trust upon.


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For the potter, tempering soft earth, fashioneth every vessel with much labour for our service: yea, of the same clay he maketh both the vessels that serve for clean uses, and likewise also all such as serve to the contrary: but what is the use of either sort, the potter himself is the judge.


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And employing his labours lewdly, he maketh a vain god of the same clay, even he which a little before was made of earth himself, and within a little while after returneth to the same, out when his life which was lent him shall be demanded.


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Notwithstanding his care is, not that he shall have much labour, nor that his life is short: but striveth to excel goldsmiths and silversmiths, and endeavoureth to do like the workers in brass, and counteth it his glory to make counterfeit things.


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Forasmuch as he knew not his Maker, and him that inspired into him an active soul, and breathed in a living spirit.


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But they counted our life a pastime, and our time here a market for gain: for, say they, we must be getting every way, though it be by evil means.


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For this man, that of earthly matter maketh brittle vessels and graven images, knoweth himself to offend above all others.


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And all the enemies of thy people, that hold them in subjection, are most foolish, and are more miserable than very babes.


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For they counted all the idols of the heathen to be gods: which neither have the use of eyes to see, nor noses to draw breath, nor ears to hear, nor fingers of hands to handle; and as for their feet, they are slow to go.


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For man made them, and he that borrowed his own spirit fashioned them: but no man can make a god like unto himself.


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For being mortal, he worketh a dead thing with wicked hands: for he himself is better than the things which he worshippeth: whereas he lived once, but they never.


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Yea, they worshipped those beasts also that are most hateful: for being compared together, some are worse than others.


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Neither are they beautiful, so much as to be desired in respect of beasts: but they went without the praise of God and his blessing.


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Instead of which punishment, dealing graciously with thine own people, thou preparedst for them meat of a strange taste, even quails to stir up their appetite:


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To the end that they, desiring food, might for the ugly sight of the beasts sent among them lothe even that, which they must needs desire; but these, suffering penury for a short space, might be made partakers of a strange taste.


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For it was requisite, that upon them exercising tyranny should come penury, which they could not avoid: but to these it should only be shewed how their enemies were tormented.


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For when the horrible fierceness of beasts came upon these, and they perished with the stings of crooked serpents, thy wrath endured not for ever:


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But they were troubled for a small season, that they might be admonished, having a sign of salvation, to put them in remembrance of the commandment of thy law.


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For he that turned himself toward it was not saved by the thing that he saw, but by thee, that art the Saviour of all.


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For them the bitings of grasshoppers and flies killed, neither was there found any remedy for their life: for they were worthy to be punished by such.


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But thy sons not the very teeth of venomous dragons overcame: for thy mercy was ever by them, and healed them.


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For they were pricked, that they should remember thy words; and were quickly saved, that not falling into deep forgetfulness, they might be continually mindful of thy goodness.


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For it was neither herb, nor mollifying plaister, that restored them to health: but thy word, O Lord, which healeth all things.


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A man indeed killeth through his malice: and the spirit, when it is gone forth, returneth not; neither the soul received up cometh again.


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For the ungodly, that denied to know thee, were scourged by the strength of thine arm: with strange rains, hails, and showers, were they persecuted, that they could not avoid, and through fire were they consumed.


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For, which is most to be wondered at, the fire had more force in the water, that quencheth all things: for the world fighteth for the righteous.


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For sometime the flame was mitigated, that it might not burn up the beasts that were sent against the ungodly; but themselves might see and perceive that they were persecuted with the judgment of God.


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And at another time it burneth even in the midst of water above the power of fire, that it might destroy the fruits of an unjust land.


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Instead whereof thou feddest thine own people with angels' food, and didst send them from heaven bread prepared without their labour, able to content every man's delight, and agreeing to every taste.


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For thy sustenance declared thy sweetness unto thy children, and serving to the appetite of the eater, tempered itself to every man's liking.


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But snow and ice endured the fire, and melted not, that they might know that fire burning in the hail, and sparkling in the rain, did destroy the fruits of the enemies.


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For the creature that serveth thee, who art the Maker increaseth his strength against the unrighteous for their punishment, and abateth his strength for the benefit of such as put their trust in thee.


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Therefore even then was it altered into all fashions, and was obedient to thy grace, that nourisheth all things, according to the desire of them that had need:


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That thy children, O Lord, whom thou lovest, might know, that it is not the growing of fruits that nourisheth man: but that it is thy word, which preserveth them that put their trust in thee.


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That it might be known, that we must prevent the sun to give thee thanks, and at the dayspring pray unto thee.


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For the hope of the unthankful shall melt away as the winter's hoar frost, and shall run away as unprofitable water.


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For when unrighteous men thought to oppress the holy nation; they being shut up in their houses, the prisoners of darkness, and fettered with the bonds of a long night, lay [there] exiled from the eternal providence.


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For while they supposed to lie hid in their secret sins, they were scattered under a dark veil of forgetfulness, being horribly astonished, and troubled with [strange] apparitions.


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For neither might the corner that held them keep them from fear: but noises [as of waters] falling down sounded about them, and sad visions appeared unto them with heavy countenances.


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No power of the fire might give them light: neither could the bright flames of the stars endure to lighten that horrible night.


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Only there appeared unto them a fire kindled of itself, very dreadful: for being much terrified, they thought the things which they saw to be worse than the sight they saw not.


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As for the illusions of art magick, they were put down, and their vaunting in wisdom was reproved with disgrace.


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For they, that promised to drive away terrors and troubles from a sick soul, were sick themselves of fear, worthy to be laughed at.


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For though no terrible thing did fear them; yet being scared with beasts that passed by, and hissing of serpents,


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For wickedness, condemned by her own witness, is very timorous, and being pressed with conscience, always forecasteth grievous things.


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And the expectation from within, being less, counteth the ignorance more than the cause which bringeth the torment.


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But they sleeping the same sleep that night, which was indeed intolerable, and which came upon them out of the bottoms of inevitable hell,


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Were partly vexed with monstrous apparitions, and partly fainted, their heart failing them: for a sudden fear, and not looked for, came upon them.


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For whether he were husbandman, or shepherd, or a labourer in the field, he was overtaken, and endured that necessity, which could not be avoided: for they were all bound with one chain of darkness.


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Whether it were a whistling wind, or a melodious noise of birds among the spreading branches, or a pleasing fall of water running violently,


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Or a terrible sound of stones cast down, or a running that could not be seen of skipping beasts, or a roaring voice of most savage wild beasts, or a rebounding echo from the hollow mountains; these things made them to swoon for fear.


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Over them only was spread an heavy night, an image of that darkness which should afterward receive them: but yet were they unto themselves more grievous than the darkness.


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Nevertheless thy saints had a very great light, whose voice they hearing, and not seeing their shape, because they also had not suffered the same things, they counted them happy.


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But for that they did not hurt them now, of whom they had been wronged before, they thanked them, and besought them pardon for that they had been enemies.


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Instead whereof thou gavest them a burning pillar of fire, both to be a guide of the unknown journey, and an harmless sun to entertain them honourably.


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For they were worthy to be deprived of light and imprisoned in darkness, who had kept thy sons shut up, by whom the uncorrupt light of the law was to be given unto the world.


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And when they had determined to slay the babes of the saints, one child being cast forth, and saved, to reprove them, thou tookest away the multitude of their children, and destroyedst them altogether in a mighty water.


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Of that night were our fathers certified afore, that assuredly knowing unto what oaths they had given credence, they might afterwards be of good cheer.


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For wherewith thou didst punish our adversaries, by the same thou didst glorify us, whom thou hadst called.


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For the righteous children of good men did sacrifice secretly, and with one consent made a holy law, that the saints should be like partakers of the same good and evil, the fathers now singing out the songs of praise.


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But on the other side there sounded an ill according cry of the enemies, and a lamentable noise was carried abroad for children that were bewailed.


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The master and the servant were punished after one manner; and like as the king, so suffered the common person.


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So they all together had innumerable dead with one kind of death; neither were the living sufficient to bury them: for in one moment the noblest offspring of them was destroyed.


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For whereas they would not believe any thing by reason of the enchantments; upon the destruction of the firstborn, they acknowledged this people to be the sons of God.


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Thine Almighty word leaped down from heaven out of thy royal throne, as a fierce man of war into the midst of a land of destruction,


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And brought thine unfeigned commandment as a sharp sword, and standing up filled all things with death; and it touched the heaven, but it stood upon the earth.


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Then suddenly visions of horrible dreams troubled them sore, and terrors came upon them unlooked for.


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For the dreams that troubled them did foreshew this, lest they should perish, and not know why they were afflicted.


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Yea, the tasting of death touched the righteous also, and there was a destruction of the multitude in the wilderness: but the wrath endured not long.


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For then the blameless man made haste, and stood forth to defend them; and bringing the shield of his proper ministry, even prayer, and the propitiation of incense, set himself against the wrath, and so brought the calamity to an end, declaring that he was thy servant.


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So he overcame the destroyer, not with strength of body, nor force of arms, but with a word subdued him that punished, alleging the oaths and covenants made with the fathers.


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For when the dead were now fallen down by heaps one upon another, standing between, he stayed the wrath, and parted the way to the living.


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For in the long garment was the whole world, and in the four rows of the stones was the glory of the fathers graven, and thy Majesty upon the daidem of his head.


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Unto these the destroyer gave place, and was afraid of them: for it was enough that they only tasted of the wrath.


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As for the ungodly, wrath came upon them without mercy unto the end: for he knew before what they would do;


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How that having given them leave to depart, and sent them hastily away, they would repent and pursue them.


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For whilst they were yet mourning and making lamentation at the graves of the dead, they added another foolish device, and pursued them as fugitives, whom they had intreated to be gone.


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For the destiny, whereof they were worthy, drew them unto this end, and made them forget the things that had already happened, that they might fulfil the punishment which was wanting to their torments:


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For the whole creature in his proper kind was fashioned again anew, serving the peculiar commandments that were given unto them, that thy children might be kept without hurt:


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As namely, a cloud shadowing the camp; and where water stood before, dry land appeared; and out of the Red sea a way without impediment; and out of the violent stream a green field:


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Wherethrough all the people went that were defended with thy hand, seeing thy marvellous strange wonders.


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For they went at large like horses, and leaped like lambs, praising thee, O Lord, who hadst delivered them.


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For they were yet mindful of the things that were done while they sojourned in the strange land, how the ground brought forth flies instead of cattle, and how the river cast up a multitude of frogs instead of fishes.


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But afterwards they saw a new generation of fowls, when, being led with their appetite, they asked delicate meats.


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And punishments came upon the sinners not without former signs by the force of thunders: for they suffered justly according to their own wickedness, insomuch as they used a more hard and hateful behaviour toward strangers.


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For the Sodomites did not receive those, whom they knew not when they came: but these brought friends into bondage, that had well deserved of them.


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And not only so, but peradventure some respect shall be had of those, because they used strangers not friendly:


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But these very grievously afflicted them, whom they had received with feastings, and were already made partakers of the same laws with them.


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Therefore even with blindness were these stricken, as those were at the doors of the righteous man: when, being compassed about with horrible great darkness, every one sought the passage of his own doors.


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For the elements were changed in themselves by a kind of harmony, like as in a psaltery notes change the name of the tune, and yet are always sounds; which may well be perceived by the sight of the things that have been done.


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For earthly things were turned into watery, and the things, that before swam in the water, now went upon the ground.


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The fire had power in the water, forgetting his own virtue: and the water forgat his own quenching nature.


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On the other side, the flames wasted not the flesh of the corruptible living things, though they walked therein; neither melted they the icy kind of heavenly meat that was of nature apt to melt.


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For in all things, O Lord, thou didst magnify thy people, and glorify them, neither didst thou lightly regard them: but didst assist them in every time and place.


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Jesus of the same name with him: this man therefore lived in the latter times, after the people had been led away captive, and called home a again, and almost after all the prophets. Now his grandfather Jesus, as he himself witnesseth, was a man of great diligence and wisdom among the Hebrews, who did not only gather the grave and short sentences of wise men, that had been before him, but himself also uttered some of his own, full of much understanding and wisdom. When as therefore the first Jesus died, leaving this book almost perfected, Sirach his son receiving it after him left it to his own son Jesus, who, having gotten it into his hands, compiled it all orderly into one volume, and called it Wisdom, intituling it both by his own name, his father's name, and his grandfather's; alluring the hearer by the very name of Wisdom to have a greater love to the study of this book. It containeth therefore wise sayings, dark sentences, and parables, and certain particular ancient godly stories of men that pleased God; also his prayer and song; moreover, what benefits God had vouchsafed his people, and what plagues he had heaped upon their enemies. This Jesus did imitate Solomon, and was no less famous for wisdom and learning, both being indeed a man of great learning, and so reputed also.


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Whereas many and great things have been delivered unto us by the law and the prophets, and by others that have followed their steps, for the which things Israel ought to be commended for learning and wisdom; and whereof not only the readers must needs become skilful themselves, but also they that desire to learn be able to profit them which are without, both by speaking and writing: my grandfather Jesus, when he had much given himself to the reading of the law, and the prophets, and other books of our fathers, and had gotten therein good judgment, was drawn on also himself to write something pertaining to learning and wisdom; to the intent that those which are desirous to learn, and are addicted to these things, might profit much more in living according to the law. Wherefore let me intreat you to read it with favour and attention, and to pardon us, wherein we may seem to come short of some words, which we have laboured to interpret. For the same things uttered in Hebrew, and translated into another tongue, have not the same force in them: and not only these things, but the law itself, and the prophets, and the rest of the books, have no small difference, when they are spoken in their own language. For in the eight and thirtieth year coming into Egypt, when Euergetes was king, and continuing there some time, I found a book of no small learning: therefore I thought it most necessary for me to bestow some diligence and travail to interpret it; using great watchfulness and skill in that space to bring the book to an end, and set it forth for them also, which in a strange country are willing to learn, being prepared before in manners to live after the law.


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[Unto whom hath the knowledge of wisdom been made manifest? and who hath understood her great experience?]


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Whoso feareth the Lord, it shall go well with him at the last, and he shall find favour in the day of his death.


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The fear of the Lord is a crown of wisdom, making peace and perfect health to flourish; both which are the gifts of God: and it enlargeth their rejoicing that love him.


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Wisdom raineth down skill and knowledge of understanding standing, and exalteth them to honour that hold her fast.


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The parables of knowledge are in the treasures of wisdom: but godliness is an abomination to a sinner.


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Exalt not thyself, lest thou fall, and bring dishonour upon thy soul, and so God discover thy secrets, and cast thee down in the midst of the congregation, because thou camest not in truth to the fear of the Lord, but thy heart is full of deceit.


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Whatsoever is brought upon thee take cheerfully, and be patient when thou art changed to a low estate.


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Look at the generations of old, and see; did ever any trust in the Lord, and was confounded? or did any abide in his fear, and was forsaken? or whom did he ever despise, that called upon him?


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For the Lord is full of compassion and mercy, longsuffering, and very pitiful, and forgiveth sins, and saveth in time of affliction.


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They that fear the Lord will seek that which is well, pleasing unto him; and they that love him shall be filled with the law.


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Saying, We will fall into the hands of the Lord, and not into the hands of men: for as his majesty is, so is his mercy.


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For the Lord hath given the father honour over the children, and hath confirmed the authority of the mother over the sons.


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Whoso honoureth his father shall have joy of his own children; and when he maketh his prayer, he shall be heard.


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He that honoureth his father shall have a long life; and he that is obedient unto the Lord shall be a comfort to his mother.


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He that feareth the Lord will honour his father, and will do service unto his parents, as to his masters.


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For the blessing of the father establisheth the houses of children; but the curse of the mother rooteth out foundations.


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For the glory of a man is from the honour of his father; and a mother in dishonour is a reproach to the children.


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And if his understanding fail, have patience with him; and despise him not when thou art in thy full strength.


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For the relieving of thy father shall not be forgotten: and instead of sins it shall be added to build thee up.


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In the day of thine affliction it shall be remembered; thy sins also shall melt away, as the ice in the fair warm weather.


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Seek not out things that are too hard for thee, neither search the things that are above thy strength.


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But what is commanded thee, think thereupon with reverence, for it is not needful for thee to see with thine eyes the things that are in secret.


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For many are deceived by their own vain opinion; and an evil suspicion hath overthrown their judgment.


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In the punishment of the proud there is no remedy; for the plant of wickedness hath taken root in him.


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The heart of the prudent will understand a parable; and an attentive ear is the desire of a wise man.


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And he that requiteth good turns is mindful of that which may come hereafter; and when he falleth, he shall find a stay.


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Let it not grieve thee to bow down thine ear to the poor, and give him a friendly answer with meekness.


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Deliver him that suffereth wrong from the hand of the oppressor; and be not fainthearted when thou sittest in judgment.


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Be as a father unto the fatherless, and instead of an husband unto their mother: so shalt thou be as the son of the most High, and he shall love thee more than thy mother doth.


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Whoso giveth ear unto her shall judge the nations: and he that attendeth unto her shall dwell securely.


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If a man commit himself unto her, he shall inherit her; and his generation shall hold her in possession.


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For at the first she will walk with him by crooked ways, and bring fear and dread upon him, and torment him with her discipline, until she may trust his soul, and try him by her laws.


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Say not, I have sinned, and what harm hath happened unto me? for the Lord is longsuffering, he will in no wise let thee go.


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And say not His mercy is great; he will be pacified for the multitude of my sins: for mercy and wrath come from him, and his indignation resteth upon sinners.


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Make no tarrying to turn to the Lord, and put not off from day to day: for suddenly shall the wrath of the Lord come forth, and in thy security thou shalt be destroyed, and perish in the day of vengeance.


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Set not thine heart upon goods unjustly gotten, for they shall not profit thee in the day of calamity.


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Winnow not with every wind, and go not into every way: for so doth the sinner that hath a double tongue.


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Be not called a whisperer, and lie not in wait with thy tongue: for a foul shame is upon the thief, and an evil condemnation upon the double tongue.


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Instead of a friend become not an enemy; for [thereby] thou shalt inherit an ill name, shame, and reproach: even so shall a sinner that hath a double tongue.


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Extol not thyself in the counsel of thine own heart; that thy soul be not torn in pieces as a bull [straying alone.]


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A wicked soul shall destroy him that hath it, and shall make him to be laughed to scorn of his enemies.


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Whoso feareth the Lord shall direct his friendship aright: for as he is, so shall his neighbour be also.


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Come unto her as one that ploweth and soweth, and wait for her good fruits: for thou shalt not toil much in labouring about her, but thou shalt eat of her fruits right soon.


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Search, and seek, and she shall be made known unto thee: and when thou hast got hold of her, let her not go.


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If thou love to hear, thou shalt receive understanding: and if thou bow thine ear, thou shalt be wise,


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And if thou seest a man of understanding, get thee betimes unto him, and let thy foot wear the steps of his door.


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Let thy mind be upon the ordinances of the Lord and meditate continually in his commandments: he shall establish thine heart, and give thee wisdom at thine owns desire.


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Seek not to be judge, being not able to take away iniquity; lest at any time thou fear the person of the mighty, an stumblingblock in the way of thy uprightness.


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Offend not against the multitude of a city, and then thou shalt not cast thyself down among the people.


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Say not, God will look upon the multitude of my oblations, and when I offer to the most high God, he will accept it.


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Whereas thy servant worketh truly, entreat him not evil. nor the hireling that bestoweth himself wholly for thee.


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Marry thy daughter, and so shalt thou have performed a weighty matter: but give her to a man of understanding.


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Remember that thou wast begotten of them; and how canst thou recompense them the things that they have done for thee?


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Fear the Lord, and honor the priest; and give him his portion, as it is commanded thee; the firstfruits, and the trespass offering, and the gift of the shoulders, and the sacrifice of sanctification, and the firstfruits of the holy things.


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Be not at variance with a rich man, lest he overweigh thee: for gold hath destroyed many, and perverted the hearts of kings.


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Despise not the discourse of the wise, but acquaint thyself with their proverbs: for of them thou shalt learn instruction, and how to serve great men with ease.


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Miss not the discourse of the elders: for they also learned of their fathers, and of them thou shalt learn understanding, and to give answer as need requireth.


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Rise not up [in anger] at the presence of an injurious person, lest he lie in wait to entrap thee in thy words


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Travel not by the way with a bold fellow, lest he become grievous unto thee: for he will do according to his own will, and thou shalt perish with him through his folly.


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Strive not with an angry man, and go not with him into a solitary place: for blood is as nothing in his sight, and where there is no help, he will overthrow thee.


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Look not round about thee in the streets of the city, neither wander thou in the solitary place thereof.


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Turn away thine eye from a beautiful woman, and look not upon another's beauty; for many have been deceived by the beauty of a woman; for herewith love is kindled as a fire.


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Sit not at all with another man's wife, nor sit down with her in thine arms, and spend not thy money with her at the wine; lest thine heart incline unto her, and so through thy desire thou fall into destruction.


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Forsake not an old friend; for the new is not comparable to him: a new friend is as new wine; when it is old, thou shalt drink it with pleasure.


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Delight not in the thing that the ungodly have pleasure in; but remember they shall not go unpunished unto their grave.


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Keep thee far from the man that hath power to kill; so shalt thou not doubt the fear of death: and if thou come unto him, make no fault, lest he take away thy life presently: remember that thou goest in the midst of snares, and that thou walkest upon the battlements of the city.


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For the hand of the artificer the work shall be commended: and the wise ruler of the people for his speech.


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As the judge of the people is himself, so are his officers; and what manner of man the ruler of the city is, such are all they that dwell therein.


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An unwise king destroyeth his people; but through the prudence of them which are in authority the city shall be inhabited.


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The power of the earth is in the hand of the Lord, and in due time he will set over it one that is profitable.


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In the hand of God is the prosperity of man: and upon the person of the scribe shall he lay his honour.


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Because of unrighteous dealings, injuries, and riches got by deceit, the kingdom is translated from one people to another.


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Why is earth and ashes proud? There is not a more wicked thing than a covetous man: for such an one setteth his own soul to sale; because while he liveth he casteth away his bowels.


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For pride is the beginning of sin, and he that hath it shall pour out abomination: and therefore the Lord brought upon them strange calamities, and overthrew them utterly.


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He took some of them away, and destroyed them, and hath made their memorial to cease from the earth.


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They that fear the Lord are a sure seed, and they that love him an honourable plant: they that regard not the law are a dishonourable seed; they that transgress the commandments are a deceivable seed.


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The fear of the Lord goeth before the obtaining of authority: but roughness and pride is the losing thereof.


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It is not meet to despise the poor man that hath understanding; neither is it convenient to magnify a sinful man.


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Great men, and judges, and potentates, shall be honoured; yet is there none of them greater than he that feareth the Lord.


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Unto the servant that is wise shall they that are free do service: and he that hath knowledge will not grudge when he is reformed.


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Better is he that laboureth, and aboundeth in all things, than he that boasteth himself, and wanteth bread.


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Who will justify him that sinneth against his own soul? and who will honour him that dishonoureth his own life?


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He that is honoured in poverty, how much more in riches? and he that is dishonourable in riches, how much more in poverty?


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Boast not of thy clothing and raiment, and exalt not thyself in the day of honour: for the works of the Lord are wonderful, and his works among men are hidden.


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My son, meddle not with many matters: for if thou meddle much, thou shalt not be innocent; and if thou follow after, thou shalt not obtain, neither shalt thou escape by fleeing.


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Again, there is another that is slow, and hath need of help, wanting ability, and full of poverty; yet the eye of the Lord looked upon him for good, and set him up from his low estate,


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Wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of the law, are of the Lord: love, and the way of good works, are from him.


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Error and darkness had their beginning together with sinners: and evil shall wax old with them that glory therein.


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Whereas he saith, I have found rest, and now will eat continually of my goods; and yet he knoweth not what time shall come upon him, and that he must leave those things to others, and die.


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Marvel not at the works of sinners; but trust in the Lord, and abide in thy labour: for it is an easy thing in the sight of the Lord on the sudden to make a poor man rich.


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The blessing of the Lord is in the reward of the godly, and suddenly he maketh his blessing flourish.


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In the day of prosperity there is a forgetfulness of affliction: and in the day of affliction there is no more remembrance of prosperity.


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The affliction of an hour maketh a man forget pleasure: and in his end his deeds shall be discovered.


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Like as a partridge taken [and kept] in a cage, so is the heart of the proud; and like as a spy, watcheth he for thy fall:


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For he lieth in wait, and turneth good into evil, and in things worthy praise will lay blame upon thee.


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Take heed of a mischievous man, for he worketh wickedness; lest he bring upon thee a perpetual blot.


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Do good to the godly man, and thou shalt find a recompence; and if not from him, yet from the most High.


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Do well unto him that is lowly, but give not to the ungodly: hold back thy bread, and give it not unto him, lest he overmaster thee thereby: for [else] thou shalt receive twice as much evil for all the good thou shalt have done unto him.


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For the most High hateth sinners, and will repay vengeance unto the ungodly, and keepeth them against the mighty day of their punishment.


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Though he humble himself, and go crouching, yet take good heed and beware of him, and thou shalt be unto him as if thou hadst wiped a lookingglass, and thou shalt know that his rust hath not been altogether wiped away.


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Set him not by thee, lest, when he hath overthrown thee, he stand up in thy place; neither let him sit at thy right hand, lest he seek to take thy seat, and thou at the last remember my words, and be pricked therewith.


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An enemy speaketh sweetly with his lips, but in his heart he imagineth how to throw thee into a pit: he will weep with his eyes, but if he find opportunity, he will not be satisfied with blood.


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If adversity come upon thee, thou shalt find him there first; and though he pretend to help thee, yet shall he undermine thee.


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He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled therewith; and he that hath fellowship with a proud man shall be like unto him.


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Burden not thyself above thy power while thou livest; and have no fellowship with one that is mightier and richer than thyself: for how agree the kettle and the earthen pot together? for if the one be smitten against the other, it shall be broken.


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The rich man hath done wrong, and yet he threateneth withal: the poor is wronged, and he must intreat also.


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If thou have any thing, he will live with thee: yea, he will make thee bare, and will not be sorry for it.


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If he have need of thee, he will deceive thee, and smile upon thee, and put thee in hope; he will speak thee fair, and say, What wantest thou?


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And he will shame thee by his meats, until he have drawn thee dry twice or thrice, and at the last he will laugh thee to scorn afterward, when he seeth thee, he will forsake thee, and shake his head at thee.


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Affect not to be made equal unto him in talk, and believe not his many words: for with much communication will he tempt thee, and smiling upon thee will get out thy secrets:


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But cruelly he will lay up thy words, and will not spare to do thee hurt, and to put thee in prison.


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Observe, and take good heed, for thou walkest in peril of thy overthrowing: when thou hearest these things, awake in thy sleep.


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A rich man beginning to fall is held up of his friends: but a poor man being down is thrust away by his friends.


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When a rich man is fallen, he hath many helpers: he speaketh things not to be spoken, and yet men justify him: the poor man slipped, and yet they rebuked him too; he spake wisely, and could have no place.


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When a rich man speaketh, every man holdeth his tongue, and, look, what he saith, they extol it to the clouds: but if the poor man speak, they say, What fellow is this? and if he stumble, they will help to overthrow him.


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The heart of a man changeth his countenance, whether it be for good or evil: and a merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance.


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A cheerful countenance is a token of a heart that is in prosperity; and the finding out of parables is a wearisome labour of the mind.


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Blessed is the man that hath not slipped with his mouth, and is not pricked with the multitude of sins.


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Blessed is he whose conscience hath not condemned him, and who is not fallen from his hope in the Lord.


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He that gathereth by defrauding his own soul gathereth for others, that shall spend his goods riotously.


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A covetous man's eye is not satisfied with his portion; and the iniquity of the wicked drieth up his soul.


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Remember that death will not be long in coming, and that the covenant of the grave is not shewed unto thee.


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Do good unto thy friend before thou die, and according to thy ability stretch out thy hand and give to him.


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All flesh waxeth old as a garment: for the covenant from the beginning is, Thou shalt die the death.


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As of the green leaves on a thick tree, some fall, and some grow; so is the generation of flesh and blood, one cometh to an end, and another is born.


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Blessed is the man that doth meditate good things in wisdom, and that reasoneth of holy things by his understanding. ing.


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He shall be stayed upon her, and shall not be moved; and shall rely upon her, and shall not be confounded.


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She shall exalt him above his neighbours, and in the midst of the congregation shall she open his mouth.


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Say not thou, It is through the Lord that I fell away: for thou oughtest not to do the things that he hateth.


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Trust not thou in their life, neither respect their multitude: for one that is just is better than a thousand; and better it is to die without children, than to have them that are ungodly.


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For by one that hath understanding shall the city be replenished: but the kindred of the wicked shall speedily become desolate.


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In the congregation of the ungodly shall a fire be kindled; and in a rebellious nation wrath is set on fire.


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And if there be one stiffnecked among the people, it is marvel if he escape unpunished: for mercy and wrath are with him; he is mighty to forgive, and to pour out displeasure.


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The Lord hardened Pharaoh, that he should not know him, that his powerful works might be known to the world.


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His mercy is manifest to every creature; and he hath separated his light from the darkness with an adamant.


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Say not thou, I will hide myself from the Lord: shall any remember me from above? I shall not be remembered among so many people: for what is my soul among such an infinite number of creatures?


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Behold, the heaven, and the heaven of heavens, the deep, and the earth, and all that therein is, shall be moved when he shall visit.


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The mountains also and foundations of the earth be shaken with trembling, when the Lord looketh upon them.


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Who can declare the works of his justice? or who can endure them? for his covenant is afar off, and the trial of all things is in the end.


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He that wanteth understanding will think upon vain things: and a foolish man erring imagineth follies.


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The works of the Lord are done in judgment from the beginning: and from the time he made them he disposed the parts thereof.


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He garnished his works for ever, and in his hand are the chief of them unto all generations: they neither labour, nor are weary, nor cease from their works.


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With all manner of living things hath he covered the face thereof; and they shall return into it again.


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They received the use of the five operations of the Lord, and in the sixth place he imparted them understanding, and in the seventh speech, an interpreter of the cogitations thereof.]


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He gave them to glory in his marvellous acts for ever, that they might declare his works with understanding.


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And he said unto them, Beware of all unrighteousness; and he gave every man commandment concerning his neighbour.


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Every man from his youth is given to evil; neither could they make to themselves fleshy hearts for stony.


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For in the division of the nations of the whole earth he set a ruler over every people; but Israel is the Lord's portion:


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Whom, being his firstborn, he nourisheth with discipline, and giving him the light of his love doth not forsake him.


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But the Lord being gracious and knowing his workmanship, neither left nor forsook them, but spared them.


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The alms of a man is as a signet with him, and he will keep the good deeds of man as the apple of the eye, and give repentance to his sons and daughters.


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Turn again to the most High, and turn away from iniquity: for he will lead thee out of darkness into the light of health, and hate thou abomination vehemently.


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Thanksgiving perisheth from the dead, as from one that is not: the living and sound in heart shall praise the Lord.


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How great is the lovingkindness of the Lord our God, and his compassion unto such as turn unto him in holiness!


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What is brighter than the sun? yet the light thereof faileth; and flesh and blood will imagine evil.


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Who governeth the world with the palm of his hand, and all things obey his will: for he is the King of all, by his power dividing holy things among them from profane.


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As for the wondrous works of the Lord, there may nothing be taken from them, neither may any thing be put unto them, neither can the ground of them be found out.


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As a drop of water unto the sea, and a gravelstone in comparison of the sand; so are a thousand years to the days of eternity.


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The mercy of man is toward his neighbour; but the mercy of the Lord is upon all flesh: he reproveth, and nurtureth, and teacheth and bringeth again, as a shepherd his flock.


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Think upon the wrath that shall be at the end, and the time of vengeance, when he shall turn away his face.


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When thou hast enough, remember the time of hunger: and when thou art rich, think upon poverty and need.


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From the morning until the evening the time is changed, and all things are soon done before the Lord.


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A wise man will fear in every thing, and in the day of sinning he will beware of offence: but a fool will not observe time.


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They that were of understanding in sayings became also wise themselves, and poured forth exquisite parables.


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If thou givest thy soul the desires that please her, she will make thee a laughingstock to thine enemies that malign thee.


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Be not made a beggar by banqueting upon borrowing, when thou hast nothing in thy purse: for thou shalt lie in wait for thine own life, and be talked on.


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A labouring man that A is given to drunkenness shall not be rich: and he that contemneth small things shall fall by little and little.


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Wine and women will make men of understanding to fall away: and he that cleaveth to harlots will become impudent.


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He that is hasty to give credit is lightminded; and he that sinneth shall offend against his own soul.


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Whoso taketh pleasure in wickedness shall be condemned: but he that resisteth pleasures crowneth his life.


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He that can rule his tongue shall live without strife; and he that hateth babbling shall have less evil.


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Whether it be to friend or foe, talk not of other men's lives; and if thou canst without offence, reveal them not.


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There is one that slippeth in his speech, but not from his heart; and who is he that hath not offended with his tongue?


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Admonish thy neighbour before thou threaten him; and not being angry, give place to the law of the most High.


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The knowledge of the commandments of the Lord is the doctrine of life: and they that do things that please him shall receive the fruit of the tree of immortality.


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The fear of the Lord is all wisdom; and in all wisdom is the performance of the law, and the knowledge of his omnipotency.


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If a servant say to his master, I will not do as it pleaseth thee; though afterward he do it, he angereth him that nourisheth him.


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He that hath small understanding, and feareth God, is better than one that hath much wisdom, and transgresseth the law of the most High.


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There is an exquisite subtilty, and the same is unjust; and there is one that turneth aside to make judgment appear; and there is a wise man that justifieth in judgment.


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Casting down his countenance, and making as if he heard not: where he is not known, he will do thee a mischief before thou be aware.


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And if for want of power he be hindered from sinning, yet when he findeth opportunity he will do evil.


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A man may be known by his look, and one that hath understanding by his countenance, when thou meetest him.


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It is much better to reprove, than to be angry secretly: and he that confesseth his fault shall be preserved from hurt.


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There is one that keepeth silence, and is found wise: and another by much babbling becometh hateful.


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Some man holdeth his tongue, because he hath not to answer: and some keepeth silence, knowing his time.


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A wise man will hold his tongue till he see opportunity: but a babbler and a fool will regard no time.


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He that useth many words shall be abhorred; and he that taketh to himself authority therein shall be hated.


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The gift of a fool shall do thee no good when thou hast it; neither yet of the envious for his necessity: for he looketh to receive many things for one.


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He giveth little, and upbraideth much; he openeth his mouth like a crier; to day he lendeth, and to morrow will he ask it again: such an one is to be hated of God and man.


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The fool saith, I have no friends, I have no thank for all my good deeds, and they that eat my bread speak evil of me.


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How oft, and of how many shall he be laughed to scorn! for he knoweth not aright what it is to have; and it is all one unto him as if he had it not.


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To slip upon a pavement is better than to slip with the tongue: so the fall of the wicked shall come speedily.


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A wise sentence shall be rejected when it cometh out of a fool's mouth; for he will not speak it in due season.


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There is that is hindered from sinning through want: and when he taketh rest, he shall not be troubled.


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There is that destroyeth his own soul through bashfulness, and by accepting of persons overthroweth himself.


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A thief is better than a man that is accustomed to lie: but they both shall have destruction to heritage.


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A wise man shall promote himself to honour with his words: and he that hath understanding will please great men.


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He that tilleth his land shall increase his heap: and he that pleaseth great men shall get pardon for iniquity.


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Flee from sin as from the face of a serpent: for if thou comest too near it, it will bite thee: the teeth thereof are as the teeth of a lion, slaying the souls of men.


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He that hateth to be reproved is in the way of sinners: but he that feareth the Lord will repent from his heart.


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He that buildeth his house with other men's money is like one that gathereth himself stones for the tomb of his burial.


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The congregation of the wicked is like tow wrapped together: and the end of them is a flame of fire to destroy them.


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He that keepeth the law of the Lord getteth the understanding thereof: and the perfection of the fear of the Lord is wisdom.


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The knowledge of a wise man shall abound like a flood: and his counsel is like a pure fountain of life.


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The inner parts of a fool are like a broken vessel, and he will hold no knowledge as long as he liveth.


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If a skilful man hear a wise word, he will commend it, and add unto it: but as soon as one of no understanding heareth it, it displeaseth him, and he casteth it behind his back.


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The talking of a fool is like a burden in the way: but grace shall be found in the lips of the wise.


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They enquire at the mouth of the wise man in the congregation, and they shall ponder his words in their heart.


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As is a house that is destroyed, so is wisdom to a fool: and the knowledge of the unwise is as talk without sense.


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It is the rudeness of a man to hearken at the door: but a wise man will be grieved with the disgrace.


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The lips of talkers will be telling such things as pertain not unto them: but the words of such as have understanding are weighed in the balance.


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A slothful man is compared to the filth of a dunghill: every man that takes it up will shake his hand.


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An evilnurtured man is the dishonour of his father that begat him: and a [foolish] daughter is born to his loss.


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A wise daughter shall bring an inheritance to her husband: but she that liveth dishonestly is her father's heaviness.


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A tale out of season [is as] musick in mourning: but stripes and correction of wisdom are never out of time.


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Whoso teacheth a fool is as one that glueth a potsherd together, and as he that waketh one from a sound sleep.


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He that telleth a tale to a fool speaketh to one in a slumber: when he hath told his tale, he will say, What is the matter?


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But children, being haughty, through disdain and want of nurture do stain the nobility of their kindred.


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Weep for the dead, for he hath lost the light: and weep for the fool, for he wanteth understanding: make little weeping for the dead, for he is at rest: but the life of the fool is worse than death.


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Seven days do men mourn for him that is dead; but for a fool and an ungodly man all the days of his life.


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Talk not much with a fool, and go not to him that hath no understanding: beware of him, lest thou have trouble, and thou shalt never be defiled with his fooleries: depart from him, and thou shalt find rest, and never be disquieted with madness.


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As timber girt and bound together in a building cannot be loosed with shaking: so the heart that is stablished by advised counsel shall fear at no time.


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Pales set on an high place will never stand against the wind: so a fearful heart in the imagination of a fool cannot stand against any fear.


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He that pricketh the eye will make tears to fall: and he that pricketh the heart maketh it to shew her knowledge.


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Whoso casteth a stone at the birds frayeth them away: and he that upbraideth his friend breaketh friendship.


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Though thou drewest a sword at thy friend, yet despair not: for there may be a returning [to favour.]


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If thou hast opened thy mouth against thy friend, fear not; for there may be a reconciliation: except for upbraiding, or pride, or disclosing of secrets, or a treacherous wound: for for these things every friend will depart.


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Be faithful to thy neighbour in his poverty, that thou mayest rejoice in his prosperity: abide stedfast unto him in the time of his trouble, that thou mayest be heir with him in his heritage: for a mean estate is not always to be contemned: nor the rich that is foolish to be had in admiration.


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Who shall set a watch before my mouth, and a seal of wisdom upon my lips, that I fall not suddenly by them, and that my tongue destroy me not?


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O Lord, Father and Governor of all my whole life, leave me not to their counsels, and let me not fall by them.


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Who will set scourges over my thoughts, and the discipline of wisdom over mine heart? that they spare me not for mine ignorances, and it pass not by my sins:


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Lest mine ignorances increase, and my sins abound to my destruction, and I fall before mine adversaries, and mine enemy rejoice over me, whose hope is far from thy mercy.


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O Lord, Father and God of my life, give me not a proud look, but turn away from thy servants always a haughty mind.


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Turn away from me vain hopes and concupiscence, and thou shalt hold him up that is desirous always to serve thee.


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Let not the greediness of the belly nor lust of the flesh take hold of me; and give not over me thy servant into an impudent mind.


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Hear, O ye children, the discipline of the mouth: he that keepeth it shall never be taken in his lips.


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The sinner shall be left in his foolishness: both the evil speaker and the proud shall fall thereby.


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For as a servant that is continually beaten shall not be without a blue mark: so he that sweareth and nameth God continually shall not be faultless.


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A man that useth much swearing shall be filled with iniquity, and the plague shall never depart from his house: if he shall offend, his sin shall be upon him: and if he acknowledge not his sin, he maketh a double offence: and if he swear in vain, he shall not be innocent, but his house shall be full of calamities.


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There is a word that is clothed about with death: God grant that it be not found in the heritage of Jacob; for all such things shall be far from the godly, and they shall not wallow in their sins.


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Remember thy father and thy mother, when thou sittest among great men. Be not forgetful before them, and so thou by thy custom become a fool, and wish that thou hadst not been born, and curse they day of thy nativity.


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Two sorts of men multiply sin, and the third will bring wrath: a hot mind is as a burning fire, it will never be quenched till it be consumed: a fornicator in the body of his flesh will never cease till he hath kindled a fire.


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A man that breaketh wedlock, saying thus in his heart, Who seeth me? I am compassed about with darkness, the walls cover me, and no body seeth me; what need I to fear? the most High will not remember my sins:


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Such a man only feareth the eyes of men, and knoweth not that the eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the sun, beholding all the ways of men, and considering the most secret parts.


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He knew all things ere ever they were created; so also after they were perfected he looked upon them all.


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This man shall be punished in the streets of the city, and where he suspecteth not he shall be taken.


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For first, she hath disobeyed the law of the most High; and secondly, she hath trespassed against her own husband; and thirdly, she hath played the whore in adultery, and brought children by another man.


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And they that remain shall know that there is nothing better than the fear of the Lord, and that there is nothing sweeter than to take heed unto the commandments of the Lord.


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So the Creator of all things gave me a commandment, and he that made me caused my tabernacle to rest, and said, Let thy dwelling be in Jacob, and thine inheritance in Israel.


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I was exalted like a palm tree in En-gaddi, and as a rose plant in Jericho, as a fair olive tree in a pleasant field, and grew up as a plane tree by the water.


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I gave a sweet smell like cinnamon and aspalathus, and I yielded a pleasant odour like the best myrrh, as galbanum, and onyx, and sweet storax, and as the fume of frankincense in the tabernacle.


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As the turpentine tree I stretched out my branches, and my branches are the branches of honour and grace.


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I am the mother of fair love, and fear, and knowledge, and holy hope: I therefore, being eternal, am given to all my children which are named of him.


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All these things are the book of the covenant of the most high God, even the law which Moses commanded for an heritage unto the congregations of Jacob.


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Faint not to be strong in the Lord; that he may confirm you, cleave unto him: for the Lord Almighty is God alone, and beside him there is no other Saviour.


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I said, I will water my best garden, and will water abundantly my garden bed: and, lo, my brook became a river, and my river became a sea.


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In three things I was beautified, and stood up beautiful both before God and men: the unity of brethren, the love of neighbours, a man and a wife that agree together.


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Three sorts of men my soul hateth, and I am greatly offended at their life: a poor man that is proud, a rich man that is a liar, and an old adulterer that doateth.


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There be nine things which I have judged in mine heart to be happy, and the tenth I will utter with my tongue: A man that hath joy of his children; and he that liveth to see the fall of his enemy:


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Well is him that dwelleth with a wife of understanding, and that hath not slipped with his tongue, and that hath not served a man more unworthy than himself:


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But the love of the Lord passeth all things for illumination: he that holdeth it, whereto shall he be likened?


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[Give me] any plague, but the plague of the heart: and any wickedness, but the wickedness of a woman:


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And any affliction, but the affliction from them that hate me: and any revenge, but the revenge of enemies.


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All wickedness is but little to the wickedness of a woman: let the portion of a sinner fall upon her.


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As the climbing up a sandy way is to the feet of the aged, so is a wife full of words to a quiet man.


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A wicked woman abateth the courage, maketh an heavy countenance and a wounded heart: a woman that will not comfort her husband in distress maketh weak hands and feeble knees.


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If she go not as thou wouldest have her, cut her off from thy flesh, and give her a bill of divorce, and let her go.


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Whether a man be rich or poor, if he have a good heart toward the Lord, he shall at all times rejoice with a cheerful countenance.


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There be three things that mine heart feareth; and for the fourth I was sore afraid: the slander of a city, the gathering together of an unruly multitude, and a false accusation: all these are worse than death.


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But a grief of heart and sorrow is a woman that is jealous over another woman, and a scourge of the tongue which communicateth with all.


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If thy daughter be shameless, keep her in straitly, lest she abuse herself through overmuch liberty.


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She will open her mouth, as a thirsty traveller when he hath found a fountain, and drink of every water near her: by every hedge will she sit down, and open her quiver against every arrow.


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A silent and loving woman is a gift of the Lord; and there is nothing so much worth as a mind well instructed.


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As the sun when it ariseth in the high heaven; so is the beauty of a good wife in the ordering of her house.


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When thou hast gotten a fruitful possession through all the field, sow it with thine own seed, trusting in the goodness of thy stock.


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An harlot shall be accounted as spittle; but a married woman is a tower against death to her husband.


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A wicked woman is given as a portion to a wicked man: but a godly woman is given to him that feareth the Lord.


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A woman that honoureth her husband shall be judged wise of all; but she that dishonoureth him in her pride shall be counted ungodly of all.


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There be two things that grieve my heart; and the third maketh me angry: a man of war that suffereth poverty; and men of understanding that are not set by; and one that returneth from righteousness to sin; the Lord prepareth such an one for the sword.


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As a nail sticketh fast between the joinings of the stones; so doth sin stick close between buying and selling.


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The fruit declareth if the tree have been dressed; so is the utterance of a conceit in the heart of man.


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The talk of him that sweareth much maketh the hair stand upright; and their brawls make one stop his ears.


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Love thy friend, and be faithful unto him: but if thou betrayest his secrets, follow no more after him.


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As one that letteth a bird go out of his hand, so hast thou let thy neighbour go, and shalt not get him again


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As for a wound, it may be bound up; and after reviling there may be reconcilement: but he that betrayeth secrets is without hope.


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When thou art present, he will speak sweetly, and will admire thy words: but at the last he will writhe his mouth, and slander thy sayings.


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They that rejoice at the fall of the righteous shall be taken in the snare; and anguish shall consume them before they die.


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He that revengeth shall find vengeance from the Lord, and he will surely keep his sins [in remembrance.]


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Forgive thy neighbour the hurt that he hath done unto thee, so shall thy sins also be forgiven when thou prayest.


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Remember thy end, and let enmity cease; [remember] corruption and death, and abide in the commandments.


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Remember the commandments, and bear no malice to thy neighbour: [remember] the covenant of the Highest, and wink at ignorance.


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As the matter of the fire is, so it burneth: and as a man's strength is, so is his wrath; and according to his riches his anger riseth; and the stronger they are which contend, the more they will be inflamed.


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If thou blow the spark, it shall burn: if thou spit upon it, it shall be quenched: and both these come out of thy mouth.


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A backbiting tongue hath disquieted many, and driven them from nation to nation: strong cities hath it pulled down, and overthrown the houses of great men.


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Well is he that is defended through the venom thereof; who hath not drawn the yoke thereof, nor hath been bound in her bands.


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It shall not have rule over them that fear God, neither shall they be burned with the flame thereof.


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Such as forsake the Lord shall fall into it; and it shall burn in them, and not be quenched; it shall be sent upon them as a lion, and devour them as a leopard.


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He that is merciful will lend unto his neighbour; and he that strengtheneth his hand keepeth the commandments.


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Keep thy word, and deal faithfully with him, and thou shalt always find the thing that is necessary for thee.


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Many, when a thing was lent them, reckoned it to be found, and put them to trouble that helped them.


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Till he hath received, he will kiss a man's hand; and for his neighbour's money he will speak submissly: but when he should repay, he will prolong the time, and return words of grief, and complain of the time.


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If he prevail, he shall hardly receive the half, and he will count as if he had found it: if not, he hath deprived him of his money, and he hath gotten him an enemy without cause: he payeth him with cursings and railings; and for honour he will pay him disgrace.


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Lay up thy treasure according to the commandments of the most High, and it shall bring thee more profit than gold.


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Suretiship hath undone many of good estate, and shaken them as a wave of the sea: mighty men hath it driven from their houses, so that they wandered among strange nations.


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A wicked man transgressing the commandments of the Lord shall fall into suretiship: and he that undertaketh and followeth other men's business for gain shall fall into suits.


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For it is a miserable life to go from house to house: for where thou art a stranger, thou darest not open thy mouth.


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Give place, thou stranger, to an honourable man; my brother cometh to be lodged, and I have need of mine house.


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These things are grievous to a man of understanding; the upbraiding of houseroom, and reproaching of the lender.


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Though his father die, yet he is as though he were not dead: for he hath left one behind him that is like himself.


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He left behind him an avenger against his enemies, and one that shall requite kindness to his friends.


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He that maketh too much of his son shall bind up his wounds; and his bowels will be troubled at every cry.


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Cocker thy child, and he shall make thee afraid: play with him, and he will bring thee to heaviness.


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Bow down his neck while he is young, and beat him on the sides while he is a child, lest he wax stubborn, and be disobedient unto thee, and so bring sorrow to thine heart.


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Better is the poor, being sound and strong of constitution, than a rich man that is afflicted in his body.


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What good doeth the offering unto an idol? for neither can it eat nor smell: so is he that is persecuted of the Lord.


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Love thine own soul, and comfort thy heart, remove sorrow far from thee: for sorrow hath killed many, and there is no profit therein.


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The rich hath great labour in gathering riches together; and when he resteth, he is filled with his delicates.


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He that loveth gold shall not be justified, and he that followeth corruption shall have enough thereof.


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Who hath been tried thereby, and found perfect? then let him glory. Who might offend, and hath not offended? or done evil, and hath not done it?


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Remember that a wicked eye is an evil thing: and what is created more wicked than an eye? therefore it weepeth upon every occasion.


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Eat as it becometh a man, those things which are set before thee; and devour note, lest thou be hated.


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A very little is sufficient for a man well nurtured, and he fetcheth not his wind short upon his bed.


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Sound sleep cometh of moderate eating: he riseth early, and his wits are with him: but the pain of watching, and choler, and pangs of the belly, are with an unsatiable man.


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My son, hear me, and despise me not, and at the last thou shalt find as I told thee: in all thy works be quick, so shall there no sickness come unto thee.


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Whoso is liberal of his meat, men shall speak well of him; and the report of his good housekeeping will be believed.


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But against him that is a niggard of his meat the whole city shall murmur; and the testimonies of his niggardness shall not be doubted of.


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Wine is as good as life to a man, if it be drunk moderately: what life is then to a man that is without wine? for it was made to make men glad.


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Drunkenness increaseth the rage of a fool till he offend: it diminisheth strength, and maketh wounds.


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Rebuke not thy neighbour at the wine, and despise him not in his mirth: give him no despiteful words, and press not upon him with urging him [to drink.]


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If thou be made the master [of a feast,] lift not thyself up, but be among them as one of the rest; take diligent care for them, and so sit down.


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And when thou hast done all thy office, take thy place, that thou mayest be merry with them, and receive a crown for thy well ordering of the feast.


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Speak, thou that art the elder, for it becometh thee, but with sound judgment; and hinder not musick.


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Let thy speech be short, comprehending much in few words; be as one that knoweth and yet holdeth his tongue.


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If thou be among great men, make not thyself equal with them; and when ancient men are in place, use not many words.


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A man of counsel will be considerate; but a strange and proud man is not daunted with fear, even when of himself he hath done without counsel.


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He that believeth in the Lord taketh heed to the commandment; and he that trusteth in him shall fare never the worse.


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There shall no evil happen unto him that feareth the Lord; but in temptation even again he will deliver him.


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Some of them hath he made high days, and hallowed them, and some of them hath he made ordinary days.


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Some of them hath he blessed and exalted and some of them he sanctified, and set near himself: but some of them hath he cursed and brought low, and turned out of their places.


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As the clay is in the potter's hand, to fashion it at his pleasure: so man is in the hand of him that made him, to render to them as liketh him best.


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Good is set against evil, and life against death: so is the godly against the sinner, and the sinner against the godly.


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I awaked up last of all, as one that gathereth after the grapegatherers: by the blessing of the Lord I profited, and tred my winepress like a gatherer of grapes.


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Give not thy son and wife, thy brother and friend, power over thee while thou livest, and give not thy goods to another: lest it repent thee, and thou intreat for the same again.


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For better it is that thy children should seek to thee, than that thou shouldest stand to their courtesy.


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If thou set thy servant to labour, thou shalt find rest: but if thou let him go idle, he shall seek liberty.


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If thou have a servant, entreat him as a brother: for thou hast need of him, as of thine own soul: if thou entreat him evil, and he run from thee, which way wilt thou go to seek him?


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The vision of dreams is the resemblance of one thing to another, even as the likeness of a face to a face.


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Divinations, and soothsayings, and dreams, are vain: and the heart fancieth, as a woman's heart in travail.


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A man that hath travelled knoweth many things; and he that hath much experience will declare wisdom.


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For the eyes of the Lord are upon them that love him, he is their mighty protection and strong stay, a defence from heat, and a cover from the sun at noon, a preservation from stumbling, and an help from falling.


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He that sacrificeth of a thing wrongfully gotten, his offering is ridiculous; and the gifts of unjust men are not accepted.


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The most High is not pleased with the offerings of the wicked; neither is he pacified for sin by the multitude of sacrifices.


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Whoso bringeth an offering of the goods of the poor doeth as one that killeth the son before his father's eyes.


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He that taketh away his neighbour's living slayeth him; and he that defraudeth the labourer of his hire is a bloodshedder.


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He that washeth himself after the touching of a dead body, if he touch it again, what availeth his washing?


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So is it with a man that fasteth for his sins, and goeth again, and doeth the same: who will hear his prayer? or what doth his humbling profit him?


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He that keepeth the law bringeth offerings enough: he that taketh heed to the commandment offereth a peace offering.


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To depart from wickedness is a thing pleasing to the Lord; and to forsake unrighteousness is a propitiation.


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The offering of the righteous maketh the altar fat, and the sweet savour thereof is before the most High.


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Give unto the most High according as he hath enriched thee; and as thou hast gotten, give with a cheerful eye.


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Do not think to corrupt with gifts; for such he will not receive: and trust not to unrighteous sacrifices; for the Lord is judge, and with him is no respect of persons.


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He will not despise the supplication of the fatherless; nor the widow, when she poureth out her complaint.


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Do not the tears run down the widow's cheeks? and is not her cry against him that causeth them to fall?


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The prayer of the humble pierceth the clouds: and till it come nigh, he will not be comforted; and will not depart, till the most High shall behold to judge righteously, and execute judgment.


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For the Lord will not be slack, neither will the Mighty be patient toward them, till he have smitten in sunder the loins of the unmerciful, and repayed vengeance to the heathen; till he have taken away the multitude of the proud, and broken the sceptre of the unrighteous;


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Till he have rendered to every man according to his deeds, and to the works of men according to their devices; till he have judged the cause of his people, and made them to rejoice in his mercy.


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Shew new signs, and make other strange wonders: glorify thy hand and thy right arm, that they may set forth thy wondrous works.


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Let him that escapeth be consumed by the rage of the fire; and let them perish that oppress the people.


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O Lord, have mercy upon the people that is called by thy name, and upon Israel, whom thou hast named thy firstborn.


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Give testimony unto those that thou hast possessed from the beginning, and raise up prophets that have been in thy name.


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O Lord, hear the prayer of thy servants, according to the blessing of Aaron over thy people, that all they which dwell upon the earth may know that thou art the Lord, the eternal God.


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Where no hedge is, there the possession is spoiled: and he that hath no wife will wander up and down mourning.


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Who will trust a thief well appointed, that skippeth from city to city? so [who will believe] a man that hath no house, and lodgeth wheresoever the night taketh him?


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There is a companion, which rejoiceth in the prosperity of a friend, but in the time of trouble will be against him.


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There is a companion, which helpeth his friend for the belly, and taketh up the buckler against the enemy.


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Beware of a counsellor, and know before what need he hath; for he will counsel for himself; lest he cast the lot upon thee,


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And say unto thee, Thy way is good: and afterward he stand on the other side, to see what shall befall thee.


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Neither consult with a woman touching her of whom she is jealous; neither with a coward in matters of war; nor with a merchant concerning exchange; nor with a buyer of selling; nor with an envious man of thankfulness; nor with an unmerciful man touching kindness; nor with the slothful for any work; nor with an hireling for a year of finishing work; nor with an idle servant of much business: hearken not unto these in any matter of counsel.


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But be continually with a godly man, whom thou knowest to keep the commandments of the Lord, whose, mind is according to thy mind, and will sorrow with thee, if thou shalt miscarry.


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For a man's mind is sometime wont to tell him more than seven watchmen, that sit above in an high tower.


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Four manner of things appear: good and evil, life and death: but the tongue ruleth over them continually.


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Honour a physician with the honour due unto him for the uses which ye may have of him: for the Lord hath created him.


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The skill of the physician shall lift up his head: and in the sight of great men he shall be in admiration.


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Of such doth the apothecary make a confection; and of his works there is no end; and from him is peace over all the earth,


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Then give place to the physician, for the Lord hath created him: let him not go from thee, for thou hast need of him.


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For they shall also pray unto the Lord, that he would prosper that, which they give for ease and remedy to prolong life.


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My son, let tears fall down over the dead, and begin to lament, as if thou hadst suffered great harm thyself; and then cover his body according to the custom, and neglect not his burial.


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Weep bitterly, and make great moan, and use lamentation, as he is worthy, and that a day or two, lest thou be evil spoken of: and then comfort thyself for thy heaviness.


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When the dead is at rest, let his remembrance rest; and be comforted for him, when his Spirit is departed from him.


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The wisdom of a learned man cometh by opportunity of leisure: and he that hath little business shall become wise.


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How can he get wisdom that holdeth the plough, and that glorieth in the goad, that driveth oxen, and is occupied in their labours, and whose talk is of bullocks?


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So every carpenter and workmaster, that laboureth night and day: and they that cut and grave seals, and are diligent to make great variety, and give themselves to counterfeit imagery, and watch to finish a work:


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The smith also sitting by the anvil, and considering the iron work, the vapour of the fire wasteth his flesh, and he fighteth with the heat of the furnace: the noise of the hammer and the anvil is ever in his ears, and his eyes look still upon the pattern of the thing that he maketh; he setteth his mind to finish his work, and watcheth to polish it perfectly:


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So doth the potter sitting at his work, and turning the wheel about with his feet, who is alway carefully set at his work, and maketh all his work by number;


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He fashioneth the clay with his arm, and boweth down his strength before his feet; he applieth himself to lead it over; and he is diligent to make clean the furnace:


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Without these cannot a city be inhabited: and they shall not dwell where they will, nor go up and down:


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They shall not be sought for in publick counsel, nor sit high in the congregation: they shall not sit on the judges' seat, nor understand the sentence of judgment: they cannot declare justice and judgment; and they shall not be found where parables are spoken.


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But they will maintain the state of the world, and [all] their desire is in the work of their craft.


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But he that giveth his mind to the law of the most High, and is occupied in the meditation thereof, will seek out the wisdom of all the ancient, and be occupied in prophecies.


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He shall serve among great men, and appear before princes: he will travel through strange countries; for he hath tried the good and the evil among men.


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He will give his heart to resort early to the Lord that made him, and will pray before the most High, and will open his mouth in prayer, and make supplication for his sins.


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When the great Lord will, he shall be filled with the spirit of understanding: he shall pour out wise sentences, and give thanks unto the Lord in his prayer.


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He shall shew forth that which he hath learned, and shall glory in the law of the covenant of the Lord.


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Many shall commend his understanding; and so long as the world endureth, it shall not be blotted out; his memorial shall not depart away, and his name shall live from generation to generation.


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And give ye a sweet savour as frankincense, and flourish as a lily, send forth a smell, and sing a song of praise, bless the Lord in all his works.


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Magnify his name, and shew forth his praise with the songs of your lips, and with harps, and in praising him ye shall say after this manner:


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All the works of the Lord are exceeding good, and whatsoever he commandeth shall be accomplished in due season.


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And none may say, What is this? wherefore is that? for at time convenient they shall all be sought out: at his commandment the waters stood as an heap, and at the words of his mouth the receptacles of waters.


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The principal things for the whole use of man's life are water, fire, iron, and salt, flour of wheat, honey, milk, and the blood of the grape, and oil, and clothing.


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There be spirits that are created for vengeance, which in their fury lay on sore strokes; in the time of destruction they pour out their force, and appease the wrath of him that made them.


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They shall rejoice in his commandment, and they shall be ready upon earth, when need is; and when their time is come, they shall not transgress his word.


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Therefore from the beginning I was resolved, and thought upon these things, and have left them in writing.


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Great travail is created for every man, and an heavy yoke is upon the sons of Adam, from the day that they go out of their mother's womb, till the day that they return to the mother of all things.


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Their imagination of things to come, and the day of death, [trouble] their thoughts, and [cause] fear of heart;


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Wrath, and envy, trouble, and unquietness, fear of death, and anger, and strife, and in the time of rest upon his bed his night sleep, do change his knowledge.


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A little or nothing is his rest, and afterward he is in his sleep, as in a day of keeping watch, troubled in the vision of his heart, as if he were escaped out of a battle.


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All things that are of the earth shall turn to the earth again: and that which is of the waters doth return into the sea.


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The goods of the unjust shall be dried up like a river, and shall vanish with noise, like a great thunder in rain.


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The children of the ungodly shall not bring forth many branches: but are as unclean roots upon a hard rock.


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To labour, and to be content with that a man hath, is a sweet life: but he that findeth a treasure is above them both.


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Children and the building of a city continue a man's name: but a blameless wife is counted above them both.


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Riches and strength lift up the heart: but the fear of the Lord is above them both: there is no want in the fear of the Lord, and it needeth not to seek help.


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The life of him that dependeth on another man's table is not to be counted for a life; for he polluteth himself with other men's meat: but a wise man well nurtured will beware thereof.


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O death, how bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man that liveth at rest in his possessions, unto the man that hath nothing to vex him, and that hath prosperity in all things: yea, unto him that is yet able to receive meat!


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O death, acceptable is thy sentence unto the needy, and unto him whose strength faileth, that is now in the last age, and is vexed with all things, and to him that despaireth, and hath lost patience!


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Fear not the sentence of death, remember them that have been before thee, and that come after; for this is the sentence of the Lord over all flesh.


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And why art thou against the pleasure of the most High? there is no inquisition in the grave, whether thou have lived ten, or an hundred, or a thousand years.


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The children of sinners are abominable children, and they that are conversant in the dwelling of the ungodly.


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The inheritance of sinners' children shall perish, and their posterity shall have a perpetual reproach.


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Woe be unto you, ungodly men, which have forsaken the law of the most high God! for if ye increase, it shall be to your destruction:


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All that are of the earth shall turn to earth again: so the ungodly shall go from a curse to destruction.


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Have regard to thy name; for that shall continue with thee above a thousand great treasures of gold.


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My children, keep discipline in peace: for wisdom that is hid, and a treasure that is not seen, what profit is in them both?


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Therefore be shamefaced according to my word: for it is not good to retain all shamefacedness; neither is it altogether approved in every thing.


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Of an offence before a judge and ruler; of iniquity before a congregation and people; of unjust dealing before thy partner and friend;


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And of theft in regard of the place where thou sojournest, and in regard of the truth of God and his covenant; and to lean with thine elbow upon the meat; and of scorning to give and take;


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And to turn away thy face from thy kinsman; or to take away a portion or a gift; or to gaze upon another man's wife.


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Or to be overbusy with his maid, and come not near her bed; or of upbraiding speeches before friends; and after thou hast given, upbraid not;


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And of merchants' indifferent selling; of much correction of children; and to make the side of an evil servant to bleed.


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Deliver all things in number and weight; and put all in writing that thou givest out, or receivest in.


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Be not ashamed to inform the unwise and foolish, and the extreme aged that contendeth with those that are young: thus shalt thou be truly learned, and approved of all men living.


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The father waketh for the daughter, when no man knoweth; and the care for her taketh away sleep: when she is young, lest she pass away the flower of her age; and being married, lest she should be hated:


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In her virginity, lest she should be defiled and gotten with child in her father's house; and having an husband, lest she should misbehave herself; and when she is married, lest she should be barren.


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Keep a sure watch over a shameless daughter, lest she make thee a laughingstock to thine enemies, and a byword in the city, and a reproach among the people, and make thee ashamed before the multitude.


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Better is the churlishness of a man than a courteous woman, a woman, I say, which bringeth shame and reproach.


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I will now remember the works of the Lord, and declare the things that I have seen: In the words of the Lord are his works.


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The sun that giveth light looketh upon all things, and the work thereof is full of the glory of the Lord.


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The Lord hath not given power to the saints to declare all his marvellous works, which the Almighty Lord firmly settled, that whatsoever is might be established for his glory.


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He seeketh out the deep, and the heart, and considereth their crafty devices: for the Lord knoweth all that may be known, and he beholdeth the signs of the world.


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He hath garnished the excellent works of his wisdom, and he is from everlasting to everlasting: unto him may nothing be added, neither can he be diminished, and he hath no need of any counsellor.


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The sun when it appeareth, declaring at his rising a marvellous instrument, the work of the most High:


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A man blowing a furnace is in works of heat, but the sun burneth the mountains three times more; breathing out fiery vapours, and sending forth bright beams, it dimmeth the eyes.


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The month is called after her name, increasing wonderfully in her changing, being an instrument of the armies above, shining in the firmament of heaven;


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The beauty of heaven, the glory of the stars, an ornament giving light in the highest places of the Lord.


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At the commandment of the Holy One they will stand in their order, and never faint in their watches.


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It compasseth the heaven about with a glorious circle, and the hands of the most High have bended it.


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By his commandment he maketh the snow to fall aplace, and sendeth swiftly the lightnings of his judgment.


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The noise of the thunder maketh the earth to tremble: so doth the northern storm and the whirlwind: as birds flying he scattereth the snow, and the falling down thereof is as the lighting of grasshoppers:


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The eye marvelleth at the beauty of the whiteness thereof, and the heart is astonished at the raining of it.


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The hoarfrost also as salt he poureth on the earth, and being congealed, it lieth on the top of sharp stakes.


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When the cold north wind bloweth, and the water is congealed into ice, it abideth upon every gathering together of water, and clotheth the water as with a breastplate.


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They that sail on the sea tell of the danger thereof; and when we hear it with our ears, we marvel thereat.


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When ye glorify the Lord, exalt him as much as ye can; for even yet will he far exceed: and when ye exalt him, put forth all your strength, and be not weary; for ye can never go far enough.


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Such as did bear rule in their kingdoms, men renowned for their power, giving counsel by their understanding, and declaring prophecies:


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Leaders of the people by their counsels, and by their knowledge of learning meet for the people, wise and eloquent are their instructions:


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And some there be, which have no memorial; who are perished, as though they had never been; and are become as though they had never been born; and their children after them.


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With their seed shall continually remain a good inheritance, and their children are within the covenant.


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Noah was found perfect and righteous; in the time of wrath he was taken in exchange [for the world;] therefore was he left as a remnant unto the earth, when the flood came.


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Who kept the law of the most High, and was in covenant with him: he established the covenant in his flesh; and when he was proved, he was found faithful.


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Therefore he assured him by an oath, that he would bless the nations in his seed, and that he would multiply him as the dust of the earth, and exalt his seed as the stars, and cause them to inherit from sea to sea, and from the river unto the utmost part of the land.


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With Isaac did he establish likewise [for Abraham his father's sake] the blessing of all men, and the covenant, And made it rest upon the head of Jacob. He acknowledged him in his blessing, and gave him an heritage, and divided his portions; among the twelve tribes did he part them.


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And he brought out of him a merciful man, which found favour in the sight of all flesh, even Moses, beloved of God and men, whose memorial is blessed.


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He made him like to the glorious saints, and magnified him, so that his enemies stood in fear of him.


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By his words he caused the wonders to cease, and he made him glorious in the sight of kings, and gave him a commandment for his people, and shewed him part of his glory.


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He made him to hear his voice, and brought him into the dark cloud, and gave him commandments before his face, even the law of life and knowledge, that he might teach Jacob his covenants, and Israel his judgments.


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An everlasting covenant he made with him and gave him the priesthood among the people; he beautified him with comely ornaments, and clothed him with a robe of glory.


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He put upon him perfect glory; and strengthened him with rich garments, with breeches, with a long robe, and the ephod.


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And he compassed him with pomegranates, and with many golden bells round about, that as he went there might be a sound, and a noise made that might be heard in the temple, for a memorial to the children of his people;


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With an holy garment, with gold, and blue silk, and purple, the work of the embroidere, with a breastplate of judgment, and with Urim and Thummim;


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With twisted scarlet, the work of the cunning workman, with precious stones graven like seals, and set in gold, the work of the jeweller, with a writing engraved for a memorial, after the number of the tribes of Israel.


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He set a crown of gold upon the mitre, wherein was engraved Holiness, an ornament of honour, a costly work, the desires of the eyes, goodly and beautiful.


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Before him there were none such, neither did ever any stranger put them on, but only his children and his children's children perpetually.


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Moses consecrated him, and anointed him with holy oil: this was appointed unto him by an everlasting covenant, and to his seed, so long as the heavens should remain, that they should minister unto him, and execute the office of the priesthood, and bless the people in his name.


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He chose him out of all men living to offer sacrifices to the Lord, incense, and a sweet savour, for a memorial, to make reconciliation for his people.


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He gave unto him his commandments, and authority in the statutes of judgments, that he should teach Jacob the testimonies, and inform Israel in his laws.


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Strangers conspired together against him, and maligned him in the wilderness, even the men that were of Dathan's and Abiron's side, and the congregation of Core, with fury and wrath.


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This the Lord saw, and it displeased him, and in his wrathful indignation were they consumed: he did wonders upon them, to consume them with the fiery flame.


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But he made Aaron more honourable, and gave him an heritage, and divided unto him the firstfruits of the increase; especially he prepared bread in abundance:


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Howbeit in the land of the people he had no inheritance, neither had he any portion among the people: for the Lord himself is his portion and inheritance.


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The third in glory is Phinees the son of Eleazar, because he had zeal in the fear of the Lord, and stood up with good courage of heart: when the people were turned back, and made reconciliation for Israel.


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Therefore was there a covenant of peace made with him, that he should be the chief of the sanctuary and of his people, and that he and his posterity should have the dignity of the priesthood for ever:


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According to the covenant made with David son of Jesse, of the tribe of Juda, that the inheritance of the king should be to his posterity alone: so the inheritance of Aaron should also be unto his seed.


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God give you wisdom in your heart to judge his people in righteousness, that their good things be not abolished, and that their glory may endure for ever.


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Jesus the son a Nave was valiant in the wars, and was the successor of Moses in prophecies, who according to his name was made great for the saving of the elect of God, and taking vengeance of the enemies that rose up against them, that he might set Israel in their inheritance.


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How great glory gat he, when he did lift up his hands, and stretched out his sword against the cities!


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He called upon the most high Lord, when the enemies pressed upon him on every side; and the great Lord heard him.


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And with hailstones of mighty power he made the battle to fall violently upon the nations, and in the descent [of Beth-horon] he destroyed them that resisted, that the nations might know all their strength, because he fought in the sight of the Lord, and he followed the Mighty One.


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In the time of Moses also he did a work of mercy, he and Caleb the son of Jephunne, in that they withstood the congregation, and withheld the people from sin, and appeased the wicked murmuring.


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And of six hundred thousand people on foot, they two were preserved to bring them in to the heritage, even unto the land that floweth with milk and honey.


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The Lord gave strength also unto Caleb, which remained with him unto his old age: so that he entered upon the high places of the land, and his seed obtained it for an heritage:


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And concerning the judges, every one by name, whose heart went not a whoring, nor departed from the Lord, let their memory be blessed.


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Let their bones flourish out of their place, and let the name of them that were honoured be continued upon their children.


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Samuel, the prophet of the Lord, beloved of his Lord, established a kingdom, and anointed princes over his people.


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By his faithfulness he was found a true prophet, and by his word he was known to be faithful in vision.


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He called upon the mighty Lord, when his enemies pressed upon him on every side, when he offered the sucking lamb.


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And before his long sleep he made protestations in the sight of the Lord and his anointed, I have not taken any man's goods, so much as a shoe: and no man did accuse him.


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And after his death he prophesied, and shewed the king his end, and lifted up his voice from the earth in prophecy, to blot out the wickedness of the people.


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As is the fat taken away from the peace offering, so was David chosen out of the children of Israel.


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Slew he not a giant, when he was yet but young? and did he not take away reproach from the people, when he lifted up his hand with the stone in the sling, and beat down the boasting of Goliath?


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For he called upon the most high Lord; and he gave him strength in his right hand to slay that mighty warrior, and set up the horn of his people.


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So the people honoured him with ten thousands, and praised him in the blessings of the Lord, in that he gave him a crown of glory.


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For he destroyed the enemies on every side, and brought to nought the Philistines his adversaries, and brake their horn in sunder unto this day.


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In all his works he praised the Holy One most high with words of glory; with his whole heart he sung songs, and loved him that made him.


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He set singers also before the altar, that by their voices they might make sweet melody, and daily sing praises in their songs.


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He beautified their feasts, and set in order the solemn times until the end, that they might praise his holy name, and that the temple might sound from morning.


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The Lord took away his sins, and exalted his horn for ever: he gave him a covenant of kings, and a throne of glory in Israel.


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Solomon reigned in a peaceable time, and was honoured; for God made all quiet round about him, that he might build an house in his name, and prepare his sanctuary for ever.


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By the name of the Lord God, which is called the Lord God of Israel, thou didst gather gold as tin and didst multiply silver as lead.


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Thou didst stain thy honour, and pollute thy seed: so that thou broughtest wrath upon thy children, and wast grieved for thy folly.


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But the Lord will never leave off his mercy, neither shall any of his works perish, neither will he abolish the posterity of his elect, and the seed of him that loveth him he will not take away: wherefore he gave a remnant unto Jacob, and out of him a root unto David.


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Thus rested Solomon with his fathers, and of his seed he left behind him Roboam, even the foolishness of the people, and one that had no understanding, who turned away the people through his counsel. There was also Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin, and shewed Ephraim the way of sin:


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Who didst raise up a dead man from death, and his soul from the place of the dead, by the word of the most High:


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Who wast ordained for reproofs in their times, to pacify the wrath of the Lord's judgment, before it brake forth into fury, and to turn the heart of the father unto the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob.


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Elias it was, who was covered with a whirlwind: and Eliseus was filled with his spirit: whilst he lived, he was not moved with the presence of any prince, neither could any bring him into subjection.


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For all this the people repented not, neither departed they from their sins, till they were spoiled and carried out of their land, and were scattered through all the earth: yet there remained a small people, and a ruler in the house of David:


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Ezekias fortified his city, and brought in water into the midst thereof: he digged the hard rock with iron, and made wells for waters.


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In his time Sennacherib came up, and sent Rabsaces, and lifted up his hand against Sion, and boasted proudly.


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But they called upon the Lord which is merciful, and stretched out their hands toward him: and immediately the Holy One heard them out of heaven, and delivered them by the ministry of Esay.


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For Ezekias had done the thing that pleased the Lord, and was strong in the ways of David his father, as Esay the prophet, who was great and faithful in his vision, had commanded him.


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He saw by an excellent spirit what should come to pass at the last, and he comforted them that mourned in Sion.


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The remembrance of Josias is like the composition of the perfume that is made by the art of the apothecary: it is sweet as honey in all mouths, and as musick at a banquet of wine.


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He behaved himself uprightly in the conversion of the people, and took away the abominations of iniquity.


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He directed his heart unto the Lord, and in the time of the ungodly he established the worship of God.


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All, except David and Ezekias and Josias, were defective: for they forsook the law of the most High, even the kings of Juda failed.


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They burnt the chosen city of the sanctuary, and made the streets desolate, according to the prophecy of Jeremias.


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For they entreated him evil, who nevertheless was a prophet, sanctified in his mother's womb, that he might root out, and afflict, and destroy; and that he might build up also, and plant.


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And of the twelve prophets let the memorial be blessed, and let their bones flourish again out of their place: for they comforted Jacob, and delivered them by assured hope.


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So was Jesus the son of Josedec: who in their time builded the house, and set up an holy temple to the Lord, which was prepared for everlasting glory.


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And among the elect was Neemias, whose renown is great, who raised up for us the walls that were fallen, and set up the gates and the bars, and raised up our ruins again.


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Neither was there a young man born like Joseph, a governor of his brethren, a stay of the people, whose bones were regarded of the Lord.


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Simon the high priest, the son of Onias, who in his life repaired the house again, and in his days fortified the temple:


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And by him was built from the foundation the double height, the high fortress of the wall about the temple:


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In his days the cistern to receive water, being in compass as the sea, was covered with plates of brass:


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As the sun shining upon the temple of the most High, and as the rainbow giving light in the bright clouds:


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And as the flower of roses in the spring of the year, as lilies by the rivers of waters, and as the branches of the frankincense tree in the time of summer:


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As fire and incense in the censer, and as a vessel of beaten gold set with all manner of precious stones:


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When he put on the robe of honour, and was clothed with the perfection of glory, when he went up to the holy altar, he made the garment of holiness honourable.


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When he took the portions out of the priests' hands, he himself stood by the hearth of the altar, compassed about, as a young cedar in Libanus; and as palm trees compassed they him round about.


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So were all the sons of Aaron in their glory, and the oblations of the Lord in their hands, before all the congregation of Israel.


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He stretched out his hand to the cup, and poured of the blood of the grape, he poured out at the foot of the altar a sweetsmelling savour unto the most high King of all.


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Then shouted the sons of Aaron, and sounded the silver trumpets, and made a great noise to be heard, for a remembrance before the most High.


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Then all the people together hasted, and fell down to the earth upon their faces to worship their Lord God Almighty, the most High.


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The singers also sang praises with their voices, with great variety of sounds was there made sweet melody.


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And the people besought the Lord, the most High, by prayer before him that is merciful, till the solemnity of the Lord was ended, and they had finished his service.


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Then he went down, and lifted up his hands over the whole congregation of the children of Israel, to give the blessing of the Lord with his lips, and to rejoice in his name.


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And they bowed themselves down to worship the second time, that they might receive a blessing from the most High.


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Now therefore bless ye the God of all, which only doeth wondrous things every where, which exalteth our days from the womb, and dealeth with us according to his mercy.


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They that sit upon the mountain of Samaria, and they that dwell among the Philistines, and that foolish people that dwell in Sichem.


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Jesus the son of Sirach of Jerusalem hath written in this book the instruction of understanding and knowledge, who out of his heart poured forth wisdom.


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Blessed is he that shall be exercised in these things; and he that layeth them up in his heart shall become wise.


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For if he do them, he shall be strong to all things: for the light of the Lord leadeth him, who giveth wisdom to the godly. Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever. Amen, Amen.


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I will thank thee, O Lord and King, and praise thee, O God my Saviour: I do give praise unto thy name:


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For thou art my defender and helper, and has preserved my body from destruction, and from the snare of the slanderous tongue, and from the lips that forge lies, and has been mine helper against mine adversaries:


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And hast delivered me, according to the multitude of they mercies and greatness of thy name, from the teeth of them that were ready to devour me, and out of the hands of such as sought after my life, and from the manifold afflictions which I had;


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By an accusation to the king from an unrighteous tongue my soul drew near even unto death, my life was near to the hell beneath.


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They compassed me on every side, and there was no man to help me: I looked for the succour of men, but there was none.


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Then thought I upon thy mercy, O Lord, and upon thy acts of old, how thou deliverest such as wait for thee, and savest them out of the hands of the enemies.


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I called upon the Lord, the Father of my Lord, that he would not leave me in the days of my trouble, and in the time of the proud, when there was no help.


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I will praise thy name continually, and will sing praises with thanksgiving; and so my prayer was heard:


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For thou savedst me from destruction, and deliveredst me from the evil time: therefore will I give thanks, and praise thee, and bless they name, O Lord.


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Even from the flower till the grape was ripe hath my heart delighted in her: my foot went the right way, from my youth up sought I after her.


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For I purposed to do after her, and earnestly I followed that which is good; so shall I not be confounded.


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My soul hath wrestled with her, and in my doings I was exact: I stretched forth my hands to the heaven above, and bewailed my ignorances of her.


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I directed my soul unto her, and I found her in pureness: I have had my heart joined with her from the beginning, therefore shall I not be foresaken.


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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 hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.


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The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.


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Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.


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Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.


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From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.


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Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.


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And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.


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Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.


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Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.


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To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.


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Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.


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Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.


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And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.


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Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.


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But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.


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How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.


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Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.


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Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies:


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And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.


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And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.


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For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.


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And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.


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And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.


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And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.


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And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.


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Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.


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Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots:


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Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:


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Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty.


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The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.


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For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:


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And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.


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And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.


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In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;


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To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.


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For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,


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The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.


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And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.


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When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand:


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In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.


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For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory.


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The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.


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Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.


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As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.


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The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.


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What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.


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Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:


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Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts.


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In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,


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And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.


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And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.


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In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.


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And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:


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When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.


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And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.


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And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.


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Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:


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And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.


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And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.


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What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?


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And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:


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And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.


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For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.


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Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!


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In mine ears said the LORD of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.


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Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!


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And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands.


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Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.


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Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.


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And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:


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But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.


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Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat.


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That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!


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Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!


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Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.


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Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.


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And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:


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None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:


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Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses' hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:


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Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.


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And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.


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In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.


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Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.


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And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.


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And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.


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Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.


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Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:


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And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.


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Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.


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And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.


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Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.


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Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,


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But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.


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And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.


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And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.


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Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field;


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And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.


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Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal:


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For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people.


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And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.


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And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?


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Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.


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For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.


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The LORD shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father's house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria.


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And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.


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And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes.


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In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, namely, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet: and it shall also consume the beard.


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And it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk that they shall give he shall eat butter: for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the land.


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And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place shall be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, it shall even be for briers and thorns.


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With arrows and with bows shall men come thither; because all the land shall become briers and thorns.


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And on all hills that shall be digged with the mattock, there shall not come thither the fear of briers and thorns: but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and for the treading of lesser cattle.


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Moreover the LORD said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.


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And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.


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And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the LORD to me, Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz.


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For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.


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Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's son;


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Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks:


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And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.


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Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces.


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Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.


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For the LORD spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,


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Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.


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And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.


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And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.


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Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.


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And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?


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To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.


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And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.


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And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.


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Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.


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The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.


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Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.


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For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.


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For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.


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For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.


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Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.


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And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart,


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The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.


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Therefore the LORD shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together;


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The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.


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Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.


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For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.


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Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother.


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And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm:


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Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh: and they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.


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Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed;


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To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!


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And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?


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Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.


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I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.


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Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.


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As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria;


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Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.


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For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man:


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And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.


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Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.


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Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.


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And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day;


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And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth.


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And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.


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For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.


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Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt.


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And the LORD of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and as his rod was upon the sea, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt.


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And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.


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They are gone over the passage: they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled.


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As yet shall he remain at Nob that day: he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.


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Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.


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And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:


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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 of the fear of the LORD;


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And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:


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But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.


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The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.


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And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.


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And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.


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They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.


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And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.


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And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.


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And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.


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The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.


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But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.


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And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod.


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And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.


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And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.


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Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.


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And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.


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Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.


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Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.


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I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.


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The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.


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They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.


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And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.


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Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.


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For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.


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And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.


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Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.


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And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land.


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Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.


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Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.


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Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.


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Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.


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And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.


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It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.


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But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.


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And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.


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For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.


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And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.


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And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve,


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That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!


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He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.


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Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.


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Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.


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All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?


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Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.


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How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!


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For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:


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They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;


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That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?


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But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.


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Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.


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Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.


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For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD.


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I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts.


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The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:


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That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.


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This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.


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For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?


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Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.


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And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.


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Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved: for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times.


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What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That the LORD hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.


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The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence;


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He is gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, the high places, to weep: Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba: on all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off.


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In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth: on the tops of their houses, and in their streets, every one shall howl, weeping abundantly.


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And Heshbon shall cry, and Elealeh: their voice shall be heard even unto Jahaz: therefore the armed soldiers of Moab shall cry out; his life shall be grievous unto him.


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My heart shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives shall flee unto Zoar, an heifer of three years old: for by the mounting up of Luhith with weeping shall they go it up; for in the way of Horonaim they shall raise up a cry of destruction.


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For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate: for the hay is withered away, the grass faileth, there is no green thing.


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Therefore the abundance they have gotten, and that which they have laid up, shall they carry away to the brook of the willows.


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For the cry is gone round about the borders of Moab; the howling thereof unto Eglaim, and the howling thereof unto Beerelim.


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For the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood: for I will bring more upon Dimon, lions upon him that escapeth of Moab, and upon the remnant of the land.


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Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land from Sela to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion.


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For it shall be, that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon.


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Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth.


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Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land.


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And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.


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We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud: even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: but his lies shall not be so.


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Therefore shall Moab howl for Moab, every one shall howl: for the foundations of Kirhareseth shall ye mourn; surely they are stricken.


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For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea.


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Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen.


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And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease.


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And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail.


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But now the LORD hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of an hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.


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The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.


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The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.


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The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the LORD of hosts.


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And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean.


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And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim.


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Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the LORD God of Israel.


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At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel.


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And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images.


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In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough, and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel: and there shall be desolation.


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Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips:


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In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.


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Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!


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The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.


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And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.


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That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!


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All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.


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For so the LORD said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.


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For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches.


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They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them.


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In that time shall the present be brought unto the LORD of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, the mount Zion.


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The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.


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And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.


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And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.


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And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts.


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And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither.


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The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more.


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The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.


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Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?


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Where are they? where are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the LORD of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt.


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The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof.


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The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.


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In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it.


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And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts, which he hath determined against it.


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In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction.


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In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD.


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And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.


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And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform it.


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And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the LORD, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them.


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In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians.


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In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land:


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Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.


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In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it;


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At the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.


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And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;


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So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.


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And the inhabitant of this isle shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria: and how shall we escape?


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The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.


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A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease.


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Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it.


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My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me.


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And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed:


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And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights:


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And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.


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O my threshing, and the corn of my floor: that which I have heard of the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.


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The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?


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The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come.


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The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim.


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The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled.


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For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.


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For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail:


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And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the LORD God of Israel hath spoken it.


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The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?


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Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.


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All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.


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Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.


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For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.


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And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.


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And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest.


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Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool.


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And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall.


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Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.


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And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:


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And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.


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And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.


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Thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say,


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What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock?


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He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house.


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And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.


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And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.


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And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house.


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And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.


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In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it.


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The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.


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Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.


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And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations.


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Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins.


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Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn.


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Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth?


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The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.


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He stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook the kingdoms: the LORD hath given a commandment against the merchant city, to destroy the strong holds thereof.


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And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon: arise, pass over to Chittim; there also shalt thou have no rest.


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Behold the land of the Chaldeans; this people was not, till the Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness: they set up the towers thereof, they raised up the palaces thereof; and he brought it to ruin.


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And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.


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Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.


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And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.


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And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the LORD: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the LORD, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing.


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Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.


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And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, 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 taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him.


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The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.


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The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.


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Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.


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When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done.


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They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea.


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Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea.


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From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.


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And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.


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The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.


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And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.


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And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.


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Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.


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O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.


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For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.


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For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.


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Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low.


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And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.


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And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.


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He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.


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And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.


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For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill.


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And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands.


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And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.


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In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.


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For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.


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Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.


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With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.


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Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.


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LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.


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O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.


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They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.


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Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, thou hast increased the nation: thou art glorified: thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth.


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LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.


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Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD.


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We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.


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Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.


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Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.


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For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.


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In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.


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I the LORD do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.


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Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together.


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Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me.


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He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.


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Hath he smitten him, as he smote those that smote him? or is he slain according to the slaughter of them that are slain by him?


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In measure, when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it: he stayeth his rough wind in the day of the east wind.


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By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up.


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Yet the defenced city shall be desolate, and the habitation forsaken, and left like a wilderness: there shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down, and consume the branches thereof.


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When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour.


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And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel.


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And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.


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Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!


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Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.


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And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.


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In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,


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And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.


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But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.


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Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.


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For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:


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To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.


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But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.


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Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:


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Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.


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Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.


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And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.


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From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.


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For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.


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For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.


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Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.


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When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place?


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For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.


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Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.


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This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.


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Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel.


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And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee.


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And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.


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Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.


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Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.


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And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision.


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It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.


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Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.


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For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.


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And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:


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And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.


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Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:


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Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.


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Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?


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Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?


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Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?


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And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.


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The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.


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For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off:


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That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought.


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Therefore thus saith the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.


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But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.


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They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.


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Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:


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That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!


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Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.


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They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be an help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach.


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The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them.


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For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still.


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Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever:


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Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:


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Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.


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Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon:


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Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant.


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And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters' vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit.


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For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.


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But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.


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One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill.


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And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.


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For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.


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And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:


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And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.


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Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence.


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Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.


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The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.


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And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.


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Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.


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Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:


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And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.


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Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the LORD, to the mighty One of Israel.


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And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones.


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And in every place where the grounded staff shall pass, which the LORD shall lay upon him, it shall be with tabrets and harps: and in battles of shaking will he fight with it.


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For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.


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Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!


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Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity.


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Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.


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For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.


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As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.


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For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin.


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Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited.


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And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.


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And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.


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The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.


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For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.


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The instruments also of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right.


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Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women: for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come.


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Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones: strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins.


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Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city:


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Because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks;


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Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.


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And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.


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And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;


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Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.


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O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.


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At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.


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And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpiller: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them.


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And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.


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The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.


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The earth mourneth and languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.


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The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?


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He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;


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He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.


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Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?


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Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.


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Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.


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But there the glorious LORD will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.


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Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey.


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And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.


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Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it.


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For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter.


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Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.


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And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.


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For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.


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The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea.


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And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.


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And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.


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It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.


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But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.


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They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing.


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And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls.


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The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.


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There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.


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Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.


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And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.


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The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.


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It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God.


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Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.


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Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.


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And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.


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And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.


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No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:


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And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.


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Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them.


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And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field.


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Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph's son, the recorder.


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And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?


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I say, sayest thou, (but they are but vain words) I have counsel and strength for war: now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?


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Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him.


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But if thou say to me, We trust in the LORD our God: is it not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar?


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Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.


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And am I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it? the LORD said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.


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Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and speak not to us in the Jews' language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.


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But Rabshakeh said, Hath my master sent me to thy master and to thee to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?


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Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and said, Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.


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Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us: this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.


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Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me: and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern;


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Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.


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Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?


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Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?


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Who are they among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?


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But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.


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Then came Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.


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And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.


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And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.


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It may be the LORD thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left.


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And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say unto your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.


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Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.


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And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He is come forth to make war with thee. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,


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Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God, in whom thou trustest, deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.


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Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them utterly; and shalt thou be delivered?


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Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed, as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Telassar?


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Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arphad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?


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And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.


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O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.


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Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God.


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Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only.


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Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria:


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This is the word which the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.


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By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his border, and the forest of his Carmel.


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I have digged, and drunk water; and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of the besieged places.


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Hast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it; and of ancient times, that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste defenced cities into ruinous heaps.


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Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded: they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.


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Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.


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And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself; and the second year that which springeth of the same: and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof.


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And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward:


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Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it.


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Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.


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And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Armenia: and Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.


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In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.


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And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.


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Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.


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And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.


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And this shall be a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken;


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Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.


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I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years.


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I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.


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Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.


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I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.


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Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me.


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What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.


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O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.


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Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.


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For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.


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The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.


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The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.


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For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover.


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At that time Merodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered.


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And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.


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Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon.


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Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.


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Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD.


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Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.


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Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.


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The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.


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Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:


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And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.


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The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:


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The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.


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O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!


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Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.


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He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.


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Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?


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With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?


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Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.


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The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.


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He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.


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Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?


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It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:


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Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.


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Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.


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Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?


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Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.


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But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.


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Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.


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Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow.


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Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.


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So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.


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Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.


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Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.


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Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.


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Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.


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Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.


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Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.


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Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.


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When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.


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I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.


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I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together:


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That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.


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Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come.


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Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.


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I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as upon morter, and as the potter treadeth clay.


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Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say, He is righteous? yea, there is none that sheweth, yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none that heareth your words.


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The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings.


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For I beheld, and there was no man; even among them, and there was no counsellor, that, when I asked of them, could answer a word.


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Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.


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A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.


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He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.


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Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:


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I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;


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To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.


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I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.


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Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.


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Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.


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Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.


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The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies.


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I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once.


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I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools.


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And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.


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They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.


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Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the LORD'S servant?


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The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable.


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But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.


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Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the LORD, he against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law.


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Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart.


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But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.


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When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.


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For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.


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Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.


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I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;


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Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.


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Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.


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Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.


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I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.


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Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?


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Thus saith the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.


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Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.


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Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.


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The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.


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Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense.


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Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.


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I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.


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Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches.


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Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.


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For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:


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One shall say, I am the LORD'S; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, and surname himself by the name of Israel.


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Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.


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And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them.


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Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.


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They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed.


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Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they are of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together.


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The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint.


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The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house.


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He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it.


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Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto.


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He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire:


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And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.


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They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand.


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And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?


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He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?


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Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me.


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I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.


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Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.


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Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;


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That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;


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That confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof:


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That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.


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Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;


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I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:


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And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.


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For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.


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I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:


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That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.


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I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.


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Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it.


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Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?


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Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth?


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Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.


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I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.


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I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts.


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Thus saith the LORD, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.


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They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols.


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But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.


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For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.


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I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.


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Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save.


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Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.


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I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.


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Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.


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Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast.


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They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity.


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Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb:


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And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.


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They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship.


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They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble.


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Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,


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Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:


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Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.


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I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.


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Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.


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Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.


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Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.


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Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms.


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I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke.


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And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it.


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Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:


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But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.


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For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.


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Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.


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Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.


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Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.


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Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.


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Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.


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Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness.


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For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts is his name.


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I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass.


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I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them.


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Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.


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They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them.


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Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.


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For my name's sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off.


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For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.


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Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.


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All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them hath declared these things? The LORD hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.


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I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.


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Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me.


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Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.


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O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:


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Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.


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Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The LORD hath redeemed his servant Jacob.


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And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.


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Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.


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And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;


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Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.


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And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.


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And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.


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Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.


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Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;


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That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.


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They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.


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Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.


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Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.


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Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.


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Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth.


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For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.


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The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.


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Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?


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Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.


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And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.


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But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.


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And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.


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Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.


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Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst.


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The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.


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I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.


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For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.


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He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.


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Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.


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Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.


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Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.


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Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.


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Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.


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For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.


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Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.


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My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.


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Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.


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Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.


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For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.


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Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?


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Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?


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Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.


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I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;


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And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?


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The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.


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And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.


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Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out.


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There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons that she hath brought up.


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These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee?


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Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of thy God.


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Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:


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But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.


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Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.


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Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.


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For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.


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For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.


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Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.


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Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.


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How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!


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Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.


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Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.


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The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.


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Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.


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For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward.


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As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:


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So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.


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For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.


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He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.


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Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.


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But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.


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All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.


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He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.


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He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.


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And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.


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Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.


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He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.


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Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.


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Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.


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Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;


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For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.


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Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.


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For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.


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For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.


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In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.


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For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.


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For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.


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O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.


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And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.


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In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.


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Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.


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Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.


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No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.


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Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.


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Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.


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Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.


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Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.


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Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.


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For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.


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For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:


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So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.


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For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.


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Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.


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Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.


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Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.


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Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.


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For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;


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Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.


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Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;


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Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.


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The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.


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His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.


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Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.


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Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.


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The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.


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Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue? are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood,


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Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks?


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Among the smooth stones of the stream is thy portion; they, they are thy lot: even to them hast thou poured a drink offering, thou hast offered a meat offering. Should I receive comfort in these?


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Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed: even thither wentest thou up to offer sacrifice.


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Behind the doors also and the posts hast thou set up thy remembrance: for thou hast discovered thyself to another than me, and art gone up; thou hast enlarged thy bed, and made thee a covenant with them; thou lovedst their bed where thou sawest it.


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And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell.


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Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet saidst thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found the life of thine hand; therefore thou wast not grieved.


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And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? have not I held my peace even of old, and thou fearest me not?


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When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them: but he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain;


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And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people.


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For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.


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For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made.


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For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart.


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I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.


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I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him.


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Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.


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Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.


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Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.


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Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.


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Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?


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Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?


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Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?


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Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.


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Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;


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And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:


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And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.


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And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.


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If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:


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Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.


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Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:


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But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.


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For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.


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None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.


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They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.


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Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.


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Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.


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The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.


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Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.


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We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.


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We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.


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For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them;


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In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.


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And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.


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Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.


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And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.


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For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.


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According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.


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So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.


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And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.


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As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.


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For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.


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Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.


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Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.


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The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD.


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All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory.


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Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.


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And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.


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Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.


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For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.


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The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.


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The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.


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Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.


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Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.


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For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.


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Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.


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The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.


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Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.


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Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.


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A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time.


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The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;


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To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;


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To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.


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And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.


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And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.


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But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.


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For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.


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For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.


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And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.


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I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.


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For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.


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For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.


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And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.


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Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.


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Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.


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For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.


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I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence,


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The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured:


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But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the LORD; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness.


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Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people.


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Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.


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And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.


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Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.


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I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.


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And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me.


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And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.


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I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.


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In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.


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But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.


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Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him?


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That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name?


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As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name.


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Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained?


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Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.


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O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.


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The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary.


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Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,


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As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!


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When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.


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For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.


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Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.


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But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.


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And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.


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But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.


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Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.


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Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste.


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Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O LORD? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?


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I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.


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I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;


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A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;


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Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;


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Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.


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Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,


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Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the LORD, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.


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Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.


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And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.


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And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.


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But ye are they that forsake the LORD, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number.


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Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.


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Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed:


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Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit.


