# verses

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Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand.


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【For the director of music. A psalm of David.】<br/> The king rejoices in your strength, Lord. How great is his joy in the victories you give!


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You have granted him his heart's desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here.</n>


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When you appear for battle, you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace. The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath, and his fire will consume them.


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【For the director of music. To the tune of "The Doe of the Morning." A psalm of David.】<br/> My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?


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My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. <n>Or [night, and am not silent]</n>


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Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. <n>Or [Yet you are holy, / enthroned on the praises of Israel]</n>


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"He trusts in the Lord," they say, "let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him."


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I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me.


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My mouth <n>Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text [strength]</n> is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.


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Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce <n>Dead Sea Scrolls and some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Septuagint and Syriac; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text [me, / like a lion]</n> my hands and my feet.


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You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!


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For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.


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From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you <n>Hebrew [him]</n> I will fulfill my vows.


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The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him— may your hearts live forever!


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All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him,


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All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive.


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Even though I walk through the darkest valley, <n>Or [the valley of the shadow of death]</n> I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.


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You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.


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Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.


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【Of David. A psalm.】<br/> The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;


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The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. <n>Or [swear falsely]</n>


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Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob. <n>Two Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac (see also Septuagint); most Hebrew manuscripts [face, Jacob]</n> <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 10.</n>


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No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.


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Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good.


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Who, then, are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. <n>Or [ways he chooses]</n>


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May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, <n>Septuagint; Hebrew does not have [Lord].</n> is in you.


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【Of David.】<br/> Vindicate me, Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered.


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for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.


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【Of David.】<br/> The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?


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When the wicked advance against me to devour <n>Or [slander]</n> me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall.


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Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.


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One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.


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For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.


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Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord.


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Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior.


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Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations.


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【Of David.】<br/> To you, Lord, I call; you are my Rock, do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who go down to the pit.


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Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts.


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Repay them for their deeds and for their evil work; repay them for what their hands have done and bring back on them what they deserve.


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Because they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord and what his hands have done, he will tear them down and never build them up again.


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The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.


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【A psalm of David.】<br/> Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.


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Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his <n>Or [Lord with the splendor of]</n> holiness.


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The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.


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The voice of the Lord twists the oaks <n>Or [Lord makes the deer give birth]</n> and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, "Glory!"


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【A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. <n>Title: Or [palace]</n> Of David.】<br/> I will exalt you, Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me.


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For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.


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Lord, when you favored me, you made my royal mountain <n>That is, Mount Zion</n> stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.


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"What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness?


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【For the director of music. A psalm of David.】<br/> In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.


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Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief.


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My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, <n>Or [guilt]</n> and my bones grow weak.


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Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors and an object of dread to my closest friends— those who see me on the street flee from me.


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For I hear many whispering, "Terror on every side!" They conspire against me and plot to take my life.


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Let me not be put to shame, Lord, for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame and be silent in the realm of the dead.


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Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous.


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How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you.


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In the shelter of your presence you hide them from all human intrigues; you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues.


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In my alarm I said, "I am cut off from your sight!" Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.


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Love the Lord, all his faithful people! The Lord preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full.


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【Of David. A <i>maskil.</i> <n>Title: Probably a literary or musical term</n>】<br/> Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.


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For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 5 and 7.</n>


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Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord." And you forgave the guilt of my sin.


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Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them.


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You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.


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I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.


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Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.


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He gathers the waters of the sea into jars <n>Or [sea as into a heap]</n>; he puts the deep into storehouses.


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【Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.】<br/> I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.


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【Of David.】<br/> Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.


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Brandish spear and javelin <n>Or [and block the way]</n> against those who pursue me. Say to me, "I am your salvation."


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May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay.


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may ruin overtake them by surprise— may the net they hid entangle them, may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.


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My whole being will exclaim, "Who is like you, Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them."


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Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered,


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I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother.


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But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee; assailants gathered against me without my knowledge. They slandered me without ceasing.


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Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked; <n>Septuagint; Hebrew may mean [Like an ungodly circle of mockers,]</n> they gnashed their teeth at me.


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Do not let those gloat over me who are my enemies without cause; do not let those who hate me without reason maliciously wink the eye.


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They do not speak peaceably, but devise false accusations against those who live quietly in the land.


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May all who gloat over my distress be put to shame and confusion; may all who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and disgrace.


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May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, "The Lord be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant."


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【For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord.】<br/> I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: <n>Or [A message from God: The transgression of the wicked / resides in their hearts.]</n> There is no fear of God before their eyes.


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Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong.


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Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.


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Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.


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The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.


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But the wicked will perish: Though the Lord's enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.


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I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.


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For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed <n>See Septuagint; Hebrew [They will be protected forever]</n>; the offspring of the wicked will perish.


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but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked or let them be condemned when brought to trial.


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Hope in the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.


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Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace. <n>Or [upright; / those who seek peace will have posterity]</n>


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The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.


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【A psalm of David. A petition.】<br/> Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.


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Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.


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Those who want to kill me set their traps, those who would harm me talk of my ruin; all day long they scheme and lie.


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Many have become my enemies without cause <n>One Dead Sea Scrolls manuscript; Masoretic Text [my vigorous enemies]</n>; those who hate me without reason are numerous.


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Those who repay my good with evil lodge accusations against me, though I seek only to do what is good.


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【For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.】<br/> I said, "I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth while in the presence of the wicked."


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You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 11.</n>


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"Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be.


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When you rebuke and discipline anyone for their sin, you consume their wealth like a moth— surely everyone is but a breath.


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"Hear my prayer, Lord, listen to my cry for help; do not be deaf to my weeping. I dwell with you as a foreigner, a stranger, as all my ancestors were.


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【For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.】<br/> I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.


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He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.


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He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.


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Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. <n>Or [to lies]</n>


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Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.


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Sacrifice and offering you did not desire— but my ears you have opened <n>Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts [but a body you have prepared for me]</n>— burnt offerings and sin offerings <n>Or [purification offerings]</n> you did not require.


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Then I said, "Here I am, I have come— it is written about me in the scroll. <n>Or [come / with the scroll written for me]</n>


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I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help. I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness from the great assembly.


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For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me.


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May all who want to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.


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But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, "The Lord is great!"


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But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay.


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【For the director of music. A psalm of David.】<br/> Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.


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The Lord protects and preserves them— they are counted among the blessed in the land— he does not give them over to the desire of their foes.


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When one of them comes to see me, he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander; then he goes out and spreads it around.


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Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned <n>Hebrew [has lifted up his heel]</n> against me.


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【BOOK II: Psalms 42–72】<br/>【 For the director of music. A <i>maskil</i> <n>Title: Probably a literary or musical term</n> of the Sons of Korah.】<br/> As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.


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These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One <n>See Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.</n> with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.


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Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.


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My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.


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I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?"


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Vindicate me, my God, and plead my cause against an unfaithful nation. Rescue me from those who are deceitful and wicked.


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You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?


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Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.


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Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.


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【For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A <i>maskil.</i> <n>Title: Probably a literary or musical term</n>】<br/> We have heard it with our ears, O God; our ancestors have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago.


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With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our ancestors; you crushed the peoples and made our ancestors flourish.


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It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.


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You are my King and my God, who decrees <n>Septuagint, Aquila and Syriac; Hebrew [King, O God; / command]</n> victories for Jacob.


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In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here.</n>


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【For the director of music. To the tune of "Lilies." Of the Sons of Korah. A <i>maskil.</i> <n>Title: Probably a literary or musical term</n> A wedding song.】<br/> My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.


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You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever.


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In your majesty ride forth victoriously in the cause of truth, humility and justice; let your right hand achieve awesome deeds.


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Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king's enemies; let the nations fall beneath your feet.


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Your throne, O God, <n>Here the king is addressed as God's representative.</n> will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.


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You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.


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All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory the music of the strings makes you glad.


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Daughters of kings are among your honored women; at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir.


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The city of Tyre will come with a gift, <n>Or [A Tyrian robe is among the gifts]</n> people of wealth will seek your favor.


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In embroidered garments she is led to the king; her virgin companions follow her— those brought to be with her.


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I will perpetuate your memory through all generations; therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever.


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【For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to <i>alamoth.</i> <n>Title: Probably a musical term</n> A song.】<br/> God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.


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Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,


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though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 7 and 11.</n>


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There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.


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He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields <n>Or [chariots]</n> with fire.


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He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."


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【For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.】<br/> Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.


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He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here.</n>


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The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings <n>Or [shields]</n> of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.


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【A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.】<br/> Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain.


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Beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth, like the heights of Zaphon <n>[Zaphon] was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites.</n> is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King.


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As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of the Lord Almighty, in the city of our God: God makes her secure forever. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here.</n>


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Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness.


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【For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.】<br/> Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world,


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For all can see that the wise die, that the foolish and the senseless also perish, leaving their wealth to others.


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Their tombs will remain their houses <n>Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew [In their thoughts their houses will remain]</n> forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had <n>Or [generations, / for they have]</n> named lands after themselves.


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This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 15.</n>


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They are like sheep and are destined to die; death will be their shepherd (but the upright will prevail over them in the morning). Their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions.


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【A psalm of Asaph.】<br/> The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets.


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And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice. <n>With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text [for God himself is judge]</n> <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here.</n>


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I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.


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But to the wicked person, God says: "What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips?


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When you did these things and I kept silent, you thought I was exactly <n>Or [thought the 'I am' was]</n> like you. But I now arraign you and set my accusations before you.


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Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me, and to the blameless <n>Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; the meaning of the Masoretic Text for this phrase is uncertain.</n> I will show my salvation."


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【For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.】<br/> Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.


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Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.


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Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.


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My sacrifice, O God, is <n>Or [The sacrifices of God are]</n> a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.


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Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous, in burnt offerings offered whole; then bulls will be offered on your altar.


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【For the director of music. A <i>maskil</i> <n>Title: Probably a literary or musical term</n> of David. When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Saul and told him: "David has gone to the house of Ahimelek."】<br/> Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero? Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?


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You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 5.</n>


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Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin: He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living.


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"Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!"


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But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever.


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For what you have done I will always praise you in the presence of your faithful people. And I will hope in your name, for your name is good.


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【For the director of music. According to <i>mahalath.</i> <n>Title: Probably a musical term</n> A <i>maskil</i> <n>Title: Probably a literary or musical term</n> of David.】<br/> The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good.


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Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on God.


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But there they are, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to dread. God scattered the bones of those who attacked you; you put them to shame, for God despised them.


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Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!


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【For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A <i>maskil</i> <n>Title: Probably a literary or musical term</n> of David. When the Ziphites had gone to Saul and said, "Is not David hiding among us?"】<br/> Save me, O God, by your name; vindicate me by your might.


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Arrogant foes are attacking me; ruthless people are trying to kill me— people without regard for God. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here.</n>


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【For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A <i>maskil</i> <n>Title: Probably a literary or musical term</n> of David.】<br/> Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea;


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because of what my enemy is saying, because of the threats of the wicked; for they bring down suffering on me and assail me in their anger.


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I would flee far away and stay in the desert; <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here and in the middle of verse 19.</n>


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with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God, as we walked about among the worshipers.


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Let death take my enemies by surprise; let them go down alive to the realm of the dead, for evil finds lodging among them.


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God, who is enthroned from of old, who does not change— he will hear them and humble them, because they have no fear of God.


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His talk is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords.


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But you, God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of decay; the bloodthirsty and deceitful will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you.


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【For the director of music. To the tune of "A Dove on Distant Oaks." Of David. A <i>miktam.</i> <n>Title: Probably a literary or musical term</n> When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.】<br/> Be merciful to me, my God, for my enemies are in hot pursuit; all day long they press their attack.


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Because of their wickedness do not <n>Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text does not have [do not].</n> let them escape; in your anger, God, bring the nations down.


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Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll <n>Or [misery; / put my tears in your wineskin]</n>— are they not in your record?


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For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.


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【For the director of music. To the tune of "Do Not Destroy." Of David. A <i>miktam.</i> <n>Title: Probably a literary or musical term</n> When he had fled from Saul into the cave.】<br/> Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.


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He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me— <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 6.</n> God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.


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I am in the midst of lions; I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts— men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.


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They spread a net for my feet— I was bowed down in distress. They dug a pit in my path— but they have fallen into it themselves.


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【For the director of music. To the tune of "Do Not Destroy." Of David. A <i>miktam.</i> <n>Title: Probably a literary or musical term</n>】<br/> Do you rulers indeed speak justly? Do you judge people with equity?


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May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along, like a stillborn child that never sees the sun.


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Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns— whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away. <n>The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.</n>


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The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.


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Then people will say, "Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth."


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【For the director of music. To the tune of "Do Not Destroy." Of David. A <i>miktam.</i> <n>Title: Probably a literary or musical term</n> When Saul had sent men to watch David's house in order to kill him.】<br/> Deliver me from my enemies, O God; be my fortress against those who are attacking me.


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See how they lie in wait for me! Fierce men conspire against me for no offense or sin of mine, Lord.


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You, Lord God Almighty, you who are the God of Israel, rouse yourself to punish all the nations; show no mercy to wicked traitors. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 13.</n>


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See what they spew from their mouths— the words from their lips are sharp as swords, and they think, "Who can hear us?"


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But do not kill them, Lord our shield, <n>Or [sovereign]</n> or my people will forget. In your might uproot them and bring them down.


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For the sins of their mouths, for the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride. For the curses and lies they utter,


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consume them in your wrath, consume them till they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob.


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But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.


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【For the director of music. To the tune of "The Lily of the Covenant." A <i>miktam</i> <n>Title: Probably a literary or musical term</n> of David. For teaching. When he fought Aram Naharaim <n>Title: That is, Arameans of Northwest Mesopotamia</n> and Aram Zobah, <n>Title: That is, Arameans of central Syria</n> and when Joab returned and struck down twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.】<br/> You have rejected us, God, and burst upon us; you have been angry—now restore us!


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But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here.</n>


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God has spoken from his sanctuary: "In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.


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【For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Of David.】<br/> Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.


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From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.


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I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here.</n>


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【For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.】<br/> Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.


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How long will you assault me? Would all of you throw me down— this leaning wall, this tottering fence?


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Surely they intend to topple me from my lofty place; they take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 8.</n>


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My salvation and my honor depend on God <n>Or [/ God Most High is my salvation and my honor]</n>; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.


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Surely the lowborn are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie. If weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath.


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Do not trust in extortion or put vain hope in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.


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and with you, Lord, is unfailing love"; and, "You reward everyone according to what they have done."


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【A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.】<br/> You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.


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But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God will glory in him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced.


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【For the director of music. A psalm of David.】<br/> Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint; protect my life from the threat of the enemy.


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They encourage each other in evil plans, they talk about hiding their snares; they say, "Who will see it <n>Or [us]</n>?"


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They plot injustice and say, "We have devised a perfect plan!" Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.


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He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.


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The righteous will rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him; all the upright in heart will glory in him!


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【For the director of music. A psalm of David. A song.】<br/> Praise awaits <n>Or [befits]; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.</n> you, our God, in Zion; to you our vows will be fulfilled.


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Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple.


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You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas,


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The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.


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You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. <n>Or [for that is how you prepare the land]</n>


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The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.


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Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.


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All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name." <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 7 and 15.</n>


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He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot— come, let us rejoice in him.


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He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch the nations— let not the rebellious rise up against him.


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You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.


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【For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.】<br/> May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us— <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 4.</n>


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May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth.


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【For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. A song.】<br/> May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him.


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Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds <n>Or [name, / prepare the way for him who rides through the deserts]</n>; rejoice before him—his name is the Lord.


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God sets the lonely in families, <n>Or [the desolate in a homeland]</n> he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.


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When you, God, went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 19 and 32.</n>


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the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.


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Even while you sleep among the sheep pens, <n>Or [the campfires;] or [the saddlebags]</n> the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver, its feathers with shining gold."


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When the Almighty <n>Hebrew [Shaddai]</n> scattered the kings in the land, it was like snow fallen on Mount Zalmon.


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why gaze in envy, you rugged mountain, at the mountain where God chooses to reign, where the Lord himself will dwell forever?


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The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands; the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary. <n>Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text [Lord is among them at Sinai in holiness]</n>


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When you ascended on high, you took many captives; you received gifts from people, even from <n>Or [gifts for people, / even]</n> the rebellious— that you, <n>Or [they]</n> Lord God, might dwell there.


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that your feet may wade in the blood of your foes, while the tongues of your dogs have their share."


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In front are the singers, after them the musicians; with them are the young women playing the timbrels.


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There is the little tribe of Benjamin, leading them, there the great throng of Judah's princes, and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.


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Summon your power, God <n>Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts [Your God has summoned power for you]</n>; show us your strength, our God, as you have done before.


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Rebuke the beast among the reeds, the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations. Humbled, may the beast bring bars of silver. Scatter the nations who delight in war.


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You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!


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【For the director of music. To the tune of "Lilies." Of David.】<br/> Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.


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I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.


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Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal.


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Lord, the Lord Almighty, may those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me; God of Israel, may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me.


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But I pray to you, Lord, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation.


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Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters.


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Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me.


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Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none.


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May the table set before them become a snare; may it become retribution and <n>Or [snare / and their fellowship become]</n> a trap.


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for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there and possess it;


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【For the director of music. Of David. A petition.】<br/> Hasten, O God, to save me; come quickly, Lord, to help me.


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May those who want to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.


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But as for me, I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; Lord, do not delay.


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Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.


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From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you.


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My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long— though I know not how to relate them all.


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I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord; I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.


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Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.


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Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens, you who have done great things. Who is like you, God?


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Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.


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I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel.


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My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long, for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion.


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May he defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; may he crush the oppressor.


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May he endure <n>Septuagint; Hebrew [You will be feared]</n> as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations.


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May he rule from sea to sea and from the River <n>That is, the Euphrates</n> to the ends of the earth.


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May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring tribute to him. May the kings of Sheba and Seba present him gifts.


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Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.


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May grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. May the crops flourish like Lebanon and thrive <n>Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text [Lebanon, / from the city]</n> like the grass of the field.


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May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. Then all nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.


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Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.


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【BOOK III: Psalms 73–89】<br/>【A psalm of Asaph.】<br/> Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.


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They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. <n>With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text [struggles at their death; / their bodies are healthy]</n>


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From their callous hearts comes iniquity <n>Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew [Their eyes bulge with fat]</n>; their evil imaginations have no limits.


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Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. <n>The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.</n>


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But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.


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【A <i>maskil</i> <n>Title: Probably a literary or musical term</n> of Asaph.】<br/> O God, why have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?


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Remember the nation you purchased long ago, the people of your inheritance, whom you redeemed— Mount Zion, where you dwelt.


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Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins, all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.


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They said in their hearts, "We will crush them completely!" They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land.


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Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!


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Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts; do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever.


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【For the director of music. To the tune of "Do Not Destroy." A psalm of Asaph. A song.】<br/> We praise you, God, we praise you, for your Name is near; people tell of your wonderful deeds.


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When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here.</n>


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To the arrogant I say, 'Boast no more,' and to the wicked, 'Do not lift up your horns. <n>[Horns] here symbolize strength; also in verses 5 and 10.</n>


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In the hand of the Lord is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs.


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who says, "I will cut off the horns of all the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up."


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【For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song.】<br/> God is renowned in Judah; in Israel his name is great.


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There he broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 9.</n>


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Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise, and the survivors of your wrath are restrained. <n>Or [Surely the wrath of mankind brings you praise, / and with the remainder of wrath you arm yourself]</n>


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Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them; let all the neighboring lands bring gifts to the One to be feared.


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【For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.】<br/> I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me.


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When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands, and I would not be comforted.


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I remembered you, God, and I groaned; I meditated, and my spirit grew faint. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 9 and 15.</n>


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The clouds poured down water, the heavens resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth.


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Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.


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Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.


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【A <i>maskil</i> <n>Title: Probably a literary or musical term</n> of Asaph.】<br/> My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.


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We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.


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He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children,


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so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.


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They would not be like their ancestors— a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him.


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True, he struck the rock, and water gushed out, streams flowed abundantly, but can he also give us bread? Can he supply meat for his people?"


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When the Lord heard them, he was furious; his fire broke out against Jacob, and his wrath rose against Israel,


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God's anger rose against them; he put to death the sturdiest among them, cutting down the young men of Israel.


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Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath.


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He unleashed against them his hot anger, his wrath, indignation and hostility— a band of destroying angels.


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He prepared a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death but gave them over to the plague.


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And so he brought them to the border of his holy land, to the hill country his right hand had taken.


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He drove out nations before them and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance; he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes.


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from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance.


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【A psalm of Asaph.】<br/> O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple, they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.


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They have left the dead bodies of your servants as food for the birds of the sky, the flesh of your own people for the animals of the wild.


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Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name;


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Do not hold against us the sins of past generations; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need.


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Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name's sake.


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Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" Before our eyes, make known among the nations that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants.


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May the groans of the prisoners come before you; with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die.


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Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will proclaim your praise.


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【For the director of music. To the tune of "The Lilies of the Covenant." Of Asaph. A psalm.】<br/> Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth


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You have made us an object of derision <n>Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text [contention]</n> to our neighbors, and our enemies mock us.


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Its branches reached as far as the Sea, <n>Probably the Mediterranean</n> its shoots as far as the River. <n>That is, the Euphrates</n>


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【For the director of music. According to <i>gittith.</i> <n>Title: Probably a musical term</n> Of Asaph.】<br/> Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob!


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When God went out against Egypt, he established it as a statute for Joseph. I heard an unknown voice say:


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In your distress you called and I rescued you, I answered you out of a thundercloud; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here.</n>


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"How long will you <n>The Hebrew is plural.</n> defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here.</n>


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"The 'gods' know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.


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【A song. A psalm of Asaph.】<br/> O God, do not remain silent; do not turn a deaf ear, do not stand aloof, O God.


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Even Assyria has joined them to reinforce Lot's descendants. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here.</n>


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Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord— that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.


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【For the director of music. According to <i>gittith.</i> <n>Title: Probably a musical term</n> Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.】<br/> How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty!


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My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.


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Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God.


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Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 8.</n>


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As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. <n>Or [blessings]</n>


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Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.


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For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.


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【For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.】<br/> You, Lord, showed favor to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.


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You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here.</n>


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I will listen to what God the Lord says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants— but let them not turn to folly.


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All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name.


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Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.


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For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead.


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Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God; ruthless people are trying to kill me— they have no regard for you.


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But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.


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Turn to me and have mercy on me; show your strength in behalf of your servant; save me, because I serve you just as my mother did.


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Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.


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Glorious things are said of you, city of God: <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 6.</n>


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"I will record Rahab <n>A poetic name for Egypt</n> and Babylon among those who acknowledge me— Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush <n>That is, the upper Nile region</n>— and will say, 'This one was born in Zion.'" <n>Or ["I will record concerning those who acknowledge me: / 'This one was born in Zion.' / Hear this, Rahab and Babylon, / and you too, Philistia, Tyre and Cush."]</n>


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Indeed, of Zion it will be said, "This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her."


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【A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to <i>mahalath leannoth.</i> <n>Title: Possibly a tune, "The Suffering of Affliction"</n> A <i>maskil</i> <n>Title: Probably a literary or musical term</n> of Heman the Ezrahite.】<br/> Lord, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you.


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I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care.


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Your wrath lies heavily on me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 10.</n>


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You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them. I am confined and cannot escape;


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【A <i>maskil</i> <n>Title: Probably a literary or musical term</n> of Ethan the Ezrahite.】<br/> I will sing of the Lord's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.


text:
I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.


text:
'I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.'" <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 37, 45 and 48.</n>


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For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?


text:
In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him.


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For you are their glory and strength, and by your favor you exalt our horn. <n>[Horn] here symbolizes strong one.</n>


text:
Once you spoke in a vision, to your faithful people you said: "I have bestowed strength on a warrior; I have raised up a young man from among the people.


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My faithful love will be with him, and through my name his horn <n>[Horn] here symbolizes strength.</n> will be exalted.


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Remember, Lord, how your servant has <n>Or [your servants have]</n> been mocked, how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,


text:
the taunts with which your enemies, Lord, have mocked, with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.


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【BOOK IV: Psalms 90–106】<br/>【A prayer of Moses the man of God.】<br/> Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.


text:
Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.


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Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.


text:
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.


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May the favor <n>Or [beauty]</n> of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.


text:
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. <n>Hebrew [Shaddai]</n>


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He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.


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"Because he <n>That is, probably the king</n> loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.


text:
He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.


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【A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.】<br/> It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High,


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that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever.


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You have exalted my horn <n>[Horn] here symbolizes strength.</n> like that of a wild ox; fine oils have been poured on me.


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The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength; indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.


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The seas have lifted up, Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.


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Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea— the Lord on high is mighty.


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He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the Lord our God will destroy them.


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for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice,


text:
"Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, <n>[Meribah] means [quarreling.]</n> as you did that day at Massah <n>[Massah] means [testing.]</n> in the wilderness,


text:
For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, 'They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.'


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Worship the Lord in the splendor of his <n>Or [Lord with the splendor of]</n> holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.


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Say among the nations, "The Lord reigns." The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.


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Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.


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Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.


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【A psalm.】<br/> Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.


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He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.


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let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.


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The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake.


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The King is mighty, he loves justice— you have established equity; in Jacob you have done what is just and right.


text:
Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel was among those who called on his name; they called on the Lord and he answered them.


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Lord our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds. <n>Or [God, / an avenger of the wrongs done to them]</n>


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Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his <n>Or [and not we ourselves]</n>; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.


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Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.


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For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.


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I will be careful to lead a blameless life— when will you come to me? I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart.


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I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it.


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Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not tolerate.


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My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; the one whose walk is blameless will minister to me.


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No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence.


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Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked in the land; I will cut off every evildoer from the city of the Lord.


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【A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the Lord.】<br/> Hear my prayer, Lord; let my cry for help come to you.


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Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly.


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You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come.


text:
So I said: "Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days; your years go on through all generations.


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They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded.


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The children of your servants will live in your presence; their descendants will be established before you."


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But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children—


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Praise the Lord, my soul. Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.


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and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind.


text:
they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them.


text:
He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth:


text:
wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts.


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There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small.


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When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.


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When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.


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But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more. Praise the Lord, my soul. Praise the Lord. <n>Hebrew [Hallelu Yah]; in the Septuagint this line stands at the beginning of Psalm 105.</n>


text:
that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws. Praise the Lord. <n>Hebrew [Hallelu Yah]</n>


text:
Praise the Lord. <n>Hebrew [Hallelu Yah]; also in verse 48</n> Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.


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that I may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may share in the joy of your nation and join your inheritance in giving praise.


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When our ancestors were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea. <n>Or [the Sea of Reeds]; also in verses 9 and 22</n>


text:
So he said he would destroy them— had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him to keep his wrath from destroying them.


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for they rebelled against the Spirit of God, and rash words came from Moses' lips. <n>Or [against his spirit, / and rash words came from his lips]</n>


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They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood.


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Save us, Lord our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.


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Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, "Amen!" Praise the Lord.


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those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. <n>Hebrew [north and the sea]</n>


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Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.


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They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away.


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He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea <n>Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text [/ their waves]</n> were hushed.


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【A song. A psalm of David.】<br/> My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul.


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for people who are wicked and deceitful have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues.


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May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven <n>Septuagint; Hebrew [sought]</n> from their ruined homes.


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May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord; may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.


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For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted.


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He loved to pronounce a curse— may it come back on him. He found no pleasure in blessing— may it be far from him.


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But you, Sovereign Lord, help me for your name's sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.


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While they curse, may you bless; may those who attack me be put to shame, but may your servant rejoice.


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For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save their lives from those who would condemn them.


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【Of David. A psalm.】<br/> The Lord says to my lord: <n>Or [Lord]</n> "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."


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Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendor, your young men will come to you like dew from the morning's womb. <n>The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.</n>


text:
The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."


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The Lord is at your right hand <n>Or [My lord is at your right hand, Lord]</n>; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.


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He will drink from a brook along the way, <n>The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.</n> and so he will lift his head high.


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Praise the Lord. <n>Hebrew [Hallelu Yah]</n> I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.


text:
He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever— holy and awesome is his name.


text:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.


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Praise the Lord. <n>Hebrew [Hallelu Yah]</n> Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands.


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Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.


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Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.


text:
They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever; their horn <n>[Horn] here symbolizes dignity.</n> will be lifted high in honor.


text:
The wicked will see and be vexed, they will gnash their teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.


text:
Praise the Lord. <n>Hebrew [Hallelu Yah]; also in verse 9</n> Praise the Lord, you his servants; praise the name of the Lord.


text:
They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats.


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The Lord remembers us and will bless us: He will bless his people Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron,


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The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow.


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in the courts of the house of the Lord— in your midst, Jerusalem. Praise the Lord. <n>Hebrew [Hallelu Yah]</n>


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For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord. <n>Hebrew [Hallelu Yah]</n>


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They swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them down.


text:
Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: "The Lord's right hand has done mighty things!


text:
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. <n>The Hebrew is plural.</n>


text:
The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up <n>Or [Bind the festal sacrifice with ropes / and take it]</n> to the horns of the altar.


text:
He】<br/>Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. <n>Or [follow it for its reward]</n>


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Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. <n>Two manuscripts of the Masoretic Text and Dead Sea Scrolls; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text [life in your way]</n>


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May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate on your precepts.


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My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end. <n>Or [decrees / for their enduring reward]</n>


text:
【A song of ascents. Of David.】<br/> I rejoiced with those who said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord."


text:
That is where the tribes go up— the tribes of the Lord— to praise the name of the Lord according to the statute given to Israel.


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As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy.


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We have escaped like a bird from the fowler's snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped.


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【A song of ascents.】<br/> Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.


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The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil.


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【A song of ascents.】<br/> When the Lord restored the fortunes of <n>Or [Lord brought back the captives to]</n> Zion, we were like those who dreamed. <n>Or [those restored to health]</n>


text:
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them."


text:
Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.


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【A song of ascents. Of Solomon.】<br/> Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.


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In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to <n>Or [eat— / for while they sleep he provides for]</n> those he loves.


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Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.


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Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.


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May the Lord bless you from Zion; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.


text:
May those who pass by not say to them, "The blessing of the Lord be on you; we bless you in the name of the Lord."


text:
I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.


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Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.


text:
【A song of ascents. Of David.】<br/> My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.


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But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.


text:
The Lord swore an oath to David, a sure oath he will not revoke: "One of your own descendants I will place on your throne.


text:
If your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them, then their sons will sit on your throne for ever and ever."


text:
"Here I will make a horn <n>[Horn] here symbolizes strong one, that is, king.</n> grow for David and set up a lamp for my anointed one.


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【A song of ascents. Of David.】<br/> How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!


text:
It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down on the collar of his robe.


text:
It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.


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【A song of ascents.】<br/> Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord.


text:
Praise the Lord. <n>Hebrew [Hallelu Yah]; also in verses 3 and 21</n> Praise the name of the Lord; praise him, you servants of the Lord,


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The Lord does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths.


text:
He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.


text:
to him who divided the Red Sea <n>Or [the Sea of Reeds]; also in verse 15</n> asunder <i>His love endures forever.</i>


text:
for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"


text:
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.


text:
Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. "Tear it down," they cried, "tear it down to its foundations!"


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Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us.


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【Of David.】<br/> I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing your praise.


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I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness, for you have so exalted your solemn decree that it surpasses your fame.


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Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me.


text:
The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands.


text:
even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.


text:
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.


text:
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.


text:
Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.


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How precious to me are your thoughts, <n>Or [How amazing are your thoughts concerning me]</n> God! How vast is the sum of them!


text:
【For the director of music. A psalm of David.】<br/> Rescue me, Lord, from evildoers; protect me from the violent,


text:
They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent's; the poison of vipers is on their lips. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 5 and 8.</n>


text:
Keep me safe, Lord, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent, who devise ways to trip my feet.


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The arrogant have hidden a snare for me; they have spread out the cords of their net and have set traps for me along my path.


text:
May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.


text:
Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies.


text:
Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it, for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.


text:
Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs, and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.


text:
They will say, "As one plows and breaks up the earth, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave."


text:
【A <i>maskil</i> <n>Title: Probably a literary or musical term</n> of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer.】<br/> I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.


text:
When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way. In the path where I walk people have hidden a snare for me.


text:
Look and see, there is no one at my right hand; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life.


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Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me.


text:
Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.


text:
【A psalm of David.】<br/> Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.


text:
The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in the darkness like those long dead.


text:
I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.


text:
I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for you like a parched land. <n>The Hebrew has [Selah] (a word of uncertain meaning) here.</n>


text:
Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.


text:
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.


text:
He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples <n>Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, Aquila, Jerome and Syriac; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text [subdues my people]</n> under me.


text:
Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners


text:
deliver me; rescue me from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.


text:
Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace.


text:
Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision. Our sheep will increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields;


text:
our oxen will draw heavy loads. <n>Or [our chieftains will be firmly established]</n> There will be no breaching of walls, no going into captivity, no cry of distress in our streets.


text:
【A psalm of praise. Of David.】<br/> I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.


text:
They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty— and I will meditate on your wonderful works. <n>Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text [On the glorious splendor of your majesty / and on your wonderful works I will meditate]</n>


text:
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. <n>One manuscript of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac (see also Septuagint); most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text do not have the last two lines of verse 13.</n>


text:
My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.


text:
the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous.


text:
The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.


text:
Praise the Lord. <n>Hebrew [Hallelu Yah]; also in verse 20</n> How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!


text:
He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws. <n>Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint [nation; / he has not made his laws known to them]</n> Praise the Lord.


text:
Praise the Lord. <n>Hebrew [Hallelu Yah]; also in verse 14</n> Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above.


text:
Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.


text:
And he has raised up for his people a horn, <n>[Horn] here symbolizes strength.</n> the praise of all his faithful servants, of Israel, the people close to his heart. Praise the Lord.


text:
Praise the Lord. <n>Hebrew [Hallelu Yah]; also in verse 9</n> Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.


text:
to carry out the sentence written against them— this is the glory of all his faithful people. Praise the Lord.


text:
Praise the Lord. <n>Hebrew [Hallelu Yah]; also in verse 6</n> Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.


text:
for giving prudence to those who are simple, <n>The Hebrew word rendered [simple] in Proverbs denotes a person who is gullible, without moral direction and inclined to evil.</n> knowledge and discretion to the young—


text:
for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. <n>Or [understanding a proverb, namely, a parable, / and the sayings of the wise, their riddles]</n>


text:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools <n>The Hebrew words rendered [fool] in Proverbs, and often elsewhere in the Old Testament, denote a person who is morally deficient.</n> despise wisdom and instruction.


text:
If they say, "Come along with us; let's lie in wait for innocent blood, let's ambush some harmless soul;


text:
on top of the wall <n>Septuagint; Hebrew [/ at noisy street corners]</n> she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech:


text:
"How long will you who are simple love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?


text:
Repent at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings.


text:
when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you.


text:
Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words,


text:
who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. <n>Or [covenant of her God]</n>


text:
Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.


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in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. <n>Or [will direct your paths]</n>


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because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. <n>Hebrew; Septuagint [loves, / and he chastens everyone he accepts as his child]</n>


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My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion;


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Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back tomorrow and I'll give it to you"— when you already have it with you.


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Then he taught me, and he said to me, "Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live.


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The beginning of wisdom is this: Get <n>Or [Wisdom is supreme; therefore get]</n> wisdom. Though it cost all you have, <n>Or [wisdom. / Whatever else you get]</n> get understanding.


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The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.


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Give careful thought to the <n>Or [Make level]</n> paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.


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A loving doe, a graceful deer— may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love.


text:
My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,


text:
So do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor's hands: Go—to the point of exhaustion— <n>Or [Go and humble yourself,]</n> and give your neighbor no rest!


text:
Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.


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When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you.


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For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life,


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All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer <n>Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew [fool]</n> stepping into a noose <n>The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.</n>


text:
till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life.


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You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, set your hearts on it. <n>Septuagint; Hebrew [foolish, instruct your minds]</n>


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by me princes govern, and nobles—all who rule on earth. <n>Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; other Hebrew manuscripts [all righteous rulers]</n>


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"The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, <n>Or [way]; or [dominion]</n> <n>Or [The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work]; or [The Lord brought me forth at the beginning of his work]</n> before his deeds of old;


text:
When there were no watery depths, I was given birth, when there were no springs overflowing with water;


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I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,


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when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.


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Then I was constantly <n>Or [was the artisan]; or [was a little child]</n> at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence,


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Wisdom has built her house; she has set up <n>Septuagint, Syriac and Targum; Hebrew [has hewn out]</n> its seven pillars.


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Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.


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For through wisdom <n>Septuagint, Syriac and Targum; Hebrew [me]</n> your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.


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The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.


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He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.


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Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. <n>Or [righteous, / but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence]</n>


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The righteousness of the blameless makes their paths straight, but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.


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Hopes placed in mortals die with them; all the promise of <n>Two Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts, Vulgate, Syriac and Targum [When the wicked die, their hope perishes; / all they expected from]</n> their power comes to nothing.


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Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.


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Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer, but whoever refuses to shake hands in pledge is safe.


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The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse, but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.


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People curse the one who hoards grain, but they pray God's blessing on the one who is willing to sell.


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Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.


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A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.


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From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of their hands brings them reward.


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The lazy do not roast <n>The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.</n> any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.


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From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things, but the unfaithful have an appetite for violence.


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The righteous hate what is false, but the wicked make themselves a stench and bring shame on themselves.


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Good judgment wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction. <n>Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.</n>


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All who are prudent act with <n>Or [prudent protect themselves through]</n> knowledge, but fools expose their folly.


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A good person leaves an inheritance for their children's children, but a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous.


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Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.


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Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests.


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Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find <n>Or [show]</n> love and faithfulness.


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Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.


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When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous seek refuge in God.


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Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning and even among fools she lets herself be known. <n>Hebrew; Septuagint and Syriac [discerning / but in the heart of fools she is not known]</n>


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Death and Destruction <n>Hebrew [Abaddon]</n> lie open before the Lord— how much more do human hearts!


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The path of life leads upward for the prudent to keep them from going down to the realm of the dead.


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Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds correction gains understanding.


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Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, <n>Or [whoever speaks prudently finds what is good]</n> and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.


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The wise in heart are called discerning, and gracious words promote instruction. <n>Or [words make a person persuasive]</n>


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The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent, and their lips promote instruction. <n>Or [prudent / and make their lips persuasive]</n>


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A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son and will share the inheritance as one of the family.


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Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.


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Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.


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The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.


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A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city; disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.


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From the fruit of their mouth a person's stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.


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One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.


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The poor are shunned by all their relatives— how much more do their friends avoid them! Though the poor pursue them with pleading, they are nowhere to be found. <n>The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.</n>


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A foolish child is a father's ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof.


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What a person desires is unfailing love <n>Or [Greed is a person's shame]</n>; better to be poor than a liar.


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Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence; rebuke the discerning, and they will gain knowledge.


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Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger; hold it in pledge if it is done for an outsider.


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The human spirit is <n>Or [A person's words are]</n> the lamp of the Lord that sheds light on one's inmost being.


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In the Lord's hand the king's heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.


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A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare. <n>Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts [vapor for those who seek death]</n>


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When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom; by paying attention to the wise they get knowledge.


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The Righteous One <n>Or [The righteous person]</n> takes note of the house of the wicked and brings the wicked to ruin.


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One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.


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In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls, but those who would preserve their life stay far from them.


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Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.


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One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.


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【Saying 1】<br/> Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach,


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teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth, so that you bring back truthful reports to those you serve?


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【Saying 3】<br/> Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered,


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【Saying 6】<br/> Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.


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Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.


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for he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost. <n>Or [for as he thinks within himself, / so he is]; or [for as he puts on a feast, / so he is]</n> "Eat and drink," he says to you, but his heart is not with you.


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【Saying 13】<br/> Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish them with the rod, they will not die.


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【Saying 15】<br/> Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord.


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【Saying 17】<br/> Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.


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【Saying 19】<br/> Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?


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"They hit me," you will say, "but I'm not hurt! They beat me, but I don't feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?"


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【Saying 22】<br/> The wise prevail through great power, and those who have knowledge muster their strength.


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【Saying 23】<br/> Wisdom is too high for fools; in the assembly at the gate they must not open their mouths.


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If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?


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Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.


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【Saying 27】<br/> Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous, do not plunder their dwelling place;


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for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.


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【Saying 28】<br/> Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,


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remove wicked officials from the king's presence, and his throne will be established through righteousness.


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it is better for him to say to you, "Come up here," than for him to humiliate you before his nobles. What you have seen with your eyes


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do not bring <n>Or [nobles / on whom you had set your eyes. / [8] Do not go]</n> hastily to court, for what will you do in the end if your neighbor puts you to shame?


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Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is the rebuke of a wise judge to a listening ear.


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Like a snow-cooled drink at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to the one who sends him; he refreshes the spirit of his master.


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Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar poured on a wound, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.


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Like a coating of silver dross on earthenware are fervent <n>Hebrew; Septuagint [smooth]</n> lips with an evil heart.


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Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.


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Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family, and do not go to your relative's house when disaster strikes you— better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away.


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The one who guards a fig tree will eat its fruit, and whoever protects their master will be honored.


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As water reflects the face, so one's life reflects the heart. <n>Or [so others reflect your heart back to you]</n>


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Though you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding them like grain with a pestle, you will not remove their folly from them.


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When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order.


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A ruler <n>Or [A poor person]</n> who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.


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Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit from the poor amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.


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Whoever leads the upright along an evil path will fall into their own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.


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When the righteous triumph, there is great elation; but when the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding.


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Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.


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Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble.


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The one whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but the one whose ways are perverse will fall into the pit. <n>Syriac (see Septuagint); Hebrew [into one]</n>


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Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.


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Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.


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When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding; but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive.


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A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.


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By justice a king gives a country stability, but those who are greedy for <n>Or [who give]</n> bribes tear it down.


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Discipline your children, and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire.


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Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom's instruction.


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The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh—an inspired utterance. This man's utterance to Ithiel: "I am weary, God, but I can prevail. <n>With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text [utterance to Ithiel, / to Ithiel and Ukal:]</n>


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Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Whose hands have gathered up the wind? Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his son? Surely you know!


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Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.


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Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the Lord?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.


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those whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are set with knives to devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among mankind.


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"The leech has two daughters. 'Give! Give!' they cry. "There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, 'Enough!':


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the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, 'Enough!'


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"The eye that mocks a father, that scorns an aged mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures.


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the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a young woman.


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"This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, 'I've done nothing wrong.'


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a strutting rooster, a he-goat, and a king secure against revolt. <n>The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.</n>


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For as churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife."


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<n>Verses 10-31 are an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.</n>A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.


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She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.


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The words of the Teacher, <n>Or [the leader of the assembly]; also in verses 2 and 12</n> son of David, king in Jerusalem:


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The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.


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All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.


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All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.


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What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.


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Is there anything of which one can say, "Look! This is something new"? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.


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No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.


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I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!


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I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.


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I said to myself, "Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge."


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Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.


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I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good." But that also proved to be meaningless.


text:
I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.


text:
I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me.


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I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem <n>The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.</n> as well—the delights of a man's heart.


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I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil.


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Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.


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Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king's successor do than what has already been done?


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The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both.


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Then I said to myself, "The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?" I said to myself, "This too is meaningless."


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For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten. Like the fool, the wise too must die!


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So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.


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I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.


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And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless.


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For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.


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All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.


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A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God,


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To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.


text:
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,


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He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet <n>Or [also placed ignorance in the human heart, so that]</n> no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.


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That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.


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I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.


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Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account. <n>Or [God calls back the past]</n>


text:
And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment—wickedness was there, in the place of justice—wickedness was there.


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I said to myself, "God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed."


text:
I also said to myself, "As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.


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Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath <n>Or [spirit]</n>; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless.


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Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?"


text:
So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?


text:
Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed— and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors— and they have no comforter.


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And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive.


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But better than both is the one who has never been born, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.


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And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person's envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.


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There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. "For whom am I toiling," he asked, "and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?" This too is meaningless— a miserable business!


text:
If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.


text:
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.


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Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning.


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The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom.


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There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.


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Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.


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Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.


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When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.


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Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, "My vow was a mistake." Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?


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If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still.


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Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.


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As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owners except to feast their eyes on them?


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The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether they eat little or much, but as for the rich, their abundance permits them no sleep.


text:
or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when they have children there is nothing left for them to inherit.


text:
Everyone comes naked from their mother's womb, and as everyone comes, so they depart. They take nothing from their toil that they can carry in their hands.


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This too is a grievous evil: As everyone comes, so they depart, and what do they gain, since they toil for the wind?


text:
This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot.


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Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God.


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They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.


text:
God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy them, and strangers enjoy them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.


text:
A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.


text:
even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place?


text:
What advantage have the wise over fools? What do the poor gain by knowing how to conduct themselves before others?


text:
Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.


text:
Whatever exists has already been named, and what humanity is has been known; no one can contend with someone who is stronger.


text:
For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the few and meaningless days they pass through like a shadow? Who can tell them what will happen under the sun after they are gone?


text:
It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.


text:
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.


text:
Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it.


text:
When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future.


text:
In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness.


text:
It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes. <n>Or [will follow them both]</n>


text:
So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly.


text:
I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare.


text:
"Look," says the Teacher, <n>Or [the leader of the assembly]</n> "this is what I have discovered: "Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things—


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while I was still searching but not finding— I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all.


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Who is like the wise? Who knows the explanation of things? A person's wisdom brightens their face and changes its hard appearance.


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Do not be in a hurry to leave the king's presence. Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases.


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Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.


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For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a person may be weighed down by misery.


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As no one has power over the wind to contain it, so <n>Or [over the human spirit to retain it, / and so]</n> no one has power over the time of their death. As no one is discharged in time of war, so wickedness will not release those who practice it.


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All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own <n>Or [to their]</n> hurt.


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Then too, I saw the wicked buried—those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise <n>Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (Aquila); most Hebrew manuscripts [and are forgotten]</n> in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless.


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When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people's hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong.


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Although a wicked person who commits a hundred crimes may live a long time, I know that it will go better with those who fear God, who are reverent before him.


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Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.


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There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless.


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So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.


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When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the labor that is done on earth—people getting no sleep day or night—


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then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it.


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So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God's hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them.


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All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, <n>Septuagint (Aquila), Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew does not have [and the bad.]</n> the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good, so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them.


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This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead.


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Anyone who is among the living has hope <n>Or [What then is to be chosen? With all who live, there is hope]</n>—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!


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For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even their name is forgotten.


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Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.


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Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do.


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Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun.


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Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.


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I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.


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Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so people are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.


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There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it.


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Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.


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So I said, "Wisdom is better than strength." But the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.


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If a ruler's anger rises against you, do not leave your post; calmness can lay great offenses to rest.


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and fools multiply words. No one knows what is coming— who can tell someone else what will happen after them?


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Woe to the land whose king was a servant <n>Or [king is a child]</n> and whose princes feast in the morning.


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Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth and whose princes eat at a proper time— for strength and not for drunkenness.


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Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird in the sky may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say.


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If clouds are full of water, they pour rain on the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there it will lie.


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As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed <n>Or [know how life] (or [the spirit]) / [enters the body being formed]</n> in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.


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Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.


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However many years anyone may live, let them enjoy them all. But let them remember the days of darkness, for there will be many. Everything to come is meaningless.


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You who are young, be happy while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.


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So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless.


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Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, "I find no pleasure in them"—


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before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain;


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when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because they are few, and those looking through the windows grow dim;


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when the doors to the street are closed and the sound of grinding fades; when people rise up at the sound of birds, but all their songs grow faint;


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when people are afraid of heights and of dangers in the streets; when the almond tree blossoms and the grasshopper drags itself along and desire no longer is stirred. Then people go to their eternal home and mourners go about the streets.


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Remember him—before the silver cord is severed, and the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, and the wheel broken at the well,


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"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. <n>Or [the leader of the assembly]; also in verses 9 and 10</n> "Everything is meaningless!"


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Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs.


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The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd. <n>Or [Shepherd]</n>


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Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.


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Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.


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For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.


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【She <n>The main male and female speakers (identified primarily on the basis of the gender of the relevant Hebrew forms) are indicated by the captions [He] and [She] respectively. The words of others are marked [Friends]. In some instances the divisions and their captions are debatable.</n>】<br/> Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— for your love is more delightful than wine.


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Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes; your name is like perfume poured out. No wonder the young women love you!


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【Take me away with you—let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers. <br/>【Friends】<br/>We rejoice and delight in you <n>The Hebrew is masculine singular.</n>; we will praise your love more than wine. <br/>【She】<br/> How right they are to adore you!


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Dark am I, yet lovely, daughters of Jerusalem, dark like the tents of Kedar, like the tent curtains of Solomon. <n>Or [Salma]</n>


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Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun. My mother's sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards; my own vineyard I had to neglect.


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Tell me, you whom I love, where you graze your flock and where you rest your sheep at midday. Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your friends?


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【Friends】<br/> If you do not know, most beautiful of women, follow the tracks of the sheep and graze your young goats by the tents of the shepherds.


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【She <n>Or [He]</n>】<br/> I am a rose <n>Probably a member of the crocus family</n> of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.


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【She】<br/> Like an apple <n>Or possibly [apricot]; here and elsewhere in Song of Songs</n> tree among the trees of the forest is my beloved among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste.


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Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.


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My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look! There he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice.


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Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.


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The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me."


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【He】<br/> My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.


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Until the day breaks and the shadows flee, turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or like a young stag on the rugged hills. <n>Or [the hills of Bether]</n>


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All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves; I looked for him but did not find him.


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I will get up now and go about the city, through its streets and squares; I will search for the one my heart loves. So I looked for him but did not find him.


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The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city. "Have you seen the one my heart loves?"


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Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my heart loves. I held him and would not let him go till I had brought him to my mother's house, to the room of the one who conceived me.


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Who is this coming up from the wilderness like a column of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and incense made from all the spices of the merchant?


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all of them wearing the sword, all experienced in battle, each with his sword at his side, prepared for the terrors of the night.


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Its posts he made of silver, its base of gold. Its seat was upholstered with purple, its interior inlaid with love. Daughters of Jerusalem,


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come out, and look, you daughters of Zion. Look <n>Or [interior lovingly inlaid / by the daughters of Jerusalem. / [11] Come out, you daughters of Zion, / and look]</n> on King Solomon wearing a crown, the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, the day his heart rejoiced.


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【He】<br/> How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil are doves. Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from the hills of Gilead.


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Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn, coming up from the washing. Each has its twin; not one of them is alone.


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Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon; your mouth is lovely. Your temples behind your veil are like the halves of a pomegranate.


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Your neck is like the tower of David, built with courses of stone <n>The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.</n>; on it hang a thousand shields, all of them shields of warriors.


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Until the day breaks and the shadows flee, I will go to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of incense.


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Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me from Lebanon. Descend from the crest of Amana, from the top of Senir, the summit of Hermon, from the lions' dens and the mountain haunts of leopards.


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You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace.


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How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much more pleasing is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume more than any spice!


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Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride; milk and honey are under your tongue. The fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.


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nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of incense tree, with myrrh and aloes and all the finest spices.


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You are <n>Or [I am] (spoken by [She])</n> a garden fountain, a well of flowing water streaming down from Lebanon.


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【She】<br/> Awake, north wind, and come, south wind! Blow on my garden, that its fragrance may spread everywhere. Let my beloved come into his garden and taste its choice fruits.


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【He】<br/> I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk. <br/>【Friends】<br/> Eat, friends, and drink; drink your fill of love.


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【She】<br/> I slept but my heart was awake. Listen! My beloved is knocking: "Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night."


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I arose to open for my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with flowing myrrh, on the handles of the bolt.


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I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had left; he was gone. My heart sank at his departure. <n>Or [heart had gone out to him when he spoke]</n> I looked for him but did not find him. I called him but he did not answer.


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The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city. They beat me, they bruised me; they took away my cloak, those watchmen of the walls!


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Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you— if you find my beloved, what will you tell him? Tell him I am faint with love.


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【Friends】<br/> How is your beloved better than others, most beautiful of women? How is your beloved better than others, that you so charge us?


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His arms are rods of gold set with topaz. His body is like polished ivory decorated with lapis lazuli.


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His legs are pillars of marble set on bases of pure gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as its cedars.


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His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, this is my friend, daughters of Jerusalem.


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【Friends】<br/> Where has your beloved gone, most beautiful of women? Which way did your beloved turn, that we may look for him with you?


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【She】<br/> My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to browse in the gardens and to gather lilies.


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【He】<br/> You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling, as lovely as Jerusalem, as majestic as troops with banners.


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Turn your eyes from me; they overwhelm me. Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from Gilead.


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Your teeth are like a flock of sheep coming up from the washing. Each has its twin, not one of them is missing.


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but my dove, my perfect one, is unique, the only daughter of her mother, the favorite of the one who bore her. The young women saw her and called her blessed; the queens and concubines praised her.


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【Friends】<br/> Who is this that appears like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, majestic as the stars in procession?


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【He】<br/> I went down to the grove of nut trees to look at the new growth in the valley, to see if the vines had budded or the pomegranates were in bloom.


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Before I realized it, my desire set me among the royal chariots of my people. <n>Or [among the chariots of Amminadab]; or [among the chariots of the people of the prince]</n>


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【Friends】<br/>Come back, come back, O Shulammite; come back, come back, that we may gaze on you! <br/>【He】<br/> Why would you gaze on the Shulammite as on the dance of Mahanaim?


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How beautiful your sandaled feet, O prince's daughter! Your graceful legs are like jewels, the work of an artist's hands.


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Your navel is a rounded goblet that never lacks blended wine. Your waist is a mound of wheat encircled by lilies.


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Your neck is like an ivory tower. Your eyes are the pools of Heshbon by the gate of Bath Rabbim. Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon looking toward Damascus.


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Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel. Your hair is like royal tapestry; the king is held captive by its tresses.


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I said, "I will climb the palm tree; I will take hold of its fruit." May your breasts be like clusters of grapes on the vine, the fragrance of your breath like apples,


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【and your mouth like the best wine. <br/>【She】<br/> May the wine go straight to my beloved, flowing gently over lips and teeth. <n>Septuagint, Aquila, Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew [lips of sleepers]</n>


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Come, my beloved, let us go to the countryside, let us spend the night in the villages. <n>Or [the henna bushes]</n>


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Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vines have budded, if their blossoms have opened, and if the pomegranates are in bloom— there I will give you my love.


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The mandrakes send out their fragrance, and at our door is every delicacy, both new and old, that I have stored up for you, my beloved.


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If only you were to me like a brother, who was nursed at my mother's breasts! Then, if I found you outside, I would kiss you, and no one would despise me.


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I would lead you and bring you to my mother's house— she who has taught me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, the nectar of my pomegranates.


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【Friends】<br/>Who is this coming up from the wilderness leaning on her beloved? <br/>【She】<br/> Under the apple tree I roused you; there your mother conceived you, there she who was in labor gave you birth.


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Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy <n>Or [ardor]</n> unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. <n>Or [fire, / like the very flame of the Lord]</n>


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Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away. If one were to give all the wealth of one's house for love, it <n>Or [he]</n> would be utterly scorned.


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【Friends】<br/> We have a little sister, and her breasts are not yet grown. What shall we do for our sister on the day she is spoken for?


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If she is a wall, we will build towers of silver on her. If she is a door, we will enclose her with panels of cedar.


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【She】<br/> I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers. Thus I have become in his eyes like one bringing contentment.


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Solomon had a vineyard in Baal Hamon; he let out his vineyard to tenants. Each was to bring for its fruit a thousand shekels <n>That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms; also in verse 12</n> of silver.


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But my own vineyard is mine to give; the thousand shekels are for you, Solomon, and two hundred <n>That is, about 5 pounds or about 2.3 kilograms</n> are for those who tend its fruit.


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【She】<br/> Come away, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or like a young stag on the spice-laden mountains.


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The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.


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Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth! For the Lord has spoken: "I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me.


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The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner's manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand."


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Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.


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Why should you be beaten anymore? Why do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart afflicted.


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From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness— only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with olive oil.


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Your country is desolate, your cities burned with fire; your fields are being stripped by foreigners right before you, laid waste as when overthrown by strangers.


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Daughter Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, like a hut in a cucumber field, like a city under siege.


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Unless the Lord Almighty had left us some survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.


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Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah!


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"The multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?" says the Lord. "I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.


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Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations— I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.


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Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.


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When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood!


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Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. <n>Or [justice. / Correct the oppressor]</n> Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.


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"Come now, let us settle the matter," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.


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but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword." For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.


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See how the faithful city has become a prostitute! She once was full of justice; righteousness used to dwell in her— but now murderers!


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Your rulers are rebels, partners with thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow's case does not come before them.


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Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel, declares: "Ah! I will vent my wrath on my foes and avenge myself on my enemies.


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I will turn my hand against you; <n>That is, against Jerusalem</n> I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities.


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I will restore your leaders as in days of old, your rulers as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City."


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"You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks in which you have delighted; you will be disgraced because of the gardens that you have chosen.


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The mighty man will become tinder and his work a spark; both will burn together, with no one to quench the fire."


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In the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.


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Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.


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He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.


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You, Lord, have abandoned your people, the descendants of Jacob. They are full of superstitions from the East; they practice divination like the Philistines and embrace pagan customs.


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Their land is full of silver and gold; there is no end to their treasures. Their land is full of horses; there is no end to their chariots.


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Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made.


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So people will be brought low and everyone humbled— do not forgive them. <n>Or [not raise them up]</n>


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Go into the rocks, hide in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty!


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The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled and human pride brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.


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The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled),


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The arrogance of man will be brought low and human pride humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day,


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People will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth.


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In that day people will throw away to the moles and bats their idols of silver and idols of gold, which they made to worship.


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They will flee to caverns in the rocks and to the overhanging crags from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth.


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See now, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support: all supplies of food and all supplies of water,


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People will oppress each other— man against man, neighbor against neighbor. The young will rise up against the old, the nobody against the honored.


text:
A man will seize one of his brothers in his father's house, and say, "You have a cloak, you be our leader; take charge of this heap of ruins!"


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But in that day he will cry out, "I have no remedy. I have no food or clothing in my house; do not make me the leader of the people."


text:
Jerusalem staggers, Judah is falling; their words and deeds are against the Lord, defying his glorious presence.


text:
The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves.


text:
Youths oppress my people, women rule over them. My people, your guides lead you astray; they turn you from the path.


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The Lord enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of his people: "It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses.


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What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?" declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.


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The Lord says, "The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, strutting along with swaying hips, with ornaments jingling on their ankles.


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Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion; the Lord will make their scalps bald."


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In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces,


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Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-dressed hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, branding.


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In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, "We will eat our own food and provide our own clothes; only let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!"


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In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel.


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Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem.


text:
The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit <n>Or [the Spirit]</n> of judgment and a spirit <n>Or [the Spirit]</n> of fire.


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Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory <n>Or [over all the glory there]</n> will be a canopy.


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It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.


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I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.


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He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.


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What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?


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Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled.


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I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it."


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The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.


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Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land.


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The Lord Almighty has declared in my hearing: "Surely the great houses will become desolate, the fine mansions left without occupants.


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A ten-acre vineyard will produce only a bath <n>That is, about 6 gallons or about 22 liters</n> of wine; a homer <n>That is, probably about 360 pounds or about 160 kilograms</n> of seed will yield only an ephah <n>That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms</n> of grain."


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Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine.


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They have harps and lyres at their banquets, pipes and timbrels and wine, but they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord, no respect for the work of his hands.


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Therefore my people will go into exile for lack of understanding; those of high rank will die of hunger and the common people will be parched with thirst.


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Therefore Death expands its jaws, opening wide its mouth; into it will descend their nobles and masses with all their brawlers and revelers.


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But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice, and the holy God will be proved holy by his righteous acts.


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Then sheep will graze as in their own pasture; lambs will feed <n>Septuagint; Hebrew [/ strangers will eat]</n> among the ruins of the rich.


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to those who say, "Let God hurry; let him hasten his work so we may see it. The plan of the Holy One of Israel— let it approach, let it come into view, so we may know it."


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Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.


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Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw and as dry grass sinks down in the flames, so their roots will decay and their flowers blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel.


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Therefore the Lord's anger burns against his people; his hand is raised and he strikes them down. The mountains shake, and the dead bodies are like refuse in the streets. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.


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He lifts up a banner for the distant nations, he whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Here they come, swiftly and speedily!


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Not one of them grows tired or stumbles, not one slumbers or sleeps; not a belt is loosened at the waist, not a sandal strap is broken.


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Their arrows are sharp, all their bows are strung; their horses' hooves seem like flint, their chariot wheels like a whirlwind.


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Their roar is like that of the lion, they roar like young lions; they growl as they seize their prey and carry it off with no one to rescue.


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In that day they will roar over it like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks at the land, there is only darkness and distress; even the sun will be darkened by clouds.


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In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.


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Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.


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And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."


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At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.


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"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty."


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Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.


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With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."


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Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"


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He said, "Go and tell this people: "'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.'


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Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. <n>Hebrew; Septuagint ['You will be ever hearing, but never understanding; / you will be ever seeing, but never perceiving.' / [10] This people's heart has become calloused; / they hardly hear with their ears, / and they have closed their eyes]</n> Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed."


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Then I said, "For how long, Lord?" And he answered: "Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged,


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And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land."


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When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.


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Now the house of David was told, "Aram has allied itself with <n>Or [has set up camp in]</n> Ephraim"; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.


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Then the Lord said to Isaiah, "Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, <n>[Shear-Jashub] means [a remnant will return.]</n> to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer's Field.


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Say to him, 'Be careful, keep calm and don't be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood—because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah.


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"Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it."


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for the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is only Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people.


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The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah's son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.'"


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Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also?


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Therefore the Lord himself will give you <n>The Hebrew is plural.</n> a sign: The virgin <n>Or [young woman]</n> will conceive and give birth to a son, and <n>Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls [son, and he] or [son, and they]</n> will call him Immanuel. <n>[Immanuel] means [God with us.]</n>


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for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.


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The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria."


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In that day the Lord will whistle for flies from the Nile delta in Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria.


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They will all come and settle in the steep ravines and in the crevices in the rocks, on all the thornbushes and at all the water holes.


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In that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River—the king of Assyria—to shave your head and private parts, and to cut off your beard also.


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And because of the abundance of the milk they give, there will be curds to eat. All who remain in the land will eat curds and honey.


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In that day, in every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels, <n>That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms</n> there will be only briers and thorns.


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As for all the hills once cultivated by the hoe, you will no longer go there for fear of the briers and thorns; they will become places where cattle are turned loose and where sheep run.


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The Lord said to me, "Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz." <n>[Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz] means [quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil]; also in verse 3.</n>


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Then I made love to the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the Lord said to me, "Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.


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For before the boy knows how to say 'My father' or 'My mother,' the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria."


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"Because this people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and rejoices over Rezin and the son of Remaliah,


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therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates— the king of Assyria with all his pomp. It will overflow all its channels, run over all its banks


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and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck. Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, Immanuel <n>[Immanuel] means [God with us.]</n>!"


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Raise the war cry, <n>Or [Do your worst]</n> you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare for battle, and be shattered!


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Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us. <n>Hebrew [Immanuel]</n>


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This is what the Lord says to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people:


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"Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it.


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The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread.


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He will be a holy place; for both Israel and Judah he will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.


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I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my trust in him.


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Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.


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When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?


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Consult God's instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.


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Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God.


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Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.


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Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—


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The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.


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You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.


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For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.


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Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.


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For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.


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Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.


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All the people will know it— Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria— who say with pride and arrogance of heart,


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"The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars."


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Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west have devoured Israel with open mouth. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.


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Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men, nor will he pity the fatherless and widows, for everyone is ungodly and wicked, every mouth speaks folly. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.


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Surely wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns, it sets the forest thickets ablaze, so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.


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By the wrath of the Lord Almighty the land will be scorched and the people will be fuel for the fire; they will not spare one another.


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On the right they will devour, but still be hungry; on the left they will eat, but not be satisfied. Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring <n>Or [arm]</n>:


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Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh; together they will turn against Judah. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.


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to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.


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What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches?


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Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives or fall among the slain. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.


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I send him against a godless nation, I dispatch him against a people who anger me, to seize loot and snatch plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets.


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But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations.


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As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols, kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria—


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When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, "I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes.


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For he says: "'By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding. I removed the boundaries of nations, I plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued <n>Or [treasures; / I subdued the mighty,]</n> their kings.


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As one reaches into a nest, so my hand reached for the wealth of the nations; as people gather abandoned eggs, so I gathered all the countries; not one flapped a wing, or opened its mouth to chirp.'"


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Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it, or the saw boast against the one who uses it? As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up, or a club brandish the one who is not wood!


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Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will send a wasting disease upon his sturdy warriors; under his pomp a fire will be kindled like a blazing flame.


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The Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One a flame; in a single day it will burn and consume his thorns and his briers.


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The splendor of his forests and fertile fields it will completely destroy, as when a sick person wastes away.


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In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.


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Though your people be like the sand by the sea, Israel, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overwhelming and righteous.


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Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says: "My people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians, who beat you with a rod and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did.


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The Lord Almighty will lash them with a whip, as when he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb; and he will raise his staff over the waters, as he did in Egypt.


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In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat. <n>Hebrew; Septuagint [broken / from your shoulders]</n>


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They go over the pass, and say, "We will camp overnight at Geba." Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul flees.


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This day they will halt at Nob; they will shake their fist at the mount of Daughter Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem.


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See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will lop off the boughs with great power. The lofty trees will be felled, the tall ones will be brought low.


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The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—


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and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;


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but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.


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The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling <n>Hebrew; Septuagint [lion will feed]</n> together; and a little child will lead them.


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The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.


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The infant will play near the cobra's den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper's nest.


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They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.


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In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.


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In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, <n>That is, the upper Nile region</n> from Elam, from Babylonia, <n>Hebrew [Shinar]</n> from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean.


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He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.


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Ephraim's jealousy will vanish, and Judah's enemies <n>Or [hostility]</n> will be destroyed; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.


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They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west; together they will plunder the people to the east. They will subdue Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be subject to them.


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The Lord will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian sea; with a scorching wind he will sweep his hand over the Euphrates River. He will break it up into seven streams so that anyone can cross over in sandals.


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There will be a highway for the remnant of his people that is left from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from Egypt.


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In that day you will say: "I will praise you, Lord. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me.


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Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense <n>Or [song]</n>; he has become my salvation."


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In that day you will say: "Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.


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I have commanded those I prepared for battle; I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath— those who rejoice in my triumph.


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Listen, a noise on the mountains, like that of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations massing together! The Lord Almighty is mustering an army for war.


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They come from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens— the Lord and the weapons of his wrath— to destroy the whole country.


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Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. <n>Hebrew [Shaddai]</n>


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Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame.


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See, the day of the Lord is coming —a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger— to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.


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The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.


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I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.


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Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the Lord Almighty, in the day of his burning anger.


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Like a hunted gazelle, like sheep without a shepherd, they will all return to their own people, they will flee to their native land.


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Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses will be looted and their wives violated.


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Their bows will strike down the young men; they will have no mercy on infants, nor will they look with compassion on children.


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Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the pride and glory of the Babylonians, <n>Or [Chaldeans]</n> will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.


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She will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations; there no nomads will pitch their tents, there no shepherds will rest their flocks.


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But desert creatures will lie there, jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will leap about.


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Hyenas will inhabit her strongholds, jackals her luxurious palaces. Her time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.


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The Lord will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land. Foreigners will join them and unite with the descendants of Jacob.


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Nations will take them and bring them to their own place. And Israel will take possession of the nations and make them male and female servants in the Lord's land. They will make captives of their captors and rule over their oppressors.


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On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labor forced on you,


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you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury <n>Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.</n> has ended!


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which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression.


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Even the junipers and the cedars of Lebanon gloat over you and say, "Now that you have been laid low, no one comes to cut us down."


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The realm of the dead below is all astir to meet you at your coming; it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you— all those who were leaders in the world; it makes them rise from their thrones— all those who were kings over the nations.


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They will all respond, they will say to you, "You also have become weak, as we are; you have become like us."


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All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you.


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How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!


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You said in your heart, "I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. <n>Or [of the north]; Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites.</n>


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Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: "Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble,


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the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?"


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But you are cast out of your tomb like a rejected branch; you are covered with the slain, with those pierced by the sword, those who descend to the stones of the pit. Like a corpse trampled underfoot,


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you will not join them in burial, for you have destroyed your land and killed your people. Let the offspring of the wicked never be mentioned again.


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Prepare a place to slaughter his children for the sins of their ancestors; they are not to rise to inherit the land and cover the earth with their cities.


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"I will rise up against them," declares the Lord Almighty. "I will wipe out Babylon's name and survivors, her offspring and descendants," declares the Lord.


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"I will turn her into a place for owls and into swampland; I will sweep her with the broom of destruction," declares the Lord Almighty.


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The Lord Almighty has sworn, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.


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I will crush the Assyrian in my land; on my mountains I will trample him down. His yoke will be taken from my people, and his burden removed from their shoulders."


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For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?


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Do not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken; from the root of that snake will spring up a viper, its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.


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The poorest of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety. But your root I will destroy by famine; it will slay your survivors.


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Wail, you gate! Howl, you city! Melt away, all you Philistines! A cloud of smoke comes from the north, and there is not a straggler in its ranks.


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What answer shall be given to the envoys of that nation? "The Lord has established Zion, and in her his afflicted people will find refuge."


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A prophecy against Moab: Ar in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night! Kir in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night!


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Dibon goes up to its temple, to its high places to weep; Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba. Every head is shaved and every beard cut off.


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In the streets they wear sackcloth; on the roofs and in the public squares they all wail, prostrate with weeping.


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Heshbon and Elealeh cry out, their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz. Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out, and their hearts are faint.


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My heart cries out over Moab; her fugitives flee as far as Zoar, as far as Eglath Shelishiyah. They go up the hill to Luhith, weeping as they go; on the road to Horonaim they lament their destruction.


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The waters of Nimrim are dried up and the grass is withered; the vegetation is gone and nothing green is left.


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Their outcry echoes along the border of Moab; their wailing reaches as far as Eglaim, their lamentation as far as Beer Elim.


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The waters of Dimon <n>[Dimon], a wordplay on [Dibon] (see verse 2), sounds like the Hebrew for [blood].</n> are full of blood, but I will bring still more upon Dimon <n>[Dimon], a wordplay on [Dibon] (see verse 2), sounds like the Hebrew for [blood].</n>— a lion upon the fugitives of Moab and upon those who remain in the land.


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Send lambs as tribute to the ruler of the land, from Sela, across the desert, to the mount of Daughter Zion.


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"Make up your mind," Moab says. "Render a decision. Make your shadow like night— at high noon. Hide the fugitives, do not betray the refugees.


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Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you; be their shelter from the destroyer." The oppressor will come to an end, and destruction will cease; the aggressor will vanish from the land.


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In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it— one from the house <n>Hebrew [tent]</n> of David— one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness.


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We have heard of Moab's pride— how great is her arrogance!— of her conceit, her pride and her insolence; but her boasts are empty.


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Therefore the Moabites wail, they wail together for Moab. Lament and grieve for the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth.


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The fields of Heshbon wither, the vines of Sibmah also. The rulers of the nations have trampled down the choicest vines, which once reached Jazer and spread toward the desert. Their shoots spread out and went as far as the sea. <n>Probably the Dead Sea</n>


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So I weep, as Jazer weeps, for the vines of Sibmah. Heshbon and Elealeh, I drench you with tears! The shouts of joy over your ripened fruit and over your harvests have been stilled.


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Joy and gladness are taken away from the orchards; no one sings or shouts in the vineyards; no one treads out wine at the presses, for I have put an end to the shouting.


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When Moab appears at her high place, she only wears herself out; when she goes to her shrine to pray, it is to no avail.


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But now the Lord says: "Within three years, as a servant bound by contract would count them, Moab's splendor and all her many people will be despised, and her survivors will be very few and feeble."


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A prophecy against Damascus: "See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins.


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The cities of Aroer will be deserted and left to flocks, which will lie down, with no one to make them afraid.


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The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, and royal power from Damascus; the remnant of Aram will be like the glory of the Israelites," declares the Lord Almighty.


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It will be as when reapers harvest the standing grain, gathering the grain in their arms— as when someone gleans heads of grain in the Valley of Rephaim.


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Yet some gleanings will remain, as when an olive tree is beaten, leaving two or three olives on the topmost branches, four or five on the fruitful boughs," declares the Lord, the God of Israel.


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They will not look to the altars, the work of their hands, and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles <n>That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah</n> and the incense altars their fingers have made.


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In that day their strong cities, which they left because of the Israelites, will be like places abandoned to thickets and undergrowth. And all will be desolation.


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You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress. Therefore, though you set out the finest plants and plant imported vines,


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though on the day you set them out, you make them grow, and on the morning when you plant them, you bring them to bud, yet the harvest will be as nothing in the day of disease and incurable pain.


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Woe to the many nations that rage— they rage like the raging sea! Woe to the peoples who roar— they roar like the roaring of great waters!


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Although the peoples roar like the roar of surging waters, when he rebukes them they flee far away, driven before the wind like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweed before a gale.


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In the evening, sudden terror! Before the morning, they are gone! This is the portion of those who loot us, the lot of those who plunder us.


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Woe to the land of whirring wings <n>Or [of locusts]</n> along the rivers of Cush, <n>That is, the upper Nile region</n>


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which sends envoys by sea in papyrus boats over the water. Go, swift messengers, to a people tall and smooth-skinned, to a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers.


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All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet sounds, you will hear it.


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This is what the Lord says to me: "I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest."


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For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches.


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They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey and to the wild animals; the birds will feed on them all summer, the wild animals all winter.


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At that time gifts will be brought to the Lord Almighty from a people tall and smooth-skinned, from a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers— the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.


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A prophecy against Egypt: See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him, and the hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear.


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"I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian— brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.


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The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will bring their plans to nothing; they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, the mediums and the spiritists.


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I will hand the Egyptians over to the power of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them," declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.


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The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up. The reeds and rushes will wither,


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also the plants along the Nile, at the mouth of the river. Every sown field along the Nile will become parched, will blow away and be no more.


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The fishermen will groan and lament, all who cast hooks into the Nile; those who throw nets on the water will pine away.


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The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools; the wise counselors of Pharaoh give senseless advice. How can you say to Pharaoh, "I am one of the wise men, a disciple of the ancient kings"?


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Where are your wise men now? Let them show you and make known what the Lord Almighty has planned against Egypt.


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The officials of Zoan have become fools, the leaders of Memphis are deceived; the cornerstones of her peoples have led Egypt astray.


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The Lord has poured into them a spirit of dizziness; they make Egypt stagger in all that she does, as a drunkard staggers around in his vomit.


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In that day the Egyptians will become weaklings. They will shudder with fear at the uplifted hand that the Lord Almighty raises against them.


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And the land of Judah will bring terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be terrified, because of what the Lord Almighty is planning against them.


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In that day five cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun. <n>Some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, Symmachus and Vulgate; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text [City of Destruction]</n>


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In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the Lord at its border.


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It will be a sign and witness to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them.


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So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge the Lord. They will worship with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them.


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The Lord will strike Egypt with a plague; he will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the Lord, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them.


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In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together.


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The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance."


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In the year that the supreme commander, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it—


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at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz. He said to him, "Take off the sackcloth from your body and the sandals from your feet." And he did so, going around stripped and barefoot.


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Then the Lord said, "Just as my servant Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years, as a sign and portent against Egypt and Cush, <n>That is, the upper Nile region; also in verse 5</n>


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so the king of Assyria will lead away stripped and barefoot the Egyptian captives and Cushite exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared—to Egypt's shame.


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In that day the people who live on this coast will say, 'See what has happened to those we relied on, those we fled to for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?'"


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A prophecy against the Desert by the Sea: Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland, an invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror.


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A dire vision has been shown to me: The traitor betrays, the looter takes loot. Elam, attack! Media, lay siege! I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.


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At this my body is racked with pain, pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor; I am staggered by what I hear, I am bewildered by what I see.


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They set the tables, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink! Get up, you officers, oil the shields!


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When he sees chariots with teams of horses, riders on donkeys or riders on camels, let him be alert, fully alert."


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And the lookout <n>Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac; Masoretic Text [A lion]</n> shouted, "Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower; every night I stay at my post.


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Look, here comes a man in a chariot with a team of horses. And he gives back the answer: 'Babylon has fallen, has fallen! All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground!'"


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My people who are crushed on the threshing floor, I tell you what I have heard from the Lord Almighty, from the God of Israel.


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A prophecy against Dumah <n>[Dumah], a wordplay on [Edom], means [silence] or [stillness.]</n>: Someone calls to me from Seir, "Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?"


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The watchman replies, "Morning is coming, but also the night. If you would ask, then ask; and come back yet again."


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This is what the Lord says to me: "Within one year, as a servant bound by contract would count it, all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end.


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The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few." The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.


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A prophecy against the Valley of Vision: What troubles you now, that you have all gone up on the roofs,


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you town so full of commotion, you city of tumult and revelry? Your slain were not killed by the sword, nor did they die in battle.


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All your leaders have fled together; they have been captured without using the bow. All you who were caught were taken prisoner together, having fled while the enemy was still far away.


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Therefore I said, "Turn away from me; let me weep bitterly. Do not try to console me over the destruction of my people."


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The Lord, the Lord Almighty, has a day of tumult and trampling and terror in the Valley of Vision, a day of battering down walls and of crying out to the mountains.


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The Lord stripped away the defenses of Judah, and you looked in that day to the weapons in the Palace of the Forest.


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You saw that the walls of the City of David were broken through in many places; you stored up water in the Lower Pool.


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You built a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the Old Pool, but you did not look to the One who made it, or have regard for the One who planned it long ago.


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The Lord, the Lord Almighty, called you on that day to weep and to wail, to tear out your hair and put on sackcloth.


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But see, there is joy and revelry, slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine! "Let us eat and drink," you say, "for tomorrow we die!"


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The Lord Almighty has revealed this in my hearing: "Till your dying day this sin will not be atoned for," says the Lord, the Lord Almighty.


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This is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says: "Go, say to this steward, to Shebna the palace administrator:


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What are you doing here and who gave you permission to cut out a grave for yourself here, hewing your grave on the height and chiseling your resting place in the rock?


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He will roll you up tightly like a ball and throw you into a large country. There you will die and there the chariots you were so proud of will become a disgrace to your master's house.


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I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash around him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah.


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I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.


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I will drive him like a peg into a firm place; he will become a seat <n>Or [throne]</n> of honor for the house of his father.


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All the glory of his family will hang on him: its offspring and offshoots—all its lesser vessels, from the bowls to all the jars.


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"In that day," declares the Lord Almighty, "the peg driven into the firm place will give way; it will be sheared off and will fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut down." The Lord has spoken.


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A prophecy against Tyre: Wail, you ships of Tarshish! For Tyre is destroyed and left without house or harbor. From the land of Cyprus word has come to them.


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On the great waters came the grain of the Shihor; the harvest of the Nile <n>Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls [Sidon, / who cross over the sea; / your envoys [3] are on the great waters. / The grain of the Shihor, / the harvest of the Nile,]</n> was the revenue of Tyre, and she became the marketplace of the nations.


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Be ashamed, Sidon, and you fortress of the sea, for the sea has spoken: "I have neither been in labor nor given birth; I have neither reared sons nor brought up daughters."


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Is this your city of revelry, the old, old city, whose feet have taken her to settle in far-off lands?


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Who planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose merchants are princes, whose traders are renowned in the earth?


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The Lord Almighty planned it, to bring down her pride in all her splendor and to humble all who are renowned on the earth.


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Till <n>Dead Sea Scrolls and some Septuagint manuscripts; Masoretic Text [Go through]</n> your land as they do along the Nile, Daughter Tarshish, for you no longer have a harbor.


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The Lord has stretched out his hand over the sea and made its kingdoms tremble. He has given an order concerning Phoenicia that her fortresses be destroyed.


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He said, "No more of your reveling, Virgin Daughter Sidon, now crushed! "Up, cross over to Cyprus; even there you will find no rest."


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Look at the land of the Babylonians, <n>Or [Chaldeans]</n> this people that is now of no account! The Assyrians have made it a place for desert creatures; they raised up their siege towers, they stripped its fortresses bare and turned it into a ruin.


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At that time Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the span of a king's life. But at the end of these seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute:


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"Take up a harp, walk through the city, you forgotten prostitute; play the harp well, sing many a song, so that you will be remembered."


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At the end of seventy years, the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her lucrative prostitution and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth.


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Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord; they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the Lord, for abundant food and fine clothes.


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See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants—


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it will be the same for priest as for people, for the master as for his servant, for the mistress as for her servant, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as for lender, for debtor as for creditor.


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The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the heavens languish with the earth.


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The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant.


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Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth's inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left.


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In the streets they cry out for wine; all joy turns to gloom, all joyful sounds are banished from the earth.


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So will it be on the earth and among the nations, as when an olive tree is beaten, or as when gleanings are left after the grape harvest.


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Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord; exalt the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea.


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From the ends of the earth we hear singing: "Glory to the Righteous One." But I said, "I waste away, I waste away! Woe to me! The treacherous betray! With treachery the treacherous betray!"


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Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit; whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare. The floodgates of the heavens are opened, the foundations of the earth shake.


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The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls—never to rise again.


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They will be herded together like prisoners bound in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison and be punished <n>Or [released]</n> after many days.


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The moon will be dismayed, the sun ashamed; for the Lord Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders—with great glory.


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Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.


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You have made the city a heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin, the foreigners' stronghold a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.


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You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall


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and like the heat of the desert. You silence the uproar of foreigners; as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is stilled.


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On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines.


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On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations;


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he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people's disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.


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In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation."


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The hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain; but Moab will be trampled in their land as straw is trampled down in the manure.


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They will stretch out their hands in it, as swimmers stretch out their hands to swim. God will bring down their pride despite the cleverness <n>The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.</n> of their hands.


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He will bring down your high fortified walls and lay them low; he will bring them down to the ground, to the very dust.


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In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts.


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He humbles those who dwell on high, he lays the lofty city low; he levels it to the ground and casts it down to the dust.


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Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, <n>Or [judgments]</n> we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.


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My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.


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But when grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and do not regard the majesty of the Lord.


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Lord, your hand is lifted high, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame; let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them.


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They are now dead, they live no more; their spirits do not rise. You punished them and brought them to ruin; you wiped out all memory of them.


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You have enlarged the nation, Lord; you have enlarged the nation. You have gained glory for yourself; you have extended all the borders of the land.


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Lord, they came to you in their distress; when you disciplined them, they could barely whisper a prayer. <n>The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.</n>


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As a pregnant woman about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pain, so were we in your presence, Lord.


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We were with child, we writhed in labor, but we gave birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the earth, and the people of the world have not come to life.


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But your dead will live, Lord; their bodies will rise— let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy— your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.


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Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by.


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See, the Lord is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed on it; the earth will conceal its slain no longer.


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In that day, the Lord will punish with his sword— his fierce, great and powerful sword— Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the monster of the sea.


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I, the Lord, watch over it; I water it continually. I guard it day and night so that no one may harm it.


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I am not angry. If only there were briers and thorns confronting me! I would march against them in battle; I would set them all on fire.


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Or else let them come to me for refuge; let them make peace with me, yes, let them make peace with me."


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In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit.


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Has the Lord struck her as he struck down those who struck her? Has she been killed as those were killed who killed her?


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By warfare <n>See Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.</n> and exile you contend with her— with his fierce blast he drives her out, as on a day the east wind blows.


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By this, then, will Jacob's guilt be atoned for, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin: When he makes all the altar stones to be like limestone crushed to pieces, no Asherah poles <n>That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah</n> or incense altars will be left standing.


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The fortified city stands desolate, an abandoned settlement, forsaken like the wilderness; there the calves graze, there they lie down; they strip its branches bare.


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When its twigs are dry, they are broken off and women come and make fires with them. For this is a people without understanding; so their Maker has no compassion on them, and their Creator shows them no favor.


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In that day the Lord will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, Israel, will be gathered up one by one.


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And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.


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Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley— to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!


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See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong. Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind, like a driving rain and a flooding downpour, he will throw it forcefully to the ground.


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That fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley, will be like figs ripe before harvest— as soon as people see them and take them in hand, they swallow them.


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In that day the Lord Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people.


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He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.


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And these also stagger from wine and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions.


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"Who is it he is trying to teach? To whom is he explaining his message? To children weaned from their milk, to those just taken from the breast?


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For it is: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that <n>Hebrew [/ sav lasav sav lasav / kav lakav kav lakav] (probably meaningless sounds mimicking the prophet's words); also in verse 13</n>; a little here, a little there."


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to whom he said, "This is the resting place, let the weary rest"; and, "This is the place of repose"— but they would not listen.


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So then, the word of the Lord to them will become: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there— so that as they go they will fall backward; they will be injured and snared and captured.


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You boast, "We have entered into a covenant with death, with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood <n>Or [false gods]</n> our hiding place."


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So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.


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I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place.


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Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it.


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As often as it comes it will carry you away; morning after morning, by day and by night, it will sweep through." The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror.


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The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon— to do his work, his strange work, and perform his task, his alien task.


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Now stop your mocking, or your chains will become heavier; the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me of the destruction decreed against the whole land.


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When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?


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When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, <n>The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.</n> barley in its plot, <n>The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.</n> and spelt in its field?


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Caraway is not threshed with a sledge, nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin; caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a stick.


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Grain must be ground to make bread; so one does not go on threshing it forever. The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it, but one does not use horses to grind grain.


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Woe to you, Ariel, Ariel, the city where David settled! Add year to year and let your cycle of festivals go on.


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Yet I will besiege Ariel; she will mourn and lament, she will be to me like an altar hearth. <n>The Hebrew for [altar hearth] sounds like the Hebrew for [Ariel.]</n>


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I will encamp against you on all sides; I will encircle you with towers and set up my siege works against you.


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Brought low, you will speak from the ground; your speech will mumble out of the dust. Your voice will come ghostlike from the earth; out of the dust your speech will whisper.


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But your many enemies will become like fine dust, the ruthless hordes like blown chaff. Suddenly, in an instant,


text:
the Lord Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire.


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Then the hordes of all the nations that fight against Ariel, that attack her and her fortress and besiege her, will be as it is with a dream, with a vision in the night—


text:
as when a hungry person dreams of eating, but awakens hungry still; as when a thirsty person dreams of drinking, but awakens faint and thirsty still. So will it be with the hordes of all the nations that fight against Mount Zion.


text:
Be stunned and amazed, blind yourselves and be sightless; be drunk, but not from wine, stagger, but not from beer.


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The Lord has brought over you a deep sleep: He has sealed your eyes (the prophets); he has covered your heads (the seers).


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For you this whole vision is nothing but words sealed in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say, "Read this, please," they will answer, "I can't; it is sealed."


text:
Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read, and say, "Read this, please," they will answer, "I don't know how to read."


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The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught. <n>Hebrew; Septuagint [They worship me in vain; / their teachings are merely human rules]</n>


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Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."


text:
Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, "Who sees us? Who will know?"


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You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, "You did not make me"? Can the pot say to the potter, "You know nothing"?


text:
In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into a fertile field and the fertile field seem like a forest?


text:
In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.


text:
The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down—


text:
those who with a word make someone out to be guilty, who ensnare the defender in court and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice.


text:
Therefore this is what the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says to the descendants of Jacob: "No longer will Jacob be ashamed; no longer will their faces grow pale.


text:
When they see among them their children, the work of my hands, they will keep my name holy; they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.


text:
Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding; those who complain will accept instruction."


text:
"Woe to the obstinate children," declares the Lord, "to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin;


text:
who go down to Egypt without consulting me; who look for help to Pharaoh's protection, to Egypt's shade for refuge.


text:
everyone will be put to shame because of a people useless to them, who bring neither help nor advantage, but only shame and disgrace."


text:
A prophecy concerning the animals of the Negev: Through a land of hardship and distress, of lions and lionesses, of adders and darting snakes, the envoys carry their riches on donkeys' backs, their treasures on the humps of camels, to that unprofitable nation,


text:
Go now, write it on a tablet for them, inscribe it on a scroll, that for the days to come it may be an everlasting witness.


text:
For these are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord's instruction.


text:
They say to the seers, "See no more visions!" and to the prophets, "Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions.


text:
Therefore this is what the Holy One of Israel says: "Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit,


text:
this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant.


text:
It will break in pieces like pottery, shattered so mercilessly that among its pieces not a fragment will be found for taking coals from a hearth or scooping water out of a cistern."


text:
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.


text:
You said, 'No, we will flee on horses.' Therefore you will flee! You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.' Therefore your pursuers will be swift!


text:
A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill."


text:
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!


text:
People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you.


text:
Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them.


text:
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."


text:
Then you will desecrate your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold; you will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say to them, "Away with you!"


text:
He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows.


text:
In the day of great slaughter, when the towers fall, streams of water will flow on every high mountain and every lofty hill.


text:
The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted.


text:
See, the Name of the Lord comes from afar, with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke; his lips are full of wrath, and his tongue is a consuming fire.


text:
His breath is like a rushing torrent, rising up to the neck. He shakes the nations in the sieve of destruction; he places in the jaws of the peoples a bit that leads them astray.


text:
And you will sing as on the night you celebrate a holy festival; your hearts will rejoice as when people playing pipes go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.


text:
The Lord will cause people to hear his majestic voice and will make them see his arm coming down with raging anger and consuming fire, with cloudburst, thunderstorm and hail.


text:
Every stroke the Lord lays on them with his punishing club will be to the music of timbrels and harps, as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm.


text:
Topheth has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its fire pit has been made deep and wide, with an abundance of fire and wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze.


text:
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord.


text:
Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster; he does not take back his words. He will rise up against that wicked nation, against those who help evildoers.


text:
But the Egyptians are mere mortals and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, those who help will stumble, those who are helped will fall; all will perish together.


text:
This is what the Lord says to me: "As a lion growls, a great lion over its prey— and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against it, it is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor— so the Lord Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.


text:
Like birds hovering overhead, the Lord Almighty will shield Jerusalem; he will shield it and deliver it, he will 'pass over' it and will rescue it."


text:
For in that day every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold your sinful hands have made.


text:
"Assyria will fall by no human sword; a sword, not of mortals, will devour them. They will flee before the sword and their young men will be put to forced labor.


text:
Their stronghold will fall because of terror; at the sight of the battle standard their commanders will panic," declares the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem.


text:
Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.


text:
Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen.


text:
For fools speak folly, their hearts are bent on evil: They practice ungodliness and spread error concerning the Lord; the hungry they leave empty and from the thirsty they withhold water.


text:
Scoundrels use wicked methods, they make up evil schemes to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just.


text:
You women who are so complacent, rise up and listen to me; you daughters who feel secure, hear what I have to say!


text:
In little more than a year you who feel secure will tremble; the grape harvest will fail, and the harvest of fruit will not come.


text:
Tremble, you complacent women; shudder, you daughters who feel secure! Strip off your fine clothes and wrap yourselves in rags.


text:
and for the land of my people, a land overgrown with thorns and briers— yes, mourn for all houses of merriment and for this city of revelry.


text:
The fortress will be abandoned, the noisy city deserted; citadel and watchtower will become a wasteland forever, the delight of donkeys, a pasture for flocks,


text:
till the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest.


text:
how blessed you will be, sowing your seed by every stream, and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.


text:
Woe to you, destroyer, you who have not been destroyed! Woe to you, betrayer, you who have not been betrayed! When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed; when you stop betraying, you will be betrayed.


text:
Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.


text:
Your plunder, O nations, is harvested as by young locusts; like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.


text:
He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure. <n>Or [is a treasure from him]</n>


text:
The highways are deserted, no travelers are on the roads. The treaty is broken, its witnesses <n>Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text [/ the cities]</n> are despised, no one is respected.


text:
The land dries up and wastes away, Lebanon is ashamed and withers; Sharon is like the Arabah, and Bashan and Carmel drop their leaves.


text:
The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: "Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?"


text:
Those who walk righteously and speak what is right, who reject gain from extortion and keep their hands from accepting bribes, who stop their ears against plots of murder and shut their eyes against contemplating evil—


text:
they are the ones who will dwell on the heights, whose refuge will be the mountain fortress. Their bread will be supplied, and water will not fail them.


text:
In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror: "Where is that chief officer? Where is the one who took the revenue? Where is the officer in charge of the towers?"


text:
You will see those arrogant people no more, people whose speech is obscure, whose language is strange and incomprehensible.


text:
Look on Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken.


text:
There the Lord will be our Mighty One. It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams. No galley with oars will ride them, no mighty ship will sail them.


text:
For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us.


text:
Your rigging hangs loose: The mast is not held secure, the sail is not spread. Then an abundance of spoils will be divided and even the lame will carry off plunder.


text:
Come near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, the world, and all that comes out of it!


text:
The Lord is angry with all nations; his wrath is on all their armies. He will totally destroy <n>The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 5.</n> them, he will give them over to slaughter.


text:
Their slain will be thrown out, their dead bodies will stink; the mountains will be soaked with their blood.


text:
All the stars in the sky will be dissolved and the heavens rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree.


text:
My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; see, it descends in judgment on Edom, the people I have totally destroyed.


text:
The sword of the Lord is bathed in blood, it is covered with fat— the blood of lambs and goats, fat from the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.


text:
And the wild oxen will fall with them, the bull calves and the great bulls. Their land will be drenched with blood, and the dust will be soaked with fat.


text:
Edom's streams will be turned into pitch, her dust into burning sulfur; her land will become blazing pitch!


text:
It will not be quenched night or day; its smoke will rise forever. From generation to generation it will lie desolate; no one will ever pass through it again.


text:
The desert owl <n>The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.</n> and screech owl <n>The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.</n> will possess it; the great owl <n>The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.</n> and the raven will nest there. God will stretch out over Edom the measuring line of chaos and the plumb line of desolation.


text:
Thorns will overrun her citadels, nettles and brambles her strongholds. She will become a haunt for jackals, a home for owls.


text:
Desert creatures will meet with hyenas, and wild goats will bleat to each other; there the night creatures will also lie down and find for themselves places of rest.


text:
The owl will nest there and lay eggs, she will hatch them, and care for her young under the shadow of her wings; there also the falcons will gather, each with its mate.


text:
Look in the scroll of the Lord and read: None of these will be missing, not one will lack her mate. For it is his mouth that has given the order, and his Spirit will gather them together.


text:
He allots their portions; his hand distributes them by measure. They will possess it forever and dwell there from generation to generation.


text:
The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus,


text:
it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.


text:
say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you."


text:
Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.


text:
The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.


text:
And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it.


text:
No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there,


text:
and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.


text:
Then the king of Assyria sent his field commander with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. When the commander stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer's Field,


text:
Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to him.


text:
You say you have counsel and might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me?


text:
But if you say to me, "We are depending on the Lord our God"—isn't he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, "You must worship before this altar"?


text:
How then can you repulse one officer of the least of my master's officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen <n>Or [charioteers]</n>?


text:
Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this land without the Lord? The Lord himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.'"


text:
Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, "Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don't speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall."


text:
Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew, "Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!


text:
until I come and take you to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.


text:
"Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, 'The Lord will deliver us.' Have the gods of any nations ever delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria?


text:
Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand?


text:
Who of all the gods of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?"


text:
Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn, and told him what the field commander had said.


text:
He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.


text:
It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the Lord your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives."


text:
Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush, <n>That is, the upper Nile region</n> was marching out to fight against him. When he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word:


text:
"Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.


text:
Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.


text:
Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Lord, are the only God."


text:
Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria,


text:
this is the word the Lord has spoken against him: "Virgin Daughter Zion despises and mocks you. Daughter Jerusalem tosses her head as you flee.


text:
By your messengers you have ridiculed the Lord. And you have said, 'With my many chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains, the utmost heights of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars, the choicest of its junipers. I have reached its remotest heights, the finest of its forests.


text:
I have dug wells in foreign lands and drunk the water there. With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.'


text:
"Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it. In days of old I planned it; now I have brought it to pass, that you have turned fortified cities into piles of stone.


text:
Because you rage against me and because your insolence has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will make you return by the way you came.


text:
For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.


text:
"Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria: "He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it.


text:
Then the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!


text:
"Go and tell Hezekiah, 'This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.


text:
I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.'" So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down.


text:
I said, "In the prime of my life must I go through the gates of death and be robbed of the rest of my years?"


text:
I said, "I will not again see the Lord himself in the land of the living; no longer will I look on my fellow man, or be with those who now dwell in this world.


text:
Like a shepherd's tent my house has been pulled down and taken from me. Like a weaver I have rolled up my life, and he has cut me off from the loom; day and night you made an end of me.


text:
I waited patiently till dawn, but like a lion he broke all my bones; day and night you made an end of me.


text:
I cried like a swift or thrush, I moaned like a mourning dove. My eyes grew weak as I looked to the heavens. I am being threatened; Lord, come to my aid!"


text:
But what can I say? He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this. I will walk humbly all my years because of this anguish of my soul.


text:
Lord, by such things people live; and my spirit finds life in them too. You restored me to health and let me live.


text:
Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.


text:
For the grave cannot praise you, death cannot sing your praise; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness.


text:
The living, the living—they praise you, as I am doing today; parents tell their children about your faithfulness.


text:
The Lord will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the temple of the Lord.


text:
At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery.


text:
Hezekiah received the envoys gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine olive oil—his entire armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.


text:
Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, "What did those men say, and where did they come from?" "From a distant land," Hezekiah replied. "They came to me from Babylon."


text:
"The word of the Lord you have spoken is good," Hezekiah replied. For he thought, "There will be peace and security in my lifetime."


text:
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.


text:
A voice of one calling: "In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord <n>Or [A voice of one calling in the wilderness: / "Prepare the way for the Lord]</n>; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. <n>Hebrew; Septuagint [make straight the paths of our God]</n>


text:
Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.


text:
And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."


text:
A voice says, "Cry out." And I said, "What shall I cry?" "All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.


text:
The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass.


text:
You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, <n>Or [Zion, bringer of good news, / go up on a high mountain. / Jerusalem, bringer of good news]</n> lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!"


text:
See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.


text:
He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.


text:
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?


text:
Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding?


text:
Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.


text:
Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing.


text:
As for an idol, a metalworker casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it.


text:
A person too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot; they look for a skilled worker to set up an idol that will not topple.


text:
Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded?


text:
He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.


text:
No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.


text:
Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.


text:
Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, "My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God"?


text:
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.


text:
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.


text:
"Be silent before me, you islands! Let the nations renew their strength! Let them come forward and speak; let us meet together at the place of judgment.


text:
"Who has stirred up one from the east, calling him in righteousness to his service <n>Or [east, / whom victory meets at every step]</n>? He hands nations over to him and subdues kings before him. He turns them to dust with his sword, to windblown chaff with his bow.


text:
Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord—with the first of them and with the last—I am he."


text:
The metalworker encourages the goldsmith, and the one who smooths with the hammer spurs on the one who strikes the anvil. One says of the welding, "It is good." The other nails down the idol so it will not topple.


text:
I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.


text:
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.


text:
"All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish.


text:
Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all.


text:
For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.


text:
Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, little Israel, do not fear, for I myself will help you," declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.


text:
"See, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff.


text:
You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up, and a gale will blow them away. But you will rejoice in the Lord and glory in the Holy One of Israel.


text:
"The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.


text:
I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs.


text:
I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set junipers in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together,


text:
so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.


text:
"Tell us, you idols, what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come,


text:
tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear.


text:
But you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless; whoever chooses you is detestable.


text:
"I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes— one from the rising sun who calls on my name. He treads on rulers as if they were mortar, as if he were a potter treading the clay.


text:
Who told of this from the beginning, so we could know, or beforehand, so we could say, 'He was right'? No one told of this, no one foretold it, no one heard any words from you.


text:
I look but there is no one— no one among the gods to give counsel, no one to give answer when I ask them.


text:
"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations.


text:
A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;


text:
he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope."


text:
This is what God the Lord says— the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it:


text:
"I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles,


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to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.


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See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you."


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Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them.


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Let the wilderness and its towns raise their voices; let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice. Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them shout from the mountaintops.


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The Lord will march out like a champion, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies.


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"For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant.


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I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn rivers into islands and dry up the pools.


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I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.


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But those who trust in idols, who say to images, 'You are our gods,' will be turned back in utter shame.


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Who is blind but my servant, and deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one in covenant with me, blind like the servant of the Lord?


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But this is a people plundered and looted, all of them trapped in pits or hidden away in prisons. They have become plunder, with no one to rescue them; they have been made loot, with no one to say, "Send them back."


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Who handed Jacob over to become loot, and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the Lord, against whom we have sinned? For they would not follow his ways; they did not obey his law.


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So he poured out on them his burning anger, the violence of war. It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand; it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.


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But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.


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When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.


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For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush <n>That is, the upper Nile region</n> and Seba in your stead.


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Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life.


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Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.


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I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth—


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All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble. Which of their gods foretold this and proclaimed to us the former things? Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right, so that others may hear and say, "It is true."


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"You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.


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I have revealed and saved and proclaimed— I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "that I am God.


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Yes, and from ancient days I am he. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?"


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This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "For your sake I will send to Babylon and bring down as fugitives all the Babylonians, <n>Or [Chaldeans]</n> in the ships in which they took pride.


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who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:


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See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.


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The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen,


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"Yet you have not called on me, Jacob, you have not wearied yourselves for <n>Or [Jacob; / surely you have grown weary of]</n> me, Israel.


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You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings, nor honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with grain offerings nor wearied you with demands for incense.


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You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me, or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your offenses.


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"I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.


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So I disgraced the dignitaries of your temple; I consigned Jacob to destruction <n>The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.</n> and Israel to scorn.


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This is what the Lord says— he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, <n>[Jeshurun] means [the upright one], that is, Israel.</n> whom I have chosen.


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For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.


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Some will say, 'I belong to the Lord'; others will call themselves by the name of Jacob; still others will write on their hand, 'The Lord's,' and will take the name Israel.


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"This is what the Lord says— Israel's King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.


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Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come— yes, let them foretell what will come.


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Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."


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All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame.


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People who do that will be put to shame; such craftsmen are only human beings. Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and shame.


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The blacksmith takes a tool and works with it in the coals; he shapes an idol with hammers, he forges it with the might of his arm. He gets hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint.


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The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in human form, human form in all its glory, that it may dwell in a shrine.


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He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow.


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It is used as fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it.


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Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, "Ah! I am warm; I see the fire."


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From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, "Save me! You are my god!"


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They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand.


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No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, "Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?"


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Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, "Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?"


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"Remember these things, Jacob, for you, Israel, are my servant. I have made you, you are my servant; Israel, I will not forget you.


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I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you."


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Sing for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done this; shout aloud, you earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the Lord has redeemed Jacob, he displays his glory in Israel.


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"This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself,


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who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense,


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who carries out the words of his servants and fulfills the predictions of his messengers, who says of Jerusalem, 'It shall be inhabited,' of the towns of Judah, 'They shall be rebuilt,' and of their ruins, 'I will restore them,'


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who says of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, "Let it be rebuilt," and of the temple, "Let its foundations be laid."'


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"This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:


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I will go before you and will level the mountains <n>Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.</n>; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.


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I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.


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For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me.


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I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me,


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so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other.


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I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.


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"You heavens above, rain down my righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness flourish with it; I, the Lord, have created it.


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"Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, 'What are you making?' Does your work say, 'The potter has no hands'?


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Woe to the one who says to a father, 'What have you begotten?' or to a mother, 'What have you brought to birth?'


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"This is what the Lord says— the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children, or give me orders about the work of my hands?


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It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts.


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I will raise up Cyrus <n>Hebrew [him]</n> in my righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says the Lord Almighty."


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This is what the Lord says: "The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, <n>That is, the upper Nile region</n> and those tall Sabeans— they will come over to you and will be yours; they will trudge behind you, coming over to you in chains. They will bow down before you and plead with you, saying, 'Surely God is with you, and there is no other; there is no other god.'"


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All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced; they will go off into disgrace together.


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But Israel will be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; you will never be put to shame or disgraced, to ages everlasting.


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For this is what the Lord says— he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited— he says: "I am the Lord, and there is no other.


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I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob's descendants, 'Seek me in vain.' I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right.


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"Gather together and come; assemble, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save.


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Declare what is to be, present it— let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me.


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By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear.


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They will say of me, 'In the Lord alone are deliverance and strength.'" All who have raged against him will come to him and be put to shame.


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But all the descendants of Israel will find deliverance in the Lord and will make their boast in him.


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Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low; their idols are borne by beasts of burden. <n>Or [are but beasts and cattle]</n> The images that are carried about are burdensome, a burden for the weary.


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They stoop and bow down together; unable to rescue the burden, they themselves go off into captivity.


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"Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel, you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born.


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Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.


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"With whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?


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Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales; they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, and they bow down and worship it.


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They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer; it cannot save them from their troubles.


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Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.


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I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.'


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From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do.


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I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed. I will grant salvation to Zion, my splendor to Israel.


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"Go down, sit in the dust, Virgin Daughter Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, queen city of the Babylonians. <n>Or [Chaldeans]; also in verse 5</n> No more will you be called tender or delicate.


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Take millstones and grind flour; take off your veil. Lift up your skirts, bare your legs, and wade through the streams.


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Your nakedness will be exposed and your shame uncovered. I will take vengeance; I will spare no one."


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"Sit in silence, go into darkness, queen city of the Babylonians; no more will you be called queen of kingdoms.


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I was angry with my people and desecrated my inheritance; I gave them into your hand, and you showed them no mercy. Even on the aged you laid a very heavy yoke.


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You said, 'I am forever— the eternal queen!' But you did not consider these things or reflect on what might happen.


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"Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure, lounging in your security and saying to yourself, 'I am, and there is none besides me. I will never be a widow or suffer the loss of children.'


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Both of these will overtake you in a moment, on a single day: loss of children and widowhood. They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and all your potent spells.


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You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, 'No one sees me.' Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, 'I am, and there is none besides me.'


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Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away. A calamity will fall upon you that you cannot ward off with a ransom; a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you.


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"Keep on, then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries, which you have labored at since childhood. Perhaps you will succeed, perhaps you will cause terror.


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All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you.


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Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame. These are not coals for warmth; this is not a fire to sit by.


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That is all they are to you— these you have dealt with and labored with since childhood. All of them go on in their error; there is not one that can save you.


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"Listen to this, you descendants of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel and come from the line of Judah, you who take oaths in the name of the Lord and invoke the God of Israel— but not in truth or righteousness—


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you who call yourselves citizens of the holy city and claim to rely on the God of Israel— the Lord Almighty is his name:


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I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.


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Therefore I told you these things long ago; before they happened I announced them to you so that you could not say, 'My images brought them about; my wooden image and metal god ordained them.'


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You have heard these things; look at them all. Will you not admit them? "From now on I will tell you of new things, of hidden things unknown to you.


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They are created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today. So you cannot say, 'Yes, I knew of them.'


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You have neither heard nor understood; from of old your ears have not been open. Well do I know how treacherous you are; you were called a rebel from birth.


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For my own name's sake I delay my wrath; for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you, so as not to destroy you completely.


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For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.


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My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they all stand up together.


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"Come together, all of you, and listen: Which of the idols has foretold these things? The Lord's chosen ally will carry out his purpose against Babylon; his arm will be against the Babylonians. <n>Or [Chaldeans]; also in verse 20</n>


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I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him. I will bring him, and he will succeed in his mission.


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"Come near me and listen to this: "From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret; at the time it happens, I am there." And now the Sovereign Lord has sent me, endowed with his Spirit.


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This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.


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If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea.


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Your descendants would have been like the sand, your children like its numberless grains; their name would never be blotted out nor destroyed from before me."


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Leave Babylon, flee from the Babylonians! Announce this with shouts of joy and proclaim it. Send it out to the ends of the earth; say, "The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob."


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They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow for them from the rock; he split the rock and water gushed out.


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Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called me; from my mother's womb he has spoken my name.


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He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver.


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But I said, "I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due me is in the Lord's hand, and my reward is with my God."


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And now the Lord says— he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am <n>Or [him, / but Israel would not be gathered; / yet I will be]</n> honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength—


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he says: "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth."


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This is what the Lord says— the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel— to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: "Kings will see you and stand up, princes will see and bow down, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."


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This is what the Lord says: "In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances,


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to say to the captives, 'Come out,' and to those in darkness, 'Be free!' "They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill.


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They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.


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See, they will come from afar— some from the north, some from the west, some from the region of Aswan. <n>Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text [Sinim]</n>"


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Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.


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"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!


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Lift up your eyes and look around; all your children gather and come to you. As surely as I live," declares the Lord, "you will wear them all as ornaments; you will put them on, like a bride.


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"Though you were ruined and made desolate and your land laid waste, now you will be too small for your people, and those who devoured you will be far away.


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The children born during your bereavement will yet say in your hearing, 'This place is too small for us; give us more space to live in.'


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Then you will say in your heart, 'Who bore me these? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. Who brought these up? I was left all alone, but these—where have they come from?'"


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This is what the Sovereign Lord says: "See, I will beckon to the nations, I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their hips.


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Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed."


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Can plunder be taken from warriors, or captives be rescued from the fierce <n>Dead Sea Scrolls, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint and verse 25); Masoretic Text [righteous]</n>?


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But this is what the Lord says: "Yes, captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save.


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I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine. Then all mankind will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob."


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This is what the Lord says: "Where is your mother's certificate of divorce with which I sent her away? Or to which of my creditors did I sell you? Because of your sins you were sold; because of your transgressions your mother was sent away.


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When I came, why was there no one? When I called, why was there no one to answer? Was my arm too short to deliver you? Do I lack the strength to rescue you? By a mere rebuke I dry up the sea, I turn rivers into a desert; their fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst.


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The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.


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I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.


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Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.


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He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me!


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It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me. Who will condemn me? They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up.


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Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God.


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But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment.


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"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn;


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look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was only one man, and I blessed him and made him many.


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The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.


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"Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: Instruction will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations.


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My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to me and wait in hope for my arm.


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Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail.


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"Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have taken my instruction to heart: Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals or be terrified by their insults.


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For the moth will eat them up like a garment; the worm will devour them like wool. But my righteousness will last forever, my salvation through all generations."


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Awake, awake, arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength! Awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old. Was it not you who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced that monster through?


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Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea so that the redeemed might cross over?


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Those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.


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"I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass,


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that you forget the Lord your Maker, who stretches out the heavens and who lays the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? For where is the wrath of the oppressor?


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The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread.


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For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord Almighty is his name.


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I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand— I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who say to Zion, 'You are my people.'"


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Awake, awake! Rise up, Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath, you who have drained to its dregs the goblet that makes people stagger.


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Among all the children she bore there was none to guide her; among all the children she reared there was none to take her by the hand.


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These double calamities have come upon you— who can comfort you?— ruin and destruction, famine and sword— who can <n>Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Masoretic Text [/ how can I]</n> console you?


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Your children have fainted; they lie at every street corner, like antelope caught in a net. They are filled with the wrath of the Lord, with the rebuke of your God.


text:
This is what your Sovereign Lord says, your God, who defends his people: "See, I have taken out of your hand the cup that made you stagger; from that cup, the goblet of my wrath, you will never drink again.


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I will put it into the hands of your tormentors, who said to you, 'Fall prostrate that we may walk on you.' And you made your back like the ground, like a street to be walked on."


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Awake, awake, Zion, clothe yourself with strength! Put on your garments of splendor, Jerusalem, the holy city. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again.


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Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned, Jerusalem. Free yourself from the chains on your neck, Daughter Zion, now a captive.


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For this is what the Lord says: "You were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed."


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For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "At first my people went down to Egypt to live; lately, Assyria has oppressed them.


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"And now what do I have here?" declares the Lord. "For my people have been taken away for nothing, and those who rule them mock, <n>Dead Sea Scrolls and Vulgate; Masoretic Text [wail]</n>" declares the Lord. "And all day long my name is constantly blasphemed.


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Therefore my people will know my name; therefore in that day they will know that it is I who foretold it. Yes, it is I."


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How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"


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Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes.


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Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.


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The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.


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Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the articles of the Lord's house.


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But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.


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See, my servant will act wisely <n>Or [will prosper]</n>; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.


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Just as there were many who were appalled at him <n>Hebrew [you]</n>— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness—


text:
so he will sprinkle many nations, <n>Or [so will many nations be amazed at him] (see also Septuagint)</n> and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.


text:
He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.


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He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.


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Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.


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But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.


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We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.


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He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.


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By oppression <n>Or [From arrest]</n> and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. <n>Or [generation considered / that he was cut off from the land of the living, / that he was punished for the transgression of my people?]</n>


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He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.


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Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes <n>Hebrew [though you make]</n> his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.


text:
After he has suffered, he will see the light of life <n>Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text does not have [the light of life.]</n> and be satisfied <n>Or (with Masoretic Text) [[11] He will see the fruit of his suffering / and will be satisfied]</n>; by his knowledge <n>Or [by knowledge of him]</n> my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.


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Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, <n>Or [many]</n> and he will divide the spoils with the strong, <n>Or [numerous]</n> because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.


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"Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband," says the Lord.


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"Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.


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For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.


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"Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.


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For your Maker is your husband— the Lord Almighty is his name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.


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The Lord will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit— a wife who married young, only to be rejected," says your God.


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In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you," says the Lord your Redeemer.


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"To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again.


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Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on you.


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"Afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted, I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise, <n>The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.</n> your foundations with lapis lazuli.


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I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones.


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In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you.


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"See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to wreak havoc;


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no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me," declares the Lord.


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"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.


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Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.


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Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.


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Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations you do not know will come running to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor."


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Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.


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"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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As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,


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so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.


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You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.


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Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord's renown, for an everlasting sign, that will endure forever."


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This is what the Lord says: "Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed.


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Blessed is the one who does this— the person who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps their hands from doing any evil."


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Let no foreigner who is bound to the Lord say, "The Lord will surely exclude me from his people." And let no eunuch complain, "I am only a dry tree."


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For this is what the Lord says: "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant—


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to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will endure forever.


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And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant—


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these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations."


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The Sovereign Lord declares— he who gathers the exiles of Israel: "I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered."


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Israel's watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep.


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They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, they seek their own gain.


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"Come," each one cries, "let me get wine! Let us drink our fill of beer! And tomorrow will be like today, or even far better."


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The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.


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Who are you mocking? At whom do you sneer and stick out your tongue? Are you not a brood of rebels, the offspring of liars?


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You burn with lust among the oaks and under every spreading tree; you sacrifice your children in the ravines and under the overhanging crags.


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The idols among the smooth stones of the ravines are your portion; indeed, they are your lot. Yes, to them you have poured out drink offerings and offered grain offerings. In view of all this, should I relent?


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Behind your doors and your doorposts you have put your pagan symbols. Forsaking me, you uncovered your bed, you climbed into it and opened it wide; you made a pact with those whose beds you love, and you looked with lust on their naked bodies.


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You went to Molek <n>Or [to the king]</n> with olive oil and increased your perfumes. You sent your ambassadors <n>Or [idols]</n> far away; you descended to the very realm of the dead!


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You wearied yourself by such going about, but you would not say, 'It is hopeless.' You found renewal of your strength, and so you did not faint.


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"Whom have you so dreaded and feared that you have not been true to me, and have neither remembered me nor taken this to heart? Is it not because I have long been silent that you do not fear me?


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When you cry out for help, let your collection of idols save you! The wind will carry all of them off, a mere breath will blow them away. But whoever takes refuge in me will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain."


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And it will be said: "Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people."


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For this is what the high and exalted One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.


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I will not accuse them forever, nor will I always be angry, for then they would faint away because of me— the very people I have created.


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I was enraged by their sinful greed; I punished them, and hid my face in anger, yet they kept on in their willful ways.


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I have seen their ways, but I will heal them; I will guide them and restore comfort to Israel's mourners,


text:
creating praise on their lips. Peace, peace, to those far and near," says the Lord. "And I will heal them."


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"Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.


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For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.


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'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?' "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.


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Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.


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Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?


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"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?


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Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?


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Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness <n>Or [your righteous One]</n> will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.


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Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,


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and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.


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The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.


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Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.


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"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,


text:
then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.


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But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.


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For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken falsely, and your tongue mutters wicked things.


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No one calls for justice; no one pleads a case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.


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They hatch the eggs of vipers and spin a spider's web. Whoever eats their eggs will die, and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.


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Their cobwebs are useless for clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are evil deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands.


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Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. They pursue evil schemes; acts of violence mark their ways.


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The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths. They have turned them into crooked roads; no one who walks along them will know peace.


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So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.


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Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like people without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead.


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We all growl like bears; we moan mournfully like doves. We look for justice, but find none; for deliverance, but it is far away.


text:
For our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities:


text:
rebellion and treachery against the Lord, turning our backs on our God, inciting revolt and oppression, uttering lies our hearts have conceived.


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So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter.


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Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice.


text:
He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm achieved salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him.


text:
He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.


text:
According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes; he will repay the islands their due.


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From the west, people will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the Lord drives along. <n>Or [When enemies come in like a flood, / the Spirit of the Lord will put them to flight]</n>


text:
"As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the Lord. "My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever," says the Lord.


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See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.


text:
"Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip.


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Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come.


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Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.


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All Kedar's flocks will be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth will serve you; they will be accepted as offerings on my altar, and I will adorn my glorious temple.


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Surely the islands look to me; in the lead are the ships of Tarshish, <n>Or [the trading ships]</n> bringing your children from afar, with their silver and gold, to the honor of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.


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"Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Though in anger I struck you, in favor I will show you compassion.


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Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations— their kings led in triumphal procession.


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"The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the juniper, the fir and the cypress together, to adorn my sanctuary; and I will glorify the place for my feet.


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The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet and will call you the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.


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"Although you have been forsaken and hated, with no one traveling through, I will make you the everlasting pride and the joy of all generations.


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You will drink the milk of nations and be nursed at royal breasts. Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.


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Instead of bronze I will bring you gold, and silver in place of iron. Instead of wood I will bring you bronze, and iron in place of stones. I will make peace your governor and well-being your ruler.


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No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.


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The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.


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Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end.


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Then all your people will be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.


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The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly."


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The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, <n>Hebrew; Septuagint [the blind]</n>


text:
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,


text:
and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.


text:
They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.


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And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast.


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Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.


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"For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them.


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Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed."


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I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.


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For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.


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For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.


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The nations will see your vindication, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.


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No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, <n>[Hephzibah] means [my delight is in her.]</n> and your land Beulah <n>[Beulah] means [married.]</n>; for the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married.


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As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.


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I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest,


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The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: "Never again will I give your grain as food for your enemies, and never again will foreigners drink the new wine for which you have toiled;


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but those who harvest it will eat it and praise the Lord, and those who gather the grapes will drink it in the courts of my sanctuary."


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Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations.


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The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: "Say to Daughter Zion, 'See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.'"


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They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted.


text:
Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength? "It is I, proclaiming victory, mighty to save."


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"I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing.


text:
I looked, but there was no one to help, I was appalled that no one gave support; so my own arm achieved salvation for me, and my own wrath sustained me.


text:
I trampled the nations in my anger; in my wrath I made them drunk and poured their blood on the ground."


text:
I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us— yes, the many good things he has done for Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses.


text:
He said, "Surely they are my people, children who will be true to me"; and so he became their Savior.


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In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. <n>Or [Savior [9] in their distress. / It was no envoy or angel / but his own presence that saved them]</n> In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.


text:
Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them.


text:
Then his people recalled <n>Or [But may he recall]</n> the days of old, the days of Moses and his people— where is he who brought them through the sea, with the shepherd of his flock? Where is he who set his Holy Spirit among them,


text:
who sent his glorious arm of power to be at Moses' right hand, who divided the waters before them, to gain for himself everlasting renown,


text:
like cattle that go down to the plain, they were given rest by the Spirit of the Lord. This is how you guided your people to make for yourself a glorious name.


text:
Look down from heaven and see, from your lofty throne, holy and glorious. Where are your zeal and your might? Your tenderness and compassion are withheld from us.


text:
But you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us or Israel acknowledge us; you, Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name.


text:
Why, Lord, do you make us wander from your ways and harden our hearts so we do not revere you? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes that are your inheritance.


text:
For a little while your people possessed your holy place, but now our enemies have trampled down your sanctuary.


text:
We are yours from of old; but you have not ruled over them, they have not been called <n>Or [We are like those you have never ruled, / like those never called]</n> by your name.


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As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you!


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For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.


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Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.


text:
You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How then can we be saved?


text:
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.


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No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and have given us over to <n>Septuagint, Syriac and Targum; Hebrew [have made us melt because of]</n> our sins.


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Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.


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Do not be angry beyond measure, Lord; do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look on us, we pray, for we are all your people.


text:
Our holy and glorious temple, where our ancestors praised you, has been burned with fire, and all that we treasured lies in ruins.


text:
After all this, Lord, will you hold yourself back? Will you keep silent and punish us beyond measure?


text:
"I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, 'Here am I, here am I.'


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All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations—


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a people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick;


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who sit among the graves and spend their nights keeping secret vigil; who eat the flesh of pigs, and whose pots hold broth of impure meat;


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who say, 'Keep away; don't come near me, for I am too sacred for you!' Such people are smoke in my nostrils, a fire that keeps burning all day.


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"See, it stands written before me: I will not keep silent but will pay back in full; I will pay it back into their laps—


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both your sins and the sins of your ancestors," says the Lord. "Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains and defied me on the hills, I will measure into their laps the full payment for their former deeds."


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This is what the Lord says: "As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes and people say, 'Don't destroy it, there is still a blessing in it,' so will I do in behalf of my servants; I will not destroy them all.


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I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah those who will possess my mountains; my chosen people will inherit them, and there will my servants live.


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Sharon will become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds, for my people who seek me.


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"But as for you who forsake the Lord and forget my holy mountain, who spread a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny,


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I will destine you for the sword, and all of you will fall in the slaughter; for I called but you did not answer, I spoke but you did not listen. You did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me."


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Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "My servants will eat, but you will go hungry; my servants will drink, but you will go thirsty; my servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.


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My servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts, but you will cry out from anguish of heart and wail in brokenness of spirit.


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You will leave your name for my chosen ones to use in their curses; the Sovereign Lord will put you to death, but to his servants he will give another name.


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Whoever invokes a blessing in the land will do so by the one true God; whoever takes an oath in the land will swear by the one true God. For the past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my eyes.


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"See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.


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But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.


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I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.


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"Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach <n>Or [the sinner who reaches]</n> a hundred will be considered accursed.


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No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands.


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They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them.


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The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain," says the Lord.


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This is what the Lord says: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?


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Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?" declares the Lord. "These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.


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But whoever sacrifices a bull is like one who kills a person, and whoever offers a lamb is like one who breaks a dog's neck; whoever makes a grain offering is like one who presents pig's blood, and whoever burns memorial incense is like one who worships an idol. They have chosen their own ways, and they delight in their abominations;


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so I also will choose harsh treatment for them and will bring on them what they dread. For when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, no one listened. They did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me."


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Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at his word: "Your own people who hate you, and exclude you because of my name, have said, 'Let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy!' Yet they will be put to shame.


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Hear that uproar from the city, hear that noise from the temple! It is the sound of the Lord repaying his enemies all they deserve.


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Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.


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Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?" says the Lord. "Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?" says your God.


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"Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her.


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For you will nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you will drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance."


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For this is what the Lord says: "I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees.


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When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like grass; the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants, but his fury will be shown to his foes.


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See, the Lord is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.


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For with fire and with his sword the Lord will execute judgment on all people, and many will be those slain by the Lord.


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"Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one who is among those who eat the flesh of pigs, rats and other unclean things—they will meet their end together with the one they follow," declares the Lord.


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"And I, because of what they have planned and done, am about to come <n>The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.</n> and gather the people of all nations and languages, and they will come and see my glory.


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"I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations—to Tarshish, to the Libyans <n>Some Septuagint manuscripts [Put] (Libyans); Hebrew [Pul]</n> and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations.


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And they will bring all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord—on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels," says the Lord. "They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the Lord in ceremonially clean vessels.


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"As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me," declares the Lord, "so will your name and descendants endure.


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From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me," says the Lord.


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"And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind."


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The word of the Lord came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah,


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and through the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.


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"Before I formed you in the womb I knew <n>Or [chose]</n> you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."


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But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am too young.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.


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Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "I have put my words in your mouth.


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See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."


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The word of the Lord came to me: "What do you see, Jeremiah?" "I see the branch of an almond tree," I replied.


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The Lord said to me, "You have seen correctly, for I am watching <n>The Hebrew for [watching] sounds like the Hebrew for [almond tree.]</n> to see that my word is fulfilled."


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The word of the Lord came to me again: "What do you see?" "I see a pot that is boiling," I answered. "It is tilting toward us from the north."


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I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms," declares the Lord. "Their kings will come and set up their thrones in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem; they will come against all her surrounding walls and against all the towns of Judah.


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I will pronounce my judgments on my people because of their wickedness in forsaking me, in burning incense to other gods and in worshiping what their hands have made.


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"Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them.


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Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land.


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They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the Lord.


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"Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem: "This is what the Lord says: "'I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the wilderness, through a land not sown.


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Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of his harvest; all who devoured her were held guilty, and disaster overtook them,'" declares the Lord.


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This is what the Lord says: "What fault did your ancestors find in me, that they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves.


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They did not ask, 'Where is the Lord, who brought us up out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness, through a land of deserts and ravines, a land of drought and utter darkness, a land where no one travels and no one lives?'


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I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable.


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The priests did not ask, 'Where is the Lord?' Those who deal with the law did not know me; the leaders rebelled against me. The prophets prophesied by Baal, following worthless idols.


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"Therefore I bring charges against you again," declares the Lord. "And I will bring charges against your children's children.


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Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus and look, send to Kedar <n>In the Syro-Arabian desert</n> and observe closely; see if there has ever been anything like this:


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Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols.


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"My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.


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Lions have roared; they have growled at him. They have laid waste his land; his towns are burned and deserted.


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Now why go to Egypt to drink water from the Nile <n>Hebrew [Shihor]; that is, a branch of the Nile</n>? And why go to Assyria to drink water from the Euphrates?


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Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me," declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.


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"Long ago you broke off your yoke and tore off your bonds; you said, 'I will not serve you!' Indeed, on every high hill and under every spreading tree you lay down as a prostitute.


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I had planted you like a choice vine of sound and reliable stock. How then did you turn against me into a corrupt, wild vine?


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Although you wash yourself with soap and use an abundance of cleansing powder, the stain of your guilt is still before me," declares the Sovereign Lord.


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"How can you say, 'I am not defiled; I have not run after the Baals'? See how you behaved in the valley; consider what you have done. You are a swift she-camel running here and there,


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a wild donkey accustomed to the desert, sniffing the wind in her craving— in her heat who can restrain her? Any males that pursue her need not tire themselves; at mating time they will find her.


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Do not run until your feet are bare and your throat is dry. But you said, 'It's no use! I love foreign gods, and I must go after them.'


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"As a thief is disgraced when he is caught, so the people of Israel are disgraced— they, their kings and their officials, their priests and their prophets.


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They say to wood, 'You are my father,' and to stone, 'You gave me birth.' They have turned their backs to me and not their faces; yet when they are in trouble, they say, 'Come and save us!'


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Where then are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them come if they can save you when you are in trouble! For you, Judah, have as many gods as you have towns.


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"In vain I punished your people; they did not respond to correction. Your sword has devoured your prophets like a ravenous lion.


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"You of this generation, consider the word of the Lord: "Have I been a desert to Israel or a land of great darkness? Why do my people say, 'We are free to roam; we will come to you no more'?


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Does a young woman forget her jewelry, a bride her wedding ornaments? Yet my people have forgotten me, days without number.


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On your clothes is found the lifeblood of the innocent poor, though you did not catch them breaking in. Yet in spite of all this


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you say, 'I am innocent; he is not angry with me.' But I will pass judgment on you because you say, 'I have not sinned.'


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Why do you go about so much, changing your ways? You will be disappointed by Egypt as you were by Assyria.


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You will also leave that place with your hands on your head, for the Lord has rejected those you trust; you will not be helped by them.


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"If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man, should he return to her again? Would not the land be completely defiled? But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers— would you now return to me?" declares the Lord.


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"Look up to the barren heights and see. Is there any place where you have not been ravished? By the roadside you sat waiting for lovers, sat like a nomad in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness.


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Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen. Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to blush with shame.


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will you always be angry? Will your wrath continue forever?' This is how you talk, but you do all the evil you can."


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During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, "Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there.


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I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it.


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I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery.


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Because Israel's immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood.


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In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense," declares the Lord.


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Go, proclaim this message toward the north: "'Return, faithless Israel,' declares the Lord, 'I will frown on you no longer, for I am faithful,' declares the Lord, 'I will not be angry forever.


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Only acknowledge your guilt— you have rebelled against the Lord your God, you have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every spreading tree, and have not obeyed me,'" declares the Lord.


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"Return, faithless people," declares the Lord, "for I am your husband. I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion.


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Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.


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In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land," declares the Lord, "people will no longer say, 'The ark of the covenant of the Lord.' It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made.


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At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.


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In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel, and together they will come from a northern land to the land I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.


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"I myself said, "'How gladly would I treat you like my children and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.' I thought you would call me 'Father' and not turn away from following me.


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But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you, Israel, have been unfaithful to me," declares the Lord.


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A cry is heard on the barren heights, the weeping and pleading of the people of Israel, because they have perverted their ways and have forgotten the Lord their God.


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"Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding." "Yes, we will come to you, for you are the Lord our God.


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Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills and mountains is a deception; surely in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.


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From our youth shameful gods have consumed the fruits of our ancestors' labor— their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters.


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Let us lie down in our shame, and let our disgrace cover us. We have sinned against the Lord our God, both we and our ancestors; from our youth till this day we have not obeyed the Lord our God."


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"If you, Israel, will return, then return to me," declares the Lord. "If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray,


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and if in a truthful, just and righteous way you swear, 'As surely as the Lord lives,' then the nations will invoke blessings by him and in him they will boast."


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This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem: "Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns.


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Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts, you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, or my wrath will flare up and burn like fire because of the evil you have done— burn with no one to quench it.


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"Announce in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem and say: 'Sound the trumpet throughout the land!' Cry aloud and say: 'Gather together! Let us flee to the fortified cities!'


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Raise the signal to go to Zion! Flee for safety without delay! For I am bringing disaster from the north, even terrible destruction."


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A lion has come out of his lair; a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his place to lay waste your land. Your towns will lie in ruins without inhabitant.


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"In that day," declares the Lord, "the king and the officials will lose heart, the priests will be horrified, and the prophets will be appalled."


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Then I said, "Alas, Sovereign Lord! How completely you have deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, 'You will have peace,' when the sword is at our throats!"


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At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, "A scorching wind from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse;


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Look! He advances like the clouds, his chariots come like a whirlwind, his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us! We are ruined!


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"Tell this to the nations, proclaim concerning Jerusalem: 'A besieging army is coming from a distant land, raising a war cry against the cities of Judah.


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They surround her like men guarding a field, because she has rebelled against me,'" declares the Lord.


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"Your own conduct and actions have brought this on you. This is your punishment. How bitter it is! How it pierces to the heart!"


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Oh, my anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain. Oh, the agony of my heart! My heart pounds within me, I cannot keep silent. For I have heard the sound of the trumpet; I have heard the battle cry.


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Disaster follows disaster; the whole land lies in ruins. In an instant my tents are destroyed, my shelter in a moment.


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"My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good."


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I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; all its towns lay in ruins before the Lord, before his fierce anger.


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This is what the Lord says: "The whole land will be ruined, though I will not destroy it completely.


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Therefore the earth will mourn and the heavens above grow dark, because I have spoken and will not relent, I have decided and will not turn back."


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At the sound of horsemen and archers every town takes to flight. Some go into the thickets; some climb up among the rocks. All the towns are deserted; no one lives in them.


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What are you doing, you devastated one? Why dress yourself in scarlet and put on jewels of gold? Why highlight your eyes with makeup? You adorn yourself in vain. Your lovers despise you; they want to kill you.


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I hear a cry as of a woman in labor, a groan as of one bearing her first child— the cry of Daughter Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands and saying, "Alas! I am fainting; my life is given over to murderers."


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"Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city.


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Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.


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I thought, "These are only the poor; they are foolish, for they do not know the way of the Lord, the requirements of their God.


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So I will go to the leaders and speak to them; surely they know the way of the Lord, the requirements of their God." But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke and torn off the bonds.


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Therefore a lion from the forest will attack them, a wolf from the desert will ravage them, a leopard will lie in wait near their towns to tear to pieces any who venture out, for their rebellion is great and their backslidings many.


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"Why should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I supplied all their needs, yet they committed adultery and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.


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Should I not punish them for this?" declares the Lord. "Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?


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"Go through her vineyards and ravage them, but do not destroy them completely. Strip off her branches, for these people do not belong to the Lord.


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The people of Israel and the people of Judah have been utterly unfaithful to me," declares the Lord.


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They have lied about the Lord; they said, "He will do nothing! No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine.


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Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty says: "Because the people have spoken these words, I will make my words in your mouth a fire and these people the wood it consumes.


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People of Israel," declares the Lord, "I am bringing a distant nation against you— an ancient and enduring nation, a people whose language you do not know, whose speech you do not understand.


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They will devour your harvests and food, devour your sons and daughters; they will devour your flocks and herds, devour your vines and fig trees. With the sword they will destroy the fortified cities in which you trust.


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And when the people ask, 'Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?' you will tell them, 'As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners in a land not your own.'


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Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear:


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Should you not fear me?" declares the Lord. "Should you not tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea, an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; they may roar, but they cannot cross it.


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They do not say to themselves, 'Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.'


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"Among my people are the wicked who lie in wait like men who snare birds and like those who set traps to catch people.


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and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not seek justice. They do not promote the case of the fatherless; they do not defend the just cause of the poor.


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The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?


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"Flee for safety, people of Benjamin! Flee from Jerusalem! Sound the trumpet in Tekoa! Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem! For disaster looms out of the north, even terrible destruction.


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Shepherds with their flocks will come against her; they will pitch their tents around her, each tending his own portion."


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"Prepare for battle against her! Arise, let us attack at noon! But, alas, the daylight is fading, and the shadows of evening grow long.


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This is what the Lord Almighty says: "Cut down the trees and build siege ramps against Jerusalem. This city must be punished; it is filled with oppression.


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As a well pours out its water, so she pours out her wickedness. Violence and destruction resound in her; her sickness and wounds are ever before me.


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Take warning, Jerusalem, or I will turn away from you and make your land desolate so no one can live in it."


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This is what the Lord Almighty says: "Let them glean the remnant of Israel as thoroughly as a vine; pass your hand over the branches again, like one gathering grapes."


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To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed <n>Hebrew [uncircumcised]</n> so they cannot hear. The word of the Lord is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it.


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But I am full of the wrath of the Lord, and I cannot hold it in. "Pour it out on the children in the street and on the young men gathered together; both husband and wife will be caught in it, and the old, those weighed down with years.


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Their houses will be turned over to others, together with their fields and their wives, when I stretch out my hand against those who live in the land," declares the Lord.


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"From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit.


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They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace.


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Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when I punish them," says the Lord.


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This is what the Lord says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, 'We will not walk in it.'


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I appointed watchmen over you and said, 'Listen to the sound of the trumpet!' But you said, 'We will not listen.'


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Hear, you earth: I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their schemes, because they have not listened to my words and have rejected my law.


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What do I care about incense from Sheba or sweet calamus from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please me."


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Therefore this is what the Lord says: "I will put obstacles before this people. Parents and children alike will stumble over them; neighbors and friends will perish."


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This is what the Lord says: "Look, an army is coming from the land of the north; a great nation is being stirred up from the ends of the earth.


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They are armed with bow and spear; they are cruel and show no mercy. They sound like the roaring sea as they ride on their horses; they come like men in battle formation to attack you, Daughter Zion."


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We have heard reports about them, and our hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped us, pain like that of a woman in labor.


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Do not go out to the fields or walk on the roads, for the enemy has a sword, and there is terror on every side.


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Put on sackcloth, my people, and roll in ashes; mourn with bitter wailing as for an only son, for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.


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"I have made you a tester of metals and my people the ore, that you may observe and test their ways.


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They are all hardened rebels, going about to slander. They are bronze and iron; they all act corruptly.


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The bellows blow fiercely to burn away the lead with fire, but the refining goes on in vain; the wicked are not purged out.


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"Stand at the gate of the Lord's house and there proclaim this message: "'Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord.


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This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place.


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Do not trust in deceptive words and say, "This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!"


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if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm,


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"'Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, <n>Or [and swear by false gods]</n> burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known,


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and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, "We are safe"—safe to do all these detestable things?


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Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord.


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"'Go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for my Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel.


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While you were doing all these things, declares the Lord, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer.


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Therefore, what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears my Name, the temple you trust in, the place I gave to you and your ancestors.


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I will thrust you from my presence, just as I did all your fellow Israelites, the people of Ephraim.'


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"So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you.


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The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to arouse my anger.


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But am I the one they are provoking? declares the Lord. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?


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"'Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: My anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place—on man and beast, on the trees of the field and on the crops of your land—and it will burn and not be quenched.


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"'This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices and eat the meat yourselves!


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For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices,


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but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you.


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But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.


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From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets.


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But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their ancestors.'


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"When you tell them all this, they will not listen to you; when you call to them, they will not answer.


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Therefore say to them, 'This is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction. Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips.


text:
"'Cut off your hair and throw it away; take up a lament on the barren heights, for the Lord has rejected and abandoned this generation that is under his wrath.


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"'The people of Judah have done evil in my eyes, declares the Lord. They have set up their detestable idols in the house that bears my Name and have defiled it.


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They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind.


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So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call it Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter, for they will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room.


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Then the carcasses of this people will become food for the birds and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away.


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I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, for the land will become desolate.


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"'At that time, declares the Lord, the bones of the kings and officials of Judah, the bones of the priests and prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be removed from their graves.


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They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped. They will not be gathered up or buried, but will be like dung lying on the ground.


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Wherever I banish them, all the survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life, declares the Lord Almighty.'


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"Say to them, 'This is what the Lord says: "'When people fall down, do they not get up? When someone turns away, do they not return?


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Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return.


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I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. None of them repent of their wickedness, saying, "What have I done?" Each pursues their own course like a horse charging into battle.


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Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of the Lord.


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"'How can you say, "We are wise, for we have the law of the Lord," when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?


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The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have?


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Therefore I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit.


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They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. "Peace, peace," they say, when there is no peace.


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Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when they are punished, says the Lord.


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"'I will take away their harvest, declares the Lord. There will be no grapes on the vine. There will be no figs on the tree, and their leaves will wither. What I have given them will be taken from them. <n>The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.</n>'"


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Why are we sitting here? Gather together! Let us flee to the fortified cities and perish there! For the Lord our God has doomed us to perish and given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against him.


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The snorting of the enemy's horses is heard from Dan; at the neighing of their stallions the whole land trembles. They have come to devour the land and everything in it, the city and all who live there.


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"See, I will send venomous snakes among you, vipers that cannot be charmed, and they will bite you," declares the Lord.


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You who are my Comforter <n>The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.</n> in sorrow, my heart is faint within me.


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Listen to the cry of my people from a land far away: "Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King no longer there?" "Why have they aroused my anger with their images, with their worthless foreign idols?"


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Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?


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Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people.


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Oh, that I had in the desert a lodging place for travelers, so that I might leave my people and go away from them; for they are all adulterers, a crowd of unfaithful people.


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"They make ready their tongue like a bow, to shoot lies; it is not by truth that they triumph <n>Or [lies; / they are not valiant for truth]</n> in the land. They go from one sin to another; they do not acknowledge me," declares the Lord.


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"Beware of your friends; do not trust anyone in your clan. For every one of them is a deceiver, <n>Or [a deceiving Jacob]</n> and every friend a slanderer.


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Friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they weary themselves with sinning.


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You <n>That is, Jeremiah (the Hebrew is singular)</n> live in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me," declares the Lord.


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Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says: "See, I will refine and test them, for what else can I do because of the sin of my people?


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Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceitfully. With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors, but in their hearts they set traps for them.


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Should I not punish them for this?" declares the Lord. "Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?"


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I will weep and wail for the mountains and take up a lament concerning the wilderness grasslands. They are desolate and untraveled, and the lowing of cattle is not heard. The birds have all fled and the animals are gone.


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"I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals; and I will lay waste the towns of Judah so no one can live there."


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Who is wise enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?


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The Lord said, "It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law.


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Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them."


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Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "See, I will make this people eat bitter food and drink poisoned water.


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I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have known, and I will pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them."


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This is what the Lord Almighty says: "Consider now! Call for the wailing women to come; send for the most skillful of them.


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Let them come quickly and wail over us till our eyes overflow with tears and water streams from our eyelids.


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The sound of wailing is heard from Zion: 'How ruined we are! How great is our shame! We must leave our land because our houses are in ruins.'"


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Now, you women, hear the word of the Lord; open your ears to the words of his mouth. Teach your daughters how to wail; teach one another a lament.


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Death has climbed in through our windows and has entered our fortresses; it has removed the children from the streets and the young men from the public squares.


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Say, "This is what the Lord declares: "'Dead bodies will lie like dung on the open field, like cut grain behind the reaper, with no one to gather them.'"


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This is what the Lord says: "Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches,


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but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the Lord.


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"The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh—


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Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places. <n>Or [wilderness and who clip the hair by their foreheads]</n> For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart."


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This is what the Lord says: "Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, though the nations are terrified by them.


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For the practices of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.


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Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good."


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Who should not fear you, King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise leaders of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you.


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Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz. What the craftsman and goldsmith have made is then dressed in blue and purple— all made by skilled workers.


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But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath.


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"Tell them this: 'These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.'" <n>The text of this verse is in Aramaic.</n>


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But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.


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When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.


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Everyone is senseless and without knowledge; every goldsmith is shamed by his idols. The images he makes are a fraud; they have no breath in them.


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He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the Maker of all things, including Israel, the people of his inheritance— the Lord Almighty is his name.


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For this is what the Lord says: "At this time I will hurl out those who live in this land; I will bring distress on them so that they may be captured."


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Woe to me because of my injury! My wound is incurable! Yet I said to myself, "This is my sickness, and I must endure it."


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My tent is destroyed; all its ropes are snapped. My children are gone from me and are no more; no one is left now to pitch my tent or to set up my shelter.


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The shepherds are senseless and do not inquire of the Lord; so they do not prosper and all their flock is scattered.


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Listen! The report is coming— a great commotion from the land of the north! It will make the towns of Judah desolate, a haunt of jackals.


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Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the peoples who do not call on your name. For they have devoured Jacob; they have devoured him completely and destroyed his homeland.


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"Listen to the terms of this covenant and tell them to the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem.


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Tell them that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'Cursed is the one who does not obey the terms of this covenant—


text:
the terms I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the iron-smelting furnace.' I said, 'Obey me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people, and I will be your God.


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Then I will fulfill the oath I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey'—the land you possess today." I answered, "Amen, Lord."


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The Lord said to me, "Proclaim all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: 'Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow them.


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From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again, saying, "Obey me."


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But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. So I brought on them all the curses of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.'"


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Then the Lord said to me, "There is a conspiracy among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem.


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They have returned to the sins of their ancestors, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant I made with their ancestors.


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Therefore this is what the Lord says: 'I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them.


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The towns of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they will not help them at all when disaster strikes.


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You, Judah, have as many gods as you have towns; and the altars you have set up to burn incense to that shameful god Baal are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.'


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"Do not pray for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress.


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"What is my beloved doing in my temple as she, with many others, works out her evil schemes? Can consecrated meat avert your punishment? When you engage in your wickedness, then you rejoice. <n>Or [Could consecrated meat avert your punishment? / Then you would rejoice]</n>"


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The Lord called you a thriving olive tree with fruit beautiful in form. But with the roar of a mighty storm he will set it on fire, and its branches will be broken.


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The Lord Almighty, who planted you, has decreed disaster for you, because the people of both Israel and Judah have done evil and aroused my anger by burning incense to Baal.


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Because the Lord revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing.


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I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realize that they had plotted against me, saying, "Let us destroy the tree and its fruit; let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more."


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But you, Lord Almighty, who judge righteously and test the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance on them, for to you I have committed my cause.


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Therefore this is what the Lord says about the people of Anathoth who are threatening to kill you, saying, "Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord or you will die by our hands"—


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therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says: "I will punish them. Their young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters by famine.


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Not even a remnant will be left to them, because I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment."


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You are always righteous, Lord, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?


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You have planted them, and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit. You are always on their lips but far from their hearts.


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Yet you know me, Lord; you see me and test my thoughts about you. Drag them off like sheep to be butchered! Set them apart for the day of slaughter!


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How long will the land lie parched and the grass in every field be withered? Because those who live in it are wicked, the animals and birds have perished. Moreover, the people are saying, "He will not see what happens to us."


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"If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble <n>Or [you feel secure only]</n> in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by <n>Or [the flooding of]</n> the Jordan?


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Your relatives, members of your own family— even they have betrayed you; they have raised a loud cry against you. Do not trust them, though they speak well of you.


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"I will forsake my house, abandon my inheritance; I will give the one I love into the hands of her enemies.


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Has not my inheritance become to me like a speckled bird of prey that other birds of prey surround and attack? Go and gather all the wild beasts; bring them to devour.


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Many shepherds will ruin my vineyard and trample down my field; they will turn my pleasant field into a desolate wasteland.


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It will be made a wasteland, parched and desolate before me; the whole land will be laid waste because there is no one who cares.


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Over all the barren heights in the desert destroyers will swarm, for the sword of the Lord will devour from one end of the land to the other; no one will be safe.


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They will sow wheat but reap thorns; they will wear themselves out but gain nothing. They will bear the shame of their harvest because of the Lord's fierce anger."


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This is what the Lord says: "As for all my wicked neighbors who seize the inheritance I gave my people Israel, I will uproot them from their lands and I will uproot the people of Judah from among them.


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But after I uproot them, I will again have compassion and will bring each of them back to their own inheritance and their own country.


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And if they learn well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, 'As surely as the Lord lives'—even as they once taught my people to swear by Baal—then they will be established among my people.


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This is what the Lord said to me: "Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water."


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"Take the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist, and go now to Perath <n>Or possibly [to the Euphrates]; similarly in verses 5-7</n> and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks."


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So I went to Perath and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it, but now it was ruined and completely useless.


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"This is what the Lord says: 'In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.


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These wicked people, who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this belt—completely useless!


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For as a belt is bound around the waist, so I bound all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah to me,' declares the Lord, 'to be my people for my renown and praise and honor. But they have not listened.'


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"Say to them: 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Every wineskin should be filled with wine.' And if they say to you, 'Don't we know that every wineskin should be filled with wine?'


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then tell them, 'This is what the Lord says: I am going to fill with drunkenness all who live in this land, including the kings who sit on David's throne, the priests, the prophets and all those living in Jerusalem.


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I will smash them one against the other, parents and children alike, declares the Lord. I will allow no pity or mercy or compassion to keep me from destroying them.'"


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Give glory to the Lord your God before he brings the darkness, before your feet stumble on the darkening hills. You hope for light, but he will turn it to utter darkness and change it to deep gloom.


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If you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly, overflowing with tears, because the Lord's flock will be taken captive.


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Say to the king and to the queen mother, "Come down from your thrones, for your glorious crowns will fall from your heads."


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The cities in the Negev will be shut up, and there will be no one to open them. All Judah will be carried into exile, carried completely away.


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Look up and see those who are coming from the north. Where is the flock that was entrusted to you, the sheep of which you boasted?


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What will you say when the Lord sets over you those you cultivated as your special allies? Will not pain grip you like that of a woman in labor?


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And if you ask yourself, "Why has this happened to me?"— it is because of your many sins that your skirts have been torn off and your body mistreated.


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Can an Ethiopian <n>Hebrew [Cushite] (probably a person from the upper Nile region)</n> change his skin or a leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.


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This is your lot, the portion I have decreed for you," declares the Lord, "because you have forgotten me and trusted in false gods.


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your adulteries and lustful neighings, your shameless prostitution! I have seen your detestable acts on the hills and in the fields. Woe to you, Jerusalem! How long will you be unclean?"


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The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns but find no water. They return with their jars unfilled; dismayed and despairing, they cover their heads.


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The ground is cracked because there is no rain in the land; the farmers are dismayed and cover their heads.


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Although our sins testify against us, do something, Lord, for the sake of your name. For we have often rebelled; we have sinned against you.


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You who are the hope of Israel, its Savior in times of distress, why are you like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who stays only a night?


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Why are you like a man taken by surprise, like a warrior powerless to save? You are among us, Lord, and we bear your name; do not forsake us!


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This is what the Lord says about this people: "They greatly love to wander; they do not restrain their feet. So the Lord does not accept them; he will now remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins."


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Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague."


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But I said, "Alas, Sovereign Lord! The prophets keep telling them, 'You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.'"


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Then the Lord said to me, "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries <n>Or [visions, worthless divinations]</n> and the delusions of their own minds.


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Therefore this is what the Lord says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, 'No sword or famine will touch this land.' Those same prophets will perish by sword and famine.


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And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to bury them, their wives, their sons and their daughters. I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.


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"Speak this word to them: "'Let my eyes overflow with tears night and day without ceasing; for the Virgin Daughter, my people, has suffered a grievous wound, a crushing blow.


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If I go into the country, I see those slain by the sword; if I go into the city, I see the ravages of famine. Both prophet and priest have gone to a land they know not.'"


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Have you rejected Judah completely? Do you despise Zion? Why have you afflicted us so that we cannot be healed? We hoped for peace but no good has come, for a time of healing but there is only terror.


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We acknowledge our wickedness, Lord, and the guilt of our ancestors; we have indeed sinned against you.


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For the sake of your name do not despise us; do not dishonor your glorious throne. Remember your covenant with us and do not break it.


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Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is you, Lord our God. Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this.


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Then the Lord said to me: "Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people. Send them away from my presence! Let them go!


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And if they ask you, 'Where shall we go?' tell them, 'This is what the Lord says: "'Those destined for death, to death; those for the sword, to the sword; those for starvation, to starvation; those for captivity, to captivity.'


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"I will send four kinds of destroyers against them," declares the Lord, "the sword to kill and the dogs to drag away and the birds and the wild animals to devour and destroy.


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I will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.


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You have rejected me," declares the Lord. "You keep on backsliding. So I will reach out and destroy you; I am tired of holding back.


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I will winnow them with a winnowing fork at the city gates of the land. I will bring bereavement and destruction on my people, for they have not changed their ways.


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I will make their widows more numerous than the sand of the sea. At midday I will bring a destroyer against the mothers of their young men; suddenly I will bring down on them anguish and terror.


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The mother of seven will grow faint and breathe her last. Her sun will set while it is still day; she will be disgraced and humiliated. I will put the survivors to the sword before their enemies," declares the Lord.


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Alas, my mother, that you gave me birth, a man with whom the whole land strives and contends! I have neither lent nor borrowed, yet everyone curses me.


text:
The Lord said, "Surely I will deliver you for a good purpose; surely I will make your enemies plead with you in times of disaster and times of distress.


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"Your wealth and your treasures I will give as plunder, without charge, because of all your sins throughout your country.


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I will enslave you to your enemies in a land you do not know, for my anger will kindle a fire that will burn against you."


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Lord, you understand; remember me and care for me. Avenge me on my persecutors. You are long-suffering—do not take me away; think of how I suffer reproach for your sake.


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When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty.


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I never sat in the company of revelers, never made merry with them; I sat alone because your hand was on me and you had filled me with indignation.


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Why is my pain unending and my wound grievous and incurable? You are to me like a deceptive brook, like a spring that fails.


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Therefore this is what the Lord says: "If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them.


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I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you," declares the Lord.


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For this is what the Lord says about the sons and daughters born in this land and about the women who are their mothers and the men who are their fathers:


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"They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried but will be like dung lying on the ground. They will perish by sword and famine, and their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals."


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For this is what the Lord says: "Do not enter a house where there is a funeral meal; do not go to mourn or show sympathy, because I have withdrawn my blessing, my love and my pity from this people," declares the Lord.


text:
"Both high and low will die in this land. They will not be buried or mourned, and no one will cut themselves or shave their head for the dead.


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No one will offer food to comfort those who mourn for the dead—not even for a father or a mother—nor will anyone give them a drink to console them.


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For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Before your eyes and in your days I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in this place.


text:
"When you tell these people all this and they ask you, 'Why has the Lord decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the Lord our God?'


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then say to them, 'It is because your ancestors forsook me,' declares the Lord, 'and followed other gods and served and worshiped them. They forsook me and did not keep my law.


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But you have behaved more wickedly than your ancestors. See how all of you are following the stubbornness of your evil hearts instead of obeying me.


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So I will throw you out of this land into a land neither you nor your ancestors have known, and there you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.'


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"However, the days are coming," declares the Lord, "when it will no longer be said, 'As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,'


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but it will be said, 'As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.' For I will restore them to the land I gave their ancestors.


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"But now I will send for many fishermen," declares the Lord, "and they will catch them. After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks.


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My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes.


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I will repay them double for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled my land with the lifeless forms of their vile images and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols."


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Lord, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress, to you the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, "Our ancestors possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good.


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"Therefore I will teach them— this time I will teach them my power and might. Then they will know that my name is the Lord.


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"Judah's sin is engraved with an iron tool, inscribed with a flint point, on the tablets of their hearts and on the horns of their altars.


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Even their children remember their altars and Asherah poles <n>That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah</n> beside the spreading trees and on the high hills.


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My mountain in the land and your <n>Or [hills / [3] and the mountains of the land. / Your]</n> wealth and all your treasures I will give away as plunder, together with your high places, because of sin throughout your country.


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Through your own fault you will lose the inheritance I gave you. I will enslave you to your enemies in a land you do not know, for you have kindled my anger, and it will burn forever."


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This is what the Lord says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord.


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That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.


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They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."


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"I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve."


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Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay are those who gain riches by unjust means. When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them, and in the end they will prove to be fools.


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Lord, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.


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I have not run away from being your shepherd; you know I have not desired the day of despair. What passes my lips is open before you.


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Let my persecutors be put to shame, but keep me from shame; let them be terrified, but keep me from terror. Bring on them the day of disaster; destroy them with double destruction.


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This is what the Lord said to me: "Go and stand at the Gate of the People, <n>Or [Army]</n> through which the kings of Judah go in and out; stand also at all the other gates of Jerusalem.


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Say to them, 'Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah and all people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem who come through these gates.


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This is what the Lord says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem.


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Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors.


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Yet they did not listen or pay attention; they were stiff-necked and would not listen or respond to discipline.


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But if you are careful to obey me, declares the Lord, and bring no load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy by not doing any work on it,


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then kings who sit on David's throne will come through the gates of this city with their officials. They and their officials will come riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by the men of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever.


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People will come from the towns of Judah and the villages around Jerusalem, from the territory of Benjamin and the western foothills, from the hill country and the Negev, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing thank offerings to the house of the Lord.


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But if you do not obey me to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying any load as you come through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.'"


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But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.


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He said, "Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?" declares the Lord. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.


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and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.


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and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.


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"Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, 'This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.'


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But they will reply, 'It's no use. We will continue with our own plans; we will all follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts.'"


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Therefore this is what the Lord says: "Inquire among the nations: Who has ever heard anything like this? A most horrible thing has been done by Virgin Israel.


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Does the snow of Lebanon ever vanish from its rocky slopes? Do its cool waters from distant sources ever stop flowing? <n>The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.</n>


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Yet my people have forgotten me; they burn incense to worthless idols, which made them stumble in their ways, in the ancient paths. They made them walk in byways, on roads not built up.


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Their land will be an object of horror and of lasting scorn; all who pass by will be appalled and will shake their heads.


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Like a wind from the east, I will scatter them before their enemies; I will show them my back and not my face in the day of their disaster."


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They said, "Come, let's make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophets. So come, let's attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says."


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Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for me. Remember that I stood before you and spoke in their behalf to turn your wrath away from them.


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So give their children over to famine; hand them over to the power of the sword. Let their wives be made childless and widows; let their men be put to death, their young men slain by the sword in battle.


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Let a cry be heard from their houses when you suddenly bring invaders against them, for they have dug a pit to capture me and have hidden snares for my feet.


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But you, Lord, know all their plots to kill me. Do not forgive their crimes or blot out their sins from your sight. Let them be overthrown before you; deal with them in the time of your anger.


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This is what the Lord says: "Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take along some of the elders of the people and of the priests


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and go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom, near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. There proclaim the words I tell you,


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and say, 'Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah and people of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Listen! I am going to bring a disaster on this place that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle.


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For they have forsaken me and made this a place of foreign gods; they have burned incense in it to gods that neither they nor their ancestors nor the kings of Judah ever knew, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent.


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They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind.


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So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call this place Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.


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"'In this place I will ruin <n>The Hebrew for [ruin] sounds like the Hebrew for [jar] (see verses 1 and 10).</n> the plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, at the hands of those who want to kill them, and I will give their carcasses as food to the birds and the wild animals.


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I will devastate this city and make it an object of horror and scorn; all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff because of all its wounds.


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I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another's flesh because their enemies will press the siege so hard against them to destroy them.'


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and say to them, 'This is what the Lord Almighty says: I will smash this nation and this city just as this potter's jar is smashed and cannot be repaired. They will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room.


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This is what I will do to this place and to those who live here, declares the Lord. I will make this city like Topheth.


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The houses in Jerusalem and those of the kings of Judah will be defiled like this place, Topheth—all the houses where they burned incense on the roofs to all the starry hosts and poured out drink offerings to other gods.'"


text:
Jeremiah then returned from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, and stood in the court of the Lord's temple and said to all the people,


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"This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'Listen! I am going to bring on this city and all the villages around it every disaster I pronounced against them, because they were stiff-necked and would not listen to my words.'"


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When the priest Pashhur son of Immer, the official in charge of the temple of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things,


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he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin at the Lord's temple.


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The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, "The Lord's name for you is not Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side.


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For this is what the Lord says: 'I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; with your own eyes you will see them fall by the sword of their enemies. I will give all Judah into the hands of the king of Babylon, who will carry them away to Babylon or put them to the sword.


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I will deliver all the wealth of this city into the hands of their enemies—all its products, all its valuables and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. They will take it away as plunder and carry it off to Babylon.


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And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into exile to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies.'"


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You deceived <n>Or [persuaded]</n> me, Lord, and I was deceived <n>Or [persuaded]</n>; you overpowered me and prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me.


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Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long.


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But if I say, "I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name," his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.


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I hear many whispering, "Terror on every side! Denounce him! Let's denounce him!" All my friends are waiting for me to slip, saying, "Perhaps he will be deceived; then we will prevail over him and take our revenge on him."


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But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten.


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Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous and probe the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance on them, for to you I have committed my cause.


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Sing to the Lord! Give praise to the Lord! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked.


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Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, who made him very glad, saying, "A child is born to you—a son!"


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May that man be like the towns the Lord overthrew without pity. May he hear wailing in the morning, a battle cry at noon.


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The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. They said:


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"Inquire now of the Lord for us because Nebuchadnezzar <n>Hebrew [Nebuchadrezzar,] of which [Nebuchadnezzar] is a variant; here and often in Jeremiah and Ezekiel</n> king of Babylon is attacking us. Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us."


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'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians <n>Or [Chaldeans]; also in verse 9</n> who are outside the wall besieging you. And I will gather them inside this city.


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I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm in furious anger and in great wrath.


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I will strike down those who live in this city—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague.


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After that, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague, sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who want to kill them. He will put them to the sword; he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.'


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"Furthermore, tell the people, 'This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death.


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Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives.


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I have determined to do this city harm and not good, declares the Lord. It will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire.'


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This is what the Lord says to you, house of David: "'Administer justice every morning; rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done— burn with no one to quench it.


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I am against you, Jerusalem, you who live above this valley on the rocky plateau, declares the Lord— you who say, "Who can come against us? Who can enter our refuge?"


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I will punish you as your deeds deserve, declares the Lord. I will kindle a fire in your forests that will consume everything around you.'"


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This is what the Lord says: "Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there:


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'Hear the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David's throne—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates.


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This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.


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For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings who sit on David's throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people.


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But if you do not obey these commands, declares the Lord, I swear by myself that this palace will become a ruin.'"


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For this is what the Lord says about the palace of the king of Judah: "Though you are like Gilead to me, like the summit of Lebanon, I will surely make you like a wasteland, like towns not inhabited.


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I will send destroyers against you, each man with his weapons, and they will cut up your fine cedar beams and throw them into the fire.


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"People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, 'Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?'


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And the answer will be: 'Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods.'"


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Do not weep for the dead king or mourn his loss; rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled, because he will never return nor see his native land again.


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For this is what the Lord says about Shallum <n>Also called [Jehoahaz]</n> son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: "He will never return.


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"Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his own people work for nothing, not paying them for their labor.


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He says, 'I will build myself a great palace with spacious upper rooms.' So he makes large windows in it, panels it with cedar and decorates it in red.


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"Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He did what was right and just, so all went well with him.


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He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the Lord.


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"But your eyes and your heart are set only on dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood and on oppression and extortion."


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Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: "They will not mourn for him: 'Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!' They will not mourn for him: 'Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!'


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"Go up to Lebanon and cry out, let your voice be heard in Bashan, cry out from Abarim, for all your allies are crushed.


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I warned you when you felt secure, but you said, 'I will not listen!' This has been your way from your youth; you have not obeyed me.


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The wind will drive all your shepherds away, and your allies will go into exile. Then you will be ashamed and disgraced because of all your wickedness.


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You who live in 'Lebanon,' who are nestled in cedar buildings, how you will groan when pangs come upon you, pain like that of a woman in labor!


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"As surely as I live," declares the Lord, "even if you, Jehoiachin <n>Hebrew [Koniah,] a variant of [Jehoiachin]; also in verse 28</n> son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off.


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I will deliver you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians. <n>Or [Chaldeans]</n>


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I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die.


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Is this man Jehoiachin a despised, broken pot, an object no one wants? Why will he and his children be hurled out, cast into a land they do not know?


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This is what the Lord says: "Record this man as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah."


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"Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!" declares the Lord.


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Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: "Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done," declares the Lord.


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"I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number.


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I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the Lord.


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"The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will raise up for David <n>Or [up from David's line]</n> a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.


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In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.


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"So then, the days are coming," declares the Lord, "when people will no longer say, 'As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,'


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but they will say, 'As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.' Then they will live in their own land."


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Concerning the prophets: My heart is broken within me; all my bones tremble. I am like a drunken man, like a strong man overcome by wine, because of the Lord and his holy words.


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The land is full of adulterers; because of the curse <n>Or [because of these things]</n> the land lies parched and the pastures in the wilderness are withered. The prophets follow an evil course and use their power unjustly.


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"Both prophet and priest are godless; even in my temple I find their wickedness," declares the Lord.


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"Therefore their path will become slippery; they will be banished to darkness and there they will fall. I will bring disaster on them in the year they are punished," declares the Lord.


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"Among the prophets of Samaria I saw this repulsive thing: They prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray.


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And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible: They commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that not one of them turns from their wickedness. They are all like Sodom to me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah."


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Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says concerning the prophets: "I will make them eat bitter food and drink poisoned water, because from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has spread throughout the land."


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This is what the Lord Almighty says: "Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.


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They keep saying to those who despise me, 'The Lord says: You will have peace.' And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts they say, 'No harm will come to you.'


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But which of them has stood in the council of the Lord to see or to hear his word? Who has listened and heard his word?


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See, the storm of the Lord will burst out in wrath, a whirlwind swirling down on the heads of the wicked.


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The anger of the Lord will not turn back until he fully accomplishes the purposes of his heart. In days to come you will understand it clearly.


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I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied.


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But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds.


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Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?" declares the Lord. "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" declares the Lord.


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"I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, 'I had a dream! I had a dream!'


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How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds?


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They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget my name, just as their ancestors forgot my name through Baal worship.


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Let the prophet who has a dream recount the dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?" declares the Lord.


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"Therefore," declares the Lord, "I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me.


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Yes," declares the Lord, "I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, 'The Lord declares.'


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Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams," declares the Lord. "They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least," declares the Lord.


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"When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, 'What is the message from the Lord?' say to them, 'What message? I will forsake you, declares the Lord.'


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If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, 'This is a message from the Lord,' I will punish them and their household.


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This is what each of you keeps saying to your friends and other Israelites: 'What is the Lord's answer?' or 'What has the Lord spoken?'


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But you must not mention 'a message from the Lord' again, because each one's word becomes their own message. So you distort the words of the living God, the Lord Almighty, our God.


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This is what you keep saying to a prophet: 'What is the Lord's answer to you?' or 'What has the Lord spoken?'


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Although you claim, 'This is a message from the Lord,' this is what the Lord says: You used the words, 'This is a message from the Lord,' even though I told you that you must not claim, 'This is a message from the Lord.'


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Therefore, I will surely forget you and cast you out of my presence along with the city I gave to you and your ancestors.


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After Jehoiachin <n>Hebrew [Jeconiah,] a variant of [Jehoiachin]</n> son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the skilled workers and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the Lord.


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One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early; the other basket had very bad figs, so bad they could not be eaten.


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Then the Lord asked me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" "Figs," I answered. "The good ones are very good, but the bad ones are so bad they cannot be eaten."


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"This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians. <n>Or [Chaldeans]</n>


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My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them.


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I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.


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"'But like the bad figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,' says the Lord, 'so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the survivors from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt.


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I will make them abhorrent and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword, a curse and an object of ridicule, wherever I banish them.


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I will send the sword, famine and plague against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their ancestors.'"


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The word came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.


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For twenty-three years—from the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah until this very day—the word of the Lord has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened.


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And though the Lord has sent all his servants the prophets to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention.


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They said, "Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and your evil practices, and you can stay in the land the Lord gave to you and your ancestors for ever and ever.


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Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them; do not arouse my anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you."


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"But you did not listen to me," declares the Lord, "and you have aroused my anger with what your hands have made, and you have brought harm to yourselves."


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I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon," declares the Lord, "and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy <n>The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.</n> them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin.


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I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp.


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This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.


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"But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, <n>Or [Chaldeans]</n> for their guilt," declares the Lord, "and will make it desolate forever.


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I will bring on that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are written in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations.


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They themselves will be enslaved by many nations and great kings; I will repay them according to their deeds and the work of their hands."


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This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: "Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.


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Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruin and an object of horror and scorn, a curse—as they are today;


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and all the foreign people there; all the kings of Uz; all the kings of the Philistines (those of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the people left at Ashdod);


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Dedan, Tema, Buz and all who are in distant places <n>Or [who clip the hair by their foreheads]</n>;


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and all the kings of the north, near and far, one after the other—all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshak <n>[Sheshak] is a cryptogram for Babylon.</n> will drink it too.


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"Then tell them, 'This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the sword I will send among you.'


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But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink, tell them, 'This is what the Lord Almighty says: You must drink it!


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See, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears my Name, and will you indeed go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword on all who live on the earth, declares the Lord Almighty.'


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"Now prophesy all these words against them and say to them: "'The Lord will roar from on high; he will thunder from his holy dwelling and roar mightily against his land. He will shout like those who tread the grapes, shout against all who live on the earth.


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The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth, for the Lord will bring charges against the nations; he will bring judgment on all mankind and put the wicked to the sword,'" declares the Lord.


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This is what the Lord Almighty says: "Look! Disaster is spreading from nation to nation; a mighty storm is rising from the ends of the earth."


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At that time those slain by the Lord will be everywhere—from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned or gathered up or buried, but will be like dung lying on the ground.


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Weep and wail, you shepherds; roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock. For your time to be slaughtered has come; you will fall like the best of the rams. <n>Septuagint; Hebrew [fall and be shattered like fine pottery]</n>


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Hear the cry of the shepherds, the wailing of the leaders of the flock, for the Lord is destroying their pasture.


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Like a lion he will leave his lair, and their land will become desolate because of the sword of the oppressor and because of the Lord's fierce anger.


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"This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard of the Lord's house and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the house of the Lord. Tell them everything I command you; do not omit a word.


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Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from their evil ways. Then I will relent and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done.


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Say to them, 'This is what the Lord says: If you do not listen to me and follow my law, which I have set before you,


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and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listened),


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The priests, the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the Lord.


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But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the Lord had commanded him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized him and said, "You must die!


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Why do you prophesy in the Lord's name that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted?" And all the people crowded around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.


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When the officials of Judah heard about these things, they went up from the royal palace to the house of the Lord and took their places at the entrance of the New Gate of the Lord's house.


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Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, "This man should be sentenced to death because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!"


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Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and all the people: "The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the things you have heard.


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Now reform your ways and your actions and obey the Lord your God. Then the Lord will relent and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you.


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Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing."


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Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, "This man should not be sentenced to death! He has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God."


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"Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah, 'This is what the Lord Almighty says: "'Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.'


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"Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in Judah put him to death? Did not Hezekiah fear the Lord and seek his favor? And did not the Lord relent, so that he did not bring the disaster he pronounced against them? We are about to bring a terrible disaster on ourselves!"


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(Now Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord; he prophesied the same things against this city and this land as Jeremiah did.


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When King Jehoiakim and all his officers and officials heard his words, the king was determined to put him to death. But Uriah heard of it and fled in fear to Egypt.


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They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him struck down with a sword and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people.)


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Furthermore, Ahikam son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, and so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.


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Early in the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord:


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Then send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.


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Give them a message for their masters and say, 'This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "Tell this to your masters:


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With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please.


