# verses

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<pb/>“You came down at Mount Sinai and spoke to them from heaven. You gave them regulations and instructions that were just, and decrees and commands that were good.


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You instructed them concerning your holy Sabbath. And you commanded them, through Moses your servant, to obey all your commands, decrees, and instructions.


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“You gave them bread from heaven when they were hungry and water from the rock when they were thirsty. You commanded them to go and take possession of the land you had sworn to give them.


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They refused to obey and did not remember the miracles you had done for them. Instead, they became stubborn and appointed a leader to take them back to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love. You did not abandon them,


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even when they made an idol shaped like a calf and said, ‘This is your god who brought you out of Egypt!’ They committed terrible blasphemies.


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<pb/>“But in your great mercy you did not abandon them to die in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud still led them forward by day, and the pillar of fire showed them the way through the night.


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You sent your good Spirit to instruct them, and you did not stop giving them manna from heaven or water for their thirst.


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


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<pb/>“Then you helped our ancestors conquer kingdoms and nations, and you placed your people in every corner of the land. They took over the land of King Sihon of Heshbon and the land of King Og of Bashan.


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You made their descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and brought them into the land you had promised to their ancestors.


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“They went in and took possession of the land. You subdued whole nations before them. Even the Canaanites, who inhabited the land, were powerless! Your people could deal with these nations and their kings as they pleased.


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Our ancestors captured fortified cities and fertile land. They took over houses full of good things, with cisterns already dug and vineyards and olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate until they were full and grew fat and enjoyed themselves in all your blessings.


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<pb/>“But despite all this, they were disobedient and rebelled against you. They turned their backs on your Law, they killed your prophets who warned them to return to you, and they committed terrible blasphemies.


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So you handed them over to their enemies, who made them suffer. But in their time of trouble they cried to you, and you heard them from heaven. In your great mercy, you sent them liberators who rescued them from their enemies.


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<pb/>“But as soon as they were at peace, your people again committed evil in your sight, and once more you let their enemies conquer them. Yet whenever your people turned and cried to you again for help, you listened once more from heaven. In your wonderful mercy, you rescued them many times!


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“You warned them to return to your Law, but they became proud and obstinate and disobeyed your commands. They did not follow your regulations, by which people will find life if only they obey. They stubbornly turned their backs on you and refused to listen.


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In your love, you were patient with them for many years. You sent your Spirit, who warned them through the prophets. But still they wouldn’t listen! So once again you allowed the peoples of the land to conquer them.


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But in your great mercy, you did not destroy them completely or abandon them forever. What a gracious and merciful God you are!


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<pb/>“And now, our God, the great and mighty and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of unfailing love, do not let all the hardships we have suffered seem insignificant to you. Great trouble has come upon us and upon our kings and leaders and priests and prophets and ancestors—all of your people—from the days when the kings of Assyria first triumphed over us until now.


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Every time you punished us you were being just. We have sinned greatly, and you gave us only what we deserved.


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Our kings, leaders, priests, and ancestors did not obey your Law or listen to the warnings in your commands and laws.


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Even while they had their own kingdom, they did not serve you, though you showered your goodness on them. You gave them a large, fertile land, but they refused to turn from their wickedness.


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<pb/>“So now today we are slaves in the land of plenty that you gave our ancestors for their enjoyment! We are slaves here in this good land.


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The lush produce of this land piles up in the hands of the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They have power over us and our livestock. We serve them at their pleasure, and we are in great misery.”</t>


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The People Agree to Obey The people responded, <t>“In view of all this, we are making a solemn promise and putting it in writing. On this sealed document are the names of our leaders and Levites and priests.”</t>


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The document was ratified and sealed with the following names: The governor: Nehemiah son of Hacaliah, and also Zedekiah.


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<pb/>The Vow of the People Then the rest of the people—the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, Temple servants, and all who had separated themselves from the pagan people of the land in order to obey the Law of God, together with their wives, sons, daughters, and all who were old enough to understand—


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joined their leaders and bound themselves with an oath. They swore a curse on themselves if they failed to obey the Law of God as issued by his servant Moses. They solemnly promised to carefully follow all the commands, regulations, and decrees of the Lord our Lord:


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<pb/>“We promise not to let our daughters marry the pagan people of the land, and not to let our sons marry their daughters.


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“We also promise that if the people of the land should bring any merchandise or grain to be sold on the Sabbath or on any other holy day, we will refuse to buy it. Every seventh year we will let our land rest, and we will cancel all debts owed to us.


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“In addition, we promise to obey the command to pay the annual Temple tax of one-eighth of an ounce of silver for the care of the Temple of our God.


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This will provide for the Bread of the Presence; for the regular grain offerings and burnt offerings; for the offerings on the Sabbaths, the new moon celebrations, and the annual festivals; for the holy offerings; and for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel. It will provide for everything necessary for the work of the Temple of our God.


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<pb/>“We have cast sacred lots to determine when—at regular times each year—the families of the priests, Levites, and the common people should bring wood to God’s Temple to be burned on the altar of the Lord our God, as is written in the Law.


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“We promise to bring the first part of every harvest to the Lord’s Temple year after year—whether it be a crop from the soil or from our fruit trees.


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We agree to give God our oldest sons and the firstborn of all our herds and flocks, as prescribed in the Law. We will present them to the priests who minister in the Temple of our God.


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We will store the produce in the storerooms of the Temple of our God. We will bring the best of our flour and other grain offerings, the best of our fruit, and the best of our new wine and olive oil. And we promise to bring to the Levites a tenth of everything our land produces, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all our rural towns.


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“A priest—a descendant of Aaron—will be with the Levites as they receive these tithes. And a tenth of all that is collected as tithes will be delivered by the Levites to the Temple of our God and placed in the storerooms.


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The people and the Levites must bring these offerings of grain, new wine, and olive oil to the storerooms and place them in the sacred containers near the ministering priests, the gatekeepers, and the singers. <t>“We promise together not to neglect the Temple of our God.”</t>


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<pb/>The People Occupy Jerusalem The leaders of the people were living in Jerusalem, the holy city. A tenth of the people from the other towns of Judah and Benjamin were chosen by sacred lots to live there, too, while the rest stayed where they were.


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<pb/>Here is a list of the names of the provincial officials who came to live in Jerusalem. (Most of the people, priests, Levites, Temple servants, and descendants of Solomon’s servants continued to live in their own homes in the various towns of Judah,


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but some of the people from Judah and Benjamin resettled in Jerusalem.) From the tribe of Judah: Athaiah son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of the family of Perez.


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Also Maaseiah son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, of the family of Shelah.


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<pb/>From the tribe of Benjamin: Sallu son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah.


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Their chief officer was Joel son of Zicri, who was assisted by Judah son of Hassenuah, second-in-command over the city.


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and Seraiah son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, the supervisor of the Temple of God.


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Also 822 of their associates, who worked at the Temple. Also Adaiah son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malkijah,


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along with 242 of his associates, who were heads of their families. Also Amashsai son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer,


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Also Mattaniah son of Mica, son of Zabdi, a descendant of Asaph, who led in thanksgiving and prayer. Also Bakbukiah, who was Mattaniah’s assistant, and Abda son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun.


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<pb/>The other priests, Levites, and the rest of the Israelites lived wherever their family inheritance was located in any of the towns of Judah.


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<pb/>The Temple servants, however, whose leaders were Ziha and Gishpa, all lived on the hill of Ophel.


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<pb/>The chief officer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica, a descendant of Asaph, whose family served as singers at God’s Temple.


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<pb/>Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, a descendant of Zerah son of Judah, was the royal adviser in all matters of public administration.


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<pb/>As for the surrounding villages with their open fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba with its settlements, Dibon with its settlements, and Jekabzeel with its villages.


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Zanoah, and Adullam with their surrounding villages. They also lived in Lachish with its nearby fields and Azekah with its surrounding villages. So the people of Judah were living all the way from Beersheba in the south to the valley of Hinnom.


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<pb/>A History of the Priests and Levites Here is the list of the priests and Levites who returned with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the high priest: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,


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


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<pb/>The Levites who returned with them were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who with his associates was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving.


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<pb/>Jeshua the high priest was the father of Joiakim. Joiakim was the father of Eliashib. Eliashib was the father of Joiada.


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<pb/>Now when Joiakim was high priest, the family leaders of the priests were as follows: Meraiah was leader of the family of Seraiah. Hananiah was leader of the family of Jeremiah.


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Zicri was leader of the family of Abijah. There was also a leader of the family of Miniamin. Piltai was leader of the family of Moadiah.


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<pb/>A record of the Levite families was kept during the years when Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua served as high priest. Another record of the priests was kept during the reign of Darius the Persian.


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A record of the heads of the Levite families was kept in The Book of History down to the days of Johanan, the grandson of Eliashib.


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These were the family leaders of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, and other associates, who stood opposite them during the ceremonies of praise and thanksgiving, one section responding to the other, as commanded by David, the man of God.


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<pb/>This included Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, and Obadiah. Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were the gatekeepers in charge of the storerooms at the gates.


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These all served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, son of Jehozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest and scribe.


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Dedication of Jerusalem’s Wall For the dedication of the new wall of Jerusalem, the Levites throughout the land were asked to come to Jerusalem to assist in the ceremonies. They were to take part in the joyous occasion with their songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps, and lyres.


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The singers were brought together from the region around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites.


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They also came from Beth-gilgal and the rural areas near Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built their own settlements around Jerusalem.


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The priests and Levites first purified themselves; then they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.


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<pb/>I led the leaders of Judah to the top of the wall and organized two large choirs to give thanks. One of the choirs proceeded southward along the top of the wall to the Dung Gate.


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Then came some priests who played trumpets, including Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, a descendant of Asaph.


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And Zechariah’s colleagues were Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani. They used the musical instruments prescribed by David, the man of God. Ezra the scribe led this procession.


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At the Fountain Gate they went straight up the steps on the ascent of the city wall toward the City of David. They passed the house of David and then proceeded to the Water Gate on the east.


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<pb/>The second choir giving thanks went northward around the other way to meet them. I followed them, together with the other half of the people, along the top of the wall past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall,


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then past the Ephraim Gate to the Old City Gate, past the Fish Gate and the Tower of Hananel, and on to the Tower of the Hundred. Then we continued on to the Sheep Gate and stopped at the Guard Gate.


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<pb/>The two choirs that were giving thanks then proceeded to the Temple of God, where they took their places. So did I, together with the group of leaders who were with me.


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We went together with the trumpet-playing priests—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah—


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and the singers—Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam, and Ezer. They played and sang loudly under the direction of Jezrahiah the choir director.


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Many sacrifices were offered on that joyous day, for God had given the people cause for great joy. The women and children also participated in the celebration, and the joy of the people of Jerusalem could be heard far away.


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<pb/>Provisions for Temple Worship On that day men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the offerings, the first part of the harvest, and the tithes. They were responsible to collect from the fields outside the towns the portions required by the Law for the priests and Levites. For all the people of Judah took joy in the priests and Levites and their work.


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They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as commanded by David and his son Solomon, and so did the singers and the gatekeepers.


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The custom of having choir directors to lead the choirs in hymns of praise and thanksgiving to God began long ago in the days of David and Asaph.


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So now, in the days of Zerubbabel and of Nehemiah, all Israel brought a daily supply of food for the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Levites. The Levites, in turn, gave a portion of what they received to the priests, the descendants of Aaron.


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<pb/>Nehemiah’s Various Reforms On that same day, as the Book of Moses was being read to the people, the passage was found that said no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be permitted to enter the assembly of God.


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For they had not provided the Israelites with food and water in the wilderness. Instead, they hired Balaam to curse them, though our God turned the curse into a blessing.


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When this passage of the Law was read, all those of foreign descent were immediately excluded from the assembly.


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<pb/>Before this had happened, Eliashib the priest, who had been appointed as supervisor of the storerooms of the Temple of our God and who was also a relative of Tobiah,


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had converted a large storage room and placed it at Tobiah’s disposal. The room had previously been used for storing the grain offerings, the frankincense, various articles for the Temple, and the tithes of grain, new wine, and olive oil (which were prescribed for the Levites, the singers, and the gatekeepers), as well as the offerings for the priests.


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<pb/>I was not in Jerusalem at that time, for I had returned to King Artaxerxes of Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign, though I later asked his permission to return.


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When I arrived back in Jerusalem, I learned about Eliashib’s evil deed in providing Tobiah with a room in the courtyards of the Temple of God.


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Then I demanded that the rooms be purified, and I brought back the articles for God’s Temple, the grain offerings, and the frankincense.


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<pb/>I also discovered that the Levites had not been given their prescribed portions of food, so they and the singers who were to conduct the worship services had all returned to work their fields.


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I immediately confronted the leaders and demanded, <t>“Why has the Temple of God been neglected?”</t> Then I called all the Levites back again and restored them to their proper duties.


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<pb/>And once more all the people of Judah began bringing their tithes of grain, new wine, and olive oil to the Temple storerooms.


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I assigned supervisors for the storerooms: Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah, one of the Levites. And I appointed Hanan son of Zaccur and grandson of Mattaniah as their assistant. These men had an excellent reputation, and it was their job to make honest distributions to their fellow Levites.


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<pb/>Remember this good deed, O my God, and do not forget all that I have faithfully done for the Temple of my God and its services.


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<pb/>In those days I saw men of Judah treading out their winepresses on the Sabbath. They were also bringing in grain, loading it on donkeys, and bringing their wine, grapes, figs, and all sorts of produce to Jerusalem to sell on the Sabbath. So I rebuked them for selling their produce on that day.


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Some men from Tyre, who lived in Jerusalem, were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise. They were selling it on the Sabbath to the people of Judah—and in Jerusalem at that!


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So I confronted the nobles of Judah. <t>“Why are you profaning the Sabbath in this evil way?”</t> I asked.


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“Wasn’t it just this sort of thing that your ancestors did that caused our God to bring all this trouble upon us and our city? Now you are bringing even more wrath upon Israel by permitting the Sabbath to be desecrated in this way!”</t>


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<pb/>Then I commanded that the gates of Jerusalem should be shut as darkness fell every Friday evening, not to be opened until the Sabbath ended. I sent some of my own servants to guard the gates so that no merchandise could be brought in on the Sabbath day.


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But I spoke sharply to them and said, <t>“What are you doing out here, camping around the wall? If you do this again, I will arrest you!”</t> And that was the last time they came on the Sabbath.


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Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and to guard the gates in order to preserve the holiness of the Sabbath. Remember this good deed also, O my God! Have compassion on me according to your great and unfailing love.


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<pb/>About the same time I realized that some of the men of Judah had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.


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Furthermore, half their children spoke the language of Ashdod or of some other people and could not speak the language of Judah at all.


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So I confronted them and called down curses on them. I beat some of them and pulled out their hair. I made them swear in the name of God that they would not let their children intermarry with the pagan people of the land.


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“Wasn’t this exactly what led King Solomon of Israel into sin?”</t> I demanded. <t>“There was no king from any nation who could compare to him, and God loved him and made him king over all Israel. But even he was led into sin by his foreign wives.


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How could you even think of committing this sinful deed and acting unfaithfully toward God by marrying foreign women?”</t>


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<pb/>One of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest had married a daughter of Sanballat the Horonite, so I banished him from my presence.


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<pb/>Remember them, O my God, for they have defiled the priesthood and the solemn vows of the priests and Levites.


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<pb/>So I purged out everything foreign and assigned tasks to the priests and Levites, making certain that each knew his work.


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I also made sure that the supply of wood for the altar and the first portions of the harvest were brought at the proper times. Remember this in my favor, O my God.


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<pb/>The King’s Banquet These events happened in the days of King Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia.


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In the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. He invited all the military officers of Persia and Media as well as the princes and nobles of the provinces.


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<pb/>The celebration lasted 180 days—a tremendous display of the opulent wealth of his empire and the pomp and splendor of his majesty.


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When it was all over, the king gave a banquet for all the people, from the greatest to the least, who were in the fortress of Susa. It lasted for seven days and was held in the courtyard of the palace garden.


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The courtyard was beautifully decorated with white cotton curtains and blue hangings, which were fastened with white linen cords and purple ribbons to silver rings embedded in marble pillars. Gold and silver couches stood on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and other costly stones.


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Drinks were served in gold goblets of many designs, and there was an abundance of royal wine, reflecting the king’s generosity.


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By edict of the king, no limits were placed on the drinking, for the king had instructed all his palace officials to serve each man as much as he wanted.


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Queen Vashti Deposed On the seventh day of the feast, when King Xerxes was in high spirits because of the wine, he told the seven eunuchs who attended him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas—


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to bring Queen Vashti to him with the royal crown on her head. He wanted the nobles and all the other men to gaze on her beauty, for she was a very beautiful woman.


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But when they conveyed the king’s order to Queen Vashti, she refused to come. This made the king furious, and he burned with anger.


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<pb/>He immediately consulted with his wise advisers, who knew all the Persian laws and customs, for he always asked their advice.


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The names of these men were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan—seven nobles of Persia and Media. They met with the king regularly and held the highest positions in the empire.


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“What must be done to Queen Vashti?”</t> the king demanded. <t>“What penalty does the law provide for a queen who refuses to obey the king’s orders, properly sent through his eunuchs?”</t>


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<pb/>Memucan answered the king and his nobles, “Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but also every noble and citizen throughout your empire.


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Women everywhere will begin to despise their husbands when they learn that Queen Vashti has refused to appear before the king.


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Before this day is out, the wives of all the king’s nobles throughout Persia and Media will hear what the queen did and will start treating their husbands the same way. There will be no end to their contempt and anger.


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“So if it please the king, we suggest that you issue a written decree, a law of the Persians and Medes that cannot be revoked. It should order that Queen Vashti be forever banished from the presence of King Xerxes, and that the king should choose another queen more worthy than she.


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When this decree is published throughout the king’s vast empire, husbands everywhere, whatever their rank, will receive proper respect from their wives!”</t>


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He sent letters to all parts of the empire, to each province in its own script and language, proclaiming that every man should be the ruler of his own home and should say whatever he pleases.


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<pb/>Esther Becomes Queen But after Xerxes’ anger had subsided, he began thinking about Vashti and what she had done and the decree he had made.


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So his personal attendants suggested, <t>“Let us search the empire to find beautiful young virgins for the king.


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Let the king appoint agents in each province to bring these beautiful young women into the royal harem at the fortress of Susa. Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the harem, will see that they are all given beauty treatments.


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After that, the young woman who most pleases the king will be made queen instead of Vashti.”</t> This advice was very appealing to the king, so he put the plan into effect.


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<pb/>At that time there was a Jewish man in the fortress of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair. He was from the tribe of Benjamin and was a descendant of Kish and Shimei.


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His family had been among those who, with King Jehoiachin of Judah, had been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar.


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This man had a very beautiful and lovely young cousin, Hadassah, who was also called Esther. When her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her into his family and raised her as his own daughter.


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<pb/>As a result of the king’s decree, Esther, along with many other young women, was brought to the king’s harem at the fortress of Susa and placed in Hegai’s care.


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Hegai was very impressed with Esther and treated her kindly. He quickly ordered a special menu for her and provided her with beauty treatments. He also assigned her seven maids specially chosen from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem.


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<pb/>Esther had not told anyone of her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had directed her not to do so.


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Every day Mordecai would take a walk near the courtyard of the harem to find out about Esther and what was happening to her.


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<pb/>Before each young woman was taken to the king’s bed, she was given the prescribed twelve months of beauty treatments—six months with oil of myrrh, followed by six months with special perfumes and ointments.


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When it was time for her to go to the king’s palace, she was given her choice of whatever clothing or jewelry she wanted to take from the harem.


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That evening she was taken to the king’s private rooms, and the next morning she was brought to the second harem, where the king’s wives lived. There she would be under the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the concubines. She would never go to the king again unless he had especially enjoyed her and requested her by name.


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<pb/>Esther was the daughter of Abihail, who was Mordecai’s uncle. (Mordecai had adopted his younger cousin Esther.) When it was Esther’s turn to go to the king, she accepted the advice of Hegai, the eunuch in charge of the harem. She asked for nothing except what he suggested, and she was admired by everyone who saw her.


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Esther was taken to King Xerxes at the royal palace in early winter of the seventh year of his reign.


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And the king loved Esther more than any of the other young women. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen instead of Vashti.


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To celebrate the occasion, he gave a great banquet in Esther’s honor for all his nobles and officials, declaring a public holiday for the provinces and giving generous gifts to everyone.


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Even after all the young women had been transferred to the second harem and Mordecai had become a palace official,


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Esther continued to keep her family background and nationality a secret. She was still following Mordecai’s directions, just as she did when she lived in his home.


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<pb/>Mordecai’s Loyalty to the King One day as Mordecai was on duty at the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthana and Teresh—who were guards at the door of the king’s private quarters—became angry at King Xerxes and plotted to assassinate him.


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But Mordecai heard about the plot and gave the information to Queen Esther. She then told the king about it and gave Mordecai credit for the report.


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When an investigation was made and Mordecai’s story was found to be true, the two men were impaled on a sharpened pole. This was all recorded in The Book of the History of King Xerxes’ Reign.


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<pb/>Haman’s Plot against the Jews Some time later King Xerxes promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite over all the other nobles, making him the most powerful official in the empire.


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All the king’s officials would bow down before Haman to show him respect whenever he passed by, for so the king had commanded. But Mordecai refused to bow down or show him respect.


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<pb/>Then the palace officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king’s command?”


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They spoke to him day after day, but still he refused to comply with the order. So they spoke to Haman about this to see if he would tolerate Mordecai’s conduct, since Mordecai had told them he was a Jew.


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He had learned of Mordecai’s nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes.


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<pb/>So in the month of April, during the twelfth year of King Xerxes’ reign, lots were cast in Haman’s presence (the lots were called purim) to determine the best day and month to take action. And the day selected was March 7, nearly a year later.


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<pb/>Then Haman approached King Xerxes and said, “There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire who keep themselves separate from everyone else. Their laws are different from those of any other people, and they refuse to obey the laws of the king. So it is not in the king’s interest to let them live.


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If it please the king, issue a decree that they be destroyed, and I will give 10,000 large sacks of silver to the government administrators to be deposited in the royal treasury.”</t>


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<pb/>The king agreed, confirming his decision by removing his signet ring from his finger and giving it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.


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<pb/>So on April 17 the king’s secretaries were summoned, and a decree was written exactly as Haman dictated. It was sent to the king’s highest officers, the governors of the respective provinces, and the nobles of each province in their own scripts and languages. The decree was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the king’s signet ring.


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Dispatches were sent by swift messengers into all the provinces of the empire, giving the order that all Jews—young and old, including women and children—must be killed, slaughtered, and annihilated on a single day. This was scheduled to happen on March 7 of the next year. The property of the Jews would be given to those who killed them.


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A copy of this decree was to be issued as law in every province and proclaimed to all peoples, so that they would be ready to do their duty on the appointed day.


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At the king’s command, the decree went out by swift messengers, and it was also proclaimed in the fortress of Susa. Then the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa fell into confusion.


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<pb/>Mordecai Requests Esther’s Help When Mordecai learned about all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on burlap and ashes, and went out into the city, crying with a loud and bitter wail.


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He went as far as the gate of the palace, for no one was allowed to enter the palace gate while wearing clothes of mourning.


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And as news of the king’s decree reached all the provinces, there was great mourning among the Jews. They fasted, wept, and wailed, and many people lay in burlap and ashes.


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When Queen Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, she was deeply distressed. She sent clothing to him to replace the burlap, but he refused it.


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Then Esther sent for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who had been appointed as her attendant. She ordered him to go to Mordecai and find out what was troubling him and why he was in mourning.


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Mordecai told him the whole story, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews.


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Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the decree issued in Susa that called for the death of all Jews. He asked Hathach to show it to Esther and explain the situation to her. He also asked Hathach to direct her to go to the king to beg for mercy and plead for her people.


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“All the king’s officials and even the people in the provinces know that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter. And the king has not called for me to come to him for thirty days.”</t>


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Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: <t>“Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed.


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If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”</t>


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“Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.”</t>


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<pb/>Esther’s Request to the King On the third day of the fast, Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court of the palace, just across from the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne, facing the entrance.


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When he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her and held out the gold scepter to her. So Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter.


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<pb/>Then the king asked her, “What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!”


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<pb/>And Esther replied, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet I have prepared for the king.”


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<pb/>The king turned to his attendants and said, “Tell Haman to come quickly to a banquet, as Esther has requested.” So the king and Haman went to Esther’s banquet.


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And while they were drinking wine, the king said to Esther, <t>“Now tell me what you really want. What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!”</t>


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If I have found favor with the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my request and do what I ask, please come with Haman tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for you. Then I will explain what this is all about.”</t>


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Haman’s Plan to Kill Mordecai Haman was a happy man as he left the banquet! But when he saw Mordecai sitting at the palace gate, not standing up or trembling nervously before him, Haman became furious.


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However, he restrained himself and went on home. Then Haman gathered together his friends and Zeresh, his wife,


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and boasted to them about his great wealth and his many children. He bragged about the honors the king had given him and how he had been promoted over all the other nobles and officials.


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Then Haman added, <t>“And that’s not all! Queen Esther invited only me and the king himself to the banquet she prepared for us. And she has invited me to dine with her and the king again tomorrow!”</t>


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Then he added, <t>“But this is all worth nothing as long as I see Mordecai the Jew just sitting there at the palace gate.”</t>


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<pb/>So Haman’s wife, Zeresh, and all his friends suggested, “Set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet tall, and in the morning ask the king to impale Mordecai on it. When this is done, you can go on your merry way to the banquet with the king.” This pleased Haman, and he ordered the pole set up.


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<pb/>The King Honors Mordecai That night the king had trouble sleeping, so he ordered an attendant to bring the book of the history of his reign so it could be read to him.


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In those records he discovered an account of how Mordecai had exposed the plot of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the eunuchs who guarded the door to the king’s private quarters. They had plotted to assassinate King Xerxes.


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<pb/>“What reward or recognition did we ever give Mordecai for this?” the king asked. His attendants replied, “Nothing has been done for him.”


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<pb/>“Who is that in the outer court?” the king inquired. As it happened, Haman had just arrived in the outer court of the palace to ask the king to impale Mordecai on the pole he had prepared.


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So the attendants replied to the king, <t>“Haman is out in the court.”</t> <t>“Bring him in,”</t> the king ordered.


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<pb/>So Haman came in, and the king said, “What should I do to honor a man who truly pleases me?” Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king wish to honor more than me?”


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he should bring out one of the king’s own royal robes, as well as a horse that the king himself has ridden—one with a royal emblem on its head.


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Let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials. And let him see that the man whom the king wishes to honor is dressed in the king’s robes and led through the city square on the king’s horse. Have the official shout as they go, ‘This is what the king does for someone he wishes to honor!’”</t>


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<pb/>“Excellent!” the king said to Haman. “Quick! Take the robes and my horse, and do just as you have said for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the gate of the palace. Leave out nothing you have suggested!”


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<pb/>So Haman took the robes and put them on Mordecai, placed him on the king’s own horse, and led him through the city square, shouting, “This is what the king does for someone he wishes to honor!”


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<pb/>Afterward Mordecai returned to the palace gate, but Haman hurried home dejected and completely humiliated.


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When Haman told his wife, Zeresh, and all his friends what had happened, his wise advisers and his wife said, <t>“Since Mordecai—this man who has humiliated you—is of Jewish birth, you will never succeed in your plans against him. It will be fatal to continue opposing him.”</t>


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<pb/>While they were still talking, the king’s eunuchs arrived and quickly took Haman to the banquet Esther had prepared.


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On this second occasion, while they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, <t>“Tell me what you want, Queen Esther. What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!”</t>


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<pb/>Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor with the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my request, I ask that my life and the lives of my people will be spared.


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For my people and I have been sold to those who would kill, slaughter, and annihilate us. If we had merely been sold as slaves, I could remain quiet, for that would be too trivial a matter to warrant disturbing the king.”</t>


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<pb/>“Who would do such a thing?” King Xerxes demanded. “Who would be so presumptuous as to touch you?”


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<pb/>Esther replied, “This wicked Haman is our adversary and our enemy.” Haman grew pale with fright before the king and queen.


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Then the king jumped to his feet in a rage and went out into the palace garden. Haman, however, stayed behind to plead for his life with Queen Esther, for he knew that the king intended to kill him.


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<pb/>In despair he fell on the couch where Queen Esther was reclining, just as the king was returning from the palace garden. The king exclaimed, “Will he even assault the queen right here in the palace, before my very eyes?” And as soon as the king spoke, his attendants covered Haman’s face, signaling his doom.


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Then Harbona, one of the king’s eunuchs, said, <t>“Haman has set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet tall in his own courtyard. He intended to use it to impale Mordecai, the man who saved the king from assassination.”</t> <t>“Then impale Haman on it!”</t> the king ordered.


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<pb/>A Decree to Help the Jews On that same day King Xerxes gave the property of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, to Queen Esther. Then Mordecai was brought before the king, for Esther had told the king how they were related.


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The king took off his signet ring—which he had taken back from Haman—and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed Mordecai to be in charge of Haman’s property.


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<pb/>Then Esther went again before the king, falling down at his feet and begging him with tears to stop the evil plot devised by Haman the Agagite against the Jews.


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<pb/>Esther said, “If it please the king, and if I have found favor with him, and if he thinks it is right, and if I am pleasing to him, let there be a decree that reverses the orders of Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, who ordered that Jews throughout all the king’s provinces should be destroyed.


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<pb/>Then King Xerxes said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, “I have given Esther the property of Haman, and he has been impaled on a pole because he tried to destroy the Jews.


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Now go ahead and send a message to the Jews in the king’s name, telling them whatever you want, and seal it with the king’s signet ring. But remember that whatever has already been written in the king’s name and sealed with his signet ring can never be revoked.”</t>


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<pb/>So on June 25 the king’s secretaries were summoned, and a decree was written exactly as Mordecai dictated. It was sent to the Jews and to the highest officers, the governors, and the nobles of all the 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia. The decree was written in the scripts and languages of all the peoples of the empire, including that of the Jews.


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The decree was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the king’s signet ring. Mordecai sent the dispatches by swift messengers, who rode fast horses especially bred for the king’s service.


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<pb/>The king’s decree gave the Jews in every city authority to unite to defend their lives. They were allowed to kill, slaughter, and annihilate anyone of any nationality or province who might attack them or their children and wives, and to take the property of their enemies.


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The day chosen for this event throughout all the provinces of King Xerxes was March 7 of the next year.


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A copy of this decree was to be issued as law in every province and proclaimed to all peoples, so that the Jews would be ready to take revenge on their enemies on the appointed day.


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<pb/>So urged on by the king’s command, the messengers rode out swiftly on fast horses bred for the king’s service. The same decree was also proclaimed in the fortress of Susa.


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<pb/>Then Mordecai left the king’s presence, wearing the royal robe of blue and white, the great crown of gold, and an outer cloak of fine linen and purple. And the people of Susa celebrated the new decree.


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In every province and city, wherever the king’s decree arrived, the Jews rejoiced and had a great celebration and declared a public festival and holiday. And many of the people of the land became Jews themselves, for they feared what the Jews might do to them.


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<pb/>The Victory of the Jews So on March 7 the two decrees of the king were put into effect. On that day, the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but quite the opposite happened. It was the Jews who overpowered their enemies.


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The Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the king’s provinces to attack anyone who tried to harm them. But no one could make a stand against them, for everyone was afraid of them.


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And all the nobles of the provinces, the highest officers, the governors, and the royal officials helped the Jews for fear of Mordecai.


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For Mordecai had been promoted in the king’s palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces as he became more and more powerful.


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<pb/>So the Jews went ahead on the appointed day and struck down their enemies with the sword. They killed and annihilated their enemies and did as they pleased with those who hated them.


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<pb/>That very day, when the king was informed of the number of people killed in the fortress of Susa,


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he called for Queen Esther. He said, <t>“The Jews have killed 500 men in the fortress of Susa alone, as well as Haman’s ten sons. If they have done that here, what has happened in the rest of the provinces? But now, what more do you want? It will be granted to you; tell me and I will do it.”</t>


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<pb/>Esther responded, “If it please the king, give the Jews in Susa permission to do again tomorrow as they have done today, and let the bodies of Haman’s ten sons be impaled on a pole.”


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<pb/>So the king agreed, and the decree was announced in Susa. And they impaled the bodies of Haman’s ten sons.


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Then the Jews at Susa gathered together on March 8 and killed 300 more men, and again they took no plunder.


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<pb/>Meanwhile, the other Jews throughout the king’s provinces had gathered together to defend their lives. They gained relief from all their enemies, killing 75,000 of those who hated them. But they did not take any plunder.


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This was done throughout the provinces on March 7, and on March 8 they rested, celebrating their victory with a day of feasting and gladness.


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(The Jews at Susa killed their enemies on March 7 and again on March 8, then rested on March 9, making that their day of feasting and gladness.)


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So to this day, rural Jews living in remote villages celebrate an annual festival and holiday on the appointed day in late winter, when they rejoice and send gifts of food to each other.


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<pb/>The Festival of Purim Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to the Jews near and far, throughout all the provinces of King Xerxes,


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He told them to celebrate these days with feasting and gladness and by giving gifts of food to each other and presents to the poor. This would commemorate a time when the Jews gained relief from their enemies, when their sorrow was turned into gladness and their mourning into joy.


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Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews, had plotted to crush and destroy them on the date determined by casting lots (the lots were called purim).


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But when Esther came before the king, he issued a decree causing Haman’s evil plot to backfire, and Haman and his sons were impaled on a sharpened pole.


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That is why this celebration is called Purim, because it is the ancient word for casting lots. So because of Mordecai’s letter and because of what they had experienced,


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the Jews throughout the realm agreed to inaugurate this tradition and to pass it on to their descendants and to all who became Jews. They declared they would never fail to celebrate these two prescribed days at the appointed time each year.


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These days would be remembered and kept from generation to generation and celebrated by every family throughout the provinces and cities of the empire. This Festival of Purim would never cease to be celebrated among the Jews, nor would the memory of what happened ever die out among their descendants.


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<pb/>Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote another letter putting the queen’s full authority behind Mordecai’s letter to establish the Festival of Purim.


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Letters wishing peace and security were sent to the Jews throughout the 127 provinces of the empire of Xerxes.


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These letters established the Festival of Purim—an annual celebration of these days at the appointed time, decreed by both Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther. (The people decided to observe this festival, just as they had decided for themselves and their descendants to establish the times of fasting and mourning.)


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So the command of Esther confirmed the practices of Purim, and it was all written down in the records.


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<pb/>The Greatness of Xerxes and Mordecai King Xerxes imposed a tribute throughout his empire, even to the distant coastlands.


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His great achievements and the full account of the greatness of Mordecai, whom the king had promoted, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Media and Persia.


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Mordecai the Jew became the prime minister, with authority next to that of King Xerxes himself. He was very great among the Jews, who held him in high esteem, because he continued to work for the good of his people and to speak up for the welfare of all their descendants.


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<pb/>Prologue There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil.


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He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area.


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<pb/>Job’s sons would take turns preparing feasts in their homes, and they would also invite their three sisters to celebrate with them.


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When these celebrations ended—sometimes after several days—Job would purify his children. He would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said to himself, <t>“Perhaps my children have sinned and have cursed God in their hearts.”</t> This was Job’s regular practice.


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Job’s First Test One day the members of the heavenly court came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them.


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“Where have you come from?”</t> the Lord asked Satan. Satan answered the Lord, <t>“I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.”</t>


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Then the Lord asked Satan, <t>“Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.”</t>


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You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is!


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<pb/>“All right, you may test him,” the Lord said to Satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence.


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a messenger arrived at Job’s home with this news: <t>“Your oxen were plowing, with the donkeys feeding beside them,


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when the Sabeans raided us. They stole all the animals and killed all the farmhands. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”</t>


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<pb/>While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: “The fire of God has fallen from heaven and burned up your sheep and all the shepherds. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”


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<pb/>While he was still speaking, a third messenger arrived with this news: “Three bands of Chaldean raiders have stolen your camels and killed your servants. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”


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<pb/>While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: “Your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother’s home.


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Suddenly, a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and hit the house on all sides. The house collapsed, and all your children are dead. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”</t>


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<pb/>Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship.


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He said, <t>“I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!”</t>


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<pb/>Job’s Second Test One day the members of the heavenly court came again to present themselves before the Lord, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them.


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Then the Lord asked Satan, <t>“Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil. And he has maintained his integrity, even though you urged me to harm him without cause.”</t>


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<pb/>Satan replied to the Lord, “Skin for skin! A man will give up everything he has to save his life.


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But Job replied, <t>“You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?”</t> So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.


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Job’s Three Friends Share His Anguish When three of Job’s friends heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him. Their names were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite.


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When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized him. Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air over their heads to show their grief.


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Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.


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<pb/><t>Let that day be turned to darkness. Let it be lost even to God on high, and let no light shine on it.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let the darkness and utter gloom claim that day for its own. Let a black cloud overshadow it, and let the darkness terrify it.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let that night be blotted off the calendar, never again to be counted among the days of the year, never again to appear among the months.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let those who are experts at cursing— whose cursing could rouse Leviathan— curse that day.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let its morning stars remain dark. Let it hope for light, but in vain; may it never see the morning light.</t>


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<pb/><t>Curse that day for failing to shut my mother’s womb, for letting me be born to see all this trouble.</t>


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<pb/><t>I would rest with the world’s kings and prime ministers, whose great buildings now lie in ruins.</t>


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<pb/><t>Why wasn’t I buried like a stillborn child, like a baby who never lives to see the light?</t>


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<pb/><t>They long for death, and it won’t come. They search for death more eagerly than for hidden treasure.</t>


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<pb/><t>“In the past you have encouraged many people; you have strengthened those who were weak.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your words have supported those who were falling; you encouraged those with shaky knees.</t>


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<pb/><t>Doesn’t your reverence for God give you confidence? Doesn’t your life of integrity give you hope?</t>


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<pb/><t>My experience shows that those who plant trouble and cultivate evil will harvest the same.</t>


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<pb/><t>The fierce lion will starve for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness will be scattered.</t>


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<pb/><t>The spirit stopped, but I couldn’t see its shape. There was a form before my eyes. In the silence I heard a voice say,</t>


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<pb/><t>how much less will he trust people made of clay! They are made of dust, crushed as easily as a moth.</t>


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<t>Eliphaz’s Response Continues “Cry for help, but will anyone answer you? Which of the angels will help you?</t>


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<pb/><t>I have seen that fools may be successful for the moment, but then comes sudden disaster.</t>


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<pb/><t>Their children are abandoned far from help; they are crushed in court with no one to defend them.</t>


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<pb/><t>The hungry devour their harvest, even when it is guarded by brambles. The thirsty pant after their wealth.</t>


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<pb/><t>He rescues the poor from the cutting words of the strong, and rescues them from the clutches of the powerful.</t>


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<pb/><t>“But consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin.</t>


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<pb/><t>He will save you from death in time of famine, from the power of the sword in time of war.</t>


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<pb/><t>You will be at peace with the stones of the field, and its wild animals will be at peace with you.</t>


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<pb/><t>You will know that your home is safe. When you survey your possessions, nothing will be missing.</t>


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<pb/><t>You will go to the grave at a ripe old age, like a sheaf of grain harvested at the proper time!</t>


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<pb/><t>“We have studied life and found all this to be true. Listen to my counsel, and apply it to yourself.”</t>


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<pb/><t>For the Almighty has struck me down with his arrows. Their poison infects my spirit. God’s terrors are lined up against me.</t>


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<t>Don’t I have a right to complain? Don’t wild donkeys bray when they find no grass, and oxen bellow when they have no food?</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t people complain about unsalted food? Does anyone want the tasteless white of an egg?</t>


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<pb/><t>At least I can take comfort in this: Despite the pain, I have not denied the words of the Holy One.</t>


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<t>“One should be kind to a fainting friend, but you accuse me without any fear of the Almighty.</t>


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<pb/><t>My brothers, you have proved as unreliable as a seasonal brook that overflows its banks in the spring</t>


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<pb/><t>Lying in bed, I think, ‘When will it be morning?’ But the night drags on, and I toss till dawn.</t>


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<pb/><t>Job Cries Out to God “My days fly faster than a weaver’s shuttle. They end without hope.</t>


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<pb/><t>I hate my life and don’t want to go on living. Oh, leave me alone for my few remaining days.</t>


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<pb/><t>If I have sinned, what have I done to you, O watcher of all humanity? Why make me your target? Am I a burden to you?</t>


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<pb/><t>Why not just forgive my sin and take away my guilt? For soon I will lie down in the dust and die. When you look for me, I will be gone.”</t>


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<pb/><t>and if you are pure and live with integrity, he will surely rise up and restore your happy home.</t>


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<pb/><t>For we were born but yesterday and know nothing. Our days on earth are as fleeting as a shadow.</t>


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<pb/><t>While they are still flowering, not ready to be cut, they begin to wither more quickly than grass.</t>


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<pb/><t>They cling to their home for security, but it won’t last. They try to hold it tight, but it will not endure.</t>


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<pb/><t>The godless seem like a lush plant growing in the sunshine, its branches spreading across the garden.</t>


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<pb/><t>“But look, God will not reject a person of integrity, nor will he lend a hand to the wicked.</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the home of the wicked will be destroyed.”</t>


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<t>“Yes, I know all this is true in principle. But how can a person be declared innocent in God’s sight?</t>


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<pb/><t>If someone wanted to take God to court, would it be possible to answer him even once in a thousand times?</t>


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<pb/><t>He made all the stars—the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the southern sky.</t>


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<pb/><t>If he snatches someone in death, who can stop him? Who dares to ask, ‘What are you doing?’</t>


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<pb/><t>And God does not restrain his anger. Even the monsters of the sea are crushed beneath his feet.</t>


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<pb/><t>If it’s a question of strength, he’s the strong one. If it’s a matter of justice, who dares to summon him to court?</t>


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<pb/><t>Though I am innocent, my own mouth would pronounce me guilty. Though I am blameless, it would prove me wicked.</t>


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<t>Innocent or wicked, it is all the same to God. That’s why I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’</t>


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<pb/><t>The whole earth is in the hands of the wicked, and God blinds the eyes of the judges. If he’s not the one who does it, who is?</t>


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<pb/><t>The mediator could make God stop beating me, and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment.</t>


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<pb/><t>Job Frames His Plea to God “I am disgusted with my life. Let me complain freely. My bitter soul must complain.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will say to God, ‘Don’t simply condemn me— tell me the charge you are bringing against me.</t>


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<pb/><t>What do you gain by oppressing me? Why do you reject me, the work of your own hands, while smiling on the schemes of the wicked?</t>


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<pb/><t>If I am guilty, too bad for me; and even if I’m innocent, I can’t hold my head high, because I am filled with shame and misery.</t>


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<pb/><t>And if I hold my head high, you hunt me like a lion and display your awesome power against me.</t>


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<pb/><t>Again and again you witness against me. You pour out your growing anger on me and bring fresh armies against me.</t>


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<pb/><t>It is a land as dark as midnight, a land of gloom and confusion, where even the light is dark as midnight.’”</t>


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<t>“Shouldn’t someone answer this torrent of words? Is a person proved innocent just by a lot of talking?</t>


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<pb/><t>Should I remain silent while you babble on? When you mock God, shouldn’t someone make you ashamed?</t>


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<pb/><t>If only he would tell you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom is not a simple matter. Listen! God is doubtless punishing you far less than you deserve!</t>


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<pb/><t>Such knowledge is higher than the heavens— and who are you? It is deeper than the underworld— what do you know?</t>


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<pb/><t>An empty-headed person won’t become wise any more than a wild donkey can bear a human child.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your life will be brighter than the noonday. Even darkness will be as bright as morning.</t>


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<pb/><t>Well, I know a few things myself— and you’re no better than I am. Who doesn’t know these things you’ve been saying?</t>


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<pb/><t>Yet my friends laugh at me, for I call on God and expect an answer. I am a just and blameless man, yet they laugh at me.</t>


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<pb/><t>People who are at ease mock those in trouble. They give a push to people who are stumbling.</t>


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<pb/><t>But robbers are left in peace, and those who provoke God live in safety— though God keeps them in his power.</t>


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<t>“Just ask the animals, and they will teach you. Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.</t>


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<pb/><t>If he holds back the rain, the earth becomes a desert. If he releases the waters, they flood the earth.</t>


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<pb/><t>He leads priests away, stripped of status; he overthrows those with long years in power.</t>


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<pb/><t>Job Wants to Argue His Case with God “Look, I have seen all this with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears, and now I understand.</t>


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<pb/><t>As for me, I would speak directly to the Almighty. I want to argue my case with God himself.</t>


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<pb/><t>What will happen when he finds out what you are doing? Can you fool him as easily as you fool people?</t>


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<pb/><t>But this is what will save me—I am not godless. If I were, I could not stand before him.</t>


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<pb/><t>Who can argue with me over this? And if you prove me wrong, I will remain silent and die.</t>


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<pb/><t>Job Asks How He Has Sinned “O God, grant me these two things, and then I will be able to face you.</t>


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<pb/><t>You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer.</t>


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<pb/><t>So leave us alone and let us rest! We are like hired hands, so let us finish our work in peace.</t>


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<pb/><t>“But when people die, their strength is gone. They breathe their last, and then where are they?</t>


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<pb/><t>people are laid to rest and do not rise again. Until the heavens are no more, they will not wake up nor be roused from their sleep.</t>


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<t>“I wish you would hide me in the grave and forget me there until your anger has passed. But mark your calendar to think of me again!</t>


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<pb/><t>Can the dead live again? If so, this would give me hope through all my years of struggle, and I would eagerly await the release of death.</t>


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<pb/><t>as water wears away the stones and floods wash away the soil, so you destroy people’s hope.</t>


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<pb/><t>You always overpower them, and they pass from the scene. You disfigure them in death and send them away.</t>


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<pb/><t>Look, God does not even trust the angels. Even the heavens are not absolutely pure in his sight.</t>


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<pb/><t>And it is confirmed by the reports of wise men who have heard the same thing from their fathers—</t>


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<pb/><t>“The wicked writhe in pain throughout their lives. Years of trouble are stored up for the ruthless.</t>


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<pb/><t>The sound of terror rings in their ears, and even on good days they fear the attack of the destroyer.</t>


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<pb/><t>They wander around, saying, ‘Where can I find bread?’ They know their day of destruction is near.</t>


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<pb/><t>That dark day terrifies them. They live in distress and anguish, like a king preparing for battle.</t>


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<pb/><t>But their cities will be ruined. They will live in abandoned houses that are ready to tumble down.</t>


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<pb/><t>Their riches will not last, and their wealth will not endure. Their possessions will no longer spread across the horizon.</t>


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<pb/><t>“They will not escape the darkness. The burning sun will wither their shoots, and the breath of God will destroy them.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let them no longer fool themselves by trusting in empty riches, for emptiness will be their only reward.</t>


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<pb/><t>They will be like a vine whose grapes are harvested too early, like an olive tree that loses its blossoms before the fruit can form.</t>


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<pb/><t>I could say the same things if you were in my place. I could spout off criticism and shake my head at you.</t>


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<pb/><t>As if to prove I have sinned, you’ve reduced me to skin and bones. My gaunt flesh testifies against me.</t>


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<pb/><t>God hates me and angrily tears me apart. He snaps his teeth at me and pierces me with his eyes.</t>


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<pb/><t>“I was living quietly until he shattered me. He took me by the neck and broke me in pieces. Then he set me up as his target,</t>


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<pb/><t>and now his archers surround me. His arrows pierce me without mercy. The ground is wet with my blood.</t>


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<t>Job Continues to Defend His Innocence “My spirit is crushed, and my life is nearly snuffed out. The grave is ready to receive me.</t>


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<pb/><t>They betray their friends for their own advantage, so let their children faint with hunger.</t>


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<pb/><t>The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.</t>


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<t>“As for all of you, come back with a better argument, though I still won’t find a wise man among you.</t>


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<pb/><t>You may tear out your hair in anger, but will that destroy the earth? Will it make the rocks tremble?</t>


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<pb/><t>“Surely the light of the wicked will be snuffed out. The sparks of their fire will not glow.</t>


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<pb/><t>The confident stride of the wicked will be shortened. Their own schemes will be their downfall.</t>


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<pb/><t>They are torn from the security of their homes and are brought down to the king of terrors.</t>


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<pb/><t>All memory of their existence will fade from the earth; no one will remember their names.</t>


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<pb/><t>They will have neither children nor grandchildren, nor any survivor in the place where they lived.</t>


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<pb/><t>They will say, ‘This was the home of a wicked person, the place of one who rejected God.’”</t>


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<pb/><t>He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished. He has uprooted my hope like a fallen tree.</t>


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<pb/><t>“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!</t>


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<pb/><t>You should fear punishment yourselves, for your attitude deserves punishment. Then you will know that there is indeed a judgment.”</t>


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<pb/><t>“Don’t you realize that from the beginning of time, ever since people were first placed on the earth,</t>


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<pb/><t>the triumph of the wicked has been short lived and the joy of the godless has been only temporary?</t>


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<pb/><t>Though the pride of the godless reaches to the heavens and their heads touch the clouds,</t>


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<pb/><t>yet they will vanish forever, thrown away like their own dung. Those who knew them will ask, ‘Where are they?’</t>


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<pb/><t>They will fade like a dream and not be found. They will vanish like a vision in the night.</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who once saw them will see them no more. Their families will never see them again.</t>


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<pb/><t>They were always greedy and never satisfied. Nothing remains of all the things they dreamed about.</t>


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<pb/><t>Nothing is left after they finish gorging themselves. Therefore, their prosperity will not endure.</t>


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<pb/><t>The arrow is pulled from their back, and the arrowhead glistens with blood. The terrors of death are upon them.</t>


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<pb/><t>Their treasures will be thrown into deepest darkness. A wildfire will devour their goods, consuming all they have left.</t>


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<pb/><t>They live to see their children grow up and settle down, and they enjoy their grandchildren.</t>


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<pb/><t>(They think their prosperity is of their own doing, but I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking.)</t>


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<t>“Yet the light of the wicked never seems to be extinguished. Do they ever have trouble? Does God distribute sorrows to them in anger?</t>


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<pb/><t>Are they driven before the wind like straw? Are they carried away by the storm like chaff? Not at all!</t>


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<pb/><t>“‘Well,’ you say, ‘at least God will punish their children!’ But I say he should punish the ones who sin, so that they understand his judgment.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let them see their destruction with their own eyes. Let them drink deeply of the anger of the Almighty.</t>


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<pb/><t>You will tell me of rich and wicked people whose houses have vanished because of their sins.</t>


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<pb/><t>A great funeral procession goes to the cemetery. Many pay their respects as the body is laid to rest, and the earth gives sweet repose.</t>


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<pb/><t>Is it any advantage to the Almighty if you are righteous? Would it be any gain to him if you were perfect?</t>


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<pb/><t>“For example, you must have lent money to your friend and demanded clothing as security. Yes, you stripped him to the bone.</t>


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<pb/><t>You probably think the land belongs to the powerful and only the privileged have a right to it!</t>


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<pb/><t>But you reply, ‘That’s why God can’t see what I am doing! How can he judge through the thick darkness?</t>


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<pb/><t>For thick clouds swirl about him, and he cannot see us. He is way up there, walking on the vault of heaven.’</t>


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<pb/><t>They were snatched away in the prime of life, the foundations of their lives washed away.</t>


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<pb/><t>Yet he was the one who filled their homes with good things, so I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking.</t>


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<pb/><t>“The righteous will be happy to see the wicked destroyed, and the innocent will laugh in contempt.</t>


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<pb/><t>They will say, ‘See how our enemies have been destroyed. The last of them have been consumed in the fire.’</t>


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<pb/><t>You will succeed in whatever you choose to do, and light will shine on the road ahead of you.</t>


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<pb/><t>I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden. I look to the south, but he is concealed.</t>


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<pb/><t>I have not departed from his commands, but have treasured his words more than daily food.</t>


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<pb/><t>But once he has made his decision, who can change his mind? Whatever he wants to do, he does.</t>


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<pb/><t>Job Asks Why the Wicked Are Not Punished “Why doesn’t the Almighty bring the wicked to judgment? Why must the godly wait for him in vain?</t>


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<pb/><t>Evil people steal land by moving the boundary markers. They steal livestock and put them in their own pastures.</t>


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<pb/><t>Like wild donkeys in the wilderness, the poor must spend all their time looking for food, searching even in the desert for food for their children.</t>


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<pb/><t>They are soaked by mountain showers, and they huddle against the rocks for want of a home.</t>


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<pb/><t>“The wicked snatch a widow’s child from her breast, taking the baby as security for a loan.</t>


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<pb/><t>The poor must go about naked, without any clothing. They harvest food for others while they themselves are starving.</t>


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<pb/><t>They press out olive oil without being allowed to taste it, and they tread in the winepress as they suffer from thirst.</t>


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<pb/><t>The groans of the dying rise from the city, and the wounded cry for help, yet God ignores their moaning.</t>


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<pb/><t>“Wicked people rebel against the light. They refuse to acknowledge its ways or stay in its paths.</t>


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<pb/><t>The murderer rises in the early dawn to kill the poor and needy; at night he is a thief.</t>


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<pb/><t>The adulterer waits for the twilight, saying, ‘No one will see me then.’ He hides his face so no one will know him.</t>


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<pb/><t>Thieves break into houses at night and sleep in the daytime. They are not acquainted with the light.</t>


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<pb/><t>The black night is their morning. They ally themselves with the terrors of the darkness.</t>


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<pb/><t>“But they disappear like foam down a river. Everything they own is cursed, and they are afraid to enter their own vineyards.</t>


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<pb/><t>Their own mothers will forget them. Maggots will find them sweet to eat. No one will remember them. Wicked people are broken like a tree in the storm.</t>


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<pb/><t>“God, in his power, drags away the rich. They may rise high, but they have no assurance of life.</t>


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<pb/><t>And though they are great now, in a moment they will be gone like all others, cut off like heads of grain.</t>


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<pb/><t>He created the horizon when he separated the waters; he set the boundary between day and night.</t>


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<pb/><t>These are just the beginning of all that he does, merely a whisper of his power. Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?”</t>


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<t>“I vow by the living God, who has taken away my rights, by the Almighty who has embittered my soul—</t>


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<pb/><t>I will maintain my innocence without wavering. My conscience is clear for as long as I live.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will teach you about God’s power. I will not conceal anything concerning the Almighty.</t>


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<pb/><t>“This is what the wicked will receive from God; this is their inheritance from the Almighty.</t>


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<pb/><t>The wicked build houses as fragile as a spider’s web, as flimsy as a shelter made of branches.</t>


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<pb/><t>Terror overwhelms them like a flood, and they are blown away in the storms of the night.</t>


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<pb/><t>Job Speaks of Wisdom and Understanding “People know where to mine silver and how to refine gold.</t>


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<pb/><t>They know how to shine light in the darkness and explore the farthest regions of the earth as they search in the dark for ore.</t>


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<pb/><t>They sink a mine shaft into the earth far from where anyone lives. They descend on ropes, swinging back and forth.</t>


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<pb/><t>Wisdom is more valuable than gold and crystal. It cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold.</t>


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<pb/><t>Coral and jasper are worthless in trying to get it. The price of wisdom is far above rubies.</t>


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<pb/><t>Precious peridot from Ethiopia cannot be exchanged for it. It’s worth more than the purest gold.</t>


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<pb/><t>It is hidden from the eyes of all humanity. Even the sharp-eyed birds in the sky cannot discover it.</t>


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<pb/><t>And this is what he says to all humanity: ‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.’”</t>


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<pb/><t>“Those were the days when I went to the city gate and took my place among the honored leaders.</t>


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<pb/><t>The young stepped aside when they saw me, and even the aged rose in respect at my coming.</t>


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<pb/><t>I helped those without hope, and they blessed me. And I caused the widows’ hearts to sing for joy.</t>


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<pb/><t>Everything I did was honest. Righteousness covered me like a robe, and I wore justice like a turban.</t>


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<pb/><t>For I am like a tree whose roots reach the water, whose branches are refreshed with the dew.</t>


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<pb/><t>They longed for me to speak as people long for rain. They drank my words like a refreshing spring rain.</t>


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<pb/><t>Like a chief, I told them what to do. I lived like a king among his troops and comforted those who mourned.</t>


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<pb/><t>Job Speaks of His Anguish “But now I am mocked by people younger than I, by young men whose fathers are not worthy to run with my sheepdogs.</t>


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<pb/><t>They are gaunt from poverty and hunger. They claw the dry ground in desolate wastelands.</t>


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<pb/><t>They block my road and do everything they can to destroy me. They know I have no one to help me.</t>


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<pb/><t>I live in terror now. My honor has blown away in the wind, and my prosperity has vanished like a cloud.</t>


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<pb/><t>“I cry to you, O God, but you don’t answer. I stand before you, but you don’t even look.</t>


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<pb/><t>Job’s Final Protest of Innocence “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman.</t>


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<pb/><t>For what has God above chosen for us? What is our inheritance from the Almighty on high?</t>


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<pb/><t>If I have strayed from his pathway, or if my heart has lusted for what my eyes have seen, or if I am guilty of any other sin,</t>


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<pb/><t>then let someone else eat the crops I have planted. Let all that I have planted be uprooted.</t>


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<pb/><t>“If I have been unfair to my male or female servants when they brought their complaints to me,</t>


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<pb/><t>No, from childhood I have cared for orphans like a father, and all my life I have cared for widows.</t>


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<pb/><t>That would be better than facing God’s judgment. For if the majesty of God opposes me, what hope is there?</t>


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<pb/><t>“Have I looked at the sun shining in the skies, or the moon walking down its silver pathway,</t>


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<pb/><t>If so, I should be punished by the judges, for it would mean I had denied the God of heaven.</t>


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<pb/><t>“Have I ever rejoiced when disaster struck my enemies, or become excited when harm came their way?</t>


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<pb/><t>Have I feared the crowd or the contempt of the masses, so that I kept quiet and stayed indoors?</t>


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<t>“If only someone would listen to me! Look, I will sign my name to my defense. Let the Almighty answer me. Let my accuser write out the charges against me.</t>


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<pb/><t>then let thistles grow on that land instead of wheat, and weeds instead of barley.” Job’s words are ended.</t>


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<pb/>Elihu Responds to Job’s Friends Job’s three friends refused to reply further to him because he kept insisting on his innocence.


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Then Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the clan of Ram, became angry. He was angry because Job refused to admit that he had sinned and that God was right in punishing him.


text:
He was also angry with Job’s three friends, for they made God appear to be wrong by their inability to answer Job’s arguments.


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Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said, <t>“I am young and you are old, so I held back from telling you what I think.</t>


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<pb/><t>But there is a spirit within people, the breath of the Almighty within them, that makes them intelligent.</t>


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<pb/><t>“I have waited all this time, listening very carefully to your arguments, listening to you grope for words.</t>


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<pb/><t>Elihu Presents His Case against Job “Listen to my words, Job; pay attention to what I have to say.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>So why are you bringing a charge against him? Why say he does not respond to people’s complaints?</t>


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<pb/><t>He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds.</t>


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<pb/><t>“Or God disciplines people with pain on their sickbeds, with ceaseless aching in their bones.</t>


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<pb/><t>“But if an angel from heaven appears— a special messenger to intercede for a person and declare that he is upright—</t>


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<pb/><t>he will be gracious and say, ‘Rescue him from the grave, for I have found a ransom for his life.’</t>


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<pb/><t>When he prays to God, he will be accepted. And God will receive him with joy and restore him to good standing.</t>


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<pb/><t>He will declare to his friends, ‘I sinned and twisted the truth, but it was not worth it.</t>


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<pb/><t>But if you have anything to say, go ahead. Speak, for I am anxious to see you justified.</t>


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<pb/><t>Job said, ‘The ear tests the words it hears just as the mouth distinguishes between foods.’</t>


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<pb/><t>I am innocent, but they call me a liar. My suffering is incurable, though I have not sinned.’</t>


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<t>“Listen to me, you who have understanding. Everyone knows that God doesn’t sin! The Almighty can do no wrong.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>He doesn’t care how great a person may be, and he pays no more attention to the rich than to the poor. He made them all.</t>


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<pb/><t>In a moment they die. In the middle of the night they pass away; the mighty are removed without human hand.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>He brings the mighty to ruin without asking anyone, and he sets up others in their place.</t>


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<pb/><t>They cause the poor to cry out, catching God’s attention. He hears the cries of the needy.</t>


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<pb/><t>But if he chooses to remain quiet, who can criticize him? When he hides his face, no one can find him, whether an individual or a nation.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Or ‘I don’t know what evil I have done—tell me. If I have done wrong, I will stop at once’?</t>


text:
<pb/><t>“Must God tailor his justice to your demands? But you have rejected him! The choice is yours, not mine. Go ahead, share your wisdom with us.</t>


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<pb/><t>For you have added rebellion to your sin; you show no respect, and you speak many angry words against God.”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>If you sin, how does that affect God? Even if you sin again and again, what effect will it have on him?</t>


text:
<pb/><t>No, your sins affect only people like yourself, and your good deeds also affect only humans.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Where is the one who makes us smarter than the animals and wiser than the birds of the sky?’</t>


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<pb/><t>You say he does not respond to sinners with anger and is not greatly concerned about wickedness.</t>


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<pb/><t>“God is mighty, but he does not despise anyone! He is mighty in both power and understanding.</t>


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<pb/><t>He never takes his eyes off the innocent, but he sets them on thrones with kings and exalts them forever.</t>


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<pb/><t>“If they listen and obey God, they will be blessed with prosperity throughout their lives. All their years will be pleasant.</t>


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<pb/><t>But if they refuse to listen to him, they will cross over the river of death, dying from lack of understanding.</t>


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<pb/><t>For the godless are full of resentment. Even when he punishes them, they refuse to cry out to him for help.</t>


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<pb/><t>But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer. For he gets their attention through adversity.</t>


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<pb/><t>“God is leading you away from danger, Job, to a place free from distress. He is setting your table with the best food.</t>


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<pb/><t>But you are obsessed with whether the godless will be judged. Don’t worry, judgment and justice will be upheld.</t>


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<pb/><t>Be on guard! Turn back from evil, for God sent this suffering to keep you from a life of evil.</t>


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<pb/><t>Who can understand the spreading of the clouds and the thunder that rolls forth from heaven?</t>


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<pb/><t>Then comes the roaring of the thunder— the tremendous voice of his majesty. He does not restrain it when he speaks.</t>


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<pb/><t>God’s voice is glorious in the thunder. We can’t even imagine the greatness of his power.</t>


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<pb/><t>The clouds churn about at his direction. They do whatever he commands throughout the earth.</t>


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<pb/><t>Do you know how God controls the storm and causes the lightning to flash from his clouds?</t>


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<pb/><t>When you are sweltering in your clothes and the south wind dies down and everything is still,</t>


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<pb/><t>“So teach the rest of us what to say to God. We are too ignorant to make our own arguments.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Should God be notified that I want to speak? Can people even speak when they are confused?</t>


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<pb/><t>We cannot look at the sun, for it shines brightly in the sky when the wind clears away the clouds.</t>


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<pb/><t>So also, golden splendor comes from the mountain of God. He is clothed in dazzling splendor.</t>


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<pb/><t>We cannot imagine the power of the Almighty; but even though he is just and righteous, he does not destroy us.</t>


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<pb/><t>Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.</t>


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<pb/><t>Have you made daylight spread to the ends of the earth, to bring an end to the night’s wickedness?</t>


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<pb/><t>As the light approaches, the earth takes shape like clay pressed beneath a seal; it is robed in brilliant colors.</t>


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<pb/><t>“Have you explored the springs from which the seas come? Have you explored their depths?</t>


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<pb/><t>Do you know where the gates of death are located? Have you seen the gates of utter gloom?</t>


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<pb/><t>But of course you know all this! For you were born before it was all created, and you are so very experienced!</t>


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<pb/><t>(I have reserved them as weapons for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war.)</t>


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<pb/><t>“Who created a channel for the torrents of rain? Who laid out the path for the lightning?</t>


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<pb/><t>“Can you direct the movement of the stars— binding the cluster of the Pleiades or loosening the cords of Orion?</t>


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<pb/><t>Can you direct the constellations through the seasons or guide the Bear with her cubs across the heavens?</t>


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<pb/><t>Who provides food for the ravens when their young cry out to God and wander about in hunger?</t>


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<t>The Lord’s Challenge Continues “Do you know when the wild goats give birth? Have you watched as deer are born in the wild?</t>


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<pb/><t>Do you know how many months they carry their young? Are you aware of the time of their delivery?</t>


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<pb/><t>“The ostrich flaps her wings grandly, but they are no match for the feathers of the stork.</t>


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<pb/><t>She is harsh toward her young, as if they were not her own. She doesn’t care if they die.</t>


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<pb/><t>It snorts at the sound of the horn. It senses the battle in the distance. It quivers at the captain’s commands and the noise of battle.</t>


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<t>“Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?”</t>


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<pb/><t>It is not disturbed by the raging river, not concerned when the swelling Jordan rushes around it.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord’s Challenge Continues “Can you catch Leviathan with a hook or put a noose around its jaw?</t>


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<pb/><t>If you lay a hand on it, you will certainly remember the battle that follows. You won’t try that again!</t>


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<pb/><t>No, it is useless to try to capture it. The hunter who attempts it will be knocked down.</t>


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<pb/><t>Its belly is covered with scales as sharp as glass. It plows up the ground as it drags through the mud.</t>


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<pb/><t>“Leviathan makes the water boil with its commotion. It stirs the depths like a pot of ointment.</t>


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<pb/><t>You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me.</t>


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<pb/><t>You said, ‘Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.’</t>


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Conclusion: The Lord Blesses Job After the Lord had finished speaking to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite: <t>“I am angry with you and your two friends, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.


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So take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf. I will not treat you as you deserve, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.”</t>


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<pb/>So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did as the Lord commanded them, and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.


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<pb/>When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before!


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Then all his brothers, sisters, and former friends came and feasted with him in his home. And they consoled him and comforted him because of all the trials the Lord had brought against him. And each of them brought him a gift of money and a gold ring.


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<pb/>So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.


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In all the land no women were as lovely as the daughters of Job. And their father put them into his will along with their brothers.


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<pb/>Job lived 140 years after that, living to see four generations of his children and grandchildren.


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<pb/><t>Book one (Psalms 1–41) Psalm 1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.</t>


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<pb/><t>They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.</t>


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<pb/><t>They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly.</t>


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<pb/><t>For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.</t>


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<pb/><t>The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one.</t>


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<pb/><t>For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.”</t>


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<pb/><t>The king proclaims the Lord’s decree: “The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son. Today I have become your Father.</t>


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<pb/><t>Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession.</t>


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<pb/><t>Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities— for his anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him!</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 3 A psalm of David, regarding the time David fled from his son Absalom. O Lord, I have so many enemies; so many are against me.</t>


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<pb/><t>But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.</t>


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<pb/><t>Arise, O Lord! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked!</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 4 For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments. Answer me when I call to you, O God who declares me innocent. Free me from my troubles. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.</t>


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<pb/><t>How long will you people ruin my reputation? How long will you make groundless accusations? How long will you continue your lies? Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>You can be sure of this: The Lord set apart the godly for himself. The Lord will answer when I call to him.</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 5 For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by the flute. O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning.</t>


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<pb/><t>Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.</t>


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<pb/><t>Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe.</t>


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<pb/><t>Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow.</t>


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<pb/><t>My enemies cannot speak a truthful word. Their deepest desire is to destroy others. Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with flattery.</t>


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<pb/><t>O God, declare them guilty. Let them be caught in their own traps. Drive them away because of their many sins, for they have rebelled against you.</t>


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<pb/><t>But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 6 For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by an eight-stringed instrument. O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage.</t>


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<pb/><t>I am worn out from sobbing. All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 7 A psalm of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush of the tribe of Benjamin. I come to you for protection, O Lord my God. Save me from my persecutors—rescue me!</t>


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<pb/><t>If you don’t, they will maul me like a lion, tearing me to pieces with no one to rescue me.</t>


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<pb/><t>then let my enemies capture me. Let them trample me into the ground and drag my honor in the dust. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>Arise, O Lord, in anger! Stand up against the fury of my enemies! Wake up, my God, and bring justice!</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord judges the nations. Declare me righteous, O Lord, for I am innocent, O Most High!</t>


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<pb/><t>End the evil of those who are wicked, and defend the righteous. For you look deep within the mind and heart, O righteous God.</t>


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<pb/><t>If a person does not repent, God will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow.</t>


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<pb/><t>The trouble they make for others backfires on them. The violence they plan falls on their own heads.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will thank the Lord because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 8 For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument. O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens.</t>


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<pb/><t>You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you.</t>


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<pb/><t>When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place—</t>


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<pb/><t>what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?</t>


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<pb/><t>the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 9 For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Death of the Son.” I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.</t>


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<pb/><t>You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have erased their names forever.</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.</t>


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<pb/><t>Sing praises to the Lord who reigns in Jerusalem. Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds.</t>


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<pb/><t>For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless. He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer.</t>


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<pb/><t>Lord, have mercy on me. See how my enemies torment me. Snatch me back from the jaws of death.</t>


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<pb/><t>Save me so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem’s gates, so I can rejoice that you have rescued me.</t>


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<pb/><t>The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others. Their own feet have been caught in the trap they set.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord is known for his justice. The wicked are trapped by their own deeds. Quiet Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>The wicked will go down to the grave. This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God.</t>


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<pb/><t>But the needy will not be ignored forever; the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.</t>


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<pb/><t>Make them tremble in fear, O Lord. Let the nations know they are merely human. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>The wicked arrogantly hunt down the poor. Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others.</t>


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<pb/><t>Yet they succeed in everything they do. They do not see your punishment awaiting them. They sneer at all their enemies.</t>


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<pb/><t>Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats. Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues.</t>


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<pb/><t>They lurk in ambush in the villages, waiting to murder innocent people. They are always searching for helpless victims.</t>


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<pb/><t>Like lions crouched in hiding, they wait to pounce on the helpless. Like hunters they capture the helpless and drag them away in nets.</t>


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<pb/><t>The wicked think, “God isn’t watching us! He has closed his eyes and won’t even see what we do!”</t>


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<pb/><t>Why do the wicked get away with despising God? They think, “God will never call us to account.”</t>


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<pb/><t>But you see the trouble and grief they cause. You take note of it and punish them. The helpless put their trust in you. You defend the orphans.</t>


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<pb/><t>Break the arms of these wicked, evil people! Go after them until the last one is destroyed.</t>


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<pb/><t>Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them.</t>


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<pb/><t>You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 11 For the choir director: A psalm of David. I trust in the Lord for protection. So why do you say to me, “Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!</t>


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<pb/><t>The wicked are stringing their bows and fitting their arrows on the bowstrings. They shoot from the shadows at those whose hearts are right.</t>


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<pb/><t>But the Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord still rules from heaven. He watches everyone closely, examining every person on earth.</t>


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<pb/><t>He will rain down blazing coals and burning sulfur on the wicked, punishing them with scorching winds.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 12 For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by an eight-stringed instrument. Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing! The faithful have vanished from the earth!</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.”</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord’s promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over.</t>


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<pb/><t>Therefore, Lord, we know you will protect the oppressed, preserving them forever from this lying generation,</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 13 For the choir director: A psalm of David. O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?</t>


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<pb/><t>How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!” Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 14 For the choir director: A psalm of David. Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good!</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God.</t>


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<pb/><t>But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one!</t>


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<pb/><t>Will those who do evil never learn? They eat up my people like bread and wouldn’t think of praying to the Lord.</t>


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<pb/><t>Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel? When the Lord restores his people, Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 15 A psalm of David. Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts.</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the Lord, and keep their promises even when it hurts.</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who lend money without charging interest, and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent. Such people will stand firm forever.</t>


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<pb/><t>Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods. I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood or even speak the names of their gods.</t>


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<pb/><t>For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.</t>


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<pb/><t>You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 17 A prayer of David. O Lord, hear my plea for justice. Listen to my cry for help. Pay attention to my prayer, for it comes from honest lips.</t>


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<pb/><t>You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night. You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong. I am determined not to sin in what I say.</t>


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<pb/><t>I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray.</t>


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<pb/><t>Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways. By your mighty power you rescue those who seek refuge from their enemies.</t>


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<pb/><t>Arise, O Lord! Stand against them, and bring them to their knees! Rescue me from the wicked with your sword!</t>


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<pb/><t>By the power of your hand, O Lord, destroy those who look to this world for their reward. But satisfy the hunger of your treasured ones. May their children have plenty, leaving an inheritance for their descendants.</t>


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<pb/><t>Because I am righteous, I will see you. When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 18 For the choir director: A psalm of David, the servant of the Lord. He sang this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul. He sang: I love you, Lord; you are my strength.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.</t>


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<pb/><t>But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then the earth quaked and trembled. The foundations of the mountains shook; they quaked because of his anger.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded amid the hail and burning coals.</t>


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<pb/><t>He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; great bolts of lightning flashed, and they were confused.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then at your command, O Lord, at the blast of your breath, the bottom of the sea could be seen, and the foundations of the earth were laid bare.</t>


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<pb/><t>God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.</t>


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<pb/><t>You have given me your shield of victory. Your right hand supports me; your help has made me great.</t>


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<pb/><t>You have armed me with strength for the battle; you have subdued my enemies under my feet.</t>


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<pb/><t>They called for help, but no one came to their rescue. They even cried to the Lord, but he refused to answer.</t>


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<pb/><t>You gave me victory over my accusers. You appointed me ruler over nations; people I don’t even know now serve me.</t>


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<pb/><t>and rescues me from my enemies. You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies; you save me from violent opponents.</t>


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<pb/><t>You give great victories to your king; you show unfailing love to your anointed, to David and all his descendants forever.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 19 For the choir director: A psalm of David. The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.</t>


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<pb/><t>Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.</t>


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<pb/><t>It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.</t>


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<pb/><t>The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat.</t>


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<pb/><t>The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.</t>


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<pb/><t>The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living.</t>


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<pb/><t>Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair.</t>


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<pb/><t>They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.</t>


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<pb/><t>Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.</t>


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<pb/><t>May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 20 For the choir director: A psalm of David. In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry. May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.</t>


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<pb/><t>May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory and raise a victory banner in the name of our God. May the Lord answer all your prayers.</t>


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<pb/><t>Now I know that the Lord rescues his anointed king. He will answer him from his holy heaven and rescue him by his great power.</t>


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<pb/><t>Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 21 For the choir director: A psalm of David. How the king rejoices in your strength, O Lord! He shouts with joy because you give him victory.</t>


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<pb/><t>For you have given him his heart’s desire; you have withheld nothing he requested. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>You welcomed him back with success and prosperity. You placed a crown of finest gold on his head.</t>


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<pb/><t>He asked you to preserve his life, and you granted his request. The days of his life stretch on forever.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your victory brings him great honor, and you have clothed him with splendor and majesty.</t>


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<pb/><t>For the king trusts in the Lord. The unfailing love of the Most High will keep him from stumbling.</t>


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<pb/><t>You will throw them in a flaming furnace when you appear. The Lord will consume them in his anger; fire will devour them.</t>


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<pb/><t>You will wipe their children from the face of the earth; they will never have descendants.</t>


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<pb/><t>Rise up, O Lord, in all your power. With music and singing we celebrate your mighty acts.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 22 For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Doe of the Dawn.” My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?</t>


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<pb/><t>Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.</t>


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<pb/><t>“Is this the one who relies on the Lord? Then let the Lord save him! If the Lord loves him so much, let the Lord rescue him!”</t>


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<pb/><t>Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast.</t>


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<pb/><t>I was thrust into your arms at my birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born.</t>


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<pb/><t>My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me.</t>


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<pb/><t>My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.</t>


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<pb/><t>My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and feet.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among your assembled people.</t>


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<pb/><t>Praise the Lord, all you who fear him! Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob! Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!</t>


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<pb/><t>For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will praise you in the great assembly. I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you.</t>


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<pb/><t>The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the Lord will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.</t>


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<pb/><t>The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let the rich of the earth feast and worship. Bow before him, all who are mortal, all whose lives will end as dust.</t>


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<pb/><t>Our children will also serve him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord.</t>


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<pb/><t>His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done.</t>


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<pb/><t>Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.</t>


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<pb/><t>You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.</t>


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<pb/><t>Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 24 A psalm of David. The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.</t>


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<pb/><t>Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies.</t>


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<pb/><t>They will receive the Lord’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior.</t>


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<pb/><t>Who is the King of glory? The Lord of Heaven’s Armies— he is the King of glory. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>I trust in you, my God! Do not let me be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.</t>


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<pb/><t>No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.</t>


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<pb/><t>Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.</t>


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<pb/><t>Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love, which you have shown from long ages past.</t>


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<pb/><t>Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth. Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O Lord.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.</t>


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<pb/><t>Protect me! Rescue my life from them! Do not let me be disgraced, for in you I take refuge.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 26 A psalm of David. Declare me innocent, O Lord, for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 27 A psalm of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?</t>


text:
<pb/><t>When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.</t>


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<pb/><t>Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The one thing I ask of the Lord— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Do not turn your back on me. Do not reject your servant in anger. You have always been my helper. Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me, O God of my salvation!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Do not let me fall into their hands. For they accuse me of things I’ve never done; with every breath they threaten me with violence.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 28 A psalm of David. I pray to you, O Lord, my rock. Do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you are silent, I might as well give up and die.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Listen to my prayer for mercy as I cry out to you for help, as I lift my hands toward your holy sanctuary.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Do not drag me away with the wicked— with those who do evil— those who speak friendly words to their neighbors while planning evil in their hearts.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Give them the punishment they so richly deserve! Measure it out in proportion to their wickedness. Pay them back for all their evil deeds! Give them a taste of what they have done to others.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>They care nothing for what the Lord has done or for what his hands have made. So he will tear them down, and they will never be rebuilt!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Save your people! Bless Israel, your special possession. Lead them like a shepherd, and carry them in your arms forever.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 29 A psalm of David. Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings; honor the Lord for his glory and strength.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Honor the Lord for the glory of his name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea. The God of glory thunders. The Lord thunders over the mighty sea.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars; the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>He makes Lebanon’s mountains skip like a calf; he makes Mount Hermon leap like a young wild ox.</t>


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<pb/><t>The voice of the Lord makes the barren wilderness quake; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The voice of the Lord twists mighty oaks and strips the forests bare. In his Temple everyone shouts, “Glory!”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 30 A psalm of David. A song for the dedication of the Temple. I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain. Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>“What will you gain if I die, if I sink into the grave? Can my dust praise you? Can it tell of your faithfulness?</t>


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<pb/><t>You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,</t>


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<pb/><t>that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 31 For the choir director: A psalm of David. O Lord, I have come to you for protection; don’t let me be disgraced. Save me, for you do what is right.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Turn your ear to listen to me; rescue me quickly. Be my rock of protection, a fortress where I will be safe.</t>


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<pb/><t>You are my rock and my fortress. For the honor of your name, lead me out of this danger.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul.</t>


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<pb/><t>Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress. Tears blur my eyes. My body and soul are withering away.</t>


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<pb/><t>I am dying from grief; my years are shortened by sadness. Sin has drained my strength; I am wasting away from within.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>I am scorned by all my enemies and despised by my neighbors— even my friends are afraid to come near me. When they see me on the street, they run the other way.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>I have heard the many rumors about me, and I am surrounded by terror. My enemies conspire against me, plotting to take my life.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Don’t let me be disgraced, O Lord, for I call out to you for help. Let the wicked be disgraced; let them lie silent in the grave.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>You hide them in the shelter of your presence, safe from those who conspire against them. You shelter them in your presence, far from accusing tongues.</t>


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<pb/><t>Praise the Lord, for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love. He kept me safe when my city was under attack.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>In panic I cried out, “I am cut off from the Lord!” But you heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help.</t>


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<pb/><t>Love the Lord, all you godly ones! For the Lord protects those who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes the arrogant.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 32 A psalm of David. Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!</t>


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<pb/><t>Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!</t>


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<pb/><t>Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.</t>


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<pb/><t>For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”</t>


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<pb/><t>So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 33 Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord; it is fitting for the pure to praise him.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.</t>


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<pb/><t>What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen as his inheritance.</t>


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<pb/><t>The best-equipped army cannot save a king, nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory— for all its strength, it cannot save you.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 34 A psalm of David, regarding the time he pretended to be insane in front of Abimelech, who sent him away. I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.</t>


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<pb/><t>Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.</t>


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<pb/><t>The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil; he will erase their memory from the earth.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles.</t>


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<pb/><t>Calamity will surely destroy the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be punished.</t>


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<pb/><t>But the Lord will redeem those who serve him. No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 35 A psalm of David. O Lord, oppose those who oppose me. Fight those who fight against me.</t>


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<pb/><t>Lift up your spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Let me hear you say, “I will give you victory!”</t>


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<pb/><t>Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me; turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me.</t>


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<pb/><t>I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me. I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.</t>


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<pb/><t>So let sudden ruin come upon them! Let them be caught in the trap they set for me! Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.</t>


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<pb/><t>With every bone in my body I will praise him: “Lord, who can compare with you? Who else rescues the helpless from the strong? Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I denied myself by fasting for them, but my prayers returned unanswered.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>I was sad, as though they were my friends or family, as if I were grieving for my own mother.</t>


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<pb/><t>But they are glad now that I am in trouble; they gleefully join together against me. I am attacked by people I don’t even know; they slander me constantly.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing? Rescue me from their fierce attacks. Protect my life from these lions!</t>


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<pb/><t>Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly. I will praise you before all the people.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Don’t let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat. Don’t let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>They don’t talk of peace; they plot against innocent people who mind their own business.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice. Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles.</t>


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<pb/><t>May those who rejoice at my troubles be humiliated and disgraced. May those who triumph over me be covered with shame and dishonor.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>But give great joy to those who came to my defense. Let them continually say, “Great is the Lord, who delights in blessing his servant with peace!”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 36 For the choir director: A psalm of David, the servant of the Lord. Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God at all.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots. Their actions are never good. They make no attempt to turn from evil.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O Lord.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your river of delights.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you; give justice to those with honest hearts.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The wicked draw their swords and string their bows to kill the poor and the oppressed, to slaughter those who do right.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.</t>


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<pb/><t>They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>But the wicked will die. The Lord’s enemies are like flowers in a field— they will disappear like smoke.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>For the Lord loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will die.</t>


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<pb/><t>But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.</t>


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<pb/><t>Put your hope in the Lord. Travel steadily along his path. He will honor you by giving you the land. You will see the wicked destroyed.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>But when I looked again, they were gone! Though I searched for them, I could not find them!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The Lord helps them, rescuing them from the wicked. He saves them, and they find shelter in him.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 38 A psalm of David, asking God to remember him. O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease. Even my own family stands at a distance.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Meanwhile, my enemies lay traps to kill me. Those who wish me harm make plans to ruin me. All day long they plan their treachery.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 39 For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of David. I said to myself, “I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will hold my tongue when the ungodly are around me.”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>But as I stood there in silence— not even speaking of good things— the turmoil within me grew worse.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered— how fleeting my life is.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.” Interlude</t>


text:
<pb/><t>We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>When you discipline us for our sins, you consume like a moth what is precious to us. Each of us is but a breath. Interlude</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Hear my prayer, O Lord! Listen to my cries for help! Don’t ignore my tears. For I am your guest— a traveler passing through, as my ancestors were before me.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 40 For the choir director: A psalm of David. I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord, who have no confidence in the proud or in those who worship idols.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings. Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand— you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>I have told all your people about your justice. I have not been afraid to speak out, as you, O Lord, well know.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart; I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me. Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.</t>


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<pb/><t>For troubles surround me— too many to count! My sins pile up so high I can’t see my way out. They outnumber the hairs on my head. I have lost all courage.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>May those who try to destroy me be humiliated and put to shame. May those who take delight in my trouble be turned back in disgrace.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, “The Lord is great!”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>As for me, since I am poor and needy, let the Lord keep me in his thoughts. You are my helper and my savior. O my God, do not delay.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 41 For the choir director: A psalm of David. Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor! The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The Lord protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity in the land and rescues them from their enemies.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>But my enemies say nothing but evil about me. “How soon will he die and be forgotten?” they ask.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>They visit me as if they were my friends, but all the while they gather gossip, and when they leave, they spread it everywhere.</t>


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<pb/><t>Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>You have preserved my life because I am innocent; you have brought me into your presence forever.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and amen!</t>


text:
<t>Book two (Psalms 42–72) Psalm 42 For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration!</t>


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<pb/><t>Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and</t>


text:
<pb/><t>my God! Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you— even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan, from the land of Mount Mizar.</t>


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<pb/><t>But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>“O God my rock,” I cry, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies?”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 43 Declare me innocent, O God! Defend me against these ungodly people. Rescue me from these unjust liars.</t>


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<pb/><t>For you are God, my only safe haven. Why have you tossed me aside? Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies?</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live.</t>


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<pb/><t>There I will go to the altar of God, to God—the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 44 For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. O God, we have heard it with our own ears— our ancestors have told us of all you did in their day, in days long ago:</t>


text:
<pb/><t>You drove out the pagan nations by your power and gave all the land to our ancestors. You crushed their enemies and set our ancestors free.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory. It was your right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from your face that helped them, for you loved them.</t>


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<pb/><t>Only by your power can we push back our enemies; only in your name can we trample our foes.</t>


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<pb/><t>You let our neighbors mock us. We are an object of scorn and derision to those around us.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>All this has happened though we have not forgotten you. We have not violated your covenant.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Yet you have crushed us in the jackal’s desert home. You have covered us with darkness and death.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 45 For the choir director: A love song to be sung to the tune “Lilies.” A psalm of the descendants of Korah. Beautiful words stir my heart. I will recite a lovely poem about the king, for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>You are the most handsome of all. Gracious words stream from your lips. God himself has blessed you forever.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>In your majesty, ride out to victory, defending truth, humility, and justice. Go forth to perform awe-inspiring deeds!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Your arrows are sharp, piercing your enemies’ hearts. The nations fall beneath your feet.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>You love justice and hate evil. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Myrrh, aloes, and cassia perfume your robes. In ivory palaces the music of strings entertains you.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Kings’ daughters are among your noble women. At your right side stands the queen, wearing jewelry of finest gold from Ophir!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say. Forget your people and your family far away.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Your sons will become kings like their father. You will make them rulers over many lands.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>I will bring honor to your name in every generation. Therefore, the nations will praise you forever and ever.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 46 For the choir director: A song of the descendants of Korah, to be sung by soprano voices. God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Interlude</t>


text:
<pb/><t>He causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear; he burns the shields with fire.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 47 For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>He chose the Promised Land as our inheritance, the proud possession of Jacob’s descendants, whom he loves. Interlude</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The rulers of the world have gathered together with the people of the God of Abraham. For all the kings of the earth belong to God. He is highly honored everywhere.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 48 A song. A psalm of the descendants of Korah. How great is the Lord, how deserving of praise, in the city of our God, which sits on his holy mountain!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>It is high and magnificent; the whole earth rejoices to see it! Mount Zion, the holy mountain, is the city of the great King!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>We had heard of the city’s glory, but now we have seen it ourselves— the city of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. It is the city of our God; he will make it safe forever. Interlude</t>


text:
<pb/><t>As your name deserves, O God, you will be praised to the ends of the earth. Your strong right hand is filled with victory.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Let the people on Mount Zion rejoice. Let all the towns of Judah be glad because of your justice.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Take note of the fortified walls, and tour all the citadels, that you may describe them to future generations.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>For that is what God is like. He is our God forever and ever, and he will guide us until we die.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 49 For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. Listen to this, all you people! Pay attention, everyone in the world!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Those who are wise must finally die, just like the foolish and senseless, leaving all their wealth behind.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The grave is their eternal home, where they will stay forever. They may name their estates after themselves,</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Like sheep, they are led to the grave, where death will be their shepherd. In the morning the godly will rule over them. Their bodies will rot in the grave, far from their grand estates.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of the grave. Interlude</t>


text:
<pb/><t>So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich and their homes become ever more splendid.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>For when they die, they take nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 50 A psalm of Asaph. The Lord, the Mighty One, is God, and he has spoken; he has summoned all humanity from where the sun rises to where it sets.</t>


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<pb/><t>Our God approaches, and he is not silent. Fire devours everything in his way, and a great storm rages around him.</t>


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<pb/><t>“Bring my faithful people to me— those who made a covenant with me by giving sacrifices.”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>“O my people, listen as I speak. Here are my charges against you, O Israel: I am God, your God!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>But God says to the wicked: “Why bother reciting my decrees and pretending to obey my covenant?</t>


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<pb/><t>While you did all this, I remained silent, and you thought I didn’t care. But now I will rebuke you, listing all my charges against you.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 51 For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time Nathan the prophet came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.</t>


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<pb/><t>Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.</t>


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<pb/><t>The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit— with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 52 For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time Doeg the Edomite said to Saul, “David has gone to see Ahimelech.” Why do you boast about your crimes, great warrior? Don’t you realize God’s justice continues forever?</t>


text:
<pb/><t>All day long you plot destruction. Your tongue cuts like a sharp razor; you’re an expert at telling lies.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>But God will strike you down once and for all. He will pull you from your home and uproot you from the land of the living. Interlude</t>


text:
<pb/><t>“Look what happens to mighty warriors who do not trust in God. They trust their wealth instead and grow more and more bold in their wickedness.”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God’s unfailing love.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>I will praise you forever, O God, for what you have done. I will trust in your good name in the presence of your faithful people.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 53 For the choir director: A meditation; a psalm of David. Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good!</t>


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<pb/><t>God looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God.</t>


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<pb/><t>Will those who do evil never learn? They eat up my people like bread and wouldn’t think of praying to God.</t>


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<pb/><t>Terror will grip them, terror like they have never known before. God will scatter the bones of your enemies. You will put them to shame, for God has rejected them.</t>


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<pb/><t>Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel? When God restores his people, Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 54 For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “We know where David is hiding.” To be accompanied by stringed instruments. Come with great power, O God, and rescue me! Defend me with your might.</t>


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<pb/><t>For strangers are attacking me; violent people are trying to kill me. They care nothing for God. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>May the evil plans of my enemies be turned against them. Do as you promised and put an end to them.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will sacrifice a voluntary offering to you; I will praise your name, O Lord, for it is good.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 55 For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments. Listen to my prayer, O God. Do not ignore my cry for help!</t>


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<pb/><t>My enemies shout at me, making loud and wicked threats. They bring trouble on me and angrily hunt me down.</t>


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<pb/><t>Confuse them, Lord, and frustrate their plans, for I see violence and conflict in the city.</t>


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<pb/><t>Its walls are patrolled day and night against invaders, but the real danger is wickedness within the city.</t>


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<pb/><t>It is not an enemy who taunts me— I could bear that. It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me— I could have hidden from them.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let death stalk my enemies; let the grave swallow them alive, for evil makes its home within them.</t>


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<pb/><t>He ransoms me and keeps me safe from the battle waged against me, though many still oppose me.</t>


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<pb/><t>God, who has ruled forever, will hear me and humble them. Interlude For my enemies refuse to change their ways; they do not fear God.</t>


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<pb/><t>His words are as smooth as butter, but in his heart is war. His words are as soothing as lotion, but underneath are daggers!</t>


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<pb/><t>Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.</t>


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<pb/><t>But you, O God, will send the wicked down to the pit of destruction. Murderers and liars will die young, but I am trusting you to save me.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 56 For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time the Philistines seized him in Gath. To be sung to the tune “Dove on Distant Oaks.” O God, have mercy on me, for people are hounding me. My foes attack me all day long.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?</t>


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<pb/><t>You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will fulfill my vows to you, O God, and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for your help.</t>


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<pb/><t>For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 57 For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time he fled from Saul and went into the cave. To be sung to the tune “Do Not Destroy!” Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by.</t>


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<pb/><t>He will send help from heaven to rescue me, disgracing those who hound me. Interlude My God will send forth his unfailing love and faithfulness.</t>


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<pb/><t>I am surrounded by fierce lions who greedily devour human prey— whose teeth pierce like spears and arrows, and whose tongues cut like swords.</t>


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<pb/><t>My enemies have set a trap for me. I am weary from distress. They have dug a deep pit in my path, but they themselves have fallen into it. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises!</t>


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<pb/><t>I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations.</t>


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<pb/><t>For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 58 For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Do Not Destroy!” Justice—do you rulers know the meaning of the word? Do you judge the people fairly?</t>


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<pb/><t>These wicked people are born sinners; even from birth they have lied and gone their own way.</t>


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<pb/><t>May they disappear like water into thirsty ground. Make their weapons useless in their hands.</t>


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<pb/><t>May they be like snails that dissolve into slime, like a stillborn child who will never see the sun.</t>


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<pb/><t>God will sweep them away, both young and old, faster than a pot heats over burning thorns.</t>


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<pb/><t>The godly will rejoice when they see injustice avenged. They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then at last everyone will say, “There truly is a reward for those who live for God; surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth.”</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 59 For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time Saul sent soldiers to watch David’s house in order to kill him. To be sung to the tune “Do Not Destroy!” Rescue me from my enemies, O God. Protect me from those who have come to destroy me.</t>


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<pb/><t>They have set an ambush for me. Fierce enemies are out there waiting, Lord, though I have not sinned or offended them.</t>


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<pb/><t>I have done nothing wrong, yet they prepare to attack me. Wake up! See what is happening and help me!</t>


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<pb/><t>O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, wake up and punish those hostile nations. Show no mercy to wicked traitors. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>Listen to the filth that comes from their mouths; their words cut like swords. “After all, who can hear us?” they sneer.</t>


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<pb/><t>In his unfailing love, my God will stand with me. He will let me look down in triumph on all my enemies.</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t kill them, for my people soon forget such lessons; stagger them with your power, and bring them to their knees, O Lord our shield.</t>


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<pb/><t>Because of the sinful things they say, because of the evil that is on their lips, let them be captured by their pride, their curses, and their lies.</t>


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<pb/><t>Destroy them in your anger! Wipe them out completely! Then the whole world will know that God reigns in Israel. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress.</t>


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<pb/><t>O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 60 For the choir director: A psalm of David useful for teaching, regarding the time David fought Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and killed 12,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. To be sung to the tune “Lily of the Testimony.” You have rejected us, O God, and broken our defenses. You have been angry with us; now restore us to your favor.</t>


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<pb/><t>But you have raised a banner for those who fear you— a rallying point in the face of attack. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>God has promised this by his holiness: “I will divide up Shechem with joy. I will measure out the valley of Succoth.</t>


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<pb/><t>Gilead is mine, and Manasseh, too. Ephraim, my helmet, will produce my warriors, and Judah, my scepter, will produce my kings.</t>


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<pb/><t>But Moab, my washbasin, will become my servant, and I will wipe my feet on Edom and shout in triumph over Philistia.”</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 61 For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments. O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer!</t>


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<pb/><t>From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety,</t>


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<pb/><t>Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings! Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>For you have heard my vows, O God. You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name.</t>


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<pb/><t>May he reign under God’s protection forever. May your unfailing love and faithfulness watch over him.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 62 For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of David. I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him.</t>


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<pb/><t>So many enemies against one man— all of them trying to kill me. To them I’m just a broken-down wall or a tottering fence.</t>


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<pb/><t>They plan to topple me from my high position. They delight in telling lies about me. They praise me to my face but curse me in their hearts. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.</t>


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<pb/><t>O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind, and the powerful are not what they appear to be. If you weigh them on the scales, together they are lighter than a breath of air.</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t make your living by extortion or put your hope in stealing. And if your wealth increases, don’t make it the center of your life.</t>


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<pb/><t>unfailing love, O Lord, is yours. Surely you repay all people according to what they have done.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 63 A psalm of David, regarding a time when David was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.</t>


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<pb/><t>But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin. They will go down into the depths of the earth.</t>


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<pb/><t>But the king will rejoice in God. All who swear to tell the truth will praise him, while liars will be silenced.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 64 For the choir director: A psalm of David. O God, listen to my complaint. Protect my life from my enemies’ threats.</t>


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<pb/><t>They encourage each other to do evil and plan how to set their traps in secret. “Who will ever notice?” they ask.</t>


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<pb/><t>As they plot their crimes, they say, “We have devised the perfect plan!” Yes, the human heart and mind are cunning.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then everyone will be afraid; they will proclaim the mighty acts of God and realize all the amazing things he does.</t>


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<pb/><t>The godly will rejoice in the Lord and find shelter in him. And those who do what is right will praise him.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 65 For the choir director: A song. A psalm of David. What mighty praise, O God, belongs to you in Zion. We will fulfill our vows to you,</t>


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<pb/><t>What joy for those you choose to bring near, those who live in your holy courts. What festivities await us inside your holy Temple.</t>


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<pb/><t>You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas.</t>


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<pb/><t>You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves and silenced the shouting of the nations.</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy.</t>


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<pb/><t>You take care of the earth and water it, making it rich and fertile. The river of God has plenty of water; it provides a bountiful harvest of grain, for you have ordered it so.</t>


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<pb/><t>You drench the plowed ground with rain, melting the clods and leveling the ridges. You soften the earth with showers and bless its abundant crops.</t>


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<pb/><t>You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.</t>


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<pb/><t>The grasslands of the wilderness become a lush pasture, and the hillsides blossom with joy.</t>


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<pb/><t>The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep, and the valleys are carpeted with grain. They all shout and sing for joy!</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 66 For the choir director: A song. A psalm. Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth!</t>


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<pb/><t>Everything on earth will worship you; they will sing your praises, shouting your name in glorious songs.” Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>He made a dry path through the Red Sea, and his people went across on foot. There we rejoiced in him.</t>


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<pb/><t>For by his great power he rules forever. He watches every movement of the nations; let no rebel rise in defiance. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>Then you put a leader over us. We went through fire and flood, but you brought us to a place of great abundance.</t>


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<pb/><t>That is why I am sacrificing burnt offerings to you— the best of my rams as a pleasing aroma, and a sacrifice of bulls and male goats. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 67 For the choir director: A song. A psalm, to be accompanied by stringed instruments. May God be merciful and bless us. May his face smile with favor on us. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>Let the whole world sing for joy, because you govern the nations with justice and guide the people of the whole world. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 68 For the choir director: A song. A psalm of David. Rise up, O God, and scatter your enemies. Let those who hate God run for their lives.</t>


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<pb/><t>Blow them away like smoke. Melt them like wax in a fire. Let the wicked perish in the presence of God.</t>


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<pb/><t>But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God’s presence. Let them be filled with joy.</t>


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<pb/><t>Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the Lord— rejoice in his presence!</t>


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<pb/><t>God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.</t>


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<pb/><t>O God, when you led your people out from Egypt, when you marched through the dry wasteland, Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>the earth trembled, and the heavens poured down rain before you, the God of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.</t>


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<pb/><t>There your people finally settled, and with a bountiful harvest, O God, you provided for your needy people.</t>


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<pb/><t>Even those who lived among the sheepfolds found treasures— doves with wings of silver and feathers of gold.</t>


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<pb/><t>Why do you look with envy, O rugged mountains, at Mount Zion, where God has chosen to live, where the Lord himself will live forever?</t>


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<pb/><t>Surrounded by unnumbered thousands of chariots, the Lord came from Mount Sinai into his sanctuary.</t>


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<pb/><t>When you ascended to the heights, you led a crowd of captives. You received gifts from the people, even from those who rebelled against you. Now the Lord God will live among us there.</t>


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<pb/><t>Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>But God will smash the heads of his enemies, crushing the skulls of those who love their guilty ways.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord says, “I will bring my enemies down from Bashan; I will bring them up from the depths of the sea.</t>


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<pb/><t>You, my people, will wash your feet in their blood, and even your dogs will get their share!”</t>


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<pb/><t>Your procession has come into view, O God— the procession of my God and King as he goes into the sanctuary.</t>


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<pb/><t>Singers are in front, musicians behind; between them are young women playing tambourines.</t>


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<pb/><t>Look, the little tribe of Benjamin leads the way. Then comes a great throng of rulers from Judah and all the rulers of Zebulun and Naphtali.</t>


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<pb/><t>Rebuke these enemy nations— these wild animals lurking in the reeds, this herd of bulls among the weaker calves. Make them bring bars of silver in humble tribute. Scatter the nations that delight in war.</t>


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<pb/><t>Sing to the one who rides across the ancient heavens, his mighty voice thundering from the sky.</t>


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<pb/><t>Tell everyone about God’s power. His majesty shines down on Israel; his strength is mighty in the heavens.</t>


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<pb/><t>God is awesome in his sanctuary. The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 69 For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Lilies.” Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck.</t>


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<pb/><t>Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can’t find a foothold. I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me.</t>


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<pb/><t>I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me.</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs on my head. Many enemies try to destroy me with lies, demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal.</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me, O Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated, O God of Israel.</t>


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<pb/><t>Passion for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.</t>


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<pb/><t>But I keep praying to you, Lord, hoping this time you will show me favor. In your unfailing love, O God, answer my prayer with your sure salvation.</t>


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<pb/><t>Rescue me from the mud; don’t let me sink any deeper! Save me from those who hate me, and pull me from these deep waters.</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t let the floods overwhelm me, or the deep waters swallow me, or the pit of death devour me.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Answer my prayers, O Lord, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful.</t>


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<pb/><t>Their insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. If only one person would show some pity; if only one would turn and comfort me.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare and their prosperity become a trap.</t>


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<pb/><t>To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury; they add to the pain of those you have hurt.</t>


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<pb/><t>For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle, more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.</t>


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<pb/><t>The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.</t>


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<pb/><t>For God will save Jerusalem and rebuild the towns of Judah. His people will live there and settle in their own land.</t>


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<pb/><t>The descendants of those who obey him will inherit the land, and those who love him will live there in safety.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 70 For the choir director: A psalm of David, asking God to remember him. Please, God, rescue me! Come quickly, Lord, and help me.</t>


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<pb/><t>May those who try to kill me be humiliated and put to shame. May those who take delight in my trouble be turned back in disgrace.</t>


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<pb/><t>But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, “God is great!”</t>


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<pb/><t>But as for me, I am poor and needy; please hurry to my aid, O God. You are my helper and my savior; O Lord, do not delay.</t>


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<pb/><t>Save me and rescue me, for you do what is right. Turn your ear to listen to me, and set me free.</t>


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<pb/><t>Be my rock of safety where I can always hide. Give the order to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.</t>


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<pb/><t>Yes, you have been with me from birth; from my mother’s womb you have cared for me. No wonder I am always praising you!</t>


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<pb/><t>And now, in my old age, don’t set me aside. Don’t abandon me when my strength is failing.</t>


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<pb/><t>Bring disgrace and destruction on my accusers. Humiliate and shame those who want to harm me.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will tell everyone about your righteousness. All day long I will proclaim your saving power, though I am not skilled with words.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will praise your mighty deeds, O Sovereign Lord. I will tell everyone that you alone are just.</t>


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<pb/><t>O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do.</t>


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<pb/><t>Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens. You have done such wonderful things. Who can compare with you, O God?</t>


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<pb/><t>You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then I will praise you with music on the harp, because you are faithful to your promises, O my God. I will sing praises to you with a lyre, O Holy One of Israel.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will tell about your righteous deeds all day long, for everyone who tried to hurt me has been shamed and humiliated.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 72 A psalm of Solomon. Give your love of justice to the king, O God, and righteousness to the king’s son.</t>


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<pb/><t>Help him to defend the poor, to rescue the children of the needy, and to crush their oppressors.</t>


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<pb/><t>May they fear you as long as the sun shines, as long as the moon remains in the sky. Yes, forever!</t>


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<pb/><t>May the king’s rule be refreshing like spring rain on freshly cut grass, like the showers that water the earth.</t>


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<pb/><t>May all the godly flourish during his reign. May there be abundant prosperity until the moon is no more.</t>


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<pb/><t>The western kings of Tarshish and other distant lands will bring him tribute. The eastern kings of Sheba and Seba will bring him gifts.</t>


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<pb/><t>He will rescue the poor when they cry to him; he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them.</t>


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<pb/><t>Long live the king! May the gold of Sheba be given to him. May the people always pray for him and bless him all day long.</t>


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<pb/><t>May there be abundant grain throughout the land, flourishing even on the hilltops. May the fruit trees flourish like the trees of Lebanon, and may the people thrive like grass in a field.</t>


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<pb/><t>May the king’s name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun shines. May all nations be blessed through him and bring him praise.</t>


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<pb/><t>Praise his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and amen!</t>


text:
<t>Book three (Psalms 73–89) Psalm 73 A psalm of Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure.</t>


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<pb/><t>They don’t have troubles like other people; they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.</t>


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<pb/><t>Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.</t>


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<pb/><t>When you arise, O Lord, you will laugh at their silly ideas as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.</t>


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<pb/><t>My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.</t>


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<pb/><t>But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 74 A psalm of Asaph. O God, why have you rejected us so long? Why is your anger so intense against the sheep of your own pasture?</t>


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<pb/><t>Remember that we are the people you chose long ago, the tribe you redeemed as your own special possession! And remember Jerusalem, your home here on earth.</t>


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<pb/><t>Walk through the awful ruins of the city; see how the enemy has destroyed your sanctuary.</t>


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<pb/><t>There your enemies shouted their victorious battle cries; there they set up their battle standards.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then they thought, “Let’s destroy everything!” So they burned down all the places where God was worshiped.</t>


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<pb/><t>We no longer see your miraculous signs. All the prophets are gone, and no one can tell us when it will end.</t>


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<pb/><t>How long, O God, will you allow our enemies to insult you? Will you let them dishonor your name forever?</t>


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<pb/><t>Why do you hold back your strong right hand? Unleash your powerful fist and destroy them.</t>


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<pb/><t>You caused the springs and streams to gush forth, and you dried up rivers that never run dry.</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t let these wild beasts destroy your turtledoves. Don’t forget your suffering people forever.</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t let the downtrodden be humiliated again. Instead, let the poor and needy praise your name.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 75 For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph. A song to be sung to the tune “Do Not Destroy!” We thank you, O God! We give thanks because you are near. People everywhere tell of your wonderful deeds.</t>


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<pb/><t>When the earth quakes and its people live in turmoil, I am the one who keeps its foundations firm. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>For no one on earth—from east or west, or even from the wilderness— should raise a defiant fist.</t>


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<pb/><t>For the Lord holds a cup in his hand that is full of foaming wine mixed with spices. He pours out the wine in judgment, and all the wicked must drink it, draining it to the dregs.</t>


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<pb/><t>But as for me, I will always proclaim what God has done; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.</t>


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<pb/><t>For God says, “I will break the strength of the wicked, but I will increase the power of the godly.”</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 76 For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph. A song to be accompanied by stringed instruments. God is honored in Judah; his name is great in Israel.</t>


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<pb/><t>There he has broken the fiery arrows of the enemy, the shields and swords and weapons of war. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>Our boldest enemies have been plundered. They lie before us in the sleep of death. No warrior could lift a hand against us.</t>


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<pb/><t>You stand up to judge those who do evil, O God, and to rescue the oppressed of the earth. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>Make vows to the Lord your God, and keep them. Let everyone bring tribute to the Awesome One.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 77 For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of Asaph. I cry out to God; yes, I shout. Oh, that God would listen to me!</t>


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<pb/><t>When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted.</t>


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<pb/><t>when my nights were filled with joyful songs. I search my soul and ponder the difference now.</t>


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<pb/><t>But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.</t>


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<pb/><t>By your strong arm, you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>When the Red Sea saw you, O God, its waters looked and trembled! The sea quaked to its very depths.</t>


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<pb/><t>The clouds poured down rain; the thunder rumbled in the sky. Your arrows of lightning flashed.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your thunder roared from the whirlwind; the lightning lit up the world! The earth trembled and shook.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters— a pathway no one knew was there!</t>


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<pb/><t>You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep, with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 78 A psalm of Asaph. O my people, listen to my instructions. Open your ears to what I am saying,</t>


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<pb/><t>We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders.</t>


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<pb/><t>For he issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children,</t>


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<pb/><t>so the next generation might know them— even the children not yet born— and they in turn will teach their own children.</t>


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<pb/><t>So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then they will not be like their ancestors— stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God.</t>


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<pb/><t>The warriors of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned their backs and fled on the day of battle.</t>


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<pb/><t>Yes, he can strike a rock so water gushes out, but he can’t give his people bread and meat.”</t>


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<pb/><t>When the Lord heard them, he was furious. The fire of his wrath burned against Jacob. Yes, his anger rose against Israel,</t>


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<pb/><t>the anger of God rose against them, and he killed their strongest men. He struck down the finest of Israel’s young men.</t>


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<pb/><t>But in spite of this, the people kept sinning. Despite his wonders, they refused to trust him.</t>


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<pb/><t>When God began killing them, they finally sought him. They repented and took God seriously.</t>


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<pb/><t>Yet he was merciful and forgave their sins and did not destroy them all. Many times he held back his anger and did not unleash his fury!</t>


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<pb/><t>For he remembered that they were merely mortal, gone like a breath of wind that never returns.</t>


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<pb/><t>Oh, how often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved his heart in that dry wasteland.</t>


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<pb/><t>He loosed on them his fierce anger— all his fury, rage, and hostility. He dispatched against them a band of destroying angels.</t>


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<pb/><t>He turned his anger against them; he did not spare the Egyptians’ lives but ravaged them with the plague.</t>


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<pb/><t>He killed the oldest son in each Egyptian family, the flower of youth throughout the land of Egypt.</t>


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<pb/><t>But he led his own people like a flock of sheep, guiding them safely through the wilderness.</t>


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<pb/><t>He brought them to the border of his holy land, to this land of hills he had won for them.</t>


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<pb/><t>He drove out the nations before them; he gave them their inheritance by lot. He settled the tribes of Israel into their homes.</t>


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<pb/><t>They turned back and were as faithless as their parents. They were as undependable as a crooked bow.</t>


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<pb/><t>They angered God by building shrines to other gods; they made him jealous with their idols.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then he abandoned his dwelling at Shiloh, the Tabernacle where he had lived among the people.</t>


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<pb/><t>He allowed the Ark of his might to be captured; he surrendered his glory into enemy hands.</t>


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<pb/><t>He gave his people over to be butchered by the sword, because he was so angry with his own people—his special possession.</t>


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<pb/><t>Their young men were killed by fire; their young women died before singing their wedding songs.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then the Lord rose up as though waking from sleep, like a warrior aroused from a drunken stupor.</t>


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<pb/><t>There he built his sanctuary as high as the heavens, as solid and enduring as the earth.</t>


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<pb/><t>He took David from tending the ewes and lambs and made him the shepherd of Jacob’s descendants— God’s own people, Israel.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 79 A psalm of Asaph. O God, pagan nations have conquered your land, your special possession. They have defiled your holy Temple and made Jerusalem a heap of ruins.</t>


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<pb/><t>They have left the bodies of your servants as food for the birds of heaven. The flesh of your godly ones has become food for the wild animals.</t>


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<pb/><t>O Lord, how long will you be angry with us? Forever? How long will your jealousy burn like fire?</t>


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<pb/><t>Pour out your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge you— on kingdoms that do not call upon your name.</t>


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<pb/><t>Do not hold us guilty for the sins of our ancestors! Let your compassion quickly meet our needs, for we are on the brink of despair.</t>


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<pb/><t>Help us, O God of our salvation! Help us for the glory of your name. Save us and forgive our sins for the honor of your name.</t>


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<pb/><t>Why should pagan nations be allowed to scoff, asking, “Where is their God?” Show us your vengeance against the nations, for they have spilled the blood of your servants.</t>


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<pb/><t>Listen to the moaning of the prisoners. Demonstrate your great power by saving those condemned to die.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will thank you forever and ever, praising your greatness from generation to generation.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 80 For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph, to be sung to the tune “Lilies of the Covenant.” Please listen, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph’s descendants like a flock. O God, enthroned above the cherubim, display your radiant glory</t>


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<pb/><t>Turn us again to yourself, O God. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.</t>


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<pb/><t>Turn us again to yourself, O God of Heaven’s Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.</t>


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<pb/><t>You brought us from Egypt like a grapevine; you drove away the pagan nations and transplanted us into your land.</t>


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<pb/><t>We spread our branches west to the Mediterranean Sea; our shoots spread east to the Euphrates River.</t>


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<pb/><t>But now, why have you broken down our walls so that all who pass by may steal our fruit?</t>


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<pb/><t>Come back, we beg you, O God of Heaven’s Armies. Look down from heaven and see our plight. Take care of this grapevine</t>


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<pb/><t>For we are chopped up and burned by our enemies. May they perish at the sight of your frown.</t>


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<pb/><t>Turn us again to yourself, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 81 For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument. Sing praises to God, our strength. Sing to the God of Jacob.</t>


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<pb/><t>He made it a law for Israel when he attacked Egypt to set us free. I heard an unknown voice say,</t>


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<pb/><t>“Now I will take the load from your shoulders; I will free your hands from their heavy tasks.</t>


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<pb/><t>You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you; I answered out of the thundercloud and tested your faith when there was no water at Meribah. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>“Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings. O Israel, if you would only listen to me!</t>


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<pb/><t>For it was I, the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.</t>


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<pb/><t>Oh, that my people would listen to me! Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!</t>


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<pb/><t>How quickly I would then subdue their enemies! How soon my hands would be upon their foes!</t>


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<pb/><t>But I would feed you with the finest wheat. I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.”</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 82 A psalm of Asaph. God presides over heaven’s court; he pronounces judgment on the heavenly beings:</t>


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<pb/><t>“Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.</t>


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<pb/><t>But these oppressors know nothing; they are so ignorant! They wander about in darkness, while the whole world is shaken to the core.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 83 A song. A psalm of Asaph. O God, do not be silent! Do not be deaf. Do not be quiet, O God.</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t you hear the uproar of your enemies? Don’t you see that your arrogant enemies are rising up?</t>


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<pb/><t>They devise crafty schemes against your people; they conspire against your precious ones.</t>


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<pb/><t>“Come,” they say, “let us wipe out Israel as a nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence.”</t>


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<pb/><t>Do to them as you did to the Midianites and as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let their mighty nobles die as Oreb and Zeeb did. Let all their princes die like Zebah and Zalmunna,</t>


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<pb/><t>Then they will learn that you alone are called the Lord, that you alone are the Most High, supreme over all the earth.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 84 For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies.</t>


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<pb/><t>I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God.</t>


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<pb/><t>Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young at a place near your altar, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God!</t>


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<pb/><t>What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.</t>


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<pb/><t>When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs. The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings.</t>


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<pb/><t>They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.</t>


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<pb/><t>O God, look with favor upon the king, our shield! Show favor to the one you have anointed.</t>


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<pb/><t>A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.</t>


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<pb/><t>For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 85 For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. Lord, you poured out blessings on your land! You restored the fortunes of Israel.</t>


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<pb/><t>Now restore us again, O God of our salvation. Put aside your anger against us once more.</t>


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<pb/><t>I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to their foolish ways.</t>


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<pb/><t>Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, so our land will be filled with his glory.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 86 A prayer of David. Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help.</t>


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<pb/><t>Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God.</t>


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<pb/><t>O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.</t>


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<pb/><t>All the nations you made will come and bow before you, Lord; they will praise your holy name.</t>


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<pb/><t>Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.</t>


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<pb/><t>With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever,</t>


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<pb/><t>O God, insolent people rise up against me; a violent gang is trying to kill me. You mean nothing to them.</t>


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<pb/><t>But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.</t>


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<pb/><t>Look down and have mercy on me. Give your strength to your servant; save me, the son of your servant.</t>


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<pb/><t>Send me a sign of your favor. Then those who hate me will be put to shame, for you, O Lord, help and comfort me.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 87 A song. A psalm of the descendants of Korah. On the holy mountain stands the city founded by the Lord.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will count Egypt and Babylon among those who know me— also Philistia and Tyre, and even distant Ethiopia. They have all become citizens of Jerusalem!</t>


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<pb/><t>Regarding Jerusalem it will be said, “Everyone enjoys the rights of citizenship there.” And the Most High will personally bless this city.</t>


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<pb/><t>When the Lord registers the nations, he will say, “They have all become citizens of Jerusalem.” Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 88 For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. A song to be sung to the tune “The Suffering of Affliction.” A psalm of Heman the Ezrahite. O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out to you by day. I come to you at night.</t>


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<pb/><t>They have left me among the dead, and I lie like a corpse in a grave. I am forgotten, cut off from your care.</t>


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<pb/><t>You have driven my friends away by making me repulsive to them. I am in a trap with no way of escape.</t>


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<pb/><t>My eyes are blinded by my tears. Each day I beg for your help, O Lord; I lift my hands to you for mercy.</t>


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<pb/><t>Are your wonderful deeds of any use to the dead? Do the dead rise up and praise you? Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>Can those in the grave declare your unfailing love? Can they proclaim your faithfulness in the place of destruction?</t>


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<pb/><t>Can the darkness speak of your wonderful deeds? Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness?</t>


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<pb/><t>I have been sick and close to death since my youth. I stand helpless and desperate before your terrors.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 89 A psalm of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing of the Lord’s unfailing love forever! Young and old will hear of your faithfulness.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord said, “I have made a covenant with David, my chosen servant. I have sworn this oath to him:</t>


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<pb/><t>‘I will establish your descendants as kings forever; they will sit on your throne from now until eternity.’” Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>All heaven will praise your great wonders, Lord; myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness.</t>


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<pb/><t>For who in all of heaven can compare with the Lord? What mightiest angel is anything like the Lord?</t>


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<pb/><t>The highest angelic powers stand in awe of God. He is far more awesome than all who surround his throne.</t>


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<pb/><t>O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies! Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O Lord? You are entirely faithful.</t>


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<pb/><t>The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; everything in the world is yours—you created it all.</t>


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<pb/><t>Powerful is your arm! Strong is your hand! Your right hand is lifted high in glorious strength.</t>


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<pb/><t>Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants.</t>


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<pb/><t>Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord.</t>


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<pb/><t>They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation. They exult in your righteousness.</t>


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<pb/><t>Yes, our protection comes from the Lord, and he, the Holy One of Israel, has given us our king.</t>


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<pb/><t>Long ago you spoke in a vision to your faithful people. You said, “I have raised up a warrior. I have selected him from the common people to be king.</t>


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<pb/><t>My faithfulness and unfailing love will be with him, and by my authority he will grow in power.</t>


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<pb/><t>O Lord, how long will this go on? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your anger burn like fire?</t>


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<pb/><t>No one can live forever; all will die. No one can escape the power of the grave. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>Consider, Lord, how your servants are disgraced! I carry in my heart the insults of so many people.</t>


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<t>Book four (Psalms 90–106) Psalm 90 A prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, through all the generations you have been our home!</t>


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<pb/><t>Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God.</t>


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<pb/><t>You sweep people away like dreams that disappear. They are like grass that springs up in the morning.</t>


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<pb/><t>Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we fly away.</t>


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<pb/><t>Who can comprehend the power of your anger? Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve.</t>


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<pb/><t>Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.</t>


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<pb/><t>And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 91 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.</t>


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<pb/><t>This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.</t>


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<pb/><t>He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.</t>


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<pb/><t>Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday.</t>


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<pb/><t>Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.</t>


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<pb/><t>You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.</t>


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<pb/><t>When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 92 A psalm. A song to be sung on the Sabbath Day. It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High.</t>


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<pb/><t>It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening,</t>


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<pb/><t>You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done.</t>


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<pb/><t>Though the wicked sprout like weeds and evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever.</t>


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<pb/><t>My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the defeat of my wicked opponents.</t>


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<pb/><t>For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house. They flourish in the courts of our God.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 93 The Lord is king! He is robed in majesty. Indeed, the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength. The world stands firm and cannot be shaken.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your throne, O Lord, has stood from time immemorial. You yourself are from the everlasting past.</t>


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<pb/><t>The floods have risen up, O Lord. The floods have roared like thunder; the floods have lifted their pounding waves.</t>


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<pb/><t>But mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers on the shore— the Lord above is mightier than these!</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 94 O Lord, the God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, let your glorious justice shine forth!</t>


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<pb/><t>He punishes the nations—won’t he also punish you? He knows everything—doesn’t he also know what you are doing?</t>


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<pb/><t>Judgment will again be founded on justice, and those with virtuous hearts will pursue it.</t>


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<pb/><t>Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side— leaders whose decrees permit injustice?</t>


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<pb/><t>God will turn the sins of evil people back on them. He will destroy them for their sins. The Lord our God will destroy them.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 95 Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.</t>


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<pb/><t>for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today!</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness.</t>


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<pb/><t>For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw everything I did.</t>


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<pb/><t>For forty years I was angry with them, and I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’</t>


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<pb/><t>Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.</t>


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<pb/><t>O nations of the world, recognize the Lord; recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong.</t>


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<pb/><t>Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!” The world stands firm and cannot be shaken. He will judge all peoples fairly.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!</t>


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<pb/><t>Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest sing for joy</t>


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<pb/><t>before the Lord, for he is coming! He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with his truth.</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who worship idols are disgraced— all who brag about their worthless gods— for every god must bow to him.</t>


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<pb/><t>Jerusalem has heard and rejoiced, and all the towns of Judah are glad because of your justice, O Lord!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>You who love the Lord, hate evil! He protects the lives of his godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 98 A psalm. Sing a new song to the Lord, for he has done wonderful deeds. His right hand has won a mighty victory; his holy arm has shown his saving power!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>He has remembered his promise to love and be faithful to Israel. The ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>with trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn. Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the earth and all living things join in.</t>


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<pb/><t>before the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with fairness.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 99 The Lord is king! Let the nations tremble! He sits on his throne between the cherubim. Let the whole earth quake!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established fairness. You have acted with justice and righteousness throughout Israel.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Moses and Aaron were among his priests; Samuel also called on his name. They cried to the Lord for help, and he answered them.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>He spoke to Israel from the pillar of cloud, and they followed the laws and decrees he gave them.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>O Lord our God, you answered them. You were a forgiving God to them, but you punished them when they went wrong.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain in Jerusalem, for the Lord our God is holy!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 101 A psalm of David. I will sing of your love and justice, Lord. I will praise you with songs.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>I will be careful to live a blameless life— when will you come to help me? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I hate all who deal crookedly; I will have nothing to do with them.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors. I will not endure conceit and pride.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>I will search for faithful people to be my companions. Only those who are above reproach will be allowed to serve me.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house, and liars will not stay in my presence.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>My daily task will be to ferret out the wicked and free the city of the Lord from their grip.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 102 A prayer of one overwhelmed with trouble, pouring out problems before the Lord. Lord, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Don’t turn away from me in my time of distress. Bend down to listen, and answer me quickly when I call to you.</t>


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<pb/><t>But you, O Lord, will sit on your throne forever. Your fame will endure to every generation.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>You will arise and have mercy on Jerusalem— and now is the time to pity her, now is the time you promised to help.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Then the nations will tremble before the Lord. The kings of the earth will tremble before his glory.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Let this be recorded for future generations, so that a people not yet born will praise the Lord.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Tell them the Lord looked down from his heavenly sanctuary. He looked down to earth from heaven</t>


text:
<pb/><t>But I cried to him, “O my God, who lives forever, don’t take my life while I am so young!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>They will perish, but you remain forever; they will wear out like old clothing. You will change them like a garment and discard them.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The children of your people will live in security. Their children’s children will thrive in your presence.”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 103 A psalm of David. Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom. Let all that I am praise the Lord.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 104 Let all that I am praise the Lord. O Lord my God, how great you are! You are robed with honor and majesty.</t>


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<pb/><t>you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds. You make the clouds your chariot; you ride upon the wings of the wind.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home, and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>You cause grass to grow for the livestock and plants for people to use. You allow them to produce food from the earth—</t>


text:
<pb/><t>wine to make them glad, olive oil to soothe their skin, and bread to give them strength.</t>


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<pb/><t>O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Here is the ocean, vast and wide, teeming with life of every kind, both large and small.</t>


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<pb/><t>When you supply it, they gather it. You open your hand to feed them, and they are richly satisfied.</t>


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<pb/><t>But if you turn away from them, they panic. When you take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth; let the wicked disappear forever. Let all that I am praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 105 Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.</t>


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<pb/><t>He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, and to the people of Israel as a never-ending covenant:</t>


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<pb/><t>Then Pharaoh sent for him and set him free; the ruler of the nation opened his prison door.</t>


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<pb/><t>Joseph was put in charge of all the king’s household; he became ruler over all the king’s possessions.</t>


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<pb/><t>And the Lord multiplied the people of Israel until they became too mighty for their enemies.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then he turned the Egyptians against the Israelites, and they plotted against the Lord’s servants.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord blanketed Egypt in darkness, for they had defied his commands to let his people go.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord brought his people out of Egypt, loaded with silver and gold; and not one among the tribes of Israel even stumbled.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord spread a cloud above them as a covering and gave them a great fire to light the darkness.</t>


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<pb/><t>They asked for meat, and he sent them quail; he satisfied their hunger with manna—bread from heaven.</t>


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<pb/><t>He gave his people the lands of pagan nations, and they harvested crops that others had planted.</t>


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<pb/><t>All this happened so they would follow his decrees and obey his instructions. Praise the Lord!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 106 Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Let me share in the prosperity of your chosen ones. Let me rejoice in the joy of your people; let me praise you with those who are your heritage.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Our ancestors in Egypt were not impressed by the Lord’s miraculous deeds. They soon forgot his many acts of kindness to them. Instead, they rebelled against him at the Red Sea.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Even so, he saved them— to defend the honor of his name and to demonstrate his mighty power.</t>


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<pb/><t>He commanded the Red Sea to dry up. He led Israel across the sea as if it were a desert.</t>


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<pb/><t>The people in the camp were jealous of Moses and envious of Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest.</t>


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<pb/><t>Because of this, the earth opened up; it swallowed Dathan and buried Abiram and the other rebels.</t>


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<pb/><t>So he declared he would destroy them. But Moses, his chosen one, stepped between the Lord and the people. He begged him to turn from his anger and not destroy them.</t>


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<pb/><t>The people refused to enter the pleasant land, for they wouldn’t believe his promise to care for them.</t>


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<pb/><t>that he would scatter their descendants among the nations, exiling them to distant lands.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Then our ancestors joined in the worship of Baal at Peor; they even ate sacrifices offered to the dead!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters. By sacrificing them to the idols of Canaan, they polluted the land with murder.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>They defiled themselves by their evil deeds, and their love of idols was adultery in the Lord’s sight.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>That is why the Lord’s anger burned against his people, and he abhorred his own special possession.</t>


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<pb/><t>Again and again he rescued them, but they chose to rebel against him, and they were finally destroyed by their sin.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Save us, O Lord our God! Gather us back from among the nations, so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting! Let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the Lord!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Book five (Psalms 107–150) Psalm 107 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.</t>


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<pb/><t>For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.</t>


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<pb/><t>That is why he broke them with hard labor; they fell, and no one was there to help them.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>They, too, observed the Lord’s power in action, his impressive works on the deepest seas.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Their ships were tossed to the heavens and plunged again to the depths; the sailors cringed in terror.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation and before the leaders of the nation.</t>


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<pb/><t>He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands, because of the wickedness of those who live there.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>How he blesses them! They raise large families there, and their herds of livestock increase.</t>


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<pb/><t>When they decrease in number and become impoverished through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,</t>


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<pb/><t>the Lord pours contempt on their princes, causing them to wander in trackless wastelands.</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 108 A song. A psalm of David. My heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart!</t>


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<pb/><t>For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 109 For the choir director: A psalm of David. O God, whom I praise, don’t stand silent and aloof</t>


text:
<pb/><t>They say, “Get an evil person to turn against him. Send an accuser to bring him to trial.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>When his case comes up for judgment, let him be pronounced guilty. Count his prayers as sins.</t>


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<pb/><t>May the Lord never forget the sins of his fathers; may his mother’s sins never be erased from the record.</t>


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<pb/><t>For he refused all kindness to others; he persecuted the poor and needy, and he hounded the brokenhearted to death.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>He loved to curse others; now you curse him. He never blessed others; now don’t you bless him.</t>


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<pb/><t>Cursing is as natural to him as his clothing, or the water he drinks, or the rich food he eats.</t>


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<pb/><t>Now may his curses return and cling to him like clothing; may they be tied around him like a belt.”</t>


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<pb/><t>But deal well with me, O Sovereign Lord, for the sake of your own reputation! Rescue me because you are so faithful and good.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Then let them curse me if they like, but you will bless me! When they attack me, they will be disgraced! But I, your servant, will go right on rejoicing!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>May my accusers be clothed with disgrace; may their humiliation cover them like a cloak.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 110 A psalm of David. The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.”</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord will extend your powerful kingdom from Jerusalem; you will rule over your enemies.</t>


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<pb/><t>When you go to war, your people will serve you willingly. You are arrayed in holy garments, and your strength will be renewed each day like the morning dew.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The Lord stands at your right hand to protect you. He will strike down many kings when his anger erupts.</t>


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<pb/><t>He will punish the nations and fill their lands with corpses; he will shatter heads over the whole earth.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 111 Praise the Lord! I will thank the Lord with all my heart as I meet with his godly people.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>He has paid a full ransom for his people. He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever. What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise him forever!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 112 Praise the Lord! How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying his commands.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Their children will be successful everywhere; an entire generation of godly people will be blessed.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Light shines in the darkness for the godly. They are generous, compassionate, and righteous.</t>


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<pb/><t>Such people will not be overcome by evil. Those who are righteous will be long remembered.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>They share freely and give generously to those in need. Their good deeds will be remembered forever. They will have influence and honor.</t>


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<pb/><t>The wicked will see this and be infuriated. They will grind their teeth in anger; they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 113 Praise the Lord! Yes, give praise, O servants of the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 114 When the Israelites escaped from Egypt— when the family of Jacob left that foreign land—</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The Red Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way! The water of the Jordan River turned away.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>What’s wrong, Red Sea, that made you hurry out of their way? What happened, Jordan River, that you turned away?</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 115 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>They have hands but cannot feel, and feet but cannot walk, and throats but cannot make a sound.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The Lord remembers us and will bless us. He will bless the people of Israel and bless the priests, the descendants of Aaron.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The dead cannot sing praises to the Lord, for they have gone into the silence of the grave.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Death wrapped its ropes around me; the terrors of the grave overtook me. I saw only trouble and sorrow.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>O Lord, I am your servant; yes, I am your servant, born into your household; you have freed me from my chains.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>For his unfailing love for us is powerful; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise the Lord!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Though hostile nations surrounded me, I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Yes, they surrounded and attacked me, but I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>They swarmed around me like bees; they blazed against me like a crackling fire. But I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly. The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The strong right arm of the Lord is raised in triumph. The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The Lord is God, shining upon us. Take the sacrifice and bind it with cords on the altar.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Help me understand the meaning of your commandments, and I will meditate on your wonderful deeds.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Arrogant people smear me with lies, but in truth I obey your commandments with all my heart.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live, for your instructions are my delight.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Bring disgrace upon the arrogant people who lied about me; meanwhile, I will concentrate on your commandments.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>I am shriveled like a wineskin in the smoke, but I have not forgotten to obey your decrees.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>All your commands are trustworthy. Protect me from those who hunt me down without cause.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Though the wicked hide along the way to kill me, I will quietly keep my mind on your laws.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>I’ve promised it once, and I’ll promise it again: I will obey your righteous regulations.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Get out of my life, you evil-minded people, for I intend to obey the commands of my God.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>But you have rejected all who stray from your decrees. They are only fooling themselves.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>In your faithful love, O Lord, hear my cry; let me be revived by following your regulations.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>See how I love your commandments, Lord. Give back my life because of your unfailing love.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 120 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 121 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there?</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 122 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David. I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>All the tribes of Israel—the Lord’s people— make their pilgrimage here. They come to give thanks to the name of the Lord, as the law requires of Israel.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 123 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. I lift my eyes to you, O God, enthroned in heaven.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>We keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy, just as servants keep their eyes on their master, as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>We have had more than our fill of the scoffing of the proud and the contempt of the arrogant.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 124 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David. What if the Lord had not been on our side? Let all Israel repeat:</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 125 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, both now and forever.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The wicked will not rule the land of the godly, for then the godly might be tempted to do wrong.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>But banish those who turn to crooked ways, O Lord. Take them away with those who do evil. May Israel have peace!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 126 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 127 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of Solomon. Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 128 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. How joyful are those who fear the Lord— all who follow his ways!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine, flourishing within your home. Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees as they sit around your table.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>May the Lord continually bless you from Zion. May you see Jerusalem prosper as long as you live.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 129 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me. Let all Israel repeat this:</t>


text:
<pb/><t>And may those who pass by refuse to give them this blessing: “The Lord bless you; we bless you in the Lord’s name.”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 130 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. From the depths of despair, O Lord, I call for your help.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>I long for the Lord more than sentries long for the dawn, yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is unfailing love. His redemption overflows.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 131 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David. Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 132 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. Lord, remember David and all that he suffered.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>until I find a place to build a house for the Lord, a sanctuary for the Mighty One of Israel.”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>We heard that the Ark was in Ephrathah; then we found it in the distant countryside of Jaar.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Arise, O Lord, and enter your resting place, along with the Ark, the symbol of your power.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The Lord swore an oath to David with a promise he will never take back: “I will place one of your descendants on your throne.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>If your descendants obey the terms of my covenant and the laws that I teach them, then your royal line will continue forever and ever.”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>“This is my resting place forever,” he said. “I will live here, for this is the home I desired.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 133 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David. How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!</t>


text:
<pb/><t>For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 134 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. Oh, praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, you who serve at night in the house of the Lord.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 135 Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord! Praise him, you who serve the Lord,</t>


text:
<pb/><t>The Lord does whatever pleases him throughout all heaven and earth, and on the seas and in their depths.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>He causes the clouds to rise over the whole earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skillfully. His faithful love endures forever.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Give thanks to him who placed the earth among the waters. His faithful love endures forever.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Give thanks to him who killed the firstborn of Egypt. His faithful love endures forever.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Give thanks to him who led his people through the wilderness. His faithful love endures forever.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>For our captors demanded a song from us. Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn: “Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I fail to remember you, if I don’t make Jerusalem my greatest joy.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>O Lord, remember what the Edomites did on the day the armies of Babylon captured Jerusalem. “Destroy it!” they yelled. “Level it to the ground!”</t>


text:
<pb/><t>O Babylon, you will be destroyed. Happy is the one who pays you back for what you have done to us.</t>


text:
<pb/><t>Psalm 138 A psalm of David. I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart; I will sing your praises before the gods.</t>


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<pb/><t>I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.</t>


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<pb/><t>Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.</t>


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<pb/><t>Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will protect me from the anger of my enemies. You reach out your hand, and the power of your right hand saves me.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord will work out his plans for my life— for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 139 For the choir director: A psalm of David. O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.</t>


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<pb/><t>but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.</t>


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<pb/><t>You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.</t>


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<pb/><t>Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.</t>


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<pb/><t>You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.</t>


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<pb/><t>You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.</t>


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<pb/><t>I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!</t>


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<pb/><t>Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 140 For the choir director: A psalm of David. O Lord, rescue me from evil people. Protect me from those who are violent,</t>


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<pb/><t>O Lord, keep me out of the hands of the wicked. Protect me from those who are violent, for they are plotting against me.</t>


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<pb/><t>The proud have set a trap to catch me; they have stretched out a net; they have placed traps all along the way. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>Lord, do not let evil people have their way. Do not let their evil schemes succeed, or they will become proud. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>Let burning coals fall down on their heads. Let them be thrown into the fire or into watery pits from which they can’t escape.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 141 A psalm of David. O Lord, I am calling to you. Please hurry! Listen when I cry to you for help!</t>


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<pb/><t>Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering.</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t let me drift toward evil or take part in acts of wickedness. Don’t let me share in the delicacies of those who do wrong.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let the godly strike me! It will be a kindness! If they correct me, it is soothing medicine. Don’t let me refuse it. But I pray constantly against the wicked and their deeds.</t>


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<pb/><t>When their leaders are thrown down from a cliff, the wicked will listen to my words and find them true.</t>


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<pb/><t>Like rocks brought up by a plow, the bones of the wicked will lie scattered without burial.</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 142 A psalm of David, regarding his experience in the cave. A prayer. I cry out to the Lord; I plead for the Lord’s mercy.</t>


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<pb/><t>When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn. Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me.</t>


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<pb/><t>I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say, “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life.</t>


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<pb/><t>Hear my cry, for I am very low. Rescue me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.</t>


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<pb/><t>Bring me out of prison so I can thank you. The godly will crowd around me, for you are good to me.”</t>


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<t>Psalm 143 A psalm of David. Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my plea! Answer me because you are faithful and righteous.</t>


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<pb/><t>My enemy has chased me. He has knocked me to the ground and forces me to live in darkness like those in the grave.</t>


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<pb/><t>I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works and think about what you have done.</t>


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<pb/><t>I lift my hands to you in prayer. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. Interlude</t>


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<pb/><t>Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens. Don’t turn away from me, or I will die.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.</t>


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<pb/><t>Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.</t>


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<pb/><t>For the glory of your name, O Lord, preserve my life. Because of your faithfulness, bring me out of this distress.</t>


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<pb/><t>In your unfailing love, silence all my enemies and destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.</t>


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<t>Psalm 144 A psalm of David. Praise the Lord, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle.</t>


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<pb/><t>He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my rescuer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in him. He makes the nations submit to me.</t>


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<pb/><t>O Lord, what are human beings that you should notice them, mere mortals that you should think about them?</t>


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<pb/><t>Reach down from heaven and rescue me; rescue me from deep waters, from the power of my enemies.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will sing a new song to you, O God! I will sing your praises with a ten-stringed harp.</t>


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<pb/><t>Save me! Rescue me from the power of my enemies. Their mouths are full of lies; they swear to tell the truth, but they lie instead.</t>


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<pb/><t>May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nurtured plants. May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace.</t>


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<pb/><t>May our barns be filled with crops of every kind. May the flocks in our fields multiply by the thousands, even tens of thousands,</t>


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<pb/><t>and may our oxen be loaded down with produce. May there be no enemy breaking through our walls, no going into captivity, no cries of alarm in our town squares.</t>


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<pb/><t>Yes, joyful are those who live like this! Joyful indeed are those whose God is the Lord.</t>


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<t>Psalm 145 A psalm of praise of David. I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power.</t>


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<pb/><t>Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness; they will sing with joy about your righteousness.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.</t>


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<pb/><t>For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule throughout all generations. The Lord always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does.</t>


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<pb/><t>He grants the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.</t>


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<pb/><t>When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them.</t>


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<pb/><t>But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God.</t>


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<pb/><t>He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord will reign forever. He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations. Praise the Lord!</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 147 Praise the Lord! How good to sing praises to our God! How delightful and how fitting!</t>


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<pb/><t>How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!</t>


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<pb/><t>He covers the heavens with clouds, provides rain for the earth, and makes the grass grow in mountain pastures.</t>


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<pb/><t>No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love.</t>


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<pb/><t>For he has strengthened the bars of your gates and blessed your children within your walls.</t>


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<pb/><t>He has not done this for any other nation; they do not know his regulations. Praise the Lord!</t>


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<pb/><t>Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for he issued his command, and they came into being.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let them all praise the name of the Lord. For his name is very great; his glory towers over the earth and heaven!</t>


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<pb/><t>He has made his people strong, honoring his faithful ones— the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the Lord!</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 149 Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song. Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let the faithful rejoice that he honors them. Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds.</t>


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<pb/><t>to execute the judgment written against them. This is the glorious privilege of his faithful ones. Praise the Lord!</t>


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<pb/><t>Psalm 150 Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heaven!</t>


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<pb/><t>Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise.</t>


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<pb/><t>Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance</t>


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<pb/><t>by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles.</t>


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<t>Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.</t>


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<pb/><t>A Father’s Exhortation: Acquire Wisdom My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.</t>


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<pb/><t>What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck.</t>


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<pb/><t>They may say, “Come and join us. Let’s hide and kill someone! Just for fun, let’s ambush the innocent!</t>


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<pb/><t>Let’s swallow them alive, like the grave; let’s swallow them whole, like those who go down to the pit of death.</t>


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<pb/><t>But these people set an ambush for themselves; they are trying to get themselves killed.</t>


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<t>Wisdom Shouts in the Streets Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square.</t>


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<pb/><t>She calls to the crowds along the main street, to those gathered in front of the city gate:</t>


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<pb/><t>“How long, you simpletons, will you insist on being simpleminded? How long will you mockers relish your mocking? How long will you fools hate knowledge?</t>


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<pb/><t>“I called you so often, but you wouldn’t come. I reached out to you, but you paid no attention.</t>


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<pb/><t>when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster engulfs you like a cyclone, and anguish and distress overwhelm you.</t>


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<pb/><t>“When they cry for help, I will not answer. Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me.</t>


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<pb/><t>Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes.</t>


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<pb/><t>For simpletons turn away from me—to death. Fools are destroyed by their own complacency.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.</t>


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<pb/><t>He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go.</t>


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<pb/><t>Wisdom will save you from the immoral woman, from the seductive words of the promiscuous woman.</t>


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<pb/><t>Trusting in the Lord My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart.</t>


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<pb/><t>Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.</t>


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<pb/><t>For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.</t>


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<pb/><t>Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.</t>


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<pb/><t>By his knowledge the deep fountains of the earth burst forth, and the dew settles beneath the night sky.</t>


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<pb/><t>You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked,</t>


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<pb/><t>If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.”</t>


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<pb/><t>Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord, but he offers his friendship to the godly.</t>


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<pb/><t>A Father’s Wise Advice My children, listen when your father corrects you. Pay attention and learn good judgment,</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you.</t>


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<pb/><t>Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.</t>


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<pb/><t>She will place a lovely wreath on your head; she will present you with a beautiful crown.”</t>


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<pb/><t>Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life.</t>


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<pb/><t>For evil people can’t sleep until they’ve done their evil deed for the day. They can’t rest until they’ve caused someone to stumble.</t>


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<pb/><t>The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.</t>


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<pb/><t>But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.</t>


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<pb/><t>Avoid Immoral Women My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen carefully to my wise counsel.</t>


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<pb/><t>For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil.</t>


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<pb/><t>For she cares nothing about the path to life. She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t realize it.</t>


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<pb/><t>If you do, you will lose your honor and will lose to merciless people all you have achieved.</t>


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<pb/><t>Strangers will consume your wealth, and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor.</t>


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<pb/><t>She is a loving deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts satisfy you always. May you always be captivated by her love.</t>


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<pb/><t>Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman, or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman?</t>


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<pb/><t>Lessons for Daily Life My child, if you have put up security for a friend’s debt or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger—</t>


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<pb/><t>follow my advice and save yourself, for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy. Now swallow your pride; go and beg to have your name erased.</t>


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<pb/><t>then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.</t>


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<pb/><t>signaling their deceit with a wink of the eye, a nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers.</t>


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<pb/><t>When you walk, their counsel will lead you. When you sleep, they will protect you. When you wake up, they will advise you.</t>


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<pb/><t>For their command is a lamp and their instruction a light; their corrective discipline is the way to life.</t>


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<pb/><t>For a prostitute will bring you to poverty, but sleeping with another man’s wife will cost you your life.</t>


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<pb/><t>So it is with the man who sleeps with another man’s wife. He who embraces her will not go unpunished.</t>


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<pb/><t>But if he is caught, he must pay back seven times what he stole, even if he has to sell everything in his house.</t>


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<pb/><t>For the woman’s jealous husband will be furious, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.</t>


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<pb/><t>Another Warning about Immoral Women Follow my advice, my son; always treasure my commands.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let them protect you from an affair with an immoral woman, from listening to the flattery of a promiscuous woman.</t>


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<pb/><t>He was crossing the street near the house of an immoral woman, strolling down the path by her house.</t>


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<pb/><t>He followed her at once, like an ox going to the slaughter. He was like a stag caught in a trap,</t>


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<pb/><t>awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart. He was like a bird flying into a snare, little knowing it would cost him his life.</t>


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<pb/><t>Wisdom Calls for a Hearing Listen as Wisdom calls out! Hear as understanding raises her voice!</t>


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<pb/><t>“I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment. I know where to discover knowledge and discernment.</t>


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<pb/><t>All who fear the Lord will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption and perverse speech.</t>


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<pb/><t>My gifts are better than gold, even the purest gold, my wages better than sterling silver!</t>


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<pb/><t>I was born before the oceans were created, before the springs bubbled forth their waters.</t>


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<pb/><t>I was there when he set the clouds above, when he established springs deep in the earth.</t>


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<pb/><t>I was there when he set the limits of the seas, so they would not spread beyond their boundaries. And when he marked off the earth’s foundations,</t>


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<pb/><t>I was the architect at his side. I was his constant delight, rejoicing always in his presence.</t>


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<pb/><t>Joyful are those who listen to me, watching for me daily at my gates, waiting for me outside my home!</t>


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<pb/><t>She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come. She calls out from the heights overlooking the city.</t>


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<pb/><t>Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return. Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt.</t>


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<pb/><t>So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you. But correct the wise, and they will love you.</t>


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<pb/><t>Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.</t>


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<pb/><t>Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.</t>


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<pb/><t>If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.</t>


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<pb/><t>Folly Calls for a Hearing The woman named Folly is brash. She is ignorant and doesn’t know it.</t>


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<pb/><t>But little do they know that the dead are there. Her guests are in the depths of the grave.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Proverbs of Solomon The proverbs of Solomon: A wise child brings joy to a father; a foolish child brings grief to a mother.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord will not let the godly go hungry, but he refuses to satisfy the craving of the wicked.</t>


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<pb/><t>The godly are showered with blessings; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.</t>


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<pb/><t>The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.</t>


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<pb/><t>Wise words come from the lips of people with understanding, but those lacking sense will be beaten with a rod.</t>


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<pb/><t>The earnings of the godly enhance their lives, but evil people squander their money on sin.</t>


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<pb/><t>People who accept discipline are on the pathway to life, but those who ignore correction will go astray.</t>


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<pb/><t>The words of the godly encourage many, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense.</t>


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<pb/><t>When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation.</t>


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<pb/><t>The hopes of the godly result in happiness, but the expectations of the wicked come to nothing.</t>


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<pb/><t>The way of the Lord is a stronghold to those with integrity, but it destroys the wicked.</t>


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<pb/><t>The mouth of the godly person gives wise advice, but the tongue that deceives will be cut off.</t>


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<pb/><t>The lips of the godly speak helpful words, but the mouth of the wicked speaks perverse words.</t>


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<pb/><t>The godliness of good people rescues them; the ambition of treacherous people traps them.</t>


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<pb/><t>When the wicked die, their hopes die with them, for they rely on their own feeble strength.</t>


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<pb/><t>With their words, the godless destroy their friends, but knowledge will rescue the righteous.</t>


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<pb/><t>The whole city celebrates when the godly succeed; they shout for joy when the wicked die.</t>


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<pb/><t>Upright citizens are good for a city and make it prosper, but the talk of the wicked tears it apart.</t>


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<pb/><t>A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.</t>


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<pb/><t>There’s danger in putting up security for a stranger’s debt; it’s safer not to guarantee another person’s debt.</t>


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<pb/><t>People curse those who hoard their grain, but they bless the one who sells in time of need.</t>


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<pb/><t>If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you!</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who bring trouble on their families inherit the wind. The fool will be a servant to the wise.</t>


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<pb/><t>A worthy wife is a crown for her husband, but a disgraceful woman is like cancer in his bones.</t>


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<pb/><t>The words of the wicked are like a murderous ambush, but the words of the godly save lives.</t>


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<pb/><t>Better to be an ordinary person with a servant than to be self-important but have no food.</t>


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<pb/><t>Thieves are jealous of each other’s loot, but the godly are well rooted and bear their own fruit.</t>


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<pb/><t>Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch, but the diligent make use of everything they find.</t>


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<pb/><t>Wise words will win you a good meal, but treacherous people have an appetite for violence.</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything.</t>


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<pb/><t>The life of the godly is full of light and joy, but the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.</t>


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<pb/><t>Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.</t>


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<pb/><t>People who despise advice are asking for trouble; those who respect a command will succeed.</t>


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<pb/><t>The instruction of the wise is like a life-giving fountain; those who accept it avoid the snares of death.</t>


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<pb/><t>If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace; if you accept correction, you will be honored.</t>


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<pb/><t>It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools refuse to turn from evil to attain them.</t>


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<pb/><t>Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren, but the sinner’s wealth passes to the godly.</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who follow the right path fear the Lord; those who take the wrong path despise him.</t>


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<pb/><t>A fool’s proud talk becomes a rod that beats him, but the words of the wise keep them safe.</t>


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<pb/><t>A mocker seeks wisdom and never finds it, but knowledge comes easily to those with understanding.</t>


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<pb/><t>Only simpletons believe everything they’re told! The prudent carefully consider their steps.</t>


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<pb/><t>If you plan to do evil, you will be lost; if you plan to do good, you will receive unfailing love and faithfulness.</t>


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<pb/><t>The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing, but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness.</t>


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<pb/><t>There is treasure in the house of the godly, but the earnings of the wicked bring trouble.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but he delights in the prayers of the upright.</t>


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<pb/><t>Whoever abandons the right path will be severely disciplined; whoever hates correction will die.</t>


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<pb/><t>Even Death and Destruction hold no secrets from the Lord. How much more does he know the human heart!</t>


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<pb/><t>For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.</t>


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<pb/><t>Better to have little, with fear for the Lord, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil.</t>


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<pb/><t>A lazy person’s way is blocked with briers, but the path of the upright is an open highway.</t>


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<pb/><t>Foolishness brings joy to those with no sense; a sensible person stays on the right path.</t>


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<pb/><t>Everyone enjoys a fitting reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!</t>


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<pb/><t>The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking; the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words.</t>


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<pb/><t>If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster.</t>


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<pb/><t>Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin. By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil.</t>


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<pb/><t>Discretion is a life-giving fountain to those who possess it, but discipline is wasted on fools.</t>


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<pb/><t>A wise servant will rule over the master’s disgraceful son and will share the inheritance of the master’s children.</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who mock the poor insult their Maker; those who rejoice at the misfortune of others will be punished.</t>


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<pb/><t>Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children.</t>


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<pb/><t>A single rebuke does more for a person of understanding than a hundred lashes on the back of a fool.</t>


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<pb/><t>It is safer to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than to confront a fool caught in foolishness.</t>


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<pb/><t>Anyone who loves to quarrel loves sin; anyone who trusts in high walls invites disaster.</t>


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<pb/><t>Sensible people keep their eyes glued on wisdom, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.</t>


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<pb/><t>Foolish children bring grief to their father and bitterness to the one who gave them birth.</t>


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<pb/><t>Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.</t>


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<pb/><t>The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense; they imagine it to be a high wall of safety.</t>


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<pb/><t>An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars.</t>


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<pb/><t>There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.</t>


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<pb/><t>The relatives of the poor despise them; how much more will their friends avoid them! Though the poor plead with them, their friends are gone.</t>


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<pb/><t>A foolish child is a calamity to a father; a quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping.</t>


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<pb/><t>Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the Lord can give an understanding wife.</t>


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<pb/><t>Hot-tempered people must pay the penalty. If you rescue them once, you will have to do it again.</t>


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<pb/><t>If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded will learn a lesson; if you correct the wise, they will be all the wiser.</t>


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<pb/><t>Children who mistreat their father or chase away their mother are an embarrassment and a public disgrace.</t>


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<pb/><t>Though good advice lies deep within the heart, a person with understanding will draw it out.</t>


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<pb/><t>When a king sits in judgment, he weighs all the evidence, distinguishing the bad from the good.</t>


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<pb/><t>Even children are known by the way they act, whether their conduct is pure, and whether it is right.</t>


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<pb/><t>If you love sleep, you will end in poverty. Keep your eyes open, and there will be plenty to eat!</t>


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<pb/><t>The buyer haggles over the price, saying, “It’s worthless,” then brags about getting a bargain!</t>


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<pb/><t>Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt. Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.</t>


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<pb/><t>Unfailing love and faithfulness protect the king; his throne is made secure through love.</t>


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<pb/><t>The glory of the young is their strength; the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old.</t>


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<t>The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; he guides it wherever he pleases.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices.</t>


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<pb/><t>It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home.</t>


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<pb/><t>If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded become wise; if you instruct the wise, they will be all the wiser.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Righteous One knows what is going on in the homes of the wicked; he will bring disaster on them.</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need.</t>


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<pb/><t>Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor.</t>


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<pb/><t>The sacrifice of an evil person is detestable, especially when it is offered with wrong motives.</t>


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<t>Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.</t>


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<pb/><t>A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.</t>


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<pb/><t>Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who plant injustice will harvest disaster, and their reign of terror will come to an end.</t>


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<pb/><t>The mouth of an immoral woman is a dangerous trap; those who make the Lord angry will fall into it.</t>


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<pb/><t>A youngster’s heart is filled with foolishness, but physical discipline will drive it far away.</t>


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<pb/><t>A person who gets ahead by oppressing the poor or by showering gifts on the rich will end in poverty.</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers set up by previous generations.</t>


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<pb/><t>Do you see any truly competent workers? They will serve kings rather than working for ordinary people.</t>


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<pb/><t>In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle.</t>


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<pb/><t>They are always thinking about how much it costs. “Eat and drink,” they say, but they don’t mean it.</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers; don’t take the land of defenseless orphans.</t>


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<pb/><t>Listen to your father, who gave you life, and don’t despise your mother when she is old.</t>


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<pb/><t>The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure to have children who are wise.</t>


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<pb/><t>A prostitute is a dangerous trap; a promiscuous woman is as dangerous as falling into a narrow well.</t>


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<pb/><t>Who has anguish? Who has sorrow? Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining? Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is, how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down.</t>


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<pb/><t>And you will say, “They hit me, but I didn’t feel it. I didn’t even know it when they beat me up. When will I wake up so I can look for another drink?”</t>


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<pb/><t>The wise are mightier than the strong, and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger.</t>


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<pb/><t>Wisdom is too lofty for fools. Among leaders at the city gate, they have nothing to say.</t>


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<pb/><t>Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die; save them as they stagger to their death.</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.” For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve.</t>


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<pb/><t>In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short.</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t wait in ambush at the home of the godly, and don’t raid the house where the godly live.</t>


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<pb/><t>The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.</t>


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<pb/><t>for disaster will hit them suddenly. Who knows what punishment will come from the Lord and the king?</t>


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<t>More Sayings of the Wise Here are some further sayings of the wise: It is wrong to show favoritism when passing judgment.</t>


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<pb/><t>A judge who says to the wicked, “You are innocent,” will be cursed by many people and denounced by the nations.</t>


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<pb/><t>But it will go well for those who convict the guilty; rich blessings will be showered on them.</t>


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<pb/><t>And don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me! I’ll get even with them!”</t>


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<pb/><t>I saw that it was overgrown with nettles. It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down.</t>


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<pb/><t>More Proverbs of Solomon These are more proverbs of Solomon, collected by the advisers of King Hezekiah of Judah.</t>


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<pb/><t>No one can comprehend the height of heaven, the depth of the earth, or all that goes on in the king’s mind!</t>


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<pb/><t>It’s better to wait for an invitation to the head table than to be sent away in public disgrace. Just because you’ve seen something,</t>


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<pb/><t>don’t be in a hurry to go to court. For what will you do in the end if your neighbor deals you a shameful defeat?</t>


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<pb/><t>Trustworthy messengers refresh like snow in summer. They revive the spirit of their employer.</t>


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<pb/><t>A person who promises a gift but doesn’t give it is like clouds and wind that bring no rain.</t>


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<pb/><t>Telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an ax, wounding them with a sword, or shooting them with a sharp arrow.</t>


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<pb/><t>Putting confidence in an unreliable person in times of trouble is like chewing with a broken tooth or walking on a lame foot.</t>


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<pb/><t>Singing cheerful songs to a person with a heavy heart is like taking someone’s coat in cold weather or pouring vinegar in a wound.</t>


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<pb/><t>If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink.</t>


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<pb/><t>If the godly give in to the wicked, it’s like polluting a fountain or muddying a spring.</t>


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<pb/><t>Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim.</t>


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<pb/><t>Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation.</t>


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<pb/><t>The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion on the road! Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!”</t>


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<pb/><t>A quarrelsome person starts fights as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood.</t>


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<pb/><t>While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, their wrongdoing will be exposed in public.</t>


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<pb/><t>If you set a trap for others, you will get caught in it yourself. If you roll a boulder down on others, it will crush you instead.</t>


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<pb/><t>A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier.</t>


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<pb/><t>Never abandon a friend— either yours or your father’s. When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance. It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away.</t>


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<pb/><t>Stopping her complaints is like trying to stop the wind or trying to hold something with greased hands.</t>


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<pb/><t>As workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat the fruit, so workers who protect their employer’s interests will be rewarded.</t>


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<pb/><t>You cannot separate fools from their foolishness, even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle.</t>


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<pb/><t>for riches don’t last forever, and the crown might not be passed to the next generation.</t>


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<pb/><t>After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears and the mountain grasses are gathered in,</t>


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<pb/><t>your sheep will provide wool for clothing, and your goats will provide the price of a field.</t>


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<pb/><t>When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. But wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability.</t>


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<pb/><t>Evil people don’t understand justice, but those who follow the Lord understand completely.</t>


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<pb/><t>Young people who obey the law are wise; those with wild friends bring shame to their parents.</t>


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<pb/><t>Income from charging high interest rates will end up in the pocket of someone who is kind to the poor.</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who lead good people along an evil path will fall into their own trap, but the honest will inherit good things.</t>


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<pb/><t>Rich people may think they are wise, but a poor person with discernment can see right through them.</t>


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<pb/><t>When the godly succeed, everyone is glad. When the wicked take charge, people go into hiding.</t>


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<pb/><t>People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.</t>


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<pb/><t>Blessed are those who fear to do wrong, but the stubborn are headed for serious trouble.</t>


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<pb/><t>A ruler with no understanding will oppress his people, but one who hates corruption will have a long life.</t>


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<pb/><t>The trustworthy person will get a rich reward, but a person who wants quick riches will get into trouble.</t>


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<pb/><t>Anyone who steals from his father and mother and says, “What’s wrong with that?” is no better than a murderer.</t>


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<pb/><t>Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed.</t>


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<pb/><t>When the wicked take charge, people go into hiding. When the wicked meet disaster, the godly flourish.</t>


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<pb/><t>When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan.</t>


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<pb/><t>The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but if he hangs around with prostitutes, his wealth is wasted.</t>


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<pb/><t>If a wise person takes a fool to court, there will be ranting and ridicule but no satisfaction.</t>


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<pb/><t>The poor and the oppressor have this in common— the Lord gives sight to the eyes of both.</t>


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<pb/><t>To discipline a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child.</t>


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<pb/><t>When the wicked are in authority, sin flourishes, but the godly will live to see their downfall.</t>


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<pb/><t>Discipline your children, and they will give you peace of mind and will make your heart glad.</t>


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<pb/><t>When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.</t>


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<pb/><t>Words alone will not discipline a servant; the words may be understood, but they are not heeded.</t>


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<pb/><t>If you assist a thief, you only hurt yourself. You are sworn to tell the truth, but you dare not testify.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Sayings of Agur The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh contain this message. I am weary, O God; I am weary and worn out, O God.</t>


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<pb/><t>Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down? Who holds the wind in his fists? Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak? Who has created the whole wide world? What is his name—and his son’s name? Tell me if you know!</t>


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<pb/><t>First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.</t>


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<pb/><t>For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.</t>


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<pb/><t>Never slander a worker to the employer, or the person will curse you, and you will pay for it.</t>


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<pb/><t>They have teeth like swords and fangs like knives. They devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among humanity.</t>


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<pb/><t>The leech has two suckers that cry out, “More, more!” There are three things that are never satisfied— no, four that never say, “Enough!”:</t>


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<pb/><t>The eye that mocks a father and despises a mother’s instructions will be plucked out by ravens of the valley and eaten by vultures.</t>


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<pb/><t>how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman.</t>


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<pb/><t>An adulterous woman consumes a man, then wipes her mouth and says, “What’s wrong with that?”</t>


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<pb/><t>As the beating of cream yields butter and striking the nose causes bleeding, so stirring up anger causes quarrels.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Sayings of King Lemuel The sayings of King Lemuel contain this message, which his mother taught him.</t>


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<pb/><t>Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed.</t>


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<pb/><t>A Wife of Noble Character Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies.</t>


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<pb/><t>She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day’s work for her servant girls.</t>


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<pb/><t>Her husband is well known at the city gates, where he sits with the other civic leaders.</t>


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<pb/><t>Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.</t>


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<t>Everything Is Meaningless “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!”</t>


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<pb/><t>The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles.</t>


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<pb/><t>Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea.</t>


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<pb/><t>Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.</t>


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<pb/><t>History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.</t>


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<pb/><t>Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new.</t>


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<pb/><t>We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.</t>


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<t>The Teacher Speaks: The Futility of Wisdom I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem.</t>


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<pb/><t>I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done under heaven. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race.</t>


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<pb/><t>I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.</t>


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<t>I said to myself, “Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them.”</t>


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<pb/><t>So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind.</t>


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<pb/><t>The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Futility of Pleasure I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless.</t>


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<pb/><t>After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.</t>


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<t>I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards.</t>


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<pb/><t>I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me.</t>


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<pb/><t>I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire!</t>


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<pb/><t>So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me.</t>


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<pb/><t>Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors.</t>


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<pb/><t>But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.</t>


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<t>The Wise and the Foolish So I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and madness (for who can do this better than I, the king?).</t>


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<pb/><t>For the wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark.” Yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate.</t>


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<pb/><t>Both will die. So I said to myself, “Since I will end up the same as the fool, what’s the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!”</t>


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<pb/><t>For the wise and the foolish both die. The wise will not be remembered any longer than the fool. In the days to come, both will be forgotten.</t>


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<pb/><t>So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless—like chasing the wind.</t>


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<t>The Futility of Work I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned.</t>


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<pb/><t>And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless!</t>


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<pb/><t>Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn’t worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy.</t>


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<pb/><t>Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.</t>


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<t>So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God.</t>


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<pb/><t>God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.</t>


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<pb/><t>A Time for Everything For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.</t>


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<pb/><t>A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away.</t>


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<pb/><t>Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.</t>


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<t>So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can.</t>


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<pb/><t>And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.</t>


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<t>And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him.</t>


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<pb/><t>What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again.</t>


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<t>The Injustices of Life I also noticed that under the sun there is evil in the courtroom. Yes, even the courts of law are corrupt!</t>


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<pb/><t>I said to myself, “In due season God will judge everyone, both good and bad, for all their deeds.”</t>


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<pb/><t>I also thought about the human condition—how God proves to people that they are like animals.</t>


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<pb/><t>For people and animals share the same fate—both breathe and both must die. So people have no real advantage over the animals. How meaningless!</t>


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<pb/><t>For who can prove that the human spirit goes up and the spirit of animals goes down into the earth?</t>


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<pb/><t>So I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. That is our lot in life. And no one can bring us back to see what happens after we die.</t>


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<pb/><t>Again, I observed all the oppression that takes place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, with no one to comfort them. The oppressors have great power, and their victims are helpless.</t>


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<pb/><t>But most fortunate of all are those who are not yet born. For they have not seen all the evil that is done under the sun.</t>


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<t>Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.</t>


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<pb/><t>And yet, “Better to have one handful with quietness than two handfuls with hard work and chasing the wind.”</t>


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<t>The Advantages of Companionship I observed yet another example of something meaningless under the sun.</t>


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<pb/><t>This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?” It is all so meaningless and depressing.</t>


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<pb/><t>If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.</t>


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<pb/><t>Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone?</t>


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<pb/><t>A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.</t>


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<t>The Futility of Political Power It is better to be a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish king who refuses all advice.</t>


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<pb/><t>Such a youth could rise from poverty and succeed. He might even become king, though he has been in prison.</t>


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<pb/><t>Endless crowds stand around him, but then another generation grows up and rejects him, too. So it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.</t>


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<pb/><t>Approaching God with Care As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God.</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few.</t>


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<pb/><t>When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him.</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t let your mouth make you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved.</t>


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<t>The Futility of Wealth Don’t be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy.</t>


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<t>Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!</t>


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<pb/><t>The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!</t>


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<pb/><t>People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night’s sleep.</t>


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<pb/><t>Money is put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children.</t>


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<pb/><t>We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us.</t>


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<pb/><t>And this, too, is a very serious problem. People leave this world no better off than when they came. All their hard work is for nothing—like working for the wind.</t>


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<t>Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.</t>


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<pb/><t>And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God.</t>


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<pb/><t>God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.</t>


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<pb/><t>There is another serious tragedy I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily on humanity.</t>


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<pb/><t>God gives some people great wealth and honor and everything they could ever want, but then he doesn’t give them the chance to enjoy these things. They die, and someone else, even a stranger, ends up enjoying their wealth! This is meaningless—a sickening tragedy.</t>


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<pb/><t>A man might have a hundred children and live to be very old. But if he finds no satisfaction in life and doesn’t even get a decent burial, it would have been better for him to be born dead.</t>


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<pb/><t>His birth would have been meaningless, and he would have ended in darkness. He wouldn’t even have had a name,</t>


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<pb/><t>and he would never have seen the sun or known of its existence. Yet he would have had more peace than in growing up to be an unhappy man.</t>


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<pb/><t>He might live a thousand years twice over but still not find contentment. And since he must die like everyone else—well, what’s the use?</t>


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<pb/><t>So are wise people really better off than fools? Do poor people gain anything by being wise and knowing how to act in front of others?</t>


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<pb/><t>Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind.</t>


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<t>The Future—Determined and Unknown Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there’s no use arguing with God about your destiny.</t>


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<pb/><t>In the few days of our meaningless lives, who knows how our days can best be spent? Our lives are like a shadow. Who can tell what will happen on this earth after we are gone?</t>


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<pb/><t>Wisdom for Life A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. And the day you die is better than the day you are born.</t>


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<pb/><t>Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies— so the living should take this to heart.</t>


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<pb/><t>A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time.</t>


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<pb/><t>A fool’s laughter is quickly gone, like thorns crackling in a fire. This also is meaningless.</t>


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<pb/><t>Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life.</t>


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<t>The Limits of Human Wisdom I have seen everything in this meaningless life, including the death of good young people and the long life of wicked people.</t>


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<pb/><t>On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either. Don’t be a fool! Why die before your time?</t>


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<t>I have always tried my best to let wisdom guide my thoughts and actions. I said to myself, “I am determined to be wise.” But it didn’t work.</t>


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<t>I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness.</t>


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<pb/><t>I discovered that a seductive woman is a trap more bitter than death. Her passion is a snare, and her soft hands are chains. Those who are pleasing to God will escape her, but sinners will be caught in her snare.</t>


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<pb/><t>“This is my conclusion,” says the Teacher. “I discovered this after looking at the matter from every possible angle.</t>


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<pb/><t>Though I have searched repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for. Only one out of a thousand men is virtuous, but not one woman!</t>


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<pb/><t>But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.”</t>


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<pb/><t>How wonderful to be wise, to analyze and interpret things. Wisdom lights up a person’s face, softening its harshness.</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t try to avoid doing your duty, and don’t stand with those who plot evil, for the king can do whatever he wants.</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who obey him will not be punished. Those who are wise will find a time and a way to do what is right,</t>


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<pb/><t>None of us can hold back our spirit from departing. None of us has the power to prevent the day of our death. There is no escaping that obligation, that dark battle. And in the face of death, wickedness will certainly not rescue the wicked.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Wicked and the Righteous I have thought deeply about all that goes on here under the sun, where people have the power to hurt each other.</t>


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<t>I have seen wicked people buried with honor. Yet they were the very ones who frequented the Temple and are now praised in the same city where they committed their crimes! This, too, is meaningless.</t>


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<pb/><t>But even though a person sins a hundred times and still lives a long time, I know that those who fear God will be better off.</t>


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<pb/><t>The wicked will not prosper, for they do not fear God. Their days will never grow long like the evening shadows.</t>


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<pb/><t>And this is not all that is meaningless in our world. In this life, good people are often treated as though they were wicked, and wicked people are often treated as though they were good. This is so meaningless!</t>


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<t>So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.</t>


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<t>In my search for wisdom and in my observation of people’s burdens here on earth, I discovered that there is ceaseless activity, day and night.</t>


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<pb/><t>I realized that no one can discover everything God is doing under the sun. Not even the wisest people discover everything, no matter what they claim.</t>


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<pb/><t>Death Comes to All This, too, I carefully explored: Even though the actions of godly and wise people are in God’s hands, no one knows whether God will show them favor.</t>


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<pb/><t>The same destiny ultimately awaits everyone, whether righteous or wicked, good or bad, ceremonially clean or unclean, religious or irreligious. Good people receive the same treatment as sinners, and people who make promises to God are treated like people who don’t.</t>


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<pb/><t>It seems so wrong that everyone under the sun suffers the same fate. Already twisted by evil, people choose their own mad course, for they have no hope. There is nothing ahead but death anyway.</t>


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<t>There is hope only for the living. As they say, “It’s better to be a live dog than a dead lion!”</t>


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<pb/><t>The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, nor are they remembered.</t>


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<pb/><t>Whatever they did in their lifetime—loving, hating, envying—is all long gone. They no longer play a part in anything here on earth.</t>


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<t>So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this!</t>


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<pb/><t>Live happily with the woman you love through all the meaningless days of life that God has given you under the sun. The wife God gives you is your reward for all your earthly toil.</t>


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<pb/><t>Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.</t>


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<t>I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.</t>


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<pb/><t>People can never predict when hard times might come. Like fish in a net or birds in a trap, people are caught by sudden tragedy.</t>


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<t>Thoughts on Wisdom and Folly Here is another bit of wisdom that has impressed me as I have watched the way our world works.</t>


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<pb/><t>There was a small town with only a few people, and a great king came with his army and besieged it.</t>


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<pb/><t>A poor, wise man knew how to save the town, and so it was rescued. But afterward no one thought to thank him.</t>


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<pb/><t>So even though wisdom is better than strength, those who are wise will be despised if they are poor. What they say will not be appreciated for long.</t>


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<pb/><t>Better to have wisdom than weapons of war, but one sinner can destroy much that is good.</t>


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<t>As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink, so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor.</t>


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<pb/><t>If your boss is angry at you, don’t quit! A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Ironies of Life There is another evil I have seen under the sun. Kings and rulers make a grave mistake</t>


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<pb/><t>when they give great authority to foolish people and low positions to people of proven worth.</t>


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<pb/><t>I have even seen servants riding horseback like princes—and princes walking like servants!</t>


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<t>When you dig a well, you might fall in. When you demolish an old wall, you could be bitten by a snake.</t>


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<pb/><t>When you work in a quarry, stones might fall and crush you. When you chop wood, there is danger with each stroke of your ax.</t>


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<pb/><t>Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.</t>


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<pb/><t>Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions, so their conclusions will be wicked madness;</t>


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<pb/><t>they chatter on and on. No one really knows what is going to happen; no one can predict the future.</t>


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<pb/><t>Happy is the land whose king is a noble leader and whose leaders feast at the proper time to gain strength for their work, not to get drunk.</t>


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<pb/><t>Never make light of the king, even in your thoughts. And don’t make fun of the powerful, even in your own bedroom. For a little bird might deliver your message and tell them what you said.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Uncertainties of Life Send your grain across the seas, and in time, profits will flow back to you.</t>


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<pb/><t>But divide your investments among many places, for you do not know what risks might lie ahead.</t>


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<pb/><t>When clouds are heavy, the rains come down. Whether a tree falls north or south, it stays where it falls.</t>


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<pb/><t>Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.</t>


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<pb/><t>Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.</t>


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<pb/><t>Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.</t>


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<pb/><t>When people live to be very old, let them rejoice in every day of life. But let them also remember there will be many dark days. Everything still to come is meaningless.</t>


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<t>Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do.</t>


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<pb/><t>So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy. But remember that youth, with a whole life before you, is meaningless.</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.”</t>


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<pb/><t>Remember him before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and rain clouds continually darken your sky.</t>


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<pb/><t>Remember him before your legs—the guards of your house—start to tremble; and before your shoulders—the strong men—stoop. Remember him before your teeth—your few remaining servants—stop grinding; and before your eyes—the women looking through the windows—see dimly.</t>


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<pb/><t>Remember him before the door to life’s opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades. Now you rise at the first chirping of the birds, but then all their sounds will grow faint.</t>


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<pb/><t>Remember him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before your hair turns white like an almond tree in bloom, and you drag along without energy like a dying grasshopper, and the caperberry no longer inspires sexual desire. Remember him before you near the grave, your everlasting home, when the mourners will weep at your funeral.</t>


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<pb/><t>Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well.</t>


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<pb/><t>For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.</t>


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<t>Concluding Thoughts about the Teacher “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.”</t>


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<t>Keep this in mind: The Teacher was considered wise, and he taught the people everything he knew. He listened carefully to many proverbs, studying and classifying them.</t>


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<pb/><t>The words of the wise are like cattle prods—painful but helpful. Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd drives the sheep.</t>


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<t>But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out.</t>


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<pb/><t>That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.</t>


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<pb/><t>God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.</t>


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<pb/><t>How fragrant your cologne; your name is like its spreading fragrance. No wonder all the young women love you!</t>


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<pb/><t>Take me with you; come, let’s run! The king has brought me into his bedroom. Young Women of Jerusalem How happy we are for you, O king. We praise your love even more than wine. Young Woman How right they are to adore you.</t>


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<t>I am dark but beautiful, O women of Jerusalem— dark as the tents of Kedar, dark as the curtains of Solomon’s tents.</t>


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<pb/><t>Don’t stare at me because I am dark— the sun has darkened my skin. My brothers were angry with me; they forced me to care for their vineyards, so I couldn’t care for myself—my own vineyard.</t>


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<t>Tell me, my love, where are you leading your flock today? Where will you rest your sheep at noon? For why should I wander like a prostitute among your friends and their flocks?</t>


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<t>Young Man If you don’t know, O most beautiful woman, follow the trail of my flock, and graze your young goats by the shepherds’ tents.</t>


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<pb/><t>How lovely are your cheeks; your earrings set them afire! How lovely is your neck, enhanced by a string of jewels.</t>


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<pb/><t>fragrant cedar branches are the beams of our house, and pleasant smelling firs are the rafters.</t>


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<pb/><t>Young Woman I am the spring crocus blooming on the Sharon Plain, the lily of the valley.</t>


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<t>Young Woman Like the finest apple tree in the orchard is my lover among other young men. I sit in his delightful shade and taste his delicious fruit.</t>


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<pb/><t>Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and wild deer, not to awaken love until the time is right.</t>


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<pb/><t>My lover is like a swift gazelle or a young stag. Look, there he is behind the wall, looking through the window, peering into the room.</t>


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<pb/><t>The flowers are springing up, the season of singing birds has come, and the cooing of turtledoves fills the air.</t>


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<pb/><t>The fig trees are forming young fruit, and the fragrant grapevines are blossoming. Rise up, my darling! Come away with me, my fair one!”</t>


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<t>Young Man My dove is hiding behind the rocks, behind an outcrop on the cliff. Let me see your face; let me hear your voice. For your voice is pleasant, and your face is lovely.</t>


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<t>Young Women of Jerusalem Catch all the foxes, those little foxes, before they ruin the vineyard of love, for the grapevines are blossoming!</t>


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<t>Before the dawn breezes blow and the night shadows flee, return to me, my love, like a gazelle or a young stag on the rugged mountains.</t>


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<pb/><t>Young Woman One night as I lay in bed, I yearned for my lover. I yearned for him, but he did not come.</t>


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<pb/><t>So I said to myself, “I will get up and roam the city, searching in all its streets and squares. I will search for the one I love.” So I searched everywhere but did not find him.</t>


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<pb/><t>The watchmen stopped me as they made their rounds, and I asked, “Have you seen the one I love?”</t>


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<pb/><t>Then scarcely had I left them when I found my love! I caught and held him tightly, then I brought him to my mother’s house, into my mother’s bed, where I had been conceived.</t>


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<t>Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and wild deer, not to awaken love until the time is right.</t>


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<t>Young Women of Jerusalem Who is this sweeping in from the wilderness like a cloud of smoke? Who is it, fragrant with myrrh and frankincense and every kind of spice?</t>


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<pb/><t>Look, it is Solomon’s carriage, surrounded by sixty heroic men, the best of Israel’s soldiers.</t>


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<pb/><t>They are all skilled swordsmen, experienced warriors. Each wears a sword on his thigh, ready to defend the king against an attack in the night.</t>


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<pb/><t>Its posts are silver, its canopy gold; its cushions are purple. It was decorated with love by the young women of Jerusalem.</t>


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<pb/><t>Young Woman Come out to see King Solomon, young women of Jerusalem. He wears the crown his mother gave him on his wedding day, his most joyous day.</t>


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<pb/><t>Young Man You are beautiful, my darling, beautiful beyond words. Your eyes are like doves behind your veil. Your hair falls in waves, like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your teeth are as white as sheep, recently shorn and freshly washed. Your smile is flawless, each tooth matched with its twin.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your lips are like scarlet ribbon; your mouth is inviting. Your cheeks are like rosy pomegranates behind your veil.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your neck is as beautiful as the tower of David, jeweled with the shields of a thousand heroes.</t>


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<pb/><t>Before the dawn breezes blow and the night shadows flee, I will hurry to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense.</t>


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<t>Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me from Lebanon. Come down from Mount Amana, from the peaks of Senir and Hermon, where the lions have their dens and leopards live among the hills.</t>


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<pb/><t>You have captured my heart, my treasure, my bride. You hold it hostage with one glance of your eyes, with a single jewel of your necklace.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your love delights me, my treasure, my bride. Your love is better than wine, your perfume more fragrant than spices.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your lips are as sweet as nectar, my bride. Honey and milk are under your tongue. Your clothes are scented like the cedars of Lebanon.</t>


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<pb/><t>nard and saffron, fragrant calamus and cinnamon, with all the trees of frankincense, myrrh, and aloes, and every other lovely spice.</t>


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<pb/><t>You are a garden fountain, a well of fresh water streaming down from Lebanon’s mountains.</t>


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<t>Young Woman Awake, north wind! Rise up, south wind! Blow on my garden and spread its fragrance all around. Come into your garden, my love; taste its finest fruits.</t>


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<t>Young Man I have entered my garden, my treasure, my bride! I gather myrrh with my spices and eat honeycomb with my honey. I drink wine with my milk. Young Women of Jerusalem Oh, lover and beloved, eat and drink! Yes, drink deeply of your love!</t>


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<t>Young Woman I slept, but my heart was awake, when I heard my lover knocking and calling: “Open to me, my treasure, my darling, my dove, my perfect one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.”</t>


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<t>But I responded, “I have taken off my robe. Should I get dressed again? I have washed my feet. Should I get them soiled?”</t>


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<pb/><t>I jumped up to open the door for my love, and my hands dripped with perfume. My fingers dripped with lovely myrrh as I pulled back the bolt.</t>


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<pb/><t>I opened to my lover, but he was gone! My heart sank. I searched for him but could not find him anywhere. I called to him, but there was no reply.</t>


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<pb/><t>The night watchmen found me as they made their rounds. They beat and bruised me and stripped off my veil, those watchmen on the walls.</t>


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<t>Young Women of Jerusalem Why is your lover better than all others, O woman of rare beauty? What makes your lover so special that we must promise this?</t>


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<pb/><t>His eyes sparkle like doves beside springs of water; they are set like jewels washed in milk.</t>


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<pb/><t>His cheeks are like gardens of spices giving off fragrance. His lips are like lilies, perfumed with myrrh.</t>


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<pb/><t>His arms are like rounded bars of gold, set with beryl. His body is like bright ivory, glowing with lapis lazuli.</t>


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<pb/><t>His legs are like marble pillars set in sockets of finest gold. His posture is stately, like the noble cedars of Lebanon.</t>


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<pb/><t>His mouth is sweetness itself; he is desirable in every way. Such, O women of Jerusalem, is my lover, my friend.</t>


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<pb/><t>Young Women of Jerusalem Where has your lover gone, O woman of rare beauty? Which way did he turn so we can help you find him?</t>


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<t>Young Woman My lover has gone down to his garden, to his spice beds, to browse in the gardens and gather the lilies.</t>


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<t>Young Man You are beautiful, my darling, like the lovely city of Tirzah. Yes, as beautiful as Jerusalem, as majestic as an army with billowing banners.</t>


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<t>Turn your eyes away, for they overpower me. Your hair falls in waves, like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead.</t>


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<t>Your teeth are as white as sheep that are freshly washed. Your smile is flawless, each tooth matched with its twin.</t>


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<t>I would still choose my dove, my perfect one— the favorite of her mother, dearly loved by the one who bore her. The young women see her and praise her; even queens and royal concubines sing her praises:</t>


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<t>“Who is this, arising like the dawn, as fair as the moon, as bright as the sun, as majestic as an army with billowing banners?”</t>


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<t>Young Woman I went down to the grove of walnut trees and out to the valley to see the new spring growth, to see whether the grapevines had budded or the pomegranates were in bloom.</t>


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<t>Young Women of Jerusalem Return, return to us, O maid of Shulam. Come back, come back, that we may see you again. Young Man Why do you stare at this young woman of Shulam, as she moves so gracefully between two lines of dancers?</t>


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<pb/><t>How beautiful are your sandaled feet, O queenly maiden. Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of a skilled craftsman.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your navel is perfectly formed like a goblet filled with mixed wine. Between your thighs lies a mound of wheat bordered with lilies.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your neck is as beautiful as an ivory tower. Your eyes are like the sparkling pools in Heshbon by the gate of Bath-rabbim. Your nose is as fine as the tower of Lebanon overlooking Damascus.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your head is as majestic as Mount Carmel, and the sheen of your hair radiates royalty. The king is held captive by its tresses.</t>


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<pb/><t>I said, “I will climb the palm tree and take hold of its fruit.” May your breasts be like grape clusters, and the fragrance of your breath like apples.</t>


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<pb/><t>May your kisses be as exciting as the best wine— Young Woman Yes, wine that goes down smoothly for my lover, flowing gently over lips and teeth.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let us get up early and go to the vineyards to see if the grapevines have budded, if the blossoms have opened, and if the pomegranates have bloomed. There I will give you my love.</t>


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<pb/><t>There the mandrakes give off their fragrance, and the finest fruits are at our door, new delights as well as old, which I have saved for you, my lover.</t>


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<pb/><t>Young Woman Oh, I wish you were my brother, who nursed at my mother’s breasts. Then I could kiss you no matter who was watching, and no one would criticize me.</t>


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<pb/><t>I would bring you to my childhood home, and there you would teach me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, my sweet pomegranate wine.</t>


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<t>Young Women of Jerusalem Who is this sweeping in from the desert, leaning on her lover? Young Woman I aroused you under the apple tree, where your mother gave you birth, where in great pain she delivered you.</t>


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<t>Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as enduring as the grave. Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame.</t>


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<pb/><t>Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy love with all his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned.</t>


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<t>The Young Woman’s Brothers We have a little sister too young to have breasts. What will we do for our sister if someone asks to marry her?</t>


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<pb/><t>If she is a virgin, like a wall, we will protect her with a silver tower. But if she is promiscuous, like a swinging door, we will block her door with a cedar bar.</t>


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<t>Young Woman I was a virgin, like a wall; now my breasts are like towers. When my lover looks at me, he is delighted with what he sees.</t>


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<t>Solomon has a vineyard at Baal-hamon, which he leases out to tenant farmers. Each of them pays a thousand pieces of silver for harvesting its fruit.</t>


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<pb/><t>But my vineyard is mine to give, and Solomon need not pay a thousand pieces of silver. But I will give two hundred pieces to those who care for its vines.</t>


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<t>Young Man O my darling, lingering in the gardens, your companions are fortunate to hear your voice. Let me hear it, too!</t>


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<t>Young Woman Come away, my love! Be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.</t>


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<pb/>These are the visions that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. He saw these visions during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah.


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<t>A Message for Rebellious Judah Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth! This is what the Lord says: “The children I raised and cared for have rebelled against me.</t>


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<pb/><t>Even an ox knows its owner, and a donkey recognizes its master’s care— but Israel doesn’t know its master. My people don’t recognize my care for them.”</t>


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<pb/><t>Oh, what a sinful nation they are— loaded down with a burden of guilt. They are evil people, corrupt children who have rejected the Lord. They have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.</t>


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<pb/><t>Why do you continue to invite punishment? Must you rebel forever? Your head is injured, and your heart is sick.</t>


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<pb/><t>You are battered from head to foot— covered with bruises, welts, and infected wounds— without any soothing ointments or bandages.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your country lies in ruins, and your towns are burned. Foreigners plunder your fields before your eyes and destroy everything they see.</t>


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<pb/><t>Beautiful Jerusalem stands abandoned like a watchman’s shelter in a vineyard, like a lean-to in a cucumber field after the harvest, like a helpless city under siege.</t>


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<pb/><t>If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had not spared a few of us, we would have been wiped out like Sodom, destroyed like Gomorrah.</t>


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<pb/><t>Listen to the Lord, you leaders of “Sodom.” Listen to the law of our God, people of “Gomorrah.”</t>


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<pb/><t>“What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the Lord. “I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.</t>


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<pb/><t>When you come to worship me, who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony?</t>


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<pb/><t>Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts me! As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath and your special days for fasting— they are all sinful and false. I want no more of your pious meetings.</t>


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<pb/><t>I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals. They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them!</t>


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<pb/><t>When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.</t>


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<pb/><t>Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.</t>


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<pb/><t>“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.</t>


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<pb/><t>But if you turn away and refuse to listen, you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies. I, the Lord, have spoken!”</t>


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<t>Unfaithful Jerusalem See how Jerusalem, once so faithful, has become a prostitute. Once the home of justice and righteousness, she is now filled with murderers.</t>


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<pb/><t>Once like pure silver, you have become like worthless slag. Once so pure, you are now like watered-down wine.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your leaders are rebels, the companions of thieves. All of them love bribes and demand payoffs, but they refuse to defend the cause of orphans or fight for the rights of widows.</t>


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<pb/><t>Therefore, the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the Mighty One of Israel, says, “I will take revenge on my enemies and pay back my foes!</t>


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<pb/><t>I will raise my fist against you. I will melt you down and skim off your slag. I will remove all your impurities.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then I will give you good judges again and wise counselors like you used to have. Then Jerusalem will again be called the Home of Justice and the Faithful City.”</t>


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<pb/><t>But rebels and sinners will be completely destroyed, and those who desert the Lord will be consumed.</t>


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<pb/><t>You will be ashamed of your idol worship in groves of sacred oaks. You will blush because you worshiped in gardens dedicated to idols.</t>


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<pb/><t>The strongest among you will disappear like straw; their evil deeds will be the spark that sets it on fire. They and their evil works will burn up together, and no one will be able to put out the fire.</t>


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<pb/>The Lord’s Future Reign This is a vision that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:


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<t>In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of all— the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.</t>


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<pb/><t>People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore.</t>


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<t>For the Lord has rejected his people, the descendants of Jacob, because they have filled their land with practices from the East and with sorcerers, as the Philistines do. They have made alliances with pagans.</t>


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<pb/><t>Israel is full of silver and gold; there is no end to its treasures. Their land is full of warhorses; there is no end to its chariots.</t>


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<pb/><t>Their land is full of idols; the people worship things they have made with their own hands.</t>


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<pb/><t>Crawl into caves in the rocks. Hide in the dust from the terror of the Lord and the glory of his majesty.</t>


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<pb/><t>Human pride will be brought down, and human arrogance will be humbled. Only the Lord will be exalted on that day of judgment.</t>


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<pb/><t>For the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has a day of reckoning. He will punish the proud and mighty and bring down everything that is exalted.</t>


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<pb/><t>Human pride will be humbled, and human arrogance will be brought down. Only the Lord will be exalted on that day of judgment.</t>


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<pb/><t>When the Lord rises to shake the earth, his enemies will crawl into holes in the ground. They will hide in caves in the rocks from the terror of the Lord and the glory of his majesty.</t>


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<pb/><t>On that day of judgment they will abandon the gold and silver idols they made for themselves to worship. They will leave their gods to the rodents and bats,</t>


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<pb/><t>while they crawl away into caverns and hide among the jagged rocks in the cliffs. They will try to escape the terror of the Lord and the glory of his majesty as he rises to shake the earth.</t>


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<pb/><t>Judgment against Judah The Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, will take away from Jerusalem and Judah everything they depend on: every bit of bread and every drop of water,</t>


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<pb/><t>People will oppress each other— man against man, neighbor against neighbor. Young people will insult their elders, and vulgar people will sneer at the honorable.</t>


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<pb/><t>In those days a man will say to his brother, “Since you have a coat, you be our leader! Take charge of this heap of ruins!”</t>


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<pb/><t>But he will reply, “No! I can’t help. I don’t have any extra food or clothes. Don’t put me in charge!”</t>


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<pb/><t>For Jerusalem will stumble, and Judah will fall, because they speak out against the Lord and refuse to obey him. They provoke him to his face.</t>


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<pb/><t>The very look on their faces gives them away. They display their sin like the people of Sodom and don’t even try to hide it. They are doomed! They have brought destruction upon themselves.</t>


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<pb/><t>Tell the godly that all will be well for them. They will enjoy the rich reward they have earned!</t>


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<pb/><t>Childish leaders oppress my people, and women rule over them. O my people, your leaders mislead you; they send you down the wrong road.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord comes forward to pronounce judgment on the elders and rulers of his people: “You have ruined Israel, my vineyard. Your houses are filled with things stolen from the poor.</t>


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<pb/><t>How dare you crush my people, grinding the faces of the poor into the dust?” demands the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.</t>


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<t>A Warning to Jerusalem The Lord says, “Beautiful Zion is haughty: craning her elegant neck, flirting with her eyes, walking with dainty steps, tinkling her ankle bracelets.</t>


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<pb/>On that day of judgment the Lord will strip away everything that makes her beautiful: ornaments, headbands, crescent necklaces,


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<t>Instead of smelling of sweet perfume, she will stink. She will wear a rope for a sash, and her elegant hair will fall out. She will wear rough burlap instead of rich robes. Shame will replace her beauty.</t>


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<pb/><t>The gates of Zion will weep and mourn. The city will be like a ravaged woman, huddled on the ground.</t>


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<t>In that day so few men will be left that seven women will fight for each man, saying, “Let us all marry you! We will provide our own food and clothing. Only let us take your name so we won’t be mocked as old maids.”</t>


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<t>A Promise of Restoration But in that day, the branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious; the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of all who survive in Israel.</t>


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<pb/><t>All who remain in Zion will be a holy people— those who survive the destruction of Jerusalem and are recorded among the living.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord will wash the filth from beautiful Zion and cleanse Jerusalem of its bloodstains with the hot breath of fiery judgment.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then the Lord will provide shade for Mount Zion and all who assemble there. He will provide a canopy of cloud during the day and smoke and flaming fire at night, covering the glorious land.</t>


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<pb/><t>A Song about the Lord’s Vineyard Now I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a rich and fertile hill.</t>


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<pb/><t>He plowed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks. Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter.</t>


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<pb/><t>What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?</t>


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<pb/><t>Now let me tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will tear down its hedges and let it be destroyed. I will break down its walls and let the animals trample it.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will make it a wild place where the vines are not pruned and the ground is not hoed, a place overgrown with briers and thorns. I will command the clouds to drop no rain on it.</t>


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<pb/><t>The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The people of Judah are his pleasant garden. He expected a crop of justice, but instead he found oppression. He expected to find righteousness, but instead he heard cries of violence.</t>


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<t>Judah’s Guilt and Judgment What sorrow for you who buy up house after house and field after field, until everyone is evicted and you live alone in the land.</t>


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<pb/><t>But I have heard the Lord of Heaven’s Armies swear a solemn oath: “Many houses will stand deserted; even beautiful mansions will be empty.</t>


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<pb/><t>Ten acres of vineyard will not produce even six gallons of wine. Ten baskets of seed will yield only one basket of grain.”</t>


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<pb/><t>What sorrow for those who get up early in the morning looking for a drink of alcohol and spend long evenings drinking wine to make themselves flaming drunk.</t>


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<pb/><t>They furnish wine and lovely music at their grand parties— lyre and harp, tambourine and flute— but they never think about the Lord or notice what he is doing.</t>


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<pb/><t>So my people will go into exile far away because they do not know me. Those who are great and honored will starve, and the common people will die of thirst.</t>


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<pb/><t>The grave is licking its lips in anticipation, opening its mouth wide. The great and the lowly and all the drunken mob will be swallowed up.</t>


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<pb/><t>Humanity will be destroyed, and people brought down; even the arrogant will lower their eyes in humiliation.</t>


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<pb/><t>But the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will be exalted by his justice. The holiness of God will be displayed by his righteousness.</t>


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<pb/><t>In that day lambs will find good pastures, and fattened sheep and young goats will feed among the ruins.</t>


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<pb/><t>What sorrow for those who drag their sins behind them with ropes made of lies, who drag wickedness behind them like a cart!</t>


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<pb/><t>They even mock God and say, “Hurry up and do something! We want to see what you can do. Let the Holy One of Israel carry out his plan, for we want to know what it is.”</t>


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<pb/><t>What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.</t>


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<pb/><t>What sorrow for those who are heroes at drinking wine and boast about all the alcohol they can hold.</t>


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<pb/><t>Therefore, just as fire licks up stubble and dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will rot and their flowers wither. For they have rejected the law of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies; they have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.</t>


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<pb/><t>That is why the Lord’s anger burns against his people, and why he has raised his fist to crush them. The mountains tremble, and the corpses of his people litter the streets like garbage. But even then the Lord’s anger is not satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike!</t>


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<pb/><t>He will send a signal to distant nations far away and whistle to those at the ends of the earth. They will come racing toward Jerusalem.</t>


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<pb/><t>They will not get tired or stumble. They will not stop for rest or sleep. Not a belt will be loose, not a sandal strap broken.</t>


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<pb/><t>Their arrows will be sharp and their bows ready for battle. Sparks will fly from their horses’ hooves, and the wheels of their chariots will spin like a whirlwind.</t>


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<pb/><t>They will roar like lions, like the strongest of lions. Growling, they will pounce on their victims and carry them off, and no one will be there to rescue them.</t>


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<pb/><t>They will roar over their victims on that day of destruction like the roaring of the sea. If someone looks across the land, only darkness and distress will be seen; even the light will be darkened by clouds.</t>


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<pb/>Isaiah’s Cleansing and Call It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple.


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Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.


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They were calling out to each other, <t>“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”</t>


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<pb/>Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”


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Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.


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He touched my lips with it and said, <t>“See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”</t>


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Then I heard the Lord asking, <t>“Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”</t> I said, <t>“Here I am. Send me.”</t>


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And he said, <t>“Yes, go, and say to this people, ‘Listen carefully, but do not understand. Watch closely, but learn nothing.’</t>


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<pb/><t>Harden the hearts of these people. Plug their ears and shut their eyes. That way, they will not see with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts and turn to me for healing.”</t>


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<pb/><t>Then I said, “Lord, how long will this go on?” And he replied, “Until their towns are empty, their houses are deserted, and the whole country is a wasteland;</t>


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<pb/><t>If even a tenth—a remnant—survive, it will be invaded again and burned. But as a terebinth or oak tree leaves a stump when it is cut down, so Israel’s stump will be a holy seed.”</t>


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<pb/>A Message for Ahaz When Ahaz, son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, set out to attack Jerusalem. However, they were unable to carry out their plan.


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<pb/>The news had come to the royal court of Judah: “Syria is allied with Israel against us!” So the hearts of the king and his people trembled with fear, like trees shaking in a storm.


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Then the Lord said to Isaiah, <t>“Take your son Shear-jashub and go out to meet King Ahaz. You will find him at the end of the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool, near the road leading to the field where cloth is washed.


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Tell him to stop worrying. Tell him he doesn’t need to fear the fierce anger of those two burned-out embers, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah.


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‘We will attack Judah and capture it for ourselves. Then we will install the son of Tabeel as Judah’s king.’


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But this is what the Sovereign Lord says: <t>“This invasion will never happen; it will never take place;</t>


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<pb/><t>for Syria is no stronger than its capital, Damascus, and Damascus is no stronger than its king, Rezin. As for Israel, within sixty-five years it will be crushed and completely destroyed.</t>


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<pb/><t>Israel is no stronger than its capital, Samaria, and Samaria is no stronger than its king, Pekah son of Remaliah. Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.”</t>


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“Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.”</t>


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Then Isaiah said, <t>“Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well?


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All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).


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By the time this child is old enough to choose what is right and reject what is wrong, he will be eating yogurt and honey.


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For before the child is that old, the lands of the two kings you fear so much will both be deserted.


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“Then the Lord will bring things on you, your nation, and your family unlike anything since Israel broke away from Judah. He will bring the king of Assyria upon you!”</t>


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<pb/>In that day the Lord will whistle for the army of southern Egypt and for the army of Assyria. They will swarm around you like flies and bees.


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They will come in vast hordes and settle in the fertile areas and also in the desolate valleys, caves, and thorny places.


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In that day the Lord will hire a <t>“razor”</t> from beyond the Euphrates River—the king of Assyria—and use it to shave off everything: your land, your crops, and your people.


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Nevertheless, there will be enough milk for everyone because so few people will be left in the land. They will eat their fill of yogurt and honey.


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In that day the lush vineyards, now worth 1,000 pieces of silver, will become patches of briers and thorns.


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The entire land will become a vast expanse of briers and thorns, a hunting ground overrun by wildlife.


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No one will go to the fertile hillsides where the gardens once grew, for briers and thorns will cover them. Cattle, sheep, and goats will graze there.


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<pb/>The Coming Assyrian Invasion Then the Lord said to me, “Make a large signboard and clearly write this name on it: Maher-shalal-hash-baz.”


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I asked Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah, both known as honest men, to witness my doing this.


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Then I slept with my wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. And the Lord said, <t>“Call him Maher-shalal-hash-baz.


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For before this child is old enough to say ‘Papa’ or ‘Mama,’ the king of Assyria will carry away both the abundance of Damascus and the riches of Samaria.”</t>


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“My care for the people of Judah is like the gently flowing waters of Shiloah, but they have rejected it. They are rejoicing over what will happen to King Rezin and King Pekah.


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Therefore, the Lord will overwhelm them with a mighty flood from the Euphrates River—the king of Assyria and all his glory. This flood will overflow all its channels


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and sweep into Judah until it is chin deep. It will spread its wings, submerging your land from one end to the other, O Immanuel.


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<t>“Huddle together, you nations, and be terrified. Listen, all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, but you will be crushed! Yes, prepare for battle, but you will be crushed!</t>


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<pb/><t>Call your councils of war, but they will be worthless. Develop your strategies, but they will not succeed. For God is with us!”</t>


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A Call to Trust the Lord The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said,


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<t>“Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them.</t>


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<pb/><t>Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble.</t>


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<pb/><t>He will keep you safe. But to Israel and Judah he will be a stone that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will wait for the Lord, who has turned away from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my hope in him.</t>


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<pb/><t>I and the children the Lord has given me serve as signs and warnings to Israel from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies who dwells in his Temple on Mount Zion.</t>


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Someone may say to you, <t>“Let’s ask the mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead. With their whisperings and mutterings, they will tell us what to do.”</t> But shouldn’t people ask God for guidance? Should the living seek guidance from the dead?


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Look to God’s instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark.


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They will go from one place to another, weary and hungry. And because they are hungry, they will rage and curse their king and their God. They will look up to heaven


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and down at the earth, but wherever they look, there will be trouble and anguish and dark despair. They will be thrown out into the darkness.


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<t>Hope in the Messiah Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.</t>


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<pb/><t>The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.</t>


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<pb/><t>You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice. They will rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest and like warriors dividing the plunder.</t>


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<pb/><t>For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor’s rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.</t>


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<pb/><t>The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire.</t>


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<pb/><t>For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.</t>


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<pb/><t>His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!</t>


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<t>The Lord’s Anger against Israel The Lord has spoken out against Jacob; his judgment has fallen upon Israel.</t>


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<pb/><t>And the people of Israel and Samaria, who spoke with such pride and arrogance, will soon know it.</t>


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<pb/><t>They said, “We will replace the broken bricks of our ruins with finished stone, and replant the felled sycamore-fig trees with cedars.”</t>


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<pb/><t>The Syrians from the east and the Philistines from the west will bare their fangs and devour Israel. But even then the Lord’s anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike.</t>


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<pb/><t>For after all this punishment, the people will still not repent. They will not seek the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.</t>


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<pb/><t>Therefore, in a single day the Lord will destroy both the head and the tail, the noble palm branch and the lowly reed.</t>


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<pb/><t>For the leaders of the people have misled them. They have led them down the path of destruction.</t>


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<pb/><t>That is why the Lord takes no pleasure in the young men and shows no mercy even to the widows and orphans. For they are all wicked hypocrites, and they all speak foolishness. But even then the Lord’s anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike.</t>


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<pb/><t>This wickedness is like a brushfire. It burns not only briers and thorns but also sets the forests ablaze. Its burning sends up clouds of smoke.</t>


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<pb/><t>The land will be blackened by the fury of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The people will be fuel for the fire, and no one will spare even his own brother.</t>


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<pb/><t>They will attack their neighbor on the right but will still be hungry. They will devour their neighbor on the left but will not be satisfied. In the end they will even eat their own children.</t>


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<pb/><t>Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, Ephraim will feed on Manasseh, and both will devour Judah. But even then the Lord’s anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike.</t>


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<pb/><t>They deprive the poor of justice and deny the rights of the needy among my people. They prey on widows and take advantage of orphans.</t>


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<pb/><t>What will you do when I punish you, when I send disaster upon you from a distant land? To whom will you turn for help? Where will your treasures be safe?</t>


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<pb/><t>You will stumble along as prisoners or lie among the dead. But even then the Lord’s anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike.</t>


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<t>Judgment against Assyria “What sorrow awaits Assyria, the rod of my anger. I use it as a club to express my anger.</t>


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<pb/><t>I am sending Assyria against a godless nation, against a people with whom I am angry. Assyria will plunder them, trampling them like dirt beneath its feet.</t>


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<pb/><t>But the king of Assyria will not understand that he is my tool; his mind does not work that way. His plan is simply to destroy, to cut down nation after nation.</t>


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<pb/><t>We destroyed Calno just as we did Carchemish. Hamath fell before us as Arpad did. And we destroyed Samaria just as we did Damascus.</t>


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<pb/><t>Yes, we have finished off many a kingdom whose gods were greater than those in Jerusalem and Samaria.</t>


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After the Lord has used the king of Assyria to accomplish his purposes on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, he will turn against the king of Assyria and punish him—for he is proud and arrogant.


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He boasts, <t>“By my own powerful arm I have done this. With my own shrewd wisdom I planned it. I have broken down the defenses of nations and carried off their treasures. I have knocked down their kings like a bull.</t>


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<pb/><t>I have robbed their nests of riches and gathered up kingdoms as a farmer gathers eggs. No one can even flap a wing against me or utter a peep of protest.”</t>


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<pb/><t>But can the ax boast greater power than the person who uses it? Is the saw greater than the person who saws? Can a rod strike unless a hand moves it? Can a wooden cane walk by itself?</t>


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<pb/><t>Therefore, the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, will send a plague among Assyria’s proud troops, and a flaming fire will consume its glory.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord, the Light of Israel, will be a fire; the Holy One will be a flame. He will devour the thorns and briers with fire, burning up the enemy in a single night.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord will consume Assyria’s glory like a fire consumes a forest in a fruitful land; it will waste away like sick people in a plague.</t>


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<pb/><t>Of all that glorious forest, only a few trees will survive— so few that a child could count them!</t>


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Hope for the Lord’s People In that day the remnant left in Israel, the survivors in the house of Jacob, will no longer depend on allies who seek to destroy them. But they will faithfully trust the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.


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But though the people of Israel are as numerous as the sand of the seashore, only a remnant of them will return. The Lord has rightly decided to destroy his people.


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<pb/>So this is what the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, says: “O my people in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians when they oppress you with rod and club as the Egyptians did long ago.


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In a little while my anger against you will end, and then my anger will rise up to destroy them.”</t>


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The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will lash them with his whip, as he did when Gideon triumphed over the Midianites at the rock of Oreb, or when the Lord’s staff was raised to drown the Egyptian army in the sea.


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<pb/><t>In that day the Lord will end the bondage of his people. He will break the yoke of slavery and lift it from their shoulders.</t>


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<pb/><t>Look, the Assyrians are now at Aiath. They are passing through Migron and are storing their equipment at Micmash.</t>


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<pb/><t>They are crossing the pass and are camping at Geba. Fear strikes the town of Ramah. All the people of Gibeah, the hometown of Saul, are running for their lives.</t>


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<pb/><t>Scream in terror, you people of Gallim! Shout out a warning to Laishah. Oh, poor Anathoth!</t>


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<pb/><t>The enemy stops at Nob for the rest of that day. He shakes his fist at beautiful Mount Zion, the mountain of Jerusalem.</t>


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<pb/><t>But look! The Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, will chop down the mighty tree of Assyria with great power! He will cut down the proud. That lofty tree will be brought down.</t>


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<pb/><t>A Branch from David’s Line Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.</t>


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<pb/><t>And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.</t>


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<pb/><t>He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay.</t>


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<pb/><t>He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.</t>


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<pb/><t>In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all.</t>


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<pb/><t>The cow will graze near the bear. The cub and the calf will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like a cow.</t>


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<pb/><t>The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.</t>


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<pb/><t>Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord.</t>


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In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.


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In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to bring back the remnant of his people— those who remain in Assyria and northern Egypt; in southern Egypt, Ethiopia, and Elam; in Babylonia, Hamath, and all the distant coastlands.


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<t>He will raise a flag among the nations and assemble the exiles of Israel. He will gather the scattered people of Judah from the ends of the earth.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then at last the jealousy between Israel and Judah will end. They will not be rivals anymore.</t>


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<pb/><t>They will join forces to swoop down on Philistia to the west. Together they will attack and plunder the nations to the east. They will occupy the lands of Edom and Moab, and Ammon will obey them.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord will make a dry path through the gulf of the Red Sea. He will wave his hand over the Euphrates River, sending a mighty wind to divide it into seven streams so it can easily be crossed on foot.</t>


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<pb/><t>He will make a highway for the remnant of his people, the remnant coming from Assyria, just as he did for Israel long ago when they returned from Egypt.</t>


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<t>Songs of Praise for Salvation In that day you will sing: “I will praise you, O Lord! You were angry with me, but not any more. Now you comfort me.</t>


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<pb/><t>See, God has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The Lord God is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.”</t>


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<pb/><t>In that wonderful day you will sing: “Thank the Lord! Praise his name! Tell the nations what he has done. Let them know how mighty he is!</t>


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<pb/><t>Sing to the Lord, for he has done wonderful things. Make known his praise around the world.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let all the people of Jerusalem shout his praise with joy! For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you.”</t>


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<pb/><t>A Message about Babylon Isaiah son of Amoz received this message concerning the destruction of Babylon:</t>


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<pb/><t>“Raise a signal flag on a bare hilltop. Call up an army against Babylon. Wave your hand to encourage them as they march into the palaces of the high and mighty.</t>


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<pb/><t>I, the Lord, have dedicated these soldiers for this task. Yes, I have called mighty warriors to express my anger, and they will rejoice when I am exalted.”</t>


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<pb/><t>Hear the noise on the mountains! Listen, as the vast armies march! It is the noise and shouting of many nations. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has called this army together.</t>


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<pb/><t>They come from distant countries, from beyond the farthest horizons. They are the Lord’s weapons to carry out his anger. With them he will destroy the whole land.</t>


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<pb/><t>Scream in terror, for the day of the Lord has arrived— the time for the Almighty to destroy.</t>


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<pb/><t>and people are terrified. Pangs of anguish grip them, like those of a woman in labor. They look helplessly at one another, their faces aflame with fear.</t>


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<pb/><t>For see, the day of the Lord is coming— the terrible day of his fury and fierce anger. The land will be made desolate, and all the sinners destroyed with it.</t>


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<pb/><t>The heavens will be black above them; the stars will give no light. The sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will provide no light.</t>


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<pb/><t>“I, the Lord, will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their sin. I will crush the arrogance of the proud and humble the pride of the mighty.</t>


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<pb/><t>For I will shake the heavens. The earth will move from its place when the Lord of Heaven’s Armies displays his wrath in the day of his fierce anger.”</t>


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<pb/><t>Everyone in Babylon will run about like a hunted gazelle, like sheep without a shepherd. They will try to find their own people and flee to their own land.</t>


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<pb/><t>Their little children will be dashed to death before their eyes. Their homes will be sacked, and their wives will be raped.</t>


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<pb/><t>“Look, I will stir up the Medes against Babylon. They cannot be tempted by silver or bribed with gold.</t>


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<pb/><t>The attacking armies will shoot down the young men with arrows. They will have no mercy on helpless babies and will show no compassion for children.”</t>


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<pb/><t>Babylon, the most glorious of kingdoms, the flower of Chaldean pride, will be devastated like Sodom and Gomorrah when God destroyed them.</t>


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<pb/><t>Babylon will never be inhabited again. It will remain empty for generation after generation. Nomads will refuse to camp there, and shepherds will not bed down their sheep.</t>


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<pb/><t>Desert animals will move into the ruined city, and the houses will be haunted by howling creatures. Owls will live among the ruins, and wild goats will go there to dance.</t>


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<pb/><t>Hyenas will howl in its fortresses, and jackals will make dens in its luxurious palaces. Babylon’s days are numbered; its time of destruction will soon arrive.</t>


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A Taunt for Babylon’s King But the Lord will have mercy on the descendants of Jacob. He will choose Israel as his special people once again. He will bring them back to settle once again in their own land. And people from many different nations will come and join them there and unite with the people of Israel.


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The nations of the world will help the people of Israel to return, and those who come to live in the Lord’s land will serve them. Those who captured Israel will themselves be captured, and Israel will rule over its enemies.


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In that wonderful day when the Lord gives his people rest from sorrow and fear, from slavery and chains,


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you will taunt the king of Babylon. You will say, <t>“The mighty man has been destroyed. Yes, your insolence is ended.</t>


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<pb/><t>You struck the people with endless blows of rage and held the nations in your angry grip with unrelenting tyranny.</t>


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<pb/><t>Even the trees of the forest— the cypress trees and the cedars of Lebanon— sing out this joyous song: ‘Since you have been cut down, no one will come now to cut us down!’</t>


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<pb/><t>“In the place of the dead there is excitement over your arrival. The spirits of world leaders and mighty kings long dead stand up to see you.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your might and power were buried with you. The sound of the harp in your palace has ceased. Now maggots are your sheet, and worms your blanket.’</t>


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<pb/><t>“How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world.</t>


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<pb/><t>For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north.</t>


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<pb/><t>Everyone there will stare at you and ask, ‘Can this be the one who shook the earth and made the kingdoms of the world tremble?</t>


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<pb/><t>Is this the one who destroyed the world and made it into a wasteland? Is this the king who demolished the world’s greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners?’</t>


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<pb/><t>but you will be thrown out of your grave like a worthless branch. Like a corpse trampled underfoot, you will be dumped into a mass grave with those killed in battle. You will descend to the pit.</t>


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<pb/><t>You will not be given a proper burial, for you have destroyed your nation and slaughtered your people. The descendants of such an evil person will never again receive honor.</t>


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<pb/><t>Kill this man’s children! Let them die because of their father’s sins! They must not rise and conquer the earth, filling the world with their cities.”</t>


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<pb/><t>This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: “I, myself, have risen against Babylon! I will destroy its children and its children’s children,” says the Lord.</t>


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<pb/><t>“I will make Babylon a desolate place of owls, filled with swamps and marshes. I will sweep the land with the broom of destruction. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”</t>


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<pb/><t>A Message about Assyria The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sworn this oath: “It will all happen as I have planned. It will be as I have decided.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will break the Assyrians when they are in Israel; I will trample them on my mountains. My people will no longer be their slaves nor bow down under their heavy loads.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has spoken— who can change his plans? When his hand is raised, who can stop him?”</t>


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<t>Do not rejoice, you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken— that the king who attacked you is dead. For from that snake a more poisonous snake will be born, a fiery serpent to destroy you!</t>


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<pb/><t>I will feed the poor in my pasture; the needy will lie down in peace. But as for you, I will wipe you out with famine and destroy the few who remain.</t>


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<pb/><t>Wail at the gates! Weep in the cities! Melt with fear, you Philistines! A powerful army comes like smoke from the north. Each soldier rushes forward eager to fight.</t>


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<pb/><t>What should we tell the Philistine messengers? Tell them, “The Lord has built Jerusalem; its walls will give refuge to his oppressed people.”</t>


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<pb/><t>A Message about Moab This message came to me concerning Moab: In one night the town of Ar will be leveled, and the city of Kir will be destroyed.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your people will go to their temple in Dibon to mourn. They will go to their sacred shrines to weep. They will wail for the fate of Nebo and Medeba, shaving their heads in sorrow and cutting off their beards.</t>


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<pb/><t>They will wear burlap as they wander the streets. From every home and public square will come the sound of wailing.</t>


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<pb/><t>The people of Heshbon and Elealeh will cry out; their voices will be heard as far away as Jahaz! The bravest warriors of Moab will cry out in utter terror. They will be helpless with fear.</t>


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<pb/><t>My heart weeps for Moab. Its people flee to Zoar and Eglath-shelishiyah. Weeping, they climb the road to Luhith. Their cries of distress can be heard all along the road to Horonaim.</t>


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<pb/><t>Even the waters of Nimrim are dried up! The grassy banks are scorched. The tender plants are gone; nothing green remains.</t>


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<pb/><t>A cry of distress echoes through the land of Moab from one end to the other— from Eglaim to Beer-elim.</t>


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<pb/><t>The stream near Dibon runs red with blood, but I am still not finished with Dibon! Lions will hunt down the survivors— both those who try to escape and those who remain behind.</t>


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<t>Send lambs from Sela as tribute to the ruler of the land. Send them through the desert to the mountain of beautiful Zion.</t>


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<pb/><t>The women of Moab are left like homeless birds at the shallow crossings of the Arnon River.</t>


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<pb/><t>“Help us,” they cry. “Defend us against our enemies. Protect us from their relentless attack. Do not betray us now that we have escaped.</t>


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<pb/><t>Let our refugees stay among you. Hide them from our enemies until the terror is past.” When oppression and destruction have ended and enemy raiders have disappeared,</t>


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<pb/><t>then God will establish one of David’s descendants as king. He will rule with mercy and truth. He will always do what is just and be eager to do what is right.</t>


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<pb/><t>We have heard about proud Moab— about its pride and arrogance and rage. But all that boasting has disappeared.</t>


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<pb/><t>The entire land of Moab weeps. Yes, everyone in Moab mourns for the cakes of raisins from Kir-hareseth. They are all gone now.</t>


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<pb/><t>The farms of Heshbon are abandoned; the vineyards at Sibmah are deserted. The rulers of the nations have broken down Moab— that beautiful grapevine. Its tendrils spread north as far as the town of Jazer and trailed eastward into the wilderness. Its shoots reached so far west that they crossed over the Dead Sea.</t>


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<pb/><t>So now I weep for Jazer and the vineyards of Sibmah; my tears will flow for Heshbon and Elealeh. There are no more shouts of joy over your summer fruits and harvest.</t>


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<pb/><t>Gone now is the gladness, gone the joy of harvest. There will be no singing in the vineyards, no more happy shouts, no treading of grapes in the winepresses. I have ended all their harvest joys.</t>


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<pb/><t>My heart’s cry for Moab is like a lament on a harp. I am filled with anguish for Kir-hareseth.</t>


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<pb/><t>The people of Moab will worship at their pagan shrines, but it will do them no good. They will cry to the gods in their temples, but no one will be able to save them.</t>


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But now the Lord says, <t>“Within three years, counting each day, the glory of Moab will be ended. From its great population, only a feeble few will be left alive.”</t>


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<pb/><t>A Message about Damascus and Israel This message came to me concerning Damascus: “Look, the city of Damascus will disappear! It will become a heap of ruins.</t>


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<pb/><t>The towns of Aroer will be deserted. Flocks will graze in the streets and lie down undisturbed, with no one to chase them away.</t>


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<pb/><t>The fortified towns of Israel will also be destroyed, and the royal power of Damascus will end. All that remains of Syria will share the fate of Israel’s departed glory,” declares the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.</t>


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<pb/><t>The whole land will look like a grainfield after the harvesters have gathered the grain. It will be desolate, like the fields in the valley of Rephaim after the harvest.</t>


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<pb/><t>Only a few of its people will be left, like stray olives left on a tree after the harvest. Only two or three remain in the highest branches, four or five scattered here and there on the limbs,” declares the Lord, the God of Israel.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then at last the people will look to their Creator and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.</t>


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<pb/><t>They will no longer look to their idols for help or worship what their own hands have made. They will never again bow down to their Asherah poles or worship at the pagan shrines they have built.</t>


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<pb/><t>Their largest cities will be like a deserted forest, like the land the Hivites and Amorites abandoned when the Israelites came here so long ago. It will be utterly desolate.</t>


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<pb/><t>Why? Because you have turned from the God who can save you. You have forgotten the Rock who can hide you. So you may plant the finest grapevines and import the most expensive seedlings.</t>


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<pb/><t>They may sprout on the day you set them out; yes, they may blossom on the very morning you plant them, but you will never pick any grapes from them. Your only harvest will be a load of grief and unrelieved pain.</t>


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<pb/><t>Listen! The armies of many nations roar like the roaring of the sea. Hear the thunder of the mighty forces as they rush forward like thundering waves.</t>


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<pb/><t>But though they thunder like breakers on a beach, God will silence them, and they will run away. They will flee like chaff scattered by the wind, like a tumbleweed whirling before a storm.</t>


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<pb/><t>In the evening Israel waits in terror, but by dawn its enemies are dead. This is the just reward of those who plunder us, a fitting end for those who destroy us.</t>


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<pb/><t>A Message about Ethiopia Listen, Ethiopia—land of fluttering sails that lies at the headwaters of the Nile,</t>


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<pb/><t>that sends ambassadors in swift boats down the river. Go, swift messengers! Take a message to a tall, smooth-skinned people, who are feared far and wide for their conquests and destruction, and whose land is divided by rivers.</t>


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<pb/><t>All you people of the world, everyone who lives on the earth— when I raise my battle flag on the mountain, look! When I blow the ram’s horn, listen!</t>


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<pb/><t>For the Lord has told me this: “I will watch quietly from my dwelling place— as quietly as the heat rises on a summer day, or as the morning dew forms during the harvest.”</t>


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<pb/><t>Even before you begin your attack, while your plans are ripening like grapes, the Lord will cut off your new growth with pruning shears. He will snip off and discard your spreading branches.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your mighty army will be left dead in the fields for the mountain vultures and wild animals. The vultures will tear at the corpses all summer. The wild animals will gnaw at the bones all winter.</t>


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<pb/><t>At that time the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will receive gifts from this land divided by rivers, from this tall, smooth-skinned people, who are feared far and wide for their conquests and destruction. They will bring the gifts to Jerusalem, where the Lord of Heaven’s Armies dwells.</t>


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<pb/><t>A Message about Egypt This message came to me concerning Egypt: Look! The Lord is advancing against Egypt, riding on a swift cloud. The idols of Egypt tremble. The hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear.</t>


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<pb/><t>“I will make Egyptian fight against Egyptian— brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, province against province.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will confuse their plans. They will plead with their idols for wisdom and call on spirits, mediums, and those who consult the spirits of the dead.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will hand Egypt over to a hard, cruel master. A fierce king will rule them,” says the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.</t>


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<pb/><t>The waters of the Nile will fail to rise and flood the fields. The riverbed will be parched and dry.</t>


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<pb/><t>The canals of the Nile will dry up, and the streams of Egypt will stink with rotting reeds and rushes.</t>


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<pb/><t>All the greenery along the riverbank and all the crops along the river will dry up and blow away.</t>


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<pb/><t>The fishermen will lament for lack of work. Those who cast hooks into the Nile will groan, and those who use nets will lose heart.</t>


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<pb/><t>What fools are the officials of Zoan! Their best counsel to the king of Egypt is stupid and wrong. Will they still boast to Pharaoh of their wisdom? Will they dare brag about all their wise ancestors?</t>


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<pb/><t>Where are your wise counselors, Pharaoh? Let them tell you what God plans, what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is going to do to Egypt.</t>


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<pb/><t>The officials of Zoan are fools, and the officials of Memphis are deluded. The leaders of the people have led Egypt astray.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord has sent a spirit of foolishness on them, so all their suggestions are wrong. They cause Egypt to stagger like a drunk in his vomit.</t>


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<pb/><t>There is nothing Egypt can do. All are helpless— the head and the tail, the noble palm branch and the lowly reed.</t>


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In that day the Egyptians will be as weak as women. They will cower in fear beneath the upraised fist of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.


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Just to speak the name of Israel will terrorize them, for the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has laid out his plans against them.


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<pb/>In that day five of Egypt’s cities will follow the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. They will even begin to speak Hebrew, the language of Canaan. One of these cities will be Heliopolis, the City of the Sun.


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In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt, and there will be a monument to the Lord at its border.


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It will be a sign and a witness that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is worshiped in the land of Egypt. When the people cry to the Lord for help against those who oppress them, he will send them a savior who will rescue them.


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The Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians. Yes, they will know the Lord and will give their sacrifices and offerings to him. They will make a vow to the Lord and will keep it.


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The Lord will strike Egypt, and then he will bring healing. For the Egyptians will turn to the Lord, and he will listen to their pleas and heal them.


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<pb/>In that day Egypt and Assyria will be connected by a highway. The Egyptians and Assyrians will move freely between their lands, and they will both worship God.


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In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth.


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For the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will say, <t>“Blessed be Egypt, my people. Blessed be Assyria, the land I have made. Blessed be Israel, my special possession!”</t>


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A Message about Egypt and Ethiopia In the year when King Sargon of Assyria sent his commander in chief to capture the Philistine city of Ashdod,


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the Lord told Isaiah son of Amoz, <t>“Take off the burlap you have been wearing, and remove your sandals.”</t> Isaiah did as he was told and walked around naked and barefoot.


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Then the Lord said, <t>“My servant Isaiah has been walking around naked and barefoot for the last three years. This is a sign—a symbol of the terrible troubles I will bring upon Egypt and Ethiopia.


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For the king of Assyria will take away the Egyptians and Ethiopians as prisoners. He will make them walk naked and barefoot, both young and old, their buttocks bared, to the shame of Egypt.


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Then the Philistines will be thrown into panic, for they counted on the power of Ethiopia and boasted of their allies in Egypt!


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They will say, ‘If this can happen to Egypt, what chance do we have? We were counting on Egypt to protect us from the king of Assyria.’”</t>


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<pb/><t>A Message about Babylon This message came to me concerning Babylon—the desert by the sea: Disaster is roaring down on you from the desert, like a whirlwind sweeping in from the Negev.</t>


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<pb/><t>I see a terrifying vision: I see the betrayer betraying, the destroyer destroying. Go ahead, you Elamites and Medes, attack and lay siege. I will make an end to all the groaning Babylon caused.</t>


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<pb/><t>My stomach aches and burns with pain. Sharp pangs of anguish are upon me, like those of a woman in labor. I grow faint when I hear what God is planning; I am too afraid to look.</t>


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<pb/><t>My mind reels and my heart races. I longed for evening to come, but now I am terrified of the dark.</t>


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<pb/><t>Look! They are preparing a great feast. They are spreading rugs for people to sit on. Everyone is eating and drinking. But quick! Grab your shields and prepare for battle. You are being attacked!</t>


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<pb/><t>Meanwhile, the Lord said to me, “Put a watchman on the city wall. Let him shout out what he sees.</t>


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<pb/><t>He should look for chariots drawn by pairs of horses, and for riders on donkeys and camels. Let the watchman be fully alert.”</t>


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<pb/><t>Then the watchman called out, “Day after day I have stood on the watchtower, my lord. Night after night I have remained at my post.</t>


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<pb/><t>Now at last—look! Here comes a man in a chariot with a pair of horses!” Then the watchman said, “Babylon is fallen, fallen! All the idols of Babylon lie broken on the ground!”</t>


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<pb/><t>O my people, threshed and winnowed, I have told you everything the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said, everything the God of Israel has told me.</t>


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<t>A Message about Edom This message came to me concerning Edom: Someone from Edom keeps calling to me, “Watchman, how much longer until morning? When will the night be over?”</t>


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<pb/><t>The watchman replies, “Morning is coming, but night will soon return. If you wish to ask again, then come back and ask.”</t>


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<t>A Message about Arabia This message came to me concerning Arabia: O caravans from Dedan, hide in the deserts of Arabia.</t>


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<pb/><t>They have fled from the sword, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow and the terrors of battle.</t>


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The Lord said to me, <t>“Within a year, counting each day, all the glory of Kedar will come to an end.


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Only a few of its courageous archers will survive. I, the Lord, the God of Israel, have spoken!”</t>


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<pb/><t>A Message about Jerusalem This message came to me concerning Jerusalem—the Valley of Vision: What is happening? Why is everyone running to the rooftops?</t>


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<pb/><t>The whole city is in a terrible uproar. What do I see in this reveling city? Bodies are lying everywhere, killed not in battle but by famine and disease.</t>


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<pb/><t>All your leaders have fled. They surrendered without resistance. The people tried to slip away, but they were captured, too.</t>


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<pb/><t>That’s why I said, “Leave me alone to weep; do not try to comfort me. Let me cry for my people as I watch them being destroyed.”</t>


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<pb/><t>Oh, what a day of crushing defeat! What a day of confusion and terror brought by the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, upon the Valley of Vision! The walls of Jerusalem have been broken, and cries of death echo from the mountainsides.</t>


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<pb/><t>Elamites are the archers, with their chariots and charioteers. The men of Kir hold up the shields.</t>


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<pb/><t>Between the city walls, you build a reservoir for water from the old pool. But you never ask for help from the One who did all this. You never considered the One who planned this long ago.</t>


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<pb/><t>At that time the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, called you to weep and mourn. He told you to shave your heads in sorrow for your sins and to wear clothes of burlap to show your remorse.</t>


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<pb/><t>But instead, you dance and play; you slaughter cattle and kill sheep. You feast on meat and drink wine. You say, “Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!”</t>


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The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has revealed this to me: <t>“Till the day you die, you will never be forgiven for this sin.”</t> That is the judgment of the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.


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<t>A Message for Shebna This is what the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, said to me: “Confront Shebna, the palace administrator, and give him this message:</t>


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<pb/><t>“Who do you think you are, and what are you doing here, building a beautiful tomb for yourself— a monument high up in the rock?</t>


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<pb/><t>crumple you into a ball, and toss you away into a distant, barren land. There you will die, and your glorious chariots will be broken and useless. You are a disgrace to your master!</t>


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<pb/><t>“Yes, I will drive you out of office,” says the Lord. “I will pull you down from your high position.</t>


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I will dress him in your royal robes and will give him your title and your authority. And he will be a father to the people of Jerusalem and Judah.


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I will give him the key to the house of David—the highest position in the royal court. When he opens doors, no one will be able to close them; when he closes doors, no one will be able to open them.


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He will bring honor to his family name, for I will drive him firmly in place like a nail in the wall.


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They will give him great responsibility, and he will bring honor to even the lowliest members of his family.”</t>


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<pb/>But the Lord of Heaven’s Armies also says: “The time will come when I will pull out the nail that seemed so firm. It will come out and fall to the ground. Everything it supports will fall with it. I, the Lord, have spoken!”


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<pb/><t>A Message about Tyre This message came to me concerning Tyre: Wail, you trading ships of Tarshish, for the harbor and houses of Tyre are gone! The rumors you heard in Cyprus are all true.</t>


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<pb/><t>Mourn in silence, you people of the coast and you merchants of Sidon. Your traders crossed the sea,</t>


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<t>sailing over deep waters. They brought you grain from Egypt and harvests from along the Nile. You were the marketplace of the world.</t>


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<pb/><t>But now you are put to shame, city of Sidon, for Tyre, the fortress of the sea, says, “Now I am childless; I have no sons or daughters.”</t>


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<pb/><t>Is this silent ruin all that is left of your once joyous city? What a long history was yours! Think of all the colonists you sent to distant places.</t>


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<pb/><t>Who has brought this disaster on Tyre, that great creator of kingdoms? Her traders were all princes, her merchants were nobles.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has done it to destroy your pride and bring low all earth’s nobility.</t>


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<pb/><t>Come, people of Tarshish, sweep over the land like the flooding Nile, for Tyre is defenseless.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord held out his hand over the sea and shook the kingdoms of the earth. He has spoken out against Phoenicia, ordering that her fortresses be destroyed.</t>


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<pb/><t>He says, “Never again will you rejoice, O daughter of Sidon, for you have been crushed. Even if you flee to Cyprus, you will find no rest.”</t>


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<pb/><t>Look at the land of Babylonia— the people of that land are gone! The Assyrians have handed Babylon over to the wild animals of the desert. They have built siege ramps against its walls, torn down its palaces, and turned it to a heap of rubble.</t>


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For seventy years, the length of a king’s life, Tyre will be forgotten. But then the city will come back to life as in the song about the prostitute:


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<t>Take a harp and walk the streets, you forgotten harlot. Make sweet melody and sing your songs so you will be remembered again.</t>


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Yes, after seventy years the Lord will revive Tyre. But she will be no different than she was before. She will again be a prostitute to all kingdoms around the world.


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But in the end her profits will be given to the Lord. Her wealth will not be hoarded but will provide good food and fine clothing for the Lord’s priests.


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<pb/><t>Destruction of the Earth Look! The Lord is about to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland. He devastates the surface of the earth and scatters the people.</t>


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<pb/><t>Priests and laypeople, servants and masters, maids and mistresses, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, bankers and debtors—none will be spared.</t>


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<pb/><t>The earth mourns and dries up, and the land wastes away and withers. Even the greatest people on earth waste away.</t>


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<pb/><t>The earth suffers for the sins of its people, for they have twisted God’s instructions, violated his laws, and broken his everlasting covenant.</t>


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<pb/><t>Therefore, a curse consumes the earth. Its people must pay the price for their sin. They are destroyed by fire, and only a few are left alive.</t>


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<pb/><t>The grapevines waste away, and there is no new wine. All the merrymakers sigh and mourn.</t>


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<pb/><t>The cheerful sound of tambourines is stilled; the happy cries of celebration are heard no more. The melodious chords of the harp are silent.</t>


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<pb/><t>Mobs gather in the streets, crying out for wine. Joy has turned to gloom. Gladness has been banished from the land.</t>


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<pb/><t>Throughout the earth the story is the same— only a remnant is left, like the stray olives left on the tree or the few grapes left on the vine after harvest.</t>


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<pb/><t>But all who are left shout and sing for joy. Those in the west praise the Lord’s majesty.</t>


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<pb/><t>In eastern lands, give glory to the Lord. In the lands beyond the sea, praise the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.</t>


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<pb/><t>We hear songs of praise from the ends of the earth, songs that give glory to the Righteous One! But my heart is heavy with grief. Weep for me, for I wither away. Deceit still prevails, and treachery is everywhere.</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who flee in terror will fall into a trap, and those who escape the trap will be caught in a snare. Destruction falls like rain from the heavens; the foundations of the earth shake.</t>


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<pb/><t>The earth staggers like a drunk. It trembles like a tent in a storm. It falls and will not rise again, for the guilt of its rebellion is very heavy.</t>


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<t>In that day the Lord will punish the gods in the heavens and the proud rulers of the nations on earth.</t>


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<pb/><t>They will be rounded up and put in prison. They will be shut up in prison and will finally be punished.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then the glory of the moon will wane, and the brightness of the sun will fade, for the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will rule on Mount Zion. He will rule in great glory in Jerusalem, in the sight of all the leaders of his people.</t>


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<t>Praise for Judgment and Salvation O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them.</t>


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<pb/><t>You turn mighty cities into heaps of ruins. Cities with strong walls are turned to rubble. Beautiful palaces in distant lands disappear and will never be rebuilt.</t>


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<pb/><t>But you are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord, a tower of refuge to the needy in distress. You are a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat. For the oppressive acts of ruthless people are like a storm beating against a wall,</t>


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<pb/><t>or like the relentless heat of the desert. But you silence the roar of foreign nations. As the shade of a cloud cools relentless heat, so the boastful songs of ruthless people are stilled.</t>


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<pb/><t>In Jerusalem, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will spread a wonderful feast for all the people of the world. It will be a delicious banquet with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat.</t>


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<pb/><t>He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The Lord has spoken!</t>


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<pb/><t>In that day the people will proclaim, “This is our God! We trusted in him, and he saved us! This is the Lord, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!”</t>


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<pb/><t>For the Lord’s hand of blessing will rest on Jerusalem. But Moab will be crushed. It will be like straw trampled down and left to rot.</t>


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<pb/><t>God will push down Moab’s people as a swimmer pushes down water with his hands. He will end their pride and all their evil works.</t>


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<pb/><t>The high walls of Moab will be demolished. They will be brought down to the ground, down into the dust.</t>


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<pb/><t>A Song of Praise to the Lord In that day, everyone in the land of Judah will sing this song: Our city is strong! We are surrounded by the walls of God’s salvation.</t>


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<pb/><t>You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!</t>


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<t>But for those who are righteous, the way is not steep and rough. You are a God who does what is right, and you smooth out the path ahead of them.</t>


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<pb/><t>Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your name.</t>


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<pb/><t>In the night I search for you; in the morning I earnestly seek you. For only when you come to judge the earth will people learn what is right.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your kindness to the wicked does not make them do good. Although others do right, the wicked keep doing wrong and take no notice of the Lord’s majesty.</t>


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<pb/><t>O Lord, they pay no attention to your upraised fist. Show them your eagerness to defend your people. Then they will be ashamed. Let your fire consume your enemies.</t>


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<pb/><t>Those we served before are dead and gone. Their departed spirits will never return! You attacked them and destroyed them, and they are long forgotten.</t>


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<pb/><t>O Lord, you have made our nation great; yes, you have made us great. You have extended our borders, and we give you the glory!</t>


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<pb/><t>Just as a pregnant woman writhes and cries out in pain as she gives birth, so were we in your presence, Lord.</t>


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<pb/><t>We, too, writhe in agony, but nothing comes of our suffering. We have not given salvation to the earth, nor brought life into the world.</t>


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<pb/><t>But those who die in the Lord will live; their bodies will rise again! Those who sleep in the earth will rise up and sing for joy! For your life-giving light will fall like dew on your people in the place of the dead!</t>


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<pb/><t>Restoration for Israel Go home, my people, and lock your doors! Hide yourselves for a little while until the Lord’s anger has passed.</t>


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<pb/><t>Look! The Lord is coming from heaven to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will no longer hide those who have been killed. They will be brought out for all to see.</t>


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<t>In that day the Lord will take his terrible, swift sword and punish Leviathan, the swiftly moving serpent, the coiling, writhing serpent. He will kill the dragon of the sea.</t>


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<pb/><t>I, the Lord, will watch over it, watering it carefully. Day and night I will watch so no one can harm it.</t>


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<pb/><t>My anger will be gone. If I find briers and thorns growing, I will attack them; I will burn them up—</t>


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<pb/><t>unless they turn to me for help. Let them make peace with me; yes, let them make peace with me.”</t>


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<pb/><t>The time is coming when Jacob’s descendants will take root. Israel will bud and blossom and fill the whole earth with fruit!</t>


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<pb/><t>Has the Lord struck Israel as he struck her enemies? Has he punished her as he punished them?</t>


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<pb/><t>No, but he exiled Israel to call her to account. She was exiled from her land as though blown away in a storm from the east.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord did this to purge Israel’s wickedness, to take away all her sin. As a result, all the pagan altars will be crushed to dust. No Asherah pole or pagan shrine will be left standing.</t>


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<pb/><t>The fortified towns will be silent and empty, the houses abandoned, the streets overgrown with weeds. Calves will graze there, chewing on twigs and branches.</t>


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<pb/><t>The people are like the dead branches of a tree, broken off and used for kindling beneath the cooking pots. Israel is a foolish and stupid nation, for its people have turned away from God. Therefore, the one who made them will show them no pity or mercy.</t>


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Yet the time will come when the Lord will gather them together like handpicked grain. One by one he will gather them—from the Euphrates River in the east to the Brook of Egypt in the west.


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In that day the great trumpet will sound. Many who were dying in exile in Assyria and Egypt will return to Jerusalem to worship the Lord on his holy mountain.


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<pb/><t>A Message about Samaria What sorrow awaits the proud city of Samaria— the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel. It sits at the head of a fertile valley, but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower. It is the pride of a people brought down by wine.</t>


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<pb/><t>For the Lord will send a mighty army against it. Like a mighty hailstorm and a torrential rain, they will burst upon it like a surging flood and smash it to the ground.</t>


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<pb/><t>The proud city of Samaria— the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel— will be trampled beneath its enemies’ feet.</t>


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<pb/><t>It sits at the head of a fertile valley, but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower. Whoever sees it will snatch it up, as an early fig is quickly picked and eaten.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then at last the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will himself be Israel’s glorious crown. He will be the pride and joy of the remnant of his people.</t>


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<pb/><t>He will give a longing for justice to their judges. He will give great courage to their warriors who stand at the gates.</t>


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<pb/><t>Now, however, Israel is led by drunks who reel with wine and stagger with alcohol. The priests and prophets stagger with alcohol and lose themselves in wine. They reel when they see visions and stagger as they render decisions.</t>


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<pb/><t>“Who does the Lord think we are?” they ask. “Why does he speak to us like this? Are we little children, just recently weaned?</t>


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<pb/><t>He tells us everything over and over— one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there!”</t>


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<pb/><t>So now God will have to speak to his people through foreign oppressors who speak a strange language!</t>


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<pb/><t>God has told his people, “Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.” But they would not listen.</t>


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<pb/><t>So the Lord will spell out his message for them again, one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there, so that they will stumble and fall. They will be injured, trapped, and captured.</t>


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<pb/><t>You boast, “We have struck a bargain to cheat death and have made a deal to dodge the grave. The coming destruction can never touch us, for we have built a strong refuge made of lies and deception.”</t>


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<pb/><t>Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will test you with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness. Since your refuge is made of lies, a hailstorm will knock it down. Since it is made of deception, a flood will sweep it away.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will cancel the bargain you made to cheat death, and I will overturn your deal to dodge the grave. When the terrible enemy sweeps through, you will be trampled into the ground.</t>


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<pb/><t>Again and again that flood will come, morning after morning, day and night, until you are carried away.” This message will bring terror to your people.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord will come as he did against the Philistines at Mount Perazim and against the Amorites at Gibeon. He will come to do a strange thing; he will come to do an unusual deed:</t>


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<pb/><t>For the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, has plainly said that he is determined to crush the whole land. So scoff no more, or your punishment will be even greater.</t>


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<pb/><t>Does a farmer always plow and never sow? Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting?</t>


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<pb/><t>Does he not finally plant his seeds— black cumin, cumin, wheat, barley, and emmer wheat— each in its proper way, and each in its proper place?</t>


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<pb/><t>A heavy sledge is never used to thresh black cumin; rather, it is beaten with a light stick. A threshing wheel is never rolled on cumin; instead, it is beaten lightly with a flail.</t>


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<pb/><t>Grain for bread is easily crushed, so he doesn’t keep on pounding it. He threshes it under the wheels of a cart, but he doesn’t pulverize it.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is a wonderful teacher, and he gives the farmer great wisdom.</t>


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<pb/><t>A Message about Jerusalem “What sorrow awaits Ariel, the City of David. Year after year you celebrate your feasts.</t>


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<pb/><t>Yet I will bring disaster upon you, and there will be much weeping and sorrow. For Jerusalem will become what her name Ariel means— an altar covered with blood.</t>


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<pb/><t>I will be your enemy, surrounding Jerusalem and attacking its walls. I will build siege towers and destroy it.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then deep from the earth you will speak; from low in the dust your words will come. Your voice will whisper from the ground like a ghost conjured up from the grave.</t>


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<pb/><t>“But suddenly, your ruthless enemies will be crushed like the finest of dust. Your many attackers will be driven away like chaff before the wind. Suddenly, in an instant,</t>


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<pb/><t>I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, will act for you with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and storm and consuming fire.</t>


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<pb/><t>All the nations fighting against Jerusalem will vanish like a dream! Those who are attacking her walls will vanish like a vision in the night.</t>


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<pb/><t>A hungry person dreams of eating but wakes up still hungry. A thirsty person dreams of drinking but is still faint from thirst when morning comes. So it will be with your enemies, with those who attack Mount Zion.”</t>


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<t>Are you amazed and incredulous? Don’t you believe it? Then go ahead and be blind. You are stupid, but not from wine! You stagger, but not from liquor!</t>


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<pb/><t>For the Lord has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has closed the eyes of your prophets and visionaries.</t>


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All the future events in this vision are like a sealed book to them. When you give it to those who can read, they will say, <t>“We can’t read it because it is sealed.”</t>


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<t>And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.</t>


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<pb/><t>Because of this, I will once again astound these hypocrites with amazing wonders. The wisdom of the wise will pass away, and the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear.”</t>


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<pb/><t>What sorrow awaits those who try to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their evil deeds in the dark! “The Lord can’t see us,” they say. “He doesn’t know what’s going on!”</t>


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<pb/><t>How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay! Should the created thing say of the one who made it, “He didn’t make me”? Does a jar ever say, “The potter who made me is stupid”?</t>


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<t>Soon—and it will not be very long— the forests of Lebanon will become a fertile field, and the fertile field will yield bountiful crops.</t>


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<pb/><t>In that day the deaf will hear words read from a book, and the blind will see through the gloom and darkness.</t>


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<pb/><t>The humble will be filled with fresh joy from the Lord. The poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.</t>


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<pb/><t>The scoffer will be gone, the arrogant will disappear, and those who plot evil will be killed.</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who convict the innocent by their false testimony will disappear. A similar fate awaits those who use trickery to pervert justice and who tell lies to destroy the innocent.</t>


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<pb/><t>That is why the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says to the people of Israel, “My people will no longer be ashamed or turn pale with fear.</t>


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<pb/><t>For when they see their many children and all the blessings I have given them, they will recognize the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob. They will stand in awe of the God of Israel.</t>


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<pb/><t>Judah’s Worthless Treaty with Egypt “What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,” says the Lord. “You make plans that are contrary to mine. You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins.</t>


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<pb/><t>For without consulting me, you have gone down to Egypt for help. You have put your trust in Pharaoh’s protection. You have tried to hide in his shade.</t>


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<pb/><t>But by trusting Pharaoh, you will be humiliated, and by depending on him, you will be disgraced.</t>


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<pb/><t>all who trust in him will be ashamed. He will not help you. Instead, he will disgrace you.”</t>


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<pb/><t>This message came to me concerning the animals in the Negev: The caravan moves slowly across the terrible desert to Egypt— donkeys weighed down with riches and camels loaded with treasure— all to pay for Egypt’s protection. They travel through the wilderness, a place of lionesses and lions, a place where vipers and poisonous snakes live. All this, and Egypt will give you nothing in return.</t>


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<pb/><t>A Warning for Rebellious Judah Now go and write down these words. Write them in a book. They will stand until the end of time as a witness</t>


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<pb/><t>that these people are stubborn rebels who refuse to pay attention to the Lord’s instructions.</t>


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<pb/><t>They tell the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” They tell the prophets, “Don’t tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies.</t>


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<pb/><t>Forget all this gloom. Get off your narrow path. Stop telling us about your ‘Holy One of Israel.’”</t>


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<pb/><t>This is the reply of the Holy One of Israel: “Because you despise what I tell you and trust instead in oppression and lies,</t>


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<pb/><t>calamity will come upon you suddenly— like a bulging wall that bursts and falls. In an instant it will collapse and come crashing down.</t>


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<pb/><t>You will be smashed like a piece of pottery— shattered so completely that there won’t be a piece big enough to carry coals from a fireplace or a little water from the well.”</t>


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<pb/><t>This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.</t>


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<pb/><t>You said, ‘No, we will get our help from Egypt. They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.’ But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!</t>


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<pb/><t>One of them will chase a thousand of you. Five of them will make all of you flee. You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.”</t>


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<t>Blessings for the Lord’s People So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.</t>


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<pb/><t>O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will be gracious if you ask for help. He will surely respond to the sound of your cries.</t>


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<pb/><t>Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then you will destroy all your silver idols and your precious gold images. You will throw them out like filthy rags, saying to them, “Good riddance!”</t>


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<pb/><t>Then the Lord will bless you with rain at planting time. There will be wonderful harvests and plenty of pastureland for your livestock.</t>


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<pb/><t>The oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat good grain, its chaff blown away by the wind.</t>


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<pb/><t>In that day, when your enemies are slaughtered and the towers fall, there will be streams of water flowing down every mountain and hill.</t>


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<pb/><t>The moon will be as bright as the sun, and the sun will be seven times brighter—like the light of seven days in one! So it will be when the Lord begins to heal his people and cure the wounds he gave them.</t>


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<pb/><t>Look! The Lord is coming from far away, burning with anger, surrounded by thick, rising smoke. His lips are filled with fury; his words consume like fire.</t>


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<pb/><t>His hot breath pours out like a flood up to the neck of his enemies. He will sift out the proud nations for destruction. He will bridle them and lead them away to ruin.</t>


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<pb/><t>But the people of God will sing a song of joy, like the songs at the holy festivals. You will be filled with joy, as when a flutist leads a group of pilgrims to Jerusalem, the mountain of the Lord— to the Rock of Israel.</t>


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<pb/><t>And the Lord will make his majestic voice heard. He will display the strength of his mighty arm. It will descend with devouring flames, with cloudbursts, thunderstorms, and huge hailstones.</t>


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<pb/><t>At the Lord’s command, the Assyrians will be shattered. He will strike them down with his royal scepter.</t>


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<pb/><t>And as the Lord strikes them with his rod of punishment, his people will celebrate with tambourines and harps. Lifting his mighty arm, he will fight the Assyrians.</t>


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<pb/><t>Topheth—the place of burning— has long been ready for the Assyrian king; the pyre is piled high with wood. The breath of the Lord, like fire from a volcano, will set it ablaze.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Futility of Relying on Egypt What sorrow awaits those who look to Egypt for help, trusting their horses, chariots, and charioteers and depending on the strength of human armies instead of looking to the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.</t>


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<pb/><t>In his wisdom, the Lord will send great disaster; he will not change his mind. He will rise against the wicked and against their helpers.</t>


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<pb/><t>For these Egyptians are mere humans, not God! Their horses are puny flesh, not mighty spirits! When the Lord raises his fist against them, those who help will stumble, and those being helped will fall. They will all fall down and die together.</t>


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<t>But this is what the Lord has told me: “When a strong young lion stands growling over a sheep it has killed, it is not frightened by the shouts and noise of a whole crowd of shepherds. In the same way, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will come down and fight on Mount Zion.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will hover over Jerusalem and protect it like a bird protecting its nest. He will defend and save the city; he will pass over it and rescue it.”</t>


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I know the glorious day will come when each of you will throw away the gold idols and silver images your sinful hands have made.


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<t>“The Assyrians will be destroyed, but not by the swords of men. The sword of God will strike them, and they will panic and flee. The strong young Assyrians will be taken away as captives.</t>


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<pb/><t>Even the strongest will quake with terror, and princes will flee when they see your battle flags,” says the Lord, whose fire burns in Zion, whose flame blazes from Jerusalem.</t>


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<pb/><t>Israel’s Ultimate Deliverance Look, a righteous king is coming! And honest princes will rule under him.</t>


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<pb/><t>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 parched land.</t>


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<pb/><t>Then everyone who has eyes will be able to see the truth, and everyone who has ears will be able to hear it.</t>


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<pb/><t>Even the hotheads will be full of sense and understanding. Those who stammer will speak out plainly.</t>


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<pb/><t>For fools speak foolishness and make evil plans. They practice ungodliness and spread false teachings about the Lord. They deprive the hungry of food and give no water to the thirsty.</t>


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<pb/><t>The smooth tricks of scoundrels are evil. They plot crooked schemes. They lie to convict the poor, even when the cause of the poor is just.</t>


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<pb/><t>But generous people plan to do what is generous, and they stand firm in their generosity.</t>


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<pb/><t>In a short time—just a little more than a year— you careless ones will suddenly begin to care. For your fruit crops will fail, and the harvest will never take place.</t>


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<pb/><t>Tremble, you women of ease; throw off your complacency. Strip off your pretty clothes, and put on burlap to show your grief.</t>


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<pb/><t>For your land will be overgrown with thorns and briers. Your joyful homes and happy towns will be gone.</t>


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<pb/><t>The palace and the city will be deserted, and busy towns will be empty. Wild donkeys will frolic and flocks will graze in the empty forts and watchtowers</t>


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<pb/><t>until at last the Spirit is poured out on us from heaven. Then the wilderness will become a fertile field, and the fertile field will yield bountiful crops.</t>


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<pb/><t>And this righteousness will bring peace. Yes, it will bring quietness and confidence forever.</t>


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<pb/><t>the Lord will greatly bless his people. Wherever they plant seed, bountiful crops will spring up. Their cattle and donkeys will graze freely.</t>


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<pb/><t>A Message about Assyria What sorrow awaits you Assyrians, who have destroyed others but have never been destroyed yourselves. You betray others, but you have never been betrayed. When you are done destroying, you will be destroyed. When you are done betraying, you will be betrayed.</t>


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<pb/><t>But Lord, be merciful to us, for we have waited for you. Be our strong arm each day and our salvation in times of trouble.</t>


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<pb/><t>Just as caterpillars and locusts strip the fields and vines, so the fallen army of Assyria will be stripped!</t>


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<pb/><t>Though the Lord is very great and lives in heaven, he will make Jerusalem his home of justice and righteousness.</t>


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<pb/><t>In that day he will be your sure foundation, providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord will be your treasure.</t>


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<pb/><t>But now your brave warriors weep in public. Your ambassadors of peace cry in bitter disappointment.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your roads are deserted; no one travels them anymore. The Assyrians have broken their peace treaty and care nothing for the promises they made before witnesses. They have no respect for anyone.</t>


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<pb/><t>The land of Israel wilts in mourning. Lebanon withers with shame. The plain of Sharon is now a wilderness. Bashan and Carmel have been plundered.</t>


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<pb/><t>You Assyrians produce nothing but dry grass and stubble. Your own breath will turn to fire and consume you.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your people will be burned up completely, like thornbushes cut down and tossed in a fire.</t>


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<pb/><t>Listen to what I have done, you nations far away! And you that are near, acknowledge my might!”</t>


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<pb/><t>The sinners in Jerusalem shake with fear. Terror seizes the godless. “Who can live with this devouring fire?” they cry. “Who can survive this all-consuming fire?”</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who are honest and fair, who refuse to profit by fraud, who stay far away from bribes, who refuse to listen to those who plot murder, who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong—</t>


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<pb/><t>these are the ones who will dwell on high. The rocks of the mountains will be their fortress. Food will be supplied to them, and they will have water in abundance.</t>


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<pb/><t>Your eyes will see the king in all his splendor, and you will see a land that stretches into the distance.</t>


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<pb/><t>You will think back to this time of terror, asking, “Where are the Assyrian officers who counted our towers? Where are the bookkeepers who recorded the plunder taken from our fallen city?”</t>


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<pb/><t>You will no longer see these fierce, violent people with their strange, unknown language.</t>


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<pb/><t>Instead, you will see Zion as a place of holy festivals. You will see Jerusalem, a city quiet and secure. It will be like a tent whose ropes are taut and whose stakes are firmly fixed.</t>


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<pb/><t>The Lord will be our Mighty One. He will be like a wide river of protection that no enemy can cross, that no enemy ship can sail upon.</t>


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<pb/><t>The enemies’ sails hang loose on broken masts with useless tackle. Their treasure will be divided by the people of God. Even the lame will take their share!</t>


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<pb/><t>The people of Israel will no longer say, “We are sick and helpless,” for the Lord will forgive their sins.</t>


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<pb/><t>A Message for the Nations Come here and listen, O nations of the earth. Let the world and everything in it hear my words.</t>


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<pb/><t>For the Lord is enraged against the nations. His fury is against all their armies. He will completely destroy them, dooming them to slaughter.</t>


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<pb/><t>Their dead will be left unburied, and the stench of rotting bodies will fill the land. The mountains will flow with their blood.</t>


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<pb/><t>The heavens above will melt away and disappear like a rolled-up scroll. The stars will fall from the sky like withered leaves from a grapevine, or shriveled figs from a fig tree.</t>


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<pb/><t>And when my sword has finished its work in the heavens, it will fall upon Edom, the nation I have marked for destruction.</t>


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<pb/><t>The sword of the Lord is drenched with blood and covered with fat— with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of rams prepared for sacrifice. Yes, the Lord will offer a sacrifice in the city of Bozrah. He will make a mighty slaughter in Edom.</t>


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<pb/><t>Even men as strong as wild oxen will die— the young men alongside the veterans. The land will be soaked with blood and the soil enriched with fat.</t>


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<pb/><t>For it is the day of the Lord’s revenge, the year when Edom will be paid back for all it did to Israel.</t>


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<pb/><t>The streams of Edom will be filled with burning pitch, and the ground will be covered with fire.</t>


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<pb/><t>This judgment on Edom will never end; the smoke of its burning will rise forever. The land will lie deserted from generation to generation. No one will live there anymore.</t>


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<pb/><t>It will be haunted by the desert owl and the screech owl, the great owl and the raven. For God will measure that land carefully; he will measure it for chaos and destruction.</t>


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<pb/><t>Thorns will overrun its palaces; nettles and thistles will grow in its forts. The ruins will become a haunt for jackals and a home for owls.</t>


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<pb/><t>Desert animals will mingle there with hyenas, their howls filling the night. Wild goats will bleat at one another among the ruins, and night creatures will come there to rest.</t>


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<pb/><t>There the owl will make her nest and lay her eggs. She will hatch her young and cover them with her wings. And the buzzards will come, each one with its mate.</t>


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<pb/><t>Search the book of the Lord, and see what he will do. Not one of these birds and animals will be missing, and none will lack a mate, for the Lord has promised this. His Spirit will make it all come true.</t>


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<pb/><t>He has surveyed and divided the land and deeded it over to those creatures. They will possess it forever, from generation to generation.</t>


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<pb/><t>Hope for Restoration Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days. The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses.</t>


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<pb/><t>Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of Sharon. There the Lord will display his glory, the splendor of our God.</t>


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<pb/><t>With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees.</t>


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<pb/><t>Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.”</t>


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<pb/><t>The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland.</t>


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<pb/><t>The parched ground will become a pool, and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land. Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish where desert jackals once lived.</t>


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<pb/><t>And a great road will go through that once deserted land. It will be named the Highway of Holiness. Evil-minded people will never travel on it. It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways; fools will never walk there.</t>


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<pb/><t>Lions will not lurk along its course, nor any other ferocious beasts. There will be no other dangers. Only the redeemed will walk on it.</t>


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<pb/><t>Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return. They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness.</t>


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<pb/>Assyria Invades Judah In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, King Sennacherib of Assyria came to attack the fortified towns of Judah and conquered them.


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Then the king of Assyria sent his chief of staff from Lachish with a huge army to confront King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. The Assyrians took up a position beside the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool, near the road leading to the field where cloth is washed.


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These are the officials who went out to meet with them: Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace administrator; Shebna the court secretary; and Joah son of Asaph, the royal historian.


