# verses

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All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring with them of the captivity that were brought from Babylon to Jerusalem.


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Now these are the children of the province that went up from the captivity, of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and came again to Jerusalem and Judah, every one to his city;


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Who came with Zerubbabel: Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mizpar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:


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The children of Pahath-moab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve.


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The children of the porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, in all a hundred thirty and nine.


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The children of Solomon's servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Peruda,


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The children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth of Zebaim, the children of Ami.


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And these were they who went up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsa, Cherub, Addan, and Immer: but they could not show their fathers' house, and their seed, whether they were of Israel:


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And of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai: who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name:


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These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood.


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And the Tirshatha said to them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim.


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Besides their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and there were among them two hundred singing-men and singing-women.


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And some of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the house of the LORD which is at Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God to set it up in its place:


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They gave after their ability to the treasure of the work sixty and one thousand drams of gold, and five thousand pounds of silver, and one hundred priests garments.


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So the priests, and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.


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And when the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people assembled themselves as one man at Jerusalem.


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Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt-offerings on it as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.


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And they set the altar upon its bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt-offerings on it to the LORD, even burnt-offerings morning and evening.


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They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt-offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required;


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And afterward offered the continual burnt-offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a free-will-offering to the LORD.


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


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They gave money also to the masons, and to the carpenters; and provisions, and drink, and oil, to them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.


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Now in the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the LORD.


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Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites.


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And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.


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And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks to the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever towards Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.


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But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, old men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:


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So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of the joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.


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Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building the temple to the LORD God of Israel;


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Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said to them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice to him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assur, who brought us up hither.


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But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said to them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build a house to our God; but we ourselves together will build to the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.


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Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,


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


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


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And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions to Artaxerxes king of Persia, and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian language, and interpreted in the Syrian language.


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Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort:


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Then wrote Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions; the Dianites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehavites, and the Elamites,


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And the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asnapper brought over, and set in the cities of Samaria, and the rest that are on this side of the river, and at such a time.


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This is the copy of the letter that they sent to him, even to Artaxerxes the king: Thy servants the men on this side of the river, and at such a time.


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Be it known to the king, that the Jews who came from thee to us are come to Jerusalem, building the rebellious and the noxious city, and have set up its walls, and joined the foundations.


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Be it known now to the king, that, if this city shall be built, and the walls set up again, then they will not pay toll, tribute, and custom, and so thou wilt endamage the revenue of the kings.


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Now because we have maintenance from the king's palace, and it was not meet for us to see the king's dishonor, therefore have we sent and certified the king;


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That search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers: so wilt thou find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful to kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time: for which cause was this city destroyed.


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We certify the king that, if this city shall be built again, and its walls set up, by this means thou wilt have no portion on this side of the river.


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Then the king sent an answer to Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria, and to the rest beyond the river, Peace, and at such a time.


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And I commanded, and search hath been made, and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it.


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There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all countries beyond the river; and toll, tribute, and custom, was paid to them.


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Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not built, until another commandment shall be given from me.


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Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.


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Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.


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Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even to them.


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Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them.


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At the same time came to them Tatnai, governor on this side of the river, and Shethar-boznai, and their companions, and said thus to them, Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up this wall?


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But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, that they could not cause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius: and then they returned answer by letter concerning this matter.


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The copy of the letter that Tatnai, governor on this side of the river, and Shethar-boznai, and his companions the Apharsachites, who were on this side of the river, sent to Darius the king:


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Be it known to the king, that we went into the province of Judea, to the house of the great God, which is built with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work proceedeth rapidly, and prospereth in their hands.


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Then we asked those elders, and said to them thus, Who commanded you to build this house, and to erect these walls?


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We asked their names also, to certify thee, that we might write the names of the men that were the chief of them.


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And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was erected these many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and set up.


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


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But in the first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon, the same king Cyrus made a decree to build this house of God.


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


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And said to him, Take these vessels, go, carry them into the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be built in its place.


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Then came the same Sheshbazzar, and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem: and since that time even until now hath it been in building, and yet it is not finished.


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Now therefore, if it seemeth good to the king, let there be search made in the king's treasure-house, which is there at Babylon, whether it is so, that a decree was made by Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.


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Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon.


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And there was found at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of the Medes, a roll, and in it was a record thus written:


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In the first year of Cyrus the king, the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be built, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations of it be strongly laid; the hight of it sixty cubits, and the breadth of it sixty cubits;


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With three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber: and let the expenses be given out of the king's house:


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And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought to Babylon, be restored, and brought again to the temple which is at Jerusalem, every one to its place, and place them in the house of God.


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Now therefore, Tatnai governor beyond the river, Shethar-boznai, and your companions the Apharsachites, who are beyond the river, be ye far from thence:


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Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews, and the elders of the Jews, build this house of God in its place.


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Moreover, I make a decree what ye shall do to the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God: that of the king's goods, even of the tribute beyond the river, forthwith expenses be given to these men, that they be not hindered.


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And that which they have need of, both young bullocks, and rams, and lambs, for the burnt-offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the appointment of the priests who are at Jerusalem, let it be given to them day by day without fail:


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That they may offer sacrifices of sweet savors to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons.


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Also I have made a decree, that whoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be hanged upon it; and let his house be made a dunghill for this.


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And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there destroy all kings and people, that shall attempt to alter and to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree; let it be done with speed.


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Then Tatnai governor on this side the river, Shethar-boznai, and their companions, according to that which Darius the king had sent, so they did speedily.


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And the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.


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


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And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy,


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And offered at the dedication of this house of God a hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin-offering for all Israel, twelve he-goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.


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


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For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were pure, and they killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.


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And the children of Israel, who had returned from captivity, and all such as had separated themselves to them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, did eat,


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And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the LORD had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.


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


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This Ezra went from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.


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And there went some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.


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For upon the first day of the first month he began to go from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.


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For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.


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Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel.


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Artaxerxes, king of kings, To Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time.


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I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, who are disposed of their own free will to go to Jerusalem, go with thee.


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Forasmuch as thou art sent by the king, and by his seven counselors, to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thy hand;


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And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem,


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And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the free-will-offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem:


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That thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meat-offerings and their drink-offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.


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And whatever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and gold, that do after the will of your God.


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The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem.


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And whatever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king's treasure-house.


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And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers who are beyond the river, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily,


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To a hundred talents of silver, and to a hundred measures of wheat, and to a hundred baths of wine, and to a hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much.


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Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?


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Also we certify you, that concerning any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom upon them.


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And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thy hand, set magistrates and judges, who may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not.


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And whoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be to death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.


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Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, who hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem:


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And hath extended mercy to me before the king, and his counselors, and before all the king's mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I assembled out of Israel chief men to go up with me.


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These are now the chief of their fathers, and this is the genealogy of them that went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king.


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Of the sons of Shechaniah, of the sons of Pharosh; Zechariah: and with him were reckoned by genealogy of the males a hundred and fifty.


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And of the last sons of Adonikam, whose names are these, Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them sixty males.


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And I assembled them at the river that runneth to Ahava; and there we abode in tents three days: and I viewed the people, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi.


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Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding.


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And I sent them with commandment to Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say to Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring to us ministers for the house of our God.


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And by the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen;


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Also of the Nethinims, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinims: all of them were expressed by name.


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Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.


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For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.


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Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them,


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And weighed to them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the house of our God, which the king, and his counselors, and his lords, and all Israel there present, had offered:


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I even weighed to their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels a hundred talents, and of gold a hundred talents;


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And I said to them, Ye are holy to the LORD; the vessels are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a free-will-offering to the LORD God of your fathers.


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Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them, before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD.


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


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Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way.


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Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites;


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Also the children of those that had been carried away, who had come out of the captivity, offered burnt-offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he-goats for a sin-offering: all this was a burnt-offering to the LORD.


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And they delivered the king's commissions to the king's lieutenants, and to the governors on this side of the river: and they furthered the people, and the house of God.


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Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.


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For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.


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And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down confounded.


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Then were assembled to me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat confounded until the evening sacrifice.


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And at the evening sacrifice I arose from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands to the LORD my God,


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And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up to the heavens.


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Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass to this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.


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And now for a little space grace hath been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.


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For we were bond-men; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations of it, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.


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Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, to which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness.


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Now therefore give not your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters to your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.


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And after all that hath come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this;


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Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldst thou not be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?


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O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we having escaped, remain yet, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.


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Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled to him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very bitterly.


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And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken foreign wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.


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Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.


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Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they would do according to this word. And they swore.


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Then Ezra arose from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he ate no bread, nor drank water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away.


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And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the children of the captivity, that they should assemble at Jerusalem;


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And that whoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away.


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Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, and the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain.


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And Ezra the priest stood up, and said to them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken foreign wives to increase the trespass of Israel.


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Now therefore make confession to the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the foreign wives.


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But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand abroad, neither is this a work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed in this thing.


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Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them who have taken foreign wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and its judges, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter shall be turned from us.


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Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.


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And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.


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And they made an end with all the men that had taken foreign wives by the first day of the first month.


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And among the sons of the priests there were found that had taken foreign wives: namely, of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren; Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.


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And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass.


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Also of the Levites; Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah (the same is Kelita,) Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.


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Moreover, of Israel: of the sons of Parosh; Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah.


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And of the sons of Pahath-moab; Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, and Binnui, and Manasseh.


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The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,


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That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, who were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.


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And they said to me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.


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And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,


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And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:


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Let thy ear now be attentive, and thy eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.


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We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.


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Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:


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But if ye turn to me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you driven to the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them to the place that I have chosen to set my name there.


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Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.


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O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thy ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cup-bearer.


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And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it to the king. Now I had not before been sad in his presence.


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Wherefore the king said to me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing but sorrow of heart. Then I was very greatly afraid,


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And said to the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchers, lieth waste, and its gates are consumed with fire?


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And I said to the king, If it should please the king, and if thy servant hath found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldst send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' sepulchers, that I may build it.


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And the king said to me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.


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Moreover, I said to the king, If it should please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah:


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And a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.


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Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.


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When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there had come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.


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And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.


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And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon-well, and to the dung-port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and their gates were consumed with fire.


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Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king's pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.


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Then I went up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and so returned.


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And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work.


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Then said I to them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and its gates are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we may be no more a reproach.


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Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken to me. And they said, Let us rise and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.


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But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?


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Then I answered them, and said to them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.


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Then Eliashib the high priest arose with his brethren the priests, and they built the sheep-gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even to the tower of Meah they sanctified it, to the tower of Hananeel.


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But the fish-gate did the sons of Hassenaah build, who also laid its beams, and set up its doors, its locks and its bars.


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And next to them repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz. And next to them repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabeel. And next to them repaired Zadok the son of Baana.


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And next to them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord.


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Moreover, the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid its beams, and set up its doors, and its locks, and its bars.


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And next to them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, to the throne of the governor on this side of the river.


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Next to him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, of the goldsmiths. Next to him also repaired Hananiah the son of one of the apothecaries, and they fortified Jerusalem to the broad wall.


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And next to them repaired Jedaiah the son of Harumaph, even over against his house. And next to him repaired Hattush the son of Hashabniah.


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Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hashub the son of Pahath-moab, repaired the other piece, and the tower of the furnaces.


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And next to him repaired Shallum the son of Halohesh, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem, he and his daughters.


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The valley-gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it, and set up its doors, its locks, and its bars, and a thousand cubits on the wall to the dung-gate.


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But the dung-gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab, the ruler of part of Beth-haccerem; he built it, and set up its doors, its locks, and its bars.


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But the gate of the fountain repaired Shallun the son of Col-hozeh, the ruler of part of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up its doors, its locks, and its bars, and the wall of the pool of Siloah by the king's garden, and to the stairs that go down from the city of David.


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After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of the half part of Beth-zur, to the place over against the sepulchers of David, and to the pool that was made, and to the house of the mighty.


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After him repaired the Levites Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him repaired Hashabiah the ruler of the half part of Keilah, in his part.


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And next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, another piece over against the ascent to the armory, at the turning of the wall.


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After him Baruch the son of Zabbai, earnestly repaired the other piece, from the turning of the wall to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest.


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After him repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah the son of Koz another piece, from the door of the house of Eliashib, even to the end of the house of Eliashib.


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After him repaired Benjamin and Hashub, over against their house. After him repaired Azariah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, by his house.


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After him repaired Binnui, the son of Henadad, another piece, from the house of Azariah to the turning of the wall, even to the corner.


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Palal, the son of Uzai, over against the turning of the wall, and the tower which lieth out from the king's high house, that was by the court of the prison. After him Pedaiah, the son of Parosh.


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Moreover, the Nethinims dwelt in Ophel, to the place over against the water-gate towards the east, and the projecting tower.


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After them the Tekoites repaired another piece, over against the great projecting tower, even to the wall of Ophel.


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After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against his house. After him repaired also Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the east gate.


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After him repaired Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, another piece. After him repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah over against his chamber.


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After him repaired Malchiah the goldsmith's son, to the place of the Nethinims, and of the merchants, over against the gate Miphkad, and to the ascent of the corner.


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But it came to pass that when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.


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And he spoke before his brethren, and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?


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Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox should go up, he would even break down their stone wall.


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Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity:


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And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.


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So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to the half of it, for the people had a mind to work.


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But it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were set up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,


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Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.


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And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.


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And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.


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And it came to pass, that when the Jews who dwelt by them came, they said to us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return to us they will be upon you.


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Therefore I set in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.


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And I looked, and arose, and said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be ye not afraid of them: remember the Lord who is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.


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And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to naught, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one to his work.


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And it came to pass, from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.


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They who built on the wall, and they that bore burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.


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For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so built. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.


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And I said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.


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In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither to us: our God will fight for us.


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So we labored in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.


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Likewise at the same time said I to the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labor in the day.


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So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing.


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For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and live.


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Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth.


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There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.


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Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought to bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards.


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Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said to them, Ye exact interest, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them.


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And I said to them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, who were sold to the heathen; and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold to us? Then they held their peace, and found nothing to answer.


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Also I said, That is not good which ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?


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I likewise, my brethren, and my servants, might exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this usury.


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Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their olive-yards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them.


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Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they would do according to this promise.


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Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the LORD. And the people did according to this promise.


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Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even to the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.


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But the former governors, that had been before me were chargeable to the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver; yes, even their servants bore rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.


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Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my servants were gathered thither to the work.


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Moreover, there were at my table a hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, besides those that came to us from among the heathen that were about us.


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Now that which was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days an abundance of all sorts of wine: yet for all this I required not the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.


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Now it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had built the wall, and that there was no breach left in it, (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates;)


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That Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.


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And I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?


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Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand;


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In which was written, It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel: for which cause thou buildest the wall that thou mayest be their king, according to these words.


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And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.


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Then I sent to him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thy own heart.


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For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it may not be done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.


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Afterward I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.


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And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.


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And lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.


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Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.


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My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.


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And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard of it, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought by our God.


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Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came to them.


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For there were many in Judah sworn to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah; and his son Johanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.


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Also they reported his good deeds before me, and uttered my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.


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Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the porters and the singers and the Levites were appointed,


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That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many.


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And I said to them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun shall be hot; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house.


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And my God put into my heart to assemble the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of them who came up at the first, and found written in it,


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These are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one to his city;


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Who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number, I say, of the men of the people of Israel was this;


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The children of Pahath-moab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand and eight hundred and eighteen.


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The porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, a hundred and thirty eight.


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The children of Solomon's servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Perida,


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The children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth of Zebaim, the children of Amon.


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And these were they who went up also from Tel-mela, Tel-haresha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer: but they could not show their fathers house, nor their seed, whether they were of Israel.


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And of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai, who took one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite for a wife, and was called after their name.


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These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but it was not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood.


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And the Tirshatha said to them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there should stand up a priest with Urim and Thummim.


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Besides their man-servants and their maid-servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty seven: and they had two hundred and forty five singing-men and singing-women.


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And some of the chief of the fathers gave to the work. The Tirshatha gave to the treasure a thousand drams of gold, fifty basins, five hundred and thirty priests' garments.


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And some of the chief of the fathers gave to the treasure of the work, twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand and two hundred pounds of silver.


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And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand pounds of silver, and sixty seven priests' garments.


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So the priests, and the Levites, and the porters, and the singers, and some of the people, and the Nethinims, and all Israel, dwelt in their cities; and when the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities.


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And all the people assembled as one man in the street that was before the water-gate; and they spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.


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And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.


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And he read therein before the street that was before the water-gate from the morning until mid-day, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law.


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And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.


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And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:


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


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Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place.


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So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.


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And Nehemiah, who is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest, the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said to all the people, This day is holy to the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.


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Then he said to them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions to them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy to our Lord: neither be ye sad; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.


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So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.


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


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And on the second day were assembled the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, to Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law.


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And they found written in the law which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month:


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And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth to the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.


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So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water-gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim.


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And all the congregation of them that had returned from the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day, had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.


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Also day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according to the manner.


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Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.


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And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.


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And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshiped the LORD their God.


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Then stood upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice to the LORD their God.


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Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.


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Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are in it, the seas, and all that is in them, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshipeth thee.


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Thou art the LORD the God, who chosest Abram, and broughtest him forth from Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;


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And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him, to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous:


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And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day.


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And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters.


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Moreover, thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way in which they should go.


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Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spokest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:


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And madest known to them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:


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And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.


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But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments,


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And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst perform among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.


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Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations;


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Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way in which they should go.


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Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.


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Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes grew not old, and their feet swelled not.


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Moreover, thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and didst divide them into corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.


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Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.


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So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would.


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And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards and olive-yards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they ate and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.


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Nevertheless, they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets who testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.


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Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who distressed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried to thee, thou hearedest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them deliverers, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.


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But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore thou leftest them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned and cried to thee, thou hearedest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies;


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And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again to thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not to thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man doeth, he shall live in them:) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.


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Yet many years didst thou forbear over them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore thou gavest them into the hand of the people of the lands.


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Nevertheless, for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.


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Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria to this day.


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But thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly:


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Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened to thy commandments and thy testimonies, with which thou didst testify against them.


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For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.


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Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest to our fathers to eat the fruit of it and the good of it, behold, we are servants in it:


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And it yieldeth much increase to the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.


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And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, set their seals to it.


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And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding;


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They united with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes;


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And that we would not give our daughters to the people of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons:


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And if the people of the land should bring wares or any provisions on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and that we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt.


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Also we made ordinances for us, to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God;


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For the show-bread, and for the continual meat-offering, and for the continual burnt-offering, of the sabbaths, of the new moons, for the set feasts, and for the holy things, and for the sin-offerings to make an atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.


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And we cast the lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for the wood-offering, to bring it into the house of our God, after the houses of our fathers, at times appointed year by year, to burn upon the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the law:


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And to bring the first-fruits of our ground, and the first-fruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, to the house of the LORD:


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Also the first-born of our sons, and of our cattle, as it is written in the law, and the firstlings of our herds and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, to the priests that minister in the house of our God:


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And that we should bring the first-fruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground to the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage.


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And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house.


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For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the corn, of the new wine, and the oil, to the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers: and we will not forsake the house of our God.


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And the rulers of the people dwelt at Jerusalem: the rest of the people also cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine parts to dwell in other cities.


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Now these are the chief of the province that dwelt in Jerusalem: but in the cities of Judah dwelt every one in his possession in their cities, to wit, Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the Nethinims, and the children of Solomon's servants.


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And at Jerusalem dwelt certain of the children of Judah, and of the children of Benjamin. Of the children of Judah; Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalaleel, of the children of Perez;


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And Maaseiah the son of Baruch, the son of Col-hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of Shiloni.


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And these are the sons of Benjamin; Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jesaiah.


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And Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer: and Judah the son of Senuah was second over the city.


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


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And their brethren that performed the work of the house were eight hundred twenty and two: and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashur, the son of Malchiah,


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And his brethren, chief of the fathers, two hundred forty and two: and Amashai the son of Azareel, the son of Ahasai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer,


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And their brethren, mighty men of valor, a hundred twenty and eight: and their overseer was Zabdiel, the son of one of the great men.


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Also of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hashub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni;


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And Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chief of the Levites, had the oversight of the outward business of the house of God.


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And Mattaniah the son of Micha, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, was the principal to begin the thanksgiving in prayer: and Bakbukiah the second among his brethren, and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.


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Moreover the porters, Akkub, Talmon, and their brethren that kept the gates, were an hundred and seventy two.


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


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The overseer also of the Levites at Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micha. Of the sons of Asaph, the singers were over the business of the house of God.


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For it was the king's commandment concerning them, that a certain portion should be for the singers, due for every day.


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And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabeel, of the children of Zerah the son of Judah was at the king's hand in all matters concerning the people.


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And for the villages, with their fields, some of the children of Judah dwelt at Kirjath-arba, and in its villages, and at Dibon, and in its villages, and at Jekabzeel, and in its villages,


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Zanoah, Adullam, and in their villages, at Lachish, and its fields, at Azekah, and in its villages. And they dwelt from Beer-sheba to the valley of Hinnom.


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The children also of Benjamin from Geba dwelt at Michmash, and Aija, and Beth-el, and in their villages.


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Now these are the priests and the Levites that went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,


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


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Moreover the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who was over the thanksgiving, he and his brethren.


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And in the days of Joiakim were priests, the chief of the fathers: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;


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The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, were recorded chief of the fathers: also the priests, to the reign of Darius the Persian.


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The sons of Levi, the chief of the fathers, were written in the book of the chronicles, even till the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib.


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And the chief of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brethren over against them, to praise and to give thanks according to the commandment of David the man of God, ward over against ward.


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Mattaniah, and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub, were porters keeping the ward at the threshholds of the gates.


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


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And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and with harps.


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And the sons of the singers assembled, both out of the plain country around Jerusalem, and from the villages of Netophathi;


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Also from the house of Gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth: for the singers had built them villages around Jerusalem.


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


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Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two great companies of them that gave thanks, of which one went on the right hand upon the wall towards the dung-gate:


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And certain of the priests' sons with trumpets; namely, Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Michaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph:


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And his brethren, Shemaiah, and Azarael, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, and Judah, Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe before them.


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And at the fountain-gate, which was over against them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, even to the water-gate eastward.


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And the other company of them that gave thanks went over against them, and I after them, and the half of the people upon the wall, from beyond the tower of the furnaces even to the broad wall;


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And from above the gate of Ephraim, and above the old gate, and above the fish-gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of Meah, even to the sheep-gate: and they stood still in the prison-gate.


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So stood the two companies of them that gave thanks in the house of God, and I, and the half of the rulers with me:


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


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


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Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.


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And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the first-fruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited.


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And both the singers and the porters kept the ward of their God, and the ward of the purification, according to the commandment of David, and of Solomon his son.


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For in the days of David, and Asaph of old there were chief of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.


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And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of the singers and the porters, every day his portion: and they sanctified holy things to the Levites; and the Levites sanctified them to the children of Aaron.


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On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people; and therein was found written, that the Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the congregation of God for ever:


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Because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Baalam against them, that he should curse them: but our God turned the curse into a blessing.


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Now it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude.


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And before this, Eliashib the priest, having the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God, was allied to Tobiah:


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And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where formerly they laid the meat-offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine, and the oil, which was commanded to be given to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the offerings of the priests.


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But in all this time I was not at Jerusalem: for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I came to the king, and after certain days I obtained leave of the king:


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And I came to Jerusalem, and understood of the evil that Eliashib did for Tobiah, in preparing for him a chamber in the courts of the house of God.


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And it grieved me greatly: therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber.


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Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers: and thither I brought again the vessels of the house of God, with the meat-offering and the frankincense.


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And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them: for the Levites and the singers, that did the work, had fled every one to his field.


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Then I contended with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? and I assembled them, and set them in their place.


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And I made treasurers over the treasuries, Shelemiah the priest, and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah: and next to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah: for they were accounted faithful; and their office was to distribute to their brethren.


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


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In those days I saw in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day in which they sold provisions.


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There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, who brought fish, and all manner of wares, and sold on the sabbath to the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.


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Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day?


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Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.


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And it came to pass, that, when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and I set some of my servants at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.


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Then I testified against them, and said to them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth they came no more on the sabbath.


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And I commanded the Levites, that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.


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And their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews language, but according to the language of each people.


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And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons, or for yourselves.


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Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin.


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Shall we then hearken to you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying foreign wives?


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And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite: therefore I chased him from me.


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


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Thus I cleansed them from all strangers, and appointed the wards of the priests and the Levites, every one in his business;


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And for the wood-offering, at times appointed, and for the first-fruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.


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Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus who reigned from India even to Cush, over a hundred and seven and twenty provinces:)


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That in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace,


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In the third year of his reign, he made a feast to all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him:


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When he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even a hundred and eighty days.


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And when these days had expired, the king made a feast for all the people that were present in Shushan the palace, both for great and small, seven days, in the court of the garden of the king's palace;


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Where were white, green, and blue hangings, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble: the beds were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and blue, and white, and black marble.


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And they gave them drink in vessels of gold, (the vessels being diverse one from another,) and royal wine in abundance, according to the state of the king.


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And the drinking was according to the law; none constrained: for so the king had appointed to all the officers of his house, that they should do according to every man's pleasure.


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Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus.


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On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus the king,


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To bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to show the people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on.


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But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him.


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Then the king said to the wise men, who knew the times, (for so was the king's manner towards all that knew law and judgment:


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And the next to him was Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face, and who sat the first in the kingdom;)


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What shall we do to the queen Vashti according to law, because she hath not performed the commandment of the king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains?


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And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, Vashti the queen hath not done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the people that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus.


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For this deed of the queen will come abroad to all women, so that they will despise their husbands in their eyes, when it shall be reported, The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not.


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Likewise will the ladies of Persia and Media say this day to all the king's princes, who have heard of the deed of the queen. Thus will there arise too much contempt and wrath.


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If it pleaseth the king, let a royal commandment go from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate to another that is better than she.


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And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives will give to their husbands honor, both to great and small.


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For he sent letters into all the king's provinces, into every province according to the writing of it, and to every people after their language, that every man should bear rule in his own house, and that it should be published according to the language of every people.


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After these things, when the wrath of king Ahasuerus was appeased, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her.


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Then said the king's servants that ministered to him, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king:


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And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may collect all the fair young virgins to Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, into the custody of Hege the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them:


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And let the maiden who pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.


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Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjaminite;


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Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.


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And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.


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So it came to pass, when the king's commandment and his decree were heard, and when many maidens were assembled at Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was brought also to the king's house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.


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And the maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness from him; and he speedily gave her her things for purification, with such things as belonged to her, and seven maidens who were meet to be given her, out of the king's house: and he preferred her and her maids to the best place of the house of the women.


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Esther had not showed her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not show it.


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And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women's house, to know how Esther did, and what would become of her.


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Now when every maid's turn had come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odors, and with other things for the purifying of the women;)


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Then thus came every maiden to the king; whatever she desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women to the king's house.


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In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's chamberlain, who kept the concubines: she came in to the king no more, except that the king delighted in her, and she was called by name.


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Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, had come to go in to the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all them that looked upon her.


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So Esther was taken to king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.


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And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.


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Then the king made a great feast to all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the state of the king.


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Esther had not yet showed her kindred, nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther performed the commandment of Mordecai, as when she was brought up with him.


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In those days, while Mordecai sat in the king's gate, two of the king's chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those who kept the door, were wroth, and sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.


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And the thing was known to Mordecai, who told it to Esther the queen; and Esther certified the king of it in Mordecai's name.


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And when inquisition was made of the matter, it was discovered; therefore they were both hanged on a tree: and it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king.


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After these things king Ahasuerus promoted Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.


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And all the king's servants that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman; for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence.


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Then the king's servants who were in the king's gate, said to Mordecai, Why dost thou transgress the king's commandment?


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Now it came to pass, when they spoke daily to him, and he hearkened not to them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew.


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And he scorned to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shown him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.


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In the first month, (that is, the month Nisan,) in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar.


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And Haman said to king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's profit to suffer them.


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If it shall please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king's treasuries.


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


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And the king said to Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee.


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Then were the king's scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded to the king's lieutenants, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of every province, according to the writing of it, and to every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king's ring.


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And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.


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The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province, was published to all people, that they should be ready against that day.


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The posts departed, being hastened by the king's commandment, and the decree was given in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city Shushan was perplexed.


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When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry;


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And came even before the king's gate: for none might enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.


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And in every province whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.


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So Esther's maids and her chamberlains came and told it to her. Then was the queen exceedingly grieved; and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth from him: but he received it not.


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Then called Esther for Hatach, one of the king's chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and gave him a commandment to Mordecai, to know what it was, and why it was.


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And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and of the sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them.


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Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to show it to Esther, and to declare it to her, and to charge her that she should go in to the king, to make supplication to him, and to make request before him for her people.


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All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whoever, whether man or woman, shall come to the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except him to whom the king shall hold out the golden scepter, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.


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Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house more than all the Jews.


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For if thou shalt altogether hold thy peace at this time, then will there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house will be destroyed: and who knoweth, whether thou hast come to the kingdom for such a time as this?


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Go, assemble all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.


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Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over against the king's house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house.


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And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favor in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the scepter.


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Then said the king to her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom.


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And Esther answered, If it shall seem good to the king, let the king and Haman come this day to the banquet that I have prepared for him.


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Then the king said, Cause Haman to make haste, that he may do as Esther hath said. So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared.


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And the king said to Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.


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If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it shall please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do to-morrow as the king hath said.


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Then went Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart: but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he stood not up, nor moved for him, he was full of indignation against Mordecai.


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Nevertheless, Haman refrained himself: and when he came home, he sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife.


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And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king.


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Haman said moreover, Yes, Esther the queen let no man come in with the king to the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and to-morrow I am invited to her also with the king.


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Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends to him, Let a gallows be made fifty cubits high, and to-morrow speak thou to the king that Mordecai may be hanged upon it: then go thou in merrily with the king to the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.


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In that night the king could not sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.


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And it was found written, that Mordecai had informed of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.


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And the king said, What honor and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king's servants that ministered to him, There is nothing done for him.


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And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman had come into the outward court of the king's house, to speak to the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.


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And the king's servants said to him, Behold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come in.


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So Haman came in. And the king said to him, What shall be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honor? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honor more than to myself?


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Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head:


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And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man whom the king delighteth to honor, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honor.


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Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king's gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.


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Then Haman took the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honor.


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And Mordecai came again to the king's gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered.


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And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every thing that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife to him, If Mordecai is of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou wilt not prevail against him, but wilt surely fall before him.


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And while they were yet talking with him, came the king's chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared.


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And the king said again to Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom.


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Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favor in thy sight, O king, and if it shall please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request:


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For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bond-men and bond-women, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage.


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Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said to Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so?


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And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.


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And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace-garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king.


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Then the king returned out of the palace-garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman had fallen upon the bed on which Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face.


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And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him upon it.


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So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified.


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On that day the king Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman, the Jews' enemy, to Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was to her.


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


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And Esther spoke yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.


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Then the king held out the golden scepter towards Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king,


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And said, If it shall please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and the thing shall seem right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king's provinces:


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For how can I endure to see the evil that will come to my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?


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Then the king Ahasuerus said to Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.


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Write ye also for the Jews, as it pleaseth you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring: for the writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, no man may reverse.


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Then were the king's scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day of it; and it was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded, to the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India to Cush, a hundred twenty and seven provinces, to every province according to the writing of it, and to every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language.


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And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus's name, and sealed it with the king's ring, and sent letters by posts on horseback, and riders on mules, camels, and young dromedaries:


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In which the king granted the Jews who were in every city to assemble, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey,


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Upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar,


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The copy of the writing for a commandment, to be given in every province was published to all people, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.


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So the posts that rode upon mules and camels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king's commandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the palace.


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And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced, and was glad:


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And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.


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Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)


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The Jews assembled in their cities throughout all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt: and no man could withstand them; for the fear of them fell upon all people.


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And all the rulers of the provinces, and the lieutenants, and the deputies, and officers of the king helped the Jews; because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them.


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For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame went out throughout all the provinces: for this man Mordecai became greater and greater.


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Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction, and did what they would to those that hated them.


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The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, they slew; but on the spoil they laid not their hand.


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And the king said to Esther the queen, the Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and the ten sons of Haman; what have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? now what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: or what is thy request further? and it shall be done.


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Then said Esther, If it shall please the king, let it be granted to the Jews who are in Shushan to do to-morrow also according to this day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows.


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And the king commanded it so to be done: and the decree was given at Shushan; and they hanged Haman's ten sons.


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For the Jews that were in Shushan assembled on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and slew three hundred men at Shushan; but on the prey they laid not their hand.


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But the other Jews that were in the king's provinces assembled, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand, (but they laid not their hands on the prey.)


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On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.


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But the Jews that were at Shushan assembled on the thirteenth day of the month, and on the fourteenth of it: and on the fifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.


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Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another.


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And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters to all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far,


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To establish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly,


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As the days in which the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned to them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day, that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.


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Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them;


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But when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.


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Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come to them,


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The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves to them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year;


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And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.


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Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority, to confirm this second letter of Purim.


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And he sent the letters to all the Jews, to the hundred twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth,


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To confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had decreed for themselves and for their seed, the matters of the fastings and their cry.


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And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia?


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For Mordecai the Jew was next to king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.


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There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and shunned evil.


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His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.


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And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.


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And it was so, when the days of their feasting were ended, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose early in the morning, and offered burnt-offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.


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


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And the LORD said to Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down upon it.


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And the LORD said to Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and shunneth evil?


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Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.


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And the LORD said to Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thy hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.


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And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:


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And there came a messenger to Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them:


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And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yes, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only have escaped alone to tell thee.


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While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God hath fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I only have escaped alone to tell thee.


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While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yes, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only have escaped alone to tell thee.


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While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:


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And behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only have escaped alone to tell thee.


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And said, Naked came I from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.


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


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And the LORD said to Satan, Whence comest thou? and Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down upon it.


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And the LORD said to Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and shunneth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.


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And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, even, all that a man hath will he give for his life.


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So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to his crown.


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But he said to her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.


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Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him, and to comfort him.


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And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they raised their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads towards heaven.


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So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spoke a word to him: for they saw that his grief was very great.


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Let the day perish in which I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a mail child conceived.


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Let darkness and the shades of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.


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As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined to the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months.


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Let the stars of its twilight be dark; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the day:


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The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken.


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It stood still, but I could not discern its form: an image was before my eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,


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How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed before the moth?


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His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them.


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Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance.


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Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:


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Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.


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At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.


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For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.


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And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle will be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin.


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For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison of which drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God set themselves in array against me.


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Then should I yet have comfort; yes, I would harden myself in sorrow: let him not spare; for I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.


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To him that is afflicted pity should be shown from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.


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In the time when they become warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.


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Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of a hireling?


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When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro to the dawning of the day.


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As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.


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Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.


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I have sinned; what shall I do to thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?


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And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.


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How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?


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If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.


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He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.


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They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to naught.


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He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?


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If I justify myself, my own mouth will condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, that also will prove me perverse.


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The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: he covereth the faces of its judges; if not, where, and who is he?


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My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.


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Is it good to thee that thou shouldst oppress, that thou shouldst despise the work of thy hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked?


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Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again?


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If I be wicked, woe to me; and if I be righteous, yet will I not lift up my head. I am full of confusion; therefore see thou my affliction;


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For it increaseth. Thou huntest me as a fierce lion: and again thou showest thyself wonderful upon me.


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Thou renewest thy witnesses against me, and increasest thy indignation upon me; changes and war are against me.


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A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shades of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.


text:
Should thy falsehoods make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?


text:
And that he would show thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thy iniquity deserveth.


text:
For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yes, thou shalt be steadfast, and shalt not fear:


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And thy age shall be clearer than the noon-day: thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.


text:
And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yes, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.


text:
But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the expiration of the breath.


text:
But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yes, who knoweth not such things as these?


text:
I am as one mocked by his neighbor, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is derided.


text:
The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.


text:
But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:


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Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.


text:
Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up: also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.


text:
He taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.


text:
Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks, and lookest narrowly to all my paths; thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet.


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Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months is with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;


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For there is hope of a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its tender branch will not cease.


text:
So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens shall be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.


text:
O that thou wouldst hide me in the grave, that thou wouldst keep me secret, until thy wrath is past, that thou wouldst appoint me a set time, and remember me!


text:
If a man dieth, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change shall come.


text:
The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.


text:
Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth: thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.


text:
His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.


text:
The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor.


text:
He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? he knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.


text:
Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.


text:
And he dwelleth in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to become heaps.


text:
He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection of it upon the earth.


text:
He shall not depart out of darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches, and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away.


text:
For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.


text:
I also could speak as ye do: if your soul were in my soul's stead, I could heap up words against you, and shake my head at you.


text:
And thou hast filled me with wrinkles, which is a witness against me: and my leanness rising up in me beareth witness to my face.


text:
He teareth me in his wrath, who hateth me: he gnasheth upon me with his teeth; my enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me.


text:
They have gaped upon me with their mouth; they have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully; they have gathered themselves against me.


text:
I was at ease, but he hath broken me asunder: he hath also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, and set me up for his mark.


text:
His archers encompass me; he cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare; he poureth out my gall upon the ground.


text:
Upright men shall be astonished at this, and the innocent shall stir up himself against the hypocrite.


text:
The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.


text:
He teareth himself in his anger: shall the earth be forsaken for thee? and shall the rock be removed out of its place?


text:
His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle, and it shall bring him to the king of terrors.


text:
It shall dwell in his tabernacle, because it is none of his: brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation.


text:
Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.


text:
Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.


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He shall fly away as a dream, and will not be found: yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.


text:
He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly.


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That which he labored for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it: according to his substance shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice in it.


text:
Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor; because he hath violently taken away a house which he did not build.


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In the fullness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits: every hand of the wicked shall come upon him.


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When he is about to fill his belly, God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him, and shall rain it upon him while he is eating.


text:
It is drawn, and cometh out of the body; yes, the glittering sword cometh out of his gall: terrors are upon him.


text:
All darkness shall be hid in his secret places: a fire not blown shall consume him; it shall go ill with him that is left in his tabernacle.


text:
How oft is the candle of the wicked put out? and how oft cometh their destruction upon them? God distributeth sorrows in his anger.


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For what pleasure hath he in his house after him, when the number of his months is cut off in the midst?


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That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they will be brought forth to the day of wrath.


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The clods of the valley will be sweet to him, and every man will draw after him, as there are innumerable before him.


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Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?


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If thou shalt return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.


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Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established to thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.


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When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is exaltation; and he shall save the humble person.


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On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:


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Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.


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Behold, as wild asses in the desert, they go forth to their work; rising betimes for a prey: the wilderness yieldeth food for them and for their children.


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Men groan from out of the city, and the soul of the wounded crieth out: yet God layeth not folly to them.


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The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me: and disguiseth his face.


text:
In the dark they dig through houses, which they had marked for themselves in the day-time: they know not the light.


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For the morning is to them even as the shades of death: if one knoweth them, they are in the terrors of the shades of death.


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He is swift as the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth: he beholdeth not the way of the vineyards.


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The womb shall forget him; the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered; and wickedness shall be broken as a tree.


text:
They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all others, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.


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How hast thou counseled him that hath no wisdom? and how hast thou abundantly declared the thing as it is?


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Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?


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My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.


text:
This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of oppressors, which they shall receive of the Almighty.


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If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword: and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.


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He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shades of death.


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The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant: even the waters forgotten by the foot: they are dried up, they have gone away from men.


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The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.


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And to man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.


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The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.


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I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth the mourners.


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But now they that are younger than I, have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to set with the dogs of my flock.


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For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.


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Upon my right hand rise the youth; they push away my feet, and they raise up against me the ways of their destruction.


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They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters: in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me.


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Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away as a cloud.


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By the great force of my disease is my garment changed: it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat.


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If my step hath turned out of the way, and my heart walked after my eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved to my hands;


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(For from my youth he was brought up with me, as with a father, and I have guided her from my mother's womb;)


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This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.


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If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or have lifted up myself when evil found him:


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Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not out of the door?


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Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that my adversary had written a book.


text:
Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God.


text:
Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.


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When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, then his wrath was kindled.


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And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, I am young, and ye are very old; wherefore I was afraid, and durst not show you my opinion.


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Yes, I attended to you, and behold, there was none of you that convinced Job, or that answered his words:


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In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed;


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If there is a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to show to man his uprightness:


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Then he is gracious to him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.


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He shall pray to God, and he will be favorable to him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render to man his righteousness.


text:
He looketh upon men, and if any shall say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not;


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Therefore hearken to me, ye men of understanding: far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.


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How much less to him that accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor? for they all are the work of his hands.


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In a moment they shall die, and the people shall be troubled at midnight, and pass away: and the mighty shall be taken away without hand.


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When he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble? and when he hideth his face, who then can behold him? whether it be done against a nation, or against a man only:


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Should it be according to thy mind? he will recompense it, whether thou shalt refuse, or whether thou shalt choose; and not I: therefore speak what thou knowest.


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For he addeth rebellion to his sin, he clappeth his hands among us, and multiplieth his words against God.


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For thou saidst, What advantage will it be to thee? and, What profit shall I have, if I be cleansed from my sin?


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If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or if thy transgressions are multiplied, what doest thou to him?


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By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry: they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty.


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Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him, yet judgment is before him; therefore trust thou in him.


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But now, because it is not so, he hath visited in his anger; yet he knoweth it not in great extremity:


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He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: but with kings are they on the throne; yes, he doth establish them for ever, and they are exalted.


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If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.


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Even so would he have removed thee out of the strait into a broad place, where there is no straitness; and that which should be set on thy table would be full of fatness.


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Because there is wrath, beware lest he take thee away with his stroke: then a great ransom cannot deliver thee.


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After it a voice roareth: he thundereth with the voice of his excellence; and he will not stay them when his voice is heard.


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For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth; likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of his strength.


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And it is turned around by his counsels: that they may do whatever he commandeth them upon the face of the world on the earth.


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And now men see not the bright light which is in the clouds: but the wind passeth, and cleanseth them.


text:
Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in abundance of justice: he will not afflict.


text:
Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder;


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\38:41\Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry to God, they wander for want of food.


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\39:1\Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?


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\39:2\Canst thou number the months that they fulfill? or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?


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\39:4\Their young ones are in good liking, they grow up with corn; they go forth, and return not to them.


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\39:10\Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?


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\39:16\She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labor is in vain without fear;


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\39:24\He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet.


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\39:25\He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.


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\40:2\Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.


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\40:12\Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place.


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\40:23\Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth.


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\41:11\Who hath first benefited me, that I should repay him? whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.


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\41:23\The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved.


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\41:25\When he raiseth himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves.


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Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that which I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.


text:
And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.


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Therefore take to you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer for yourselves a burnt-offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.


text:
So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the LORD commanded them: the LORD also accepted Job.


text:
And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.


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Then came there to him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and ate bread with him in his house: and they condoled with him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an ear-ring of gold.


text:
So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.


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And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Keren-happuch.


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And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.


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After this Job lived a hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations.


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Blessed [is] the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of scoffers.


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And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth its fruit in season; its leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he doeth shall prosper.


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Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.


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The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, [saying],


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I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said to me, Thou [art] my Son; this day have I begotten thee.


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Ask of me, and I will give [thee] the heathen [for] thy inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth [for] thy possession.


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Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish [from] the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed [are] all they that put their trust in him.


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A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. LORD, how are they multiplied that trouble me? many [are] they that rise up against me.


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I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set [themselves] against me on all sides.


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Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all my enemies [upon] the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.


text:
To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm of David. Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me [when I was] in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.


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O ye sons of men, how long [will ye turn] my glory into shame? [how long] will ye love vanity, [and] seek after falsehood? Selah.


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But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call to him.


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[There are] many that say, Who will show us [any] good? LORD, lift thou upon us the light of thy countenance.


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Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time [when] their corn and their wine increased.


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To the chief Musician upon Nehiloth, A Psalm of David. Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.


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My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct [my prayer] to thee, and will look up.


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But as for me, I will come [into] thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: [and] in thy fear will I worship towards thy holy temple.


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For [there is] no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part [is] very wickedness; their throat [is] an open sepulcher; they flatter with their tongue.


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Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.


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But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.


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To the chief Musician on Neginoth upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David. O LORD, rebuke me not in thy anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.


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Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD, concerning the words of Cush the Benjaminite. O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:


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If I have rewarded evil to him that was at peace with me; (yes, I have delivered him that without cause is my enemy:)


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Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take [it]; yes, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay my honor in the dust. Selah.


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Arise, O LORD, in thy anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of my enemies: and awake for me [to] the judgment [that] thou hast commanded.


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So shall the congregation of the people encompass thee: for their sakes therefore return thou on high.


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The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity [that is] in me.


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Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.


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He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.


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His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.


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I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.


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To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David. O LORD our Lord, how excellent [is] thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.


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Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thy enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.


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When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers; the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;


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Thou hast made him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all [things] under his feet:


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To the chief Musician upon Muthlabben, A Psalm of David. I will praise [thee], O LORD, with my whole heart; I will show forth all thy wonderful works.


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Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.


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O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial hath perished with them.


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And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.


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And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.


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Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble [which I suffer] from them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death:


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That I may show forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.


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The heathen are sunk down in the pit [that] they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.


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The LORD is known [by] the judgment [which] he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.


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For the needy shall not always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall [not] perish for ever.


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The wicked in [his] pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.


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For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, [whom] the LORD abhorreth.


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The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek [after God]: God [is] not in all his thoughts.


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His ways are always grievous; thy judgments [are] far above out of his sight: [as for] all his enemies, he puffeth at them.


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He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.


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He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.


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Thou hast seen [it]; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite [it] with thy hand: the poor committeth himself to thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.


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Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil [man]: seek out his wickedness [till] thou shalt find none.


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LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thy ear to hear:


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To the chief Musician, [A Psalm] of David. In the LORD I put my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee [as] a bird to your mountain?


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For lo, the wicked bend [their] bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.


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The LORD [is] in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne [is] in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try the children of men.


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Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest: [this shall be] the portion of their cup.


text:
To the chief Musician upon Sheminith. A Psalm of David. Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.


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They speak vanity every one with his neighbor: [with] flattering lips [and] with a double heart do they speak.


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For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set [him] in safety [from him that] puffeth at him.


text:
The words of the LORD [are] pure words: [as] silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.


text:
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?


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How long shall I take counsel in my soul, [having] sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall my enemy be exalted over me?


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Lest my enemy say, I have prevailed against him; [and] those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.


text:
To the chief Musician, [A Psalm] of David. The fool hath said in his heart, [There is] no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, [there is] none that doeth good.


text:
The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, [and] seek God.


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They are all gone aside, they are [all] together become filthy: [there is] none that doeth good, no, not one.


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Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people [as] they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.


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Oh that the salvation of Israel [were come] out of Zion! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, [and] Israel shall be glad.


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[He that] backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor.


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In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoreth them that fear the LORD. [He that] sweareth to [his own] hurt, and changeth not.


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[He that] putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these [things] shall never be moved.


text:
Their sorrows shall be multiplied [that] hasten [after] another [god]: their drink-offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take their names into my lips.


text:
Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence [is] fullness of joy; at thy right hand [are] pleasures for evermore.


text:
A Prayer of David. Hear the right, O LORD, attend to my cry, give ear to my prayer, [that goeth] not out of feigned lips.


text:
Thou hast proved my heart; thou hast visited [me] in the night; thou hast tried me, [and] shalt find nothing; I have purposed [that] my mouth shall not transgress.


text:
Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept [me from] the paths of the destroyer.


text:
Show thy wonderful loving-kindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them who put their trust [in thee] from those that rise up [against them].


text:
From men [who are] thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, [who have] their portion in [this] life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid [treasure]: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their [substance] to their babes.


text:
As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.


text:
To the chief Musician, [A Psalm] of David, the servant of the LORD, who spoke to the LORD the words of this song in the day [that] the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said, I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.


text:
The LORD [is] my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, [and] my high tower.


text:
In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, [even] into his ears.


text:
Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.


text:
He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion around him [were] dark waters [and] thick clouds of the skies.


text:
The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail [stones] and coals of fire.


text:
Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were uncovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.


text:
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.


text:
Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.


text:
With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt show thyself upright;


text:
[As for] God, his way [is] perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he [is] a buckler to all those that trust in him.


text:
Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath held me up and thy gentleness hath made me great.


text:
For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.


text:
Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; [and] thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people [whom] I have not known shall serve me.


text:
He delivereth me from my enemies: yes, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.


text:
He giveth great deliverance to his king; and showeth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for ever.


text:
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth the work of his hands.


text:
Their line hath gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,


text:
Which [is] as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, [and] rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.


text:
His going forth [is] from the end of the heaven, and his circuit to the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from his heat.


text:
The law of the LORD [is] perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD [is] sure, making wise the simple.


text:
The statutes of the LORD [are] right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD [is] pure, enlightening the eyes.


text:
The fear of the LORD [is] clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD [are] true [and] righteous altogether.


text:
More to be desired [are they] than gold, yes, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honey-comb.


text:
Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous [sins]; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.


text:
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.


text:
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee.


text:
We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up [our] banners: the LORD fulfill all thy petitions.


text:
Now I know that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.


text:
To the chief Musician, a Psalm of David. The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!


text:
For thou hast met him with the blessings of goodness: thou hast set a crown of pure gold on his head.


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For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.


text:
Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thy anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.


text:
For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, [which] they are not able [to perform].


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Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, [when] thou shalt make ready [thy arrows] upon thy strings against the face of them.


text:
To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? [why art thou so far] from helping me, [and from] the words of my roaring?


text:
He trusted on the LORD [that] he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.


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But thou [art] he that brought me forth into life: thou didst make me hope [when I was] upon my mother's breasts.


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I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.


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My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.


text:
For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.


text:
Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.


text:
For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried to him, he heard.


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My praise [shall be] of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.


text:
The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.


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All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.


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All [they that are] fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.


text:
They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness to a people that shall be born, that he hath done [this].


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Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shades of death, I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.


text:
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.


text:
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.


text:
A Psalm of David. The earth [is] the LORD'S, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.


text:
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul to vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.


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Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.


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Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift [them] up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.


text:
Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou [art] the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.


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Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD.


text:
[A Psalm] of David. Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in my integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; [therefore] I shall not slide.


text:
[A Psalm] of David. The LORD [is] my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD [is] the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?


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When the wicked, [even] my enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.


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Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this [will] I [be] confident.


text:
One [thing] have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.


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For in the time of trouble he will hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle will he hide me; he will set me up upon a rock.


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And now shall my head be lifted above my enemies around me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.


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Hide not thy face from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.


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Deliver me not over to the will of my enemies: for false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.


text:
[A Psalm] of David. To thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, [if] thou shouldst be silent to me, I should become like them that go down into the pit.


text:
Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry to thee, when I lift my hands towards thy holy oracle.


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Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their neighbors, but mischief [is] in their hearts.


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Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavors: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.


text:
Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the operation of his hands, he will destroy them, and not build them up.


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The LORD [is] my strength, and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.


text:
The voice of the LORD [is] upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD [is] upon many waters.


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The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and maketh bare the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of [his] glory.


text:
A Psalm [and] Song, [at] the dedication of the house of David. I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.


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O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.


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For his anger [endureth but] a moment; in his favor [is] life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy [cometh] in the morning.


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LORD, by thy favor thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, [and] I was troubled.


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What profit [is there] in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?


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Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;


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To the end that [my] glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to thee for ever.


text:
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.


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Bow down thy ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for a house of defense to save me.


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I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;


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Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: my eye is consumed with grief, [yes], my soul and my belly.


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For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of my iniquity, and my bones are consumed.


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I was a reproach among all my enemies, but especially among my neighbors, and a fear to my acquaintance: they that saw me without fled from me.


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For I have heard the slander of many: fear [was] on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.


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My times [are] in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from them that persecute me.


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Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.


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Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.


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[Oh] how great [is] thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; [which] thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!


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Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.


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For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thy eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried to thee.


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O love the LORD, all ye his saints: [for] the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.


text:
[A Psalm] of David, Maschil. Blessed [is he whose] transgression [is] forgiven, [whose] sin [is] covered.


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Blessed [is] the man to whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit [there is] no guile.


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For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drouth of summer. Selah.


text:
I acknowledged my sin to thee, and my iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.


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For this shall every one that is godly pray to thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh to him.


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Thou [art] my hiding place; thou wilt preserve me from trouble; thou wilt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.


text:
Be ye not as the horse, [or] as the mule, [which] have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near to thee.


text:
Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all [ye that are] upright in heart.


text:
The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to naught: he maketh the devices of the people of no effect.


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Blessed [is] the nation whose God [is] the LORD; [and] the people [whom] he hath chosen for his own inheritance.


text:
[A Psalm] of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed. I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise [shall] continually [be] in my mouth.


text:
The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good [thing].


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The face of the LORD [is] against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.


text:
[A Psalm] of David. Plead [my cause], O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.


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Draw out also the spear, and stop [the way] against them that persecute me: say to my soul, I [am] thy salvation.


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Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.


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For without cause they have hid for me their net [in] a pit, [which] without cause they have digged for my soul.


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Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall.


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All my bones shall say, LORD, who [is] like thee, who deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, even the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?


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But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing [was] sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into my own bosom.


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I behaved myself as though [he had been] my friend [or] brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth [for his] mother.


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But in my adversity they rejoiced, and assembled themselves: [yes], the abjects assembled themselves against me, and I knew [it] not; they did tear [me], and ceased not:


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Lord, how long wilt thou look on? rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions.


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Let not them that are my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: [neither] let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.


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For they speak not peace: but they devise deceitful matters against [them that are] quiet in the land.


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Let them not say in their hearts, Ah, so would we have it: let them not say, We have swallowed him up.


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Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at my hurt: let them be clothed with shame and dishonor that magnify [themselves] against me.


text:
Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favor my righteous cause: yes, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, who hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.


text:
To the chief Musician, [A Psalm] of David the servant of the LORD. The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, [that there is] no fear of God before his eyes.


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He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way [that is] not good; he abhorreth not evil.


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Thy righteousness [is] like the great mountains; thy judgments [are] a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.


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How excellent [is] thy loving-kindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.


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They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.


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O continue thy loving-kindness to them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart.


text:
[A Psalm] of David. Fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.


text:
Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.


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For yet a little while, and the wicked [shall] not [be]: yes, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it [shall] not [be].


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The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, [and] to slay such as are of upright deportment.


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But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD [shall be] as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.


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For [such as are] blessed by him shall inherit the earth; and [they that are] cursed by him shall be cut off.


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Though he should fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth [him with] his hand.


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I have been young, and [now] am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.


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For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.


text:
Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he will exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see [it].


text:
And the LORD will help them, and deliver them: he will deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.


text:
A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance. O LORD, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.


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[There is] no soundness in my flesh because of thy anger; neither [is there any] rest in my bones because of my sin.


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They also that seek after my life lay snares [for me]: and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long.


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For I said, [Hear me], lest [otherwise] they should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they magnify [themselves] against me.


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But my enemies [are] lively, [and] they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.


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To the chief Musician, [even] to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David. I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.


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LORD, make me to know my end, and the measure of my days, what it [is]; [that] I may know how frail I [am].


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Behold, thou hast made my days [as] a hand-breadth; and my age [is] as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state [is] altogether vanity. Selah.


text:
Surely every man walketh in a vain show: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up [riches], and knoweth not who shall gather them.


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When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man [is] vanity. Selah.


text:
Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I [am] a stranger with thee, [and] a sojourner, as all my fathers [were].


text:
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined to me, and heard my cry.


text:
He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, [and] established my goings.


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And he hath put a new song in my mouth, [even] praise to our God: many shall see [it], and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.


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Blessed [is] that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.


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Many, O LORD, my God, [are] thy wonderful works [which] thou hast done, and thy thoughts [which are] toward us, they cannot be reckoned up in order to thee: [if] I would declare and speak [of them], they are more than can be numbered.


text:
Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; my ears hast thou opened: burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not required.


text:
I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest.


text:
I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy loving-kindness and thy truth from the great congregation.


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Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy loving-kindness and thy truth continually preserve me.


text:
For innumerable evils have encompassed me: my iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head: therefore my heart faileth me.


text:
Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.


text:
Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.


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But I [am] poor and needy; [yet] the Lord thinketh upon me: thou [art] my help and my deliverer; make no delay, O my God.


text:
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. Blessed [is] he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in the time of trouble.


text:
The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; [and] he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him to the will of his enemies.


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The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.


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And if he cometh to see [me], he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; [when] he goeth abroad, he telleth [it].


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Yes, my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, hath lifted up [his] heel against me.


text:
To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so my soul panteth after thee, O God.


text:
When I remember these [things], I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holy-day.


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Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and [why] art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him [for] the help of his countenance.


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O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.


text:
Deep calleth to deep at the noise of thy water-spouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.


text:
[Yet] the LORD will command his loving-kindness in the day-time, and in the night his song [shall be] with me, [and] my prayer to the God of my life.


text:
I will say to God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?


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[As] with a sword in my bones, my enemies reproach me; while they say daily to me, Where [is] thy God?


text:
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, [who is] the health of my countenance, and my God.


text:
Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.


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For thou [art] the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?


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O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me to thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.


text:
Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my exceeding joy: yes, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.


text:
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, [who] is the health of my countenance, and my God.


text:
To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, Maschil. We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, [what] work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.


text:
[How] thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and didst plant them; [how] thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.


text:
For they obtained not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thy arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favor to them.


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Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name we will tread them under that rise up against us.


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All this is come upon us; yet we have not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.


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Though thou hast severely broke us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shades of death.


text:
To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A Song of loves. My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made concerning the king: my tongue [is] the pen of a ready writer.


text:
Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.


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And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness [and] righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.


text:
Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.


text:
All thy garments [smell] of myrrh, and aloes, [and] cassia, out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made thee glad.


text:
Kings daughters [were] among thy honorable women: upon thy right hand stood the queen in gold of Ophir.


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Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thy ear; forget also thy own people, and thy father's house;


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And the daughter of Tyre [shall be there] with a gift; [even] the rich among the people shall entreat thy favor.


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She shall be brought to the king in raiment of needle-work: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought to thee.


text:
I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.


text:
To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God [is] our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.


text:
Therefore will we not fear, though the earth shall be removed, and though the mountains shall be carried into the midst of the sea;


text:
[Though] its waters shall roar [and] be disturbed, [though] the mountains shake with the swelling of it. Selah.


text:
[There is] a river, the streams of which shall make glad the city of God, the holy [place] of the tabernacles of the Most High.


text:
He maketh wars to cease to the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear asunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.


text:
Be still, and know that I [am] God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.


text:
To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. O clap your hands, all ye people; shout to God with the voice of triumph.


text:
The princes of the people are assembled, [even] the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth [belong] to God: he is greatly exalted.


text:
A Song [and] Psalm for the sons of Korah. Great [is] the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, [in] the mountain of his holiness.


text:
Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, [is] mount Zion, [on] the sides of the north, the city of the great King.


text:
As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah.


text:
According to thy name, O God, so [is] thy praise to the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness.


text:
To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. Hear this, all [ye] people; give ear, all [ye] inhabitants of the world:


text:
For he seeth [that] wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.


text:
Their inward thought [is], [that] their houses [shall continue] for ever, [and] their dwelling places to all generations; they call [their] lands after their own names.


text:
Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.


text:
Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and [men] will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself.


text:
A Psalm of Asaph. The mighty God, [even] the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising to the setting of the sun.


text:
Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous around him.


text:
Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I [am] God, [even] thy God.


text:
I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt-offerings, [to have been] continually before me.


text:
But to the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or [that] thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?


text:
These [things] hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether [such an one] as thyself: [but] I will reprove thee, and set [them] in order before thine eyes.


text:
Whoever offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth [his] deportment [aright] will I show the salvation of God.


text:
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bath-sheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness: according to the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.


text:
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done [this] evil in thy sight: that thou mayest be justified when thou speakest, [and] be clear when thou judgest.


text:
Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden [part] thou shalt make me to know wisdom.


text:
Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: [and] my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.


text:
The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.


text:
Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt-offering and whole burnt-offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thy altar.


text:
To the chief Musician, Maschil, [A Psalm] of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said to him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech. Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God [endureth] continually.


text:
God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of [thy] dwelling-place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.


text:
Lo, [this is] the man [that] made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, [and] strengthened himself in his wickedness.


text:
But I [am] like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.


text:
I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done [it]: and I will wait on thy name; for [it is] good before thy saints.


text:
To the chief Musician upon Mahalath, Maschil, [A Psalm] of David. The fool hath said in his heart, [There is] no God. They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity: [there is] none that doeth good.


text:
God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were [any] that did understand, that did seek God.


text:
Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; [there is] none that doeth good, no, not one.


text:
Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people [as] they eat bread! they have not called upon God.


text:
There they were in great fear, [where] no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth [against] thee: thou hast put [them] to shame, because God hath despised them.


text:
O that the salvation of Israel [were come] out of Zion! when God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, [and] Israel shall be glad.


text:
To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, [A Psalm] of David, when the Ziphims came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us? Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength.


text:
For strangers have risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them. Selah.


text:
To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, [A Psalm] of David. Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication.


text:
Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me.


text:
For [it was] not an enemy [that] reproached me; then I could have borne [it]: neither [was it] he that hated me [that] magnified [himself] against me; then I would have hid myself from him:


text:
Let death seize upon them, [and] let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness [is] in their dwellings, [and] among them.


text:
He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle [that was] against me: for there were many with me.


text:
God will hear and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.


text:
[The words] of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war [was] in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet [were] they drawn swords.


text:
Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he will sustain thee: he will never suffer the righteous to be moved.


text:
But thou, O God, wilt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.


text:
To the chief Musician upon Jonathelem-rechokim, Michtam of David, when the Philistines took him in Gath. Be merciful to me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me.


text:
My enemies would daily swallow [me] up: for [they are] many that fight against me, O thou Most High.


text:
For thou hast delivered my soul from death: [wilt thou] not [deliver] my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?


text:
To the chief Musician, Al-taschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave. Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yes, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until [these] calamities are overpast.


text:
He shall send from heaven, and save me [from] the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.


text:
My soul [is] among lions: [and] I lie [even among] them that are set on fire, [even] the sons of men, whose teeth [are] spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.


text:
They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst of which they have fallen [themselves]. Selah.


text:
To the chief Musician, Al-taschith, Michtam of David. Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?


text:
Their poison [is] like the poison of a serpent: [they are] like the deaf adder [that] stoppeth her ear;


text:
Let them melt away as waters [which] run continually: [when] he bendeth [his bow to shoot] his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.


text:
As a snail [which] melteth, let [every one of them] pass away: [like] the untimely birth of a woman, [that] they may not see the sun.


text:
Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in [his] wrath.


text:
The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.


text:
So that a man shall say, Verily [there is] a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.


text:
To the chief Musician, Al-taschith, Michtam of David; when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him. Deliver me from my enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me.


text:
For lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not [for] my transgression, nor [for] my sin, O LORD.


text:
Thou therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah.


text:
Behold, they belch out with their mouth: swords [are] in their lips: for who, [say they], doth hear?


text:
Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield.


text:
[For] the sin of their mouth [and] the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying [which] they speak.


text:
Consume [them] in wrath, consume [them], that they [may] not [be]: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah.


text:
But I will sing of thy power; yes, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.


text:
To the chief Musician upon Shushan-eduth, Michtam of David, to teach; when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, when Joab returned, and smote of Edom in the valley of salt twelve thousand. O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, thou hast been displeased; O turn thyself to us again.


text:
Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.


text:
God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and measure out the valley of Succoth.


text:
Gilead [is] mine, and Manasseh [is] mine; Ephraim also [is] the strength of my head; Judah [is] my lawgiver;


text:
[Wilt] thou not, O God, [who] hadst cast us off? and [thou], O God, [who] didst not go out with our armies?


text:
From the end of the earth will I cry to thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock [that] is higher than I.


text:
To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David. Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him [cometh] my salvation.


text:
How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall [shall ye be], [and as] a tottering fence.


text:
They only consult to cast [him] down from his excellence: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.


text:
Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God [is] a refuge for us. Selah.


text:
Surely men of low degree [are] vanity, [and] men of high degree [are] a lie: to be laid in the balance, they [are] altogether [lighter] than vanity.


text:
Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart [upon them].


text:
A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, thou [art] my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;


text:
My soul shall be satisfied as [with] marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise [thee] with joyful lips:


text:
But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.


text:
To the chief Musician, a Psalm of David. Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.


text:
Who whet their tongue like a sword, [and] bend [their bows to shoot] their arrows, [even] bitter words:


text:
They encourage themselves [in] an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who will see them?


text:
They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward [thought] of every one [of them], and the heart, [is] deep.


text:
And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.


text:
The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.


text:
To the chief Musician, A Psalm [and] Song of David. Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion: and to thee shall the vow be performed.


text:
Blessed [is the man whom] thou choosest, and causest to approach [to thee], [that] he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, [even] of thy holy temple.


text:
[By] terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; [who art] the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off [upon] the sea:


text:
They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.


text:
Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, [which] is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.


text:
Thou waterest the ridges of it abundantly: thou settlest the furrows of it: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing of it.


text:
The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.


text:
Say to God, How terrible [art thou in] thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thy enemies submit themselves to thee.


text:
He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.


text:
Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy [place].


text:
I will offer to thee burnt-sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah.


text:
To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm [or] Song. God be merciful to us, and bless us; [and] cause his face to shine upon us. Selah.


text:
O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.


text:
To the chief Musician, A Psalm [or] Song of David. Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.


text:
As smoke is driven away, [so] drive [them] away: as wax melteth before the fire, [so] let the wicked perish at the presence of God.


text:
Sing to God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.


text:
God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those who are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry [land].


text:
O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah:


text:
The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: [even] Sinai itself [was moved] at the presence of God, the God of Israel.


text:
Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, by which thou didst confirm thy inheritance, when it was weary.


text:
Though ye have lain among the pots, [yet shall ye be as] the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.


text:
Why leap ye, ye lofty hills? [this is] the hill [which] God desireth to dwell in; yes, the LORD will dwell [in it] for ever.


text:
The chariots of God [are] twenty thousand, [even] thousands of angels: the Lord [is] among them, [as in] Sinai, in the holy [place].


text:
Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yes, [for] the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell [among them].


text:
Blessed [be] the Lord, [who] daily loadeth us [with benefits], [even] the God of our salvation. Selah.


text:
But God will wound the head of his enemies, [and] the hairy scalp of such one as goeth on still in his trespasses.


text:
The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring [my people] again from the depths of the sea.


text:
The singers went before, the players on instruments [followed] after; among [them were] the damsels playing with timbrels.


text:
There [is] little Benjamin [with] their ruler, the princes of Judah [and] their counsel, the princes of Zebulun, [and] the princes of Naphtali.


text:
Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, [till every one shall] submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people [that] delight in war.


text:
To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, [which were] of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, [and that] a mighty voice.


text:
O God, [thou art] terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel [is] he that giveth strength and power to [his] people. Blessed [be] God.


text:
To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, [A Psalm] of David. Save me, O God; for the waters are come in to [my] soul.


text:
I sink in deep mire, where [there is] no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.


text:
They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head: they that would destroy me, [being] my enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored [that] which I took not away.


text:
Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.


text:
For the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee have fallen upon me.


text:
But as for me, my prayer [is] to thee, O LORD, [in] an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.


text:
Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.


text:
Let not the water-flood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.


text:
Hear me, O LORD; for thy loving-kindness [is] good: turn to me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.


text:
Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked [for some] to take pity, but [there was] none; and for comforters, but I found none.


text:
Let their table become a snare before them: and [that which should have been] for [their] welfare, [let it become] a trap.


text:
For they persecute [him] whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded.


text:
For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession.


text:
To the chief Musician, [A Psalm] of David to bring to remembrance. [Make haste], O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O LORD.


text:
Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt.


text:
Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified.


text:
But I [am] poor and needy: make haste to me, O God: thou [art] my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no delay.


text:
Be thou my strong habitation, to which I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou [art] my rock and my fortress.


text:
By thee have I been sustained from my birth: thou art he that brought me into life: my praise [shall be] continually of thee.


text:
Let them be confounded [and] consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered [with] reproach and dishonor that seek my hurt.


text:
My mouth shall show forth thy righteousness [and] thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers [thereof].


text:
I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, [even] of thine only.


text:
Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not; until I have shown thy strength to [this] generation, [and] thy power to every one [that] is to come.


text:
Thy righteousness also, O God, [is] very high, who hast done great things: O God, who [is] like to thee!


text:
[Thou], who hast shown me great and severe troubles, wilt revive me again, and wilt bring me again from the depths of the earth.


text:
I will also praise thee with the psaltery, [even] thy truth, O my God: to thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.


text:
My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought to shame, that seek my hurt.


text:
He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.


text:
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.


text:
He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall be their blood in his sight.


text:
And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; [and] daily shall he be praised.


text:
There shall be a handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit of it shall shake like Lebanon: and [they] of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.


text:
His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and [men] shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.


text:
And blessed [be] his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled [with] his glory; Amen, and amen.


text:
For lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go astray from thee.


text:
But [it is] good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.


text:
Maschil of Asaph. O God, why hast thou cast [us] off for ever? [why] doth thy anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?


text:
Remember thy congregation, [which] thou hast purchased of old: the rod of thy inheritance, [which] thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion, in which thou hast dwelt.


text:
Lift up thy feet to the perpetual desolations; [even] all [that] the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.


text:
They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled [by casting down] the dwelling-place of thy name to the ground.


text:
They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land.


text:
We see not our signs: [there is] no more any prophet: neither [is there] among us any that knoweth how long.


text:
Thou didst break the head of leviathan in pieces, [and] didst give him [to be] food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.


text:
O deliver not the soul of thy turtle dove to the multitude [of the wicked]: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.


text:
Have respect to the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.


text:
Forget not the voice of thy enemies: the tumult of those that rise against thee increaseth continually.


text:
To the chief Musician, Al-taschith, A Psalm [or] Song of Asaph. To thee, O God, do we give thanks, [to thee] do we give thanks: for [that] thy name is near, thy wondrous works declare.


text:
For in the hand of the LORD [there is] a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture, and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs of it all the wicked of the earth shall wring [them] out, [and] drink [them].


text:
To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm [or] Song of Asaph. In Judah [is] God known: his name [is] great in Israel.


text:
The stout-hearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep: and none of the men of might have found their hands.


text:
Vow, and pay to the LORD your God: let all that are about him bring presents to him that ought to be feared.


text:
To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun, A Psalm of Asaph. I cried to God with my voice, [even] to God with my voice; and he gave ear to me.


text:
In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.


text:
I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with my own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.


text:
And I said, This [is] my infirmity: [but I will remember] the years of the right hand of the Most High.


text:
The voice of thy thunder [was] in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.


text:
We will not hide [them] from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.


text:
For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:


text:
That the generation to come might know [them], [even] the children [who] should be born; [who] should arise and declare [them] to their children:


text:
And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation [that] set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God.


text:
Marvelous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, [in] the field of Zoan.


text:
Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?


text:
Therefore the LORD heard [this], and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;


text:
The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen [men] of Israel.


text:
But he, [being] full of compassion, forgave [their] iniquity, and destroyed [them] not: yes, many a time he turned his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.


text:
He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels [among them].


text:
He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;


text:
And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, [even to] this mountain, [which] his right hand had purchased.


text:
He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.


text:
But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.


text:
For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.


text:
From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.


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So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.


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A Psalm of Asaph. O God, the heathen have come into thy inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.


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The dead bodies of thy servants have they given [to be] food to the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints, to the beasts of the earth.


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Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.


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O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily succor us: for we are brought very low.


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Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake.


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Why should the heathen say, Where [is] their God? let him be known among the heathen in our sight [by] avenging the blood of thy servants [which is] shed.


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Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die;


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And render to our neighbors seven-fold into their bosom their reproach, with which they have reproached thee, O Lord.


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So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will show forth thy praise to all generations.


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To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim Eduth, A Psalm of Asaph. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest [between] the cherubim, shine forth.


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And the vineyard which thy right hand planted, and the branch [that] thou madest strong for thyself.


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Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man [whom] thou madest strong for thyself.


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To the chief Musician upon Gittith, [A Psalm]  of Asaph. Sing aloud to God our strength: make a joyful noise to the God of Jacob.


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This he ordained in Joseph [for] a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: [where] I heard a language [that] I understood not.


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Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.


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I [am] the LORD thy God who brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.


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The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves to him: and their time should have endured for ever.


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He would have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock I should have satisfied thee.


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They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.


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A song, [or] Psalm of Asaph. Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.


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They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from [being] a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.


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That [men] may know that thou, whose name alone [is] JEHOVAH, [art] the most high over all the earth.


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To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. How amiable [are] thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!


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My soul longeth, and even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.


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Yes, the sparrow hath found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, [even] thy altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God.


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


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


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To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. LORD, thou hast been favorable to thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.


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


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


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


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


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But thou, O Lord, [art] a God full of compassion, and gracious; long-suffering, and abundant in mercy and truth.


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


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Show me a token for good; that they who hate me may see [it], and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast helped me, and comforted me.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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For who in the heaven can be compared to the LORD? [who] among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the LORD?


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


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


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The heavens [are] thine, the earth also [is] thine: [as for] the world, and the fullness of it, thou hast founded them.


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


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Then thou didst speak in vision to thy holy one, and say, I have laid help upon [one that is] mighty; I have exalted [one] chosen out of the people.


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


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


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


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


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With which thy enemies have reproached, O LORD; with which they have reproached the footsteps of thy anointed


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


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


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


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The days of our years [are] seventy years; and if by reason of strength [they are] eighty years, yet [is] their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.


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Make us glad according to the days [in which] thou hast afflicted us, [and] the years [in which] we have seen evil.


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


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


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[Nor] for the pestilence [that] walketh in darkness; [nor] for the destruction [that] wasteth at noon-day.


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


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


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


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


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A Psalm [or] Song for the sabbath day. [It is a] good [thing] to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to thy name, O Most High.


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


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


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


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


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


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The LORD on high [is] mightier than the noise of many waters, [yes], [than] the mighty waves of the sea.


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[How long] shall they utter [and] speak hard things? [and] all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?


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


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Who will rise up for me against the evil-doers? [or] who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?


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And he will bring upon them their own iniquity, and will cut them off in their own wickedness; [yes], the LORD our God will cut them off.


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


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Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, [and] as [in] the day of temptation in the wilderness:


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


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


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Let the field be joyful, and all that [is] in it: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the LORD:


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For he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he will judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.


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


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


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


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A Psalm. O sing to the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvelous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.


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


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


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


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The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he setteth [between] the cherubim; let the earth be moved.


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


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


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He spoke to them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance [that] he gave them.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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Hide not thy face from me in the day [when] I am in trouble; incline thy ear to me: in the day [when] I call, answer me speedily.


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Thou shalt arise, [and] have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favor her, yes, the set time, is come.


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


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For he hath looked down from the hight of his sanctuary; from heaven hath the LORD beheld the earth;


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


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They shall perish, but thou wilt endure: yes, all of them shall grow old like a garment; as a vesture wilt thou change them, and they shall be changed:


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


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


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


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Who coverest [thyself] with light as [with] a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:


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


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


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


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


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


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[So is] this great and wide sea, in which [are] creeping animals innumerable, both small and great beasts.


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


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


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


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Remember me, O LORD, with the favor [that thou bearest to] thy people: O visit me with thy salvation;


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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Whoever [is] wise, and will observe these [things], even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the LORD.


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


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Gilead [is] mine; Manasseh [is] mine; Ephraim also [is] the strength of my head; Judah [is] my lawgiver;


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[Wilt] not [thou], O God, [who] hast cast us off? and wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our armies?


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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Let it be to him as the garment [which] covereth him, and for a girdle with which he is girded continually.


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


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


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


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A Psalm of David. The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thy enemies thy footstool.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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The heaven, [even] the heavens, [are] the LORD'S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.


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The sorrows of death encompassed me, and the pains of hell came upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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God [is] the LORD, who hath shown us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, [even] to the horns of the altar.


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


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


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


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Therefore I esteem all [thy] precepts [concerning] all [things to be] right; [and] I hate every false way.


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Thy word [is] true [from] the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments [endureth] for ever.


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


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


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


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Our soul hath escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare [is] broken, and we have escaped.


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


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


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


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


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


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He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless return with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves [with him].


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A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD shall build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the LORD shall keep the city, the watchman waketh in vain.


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


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


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Thy wife [shall be] as a fruitful vine by the sides of thy house: thy children like olive plants around thy table.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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A Song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant [it is] for brethren to dwell together in unity!


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


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


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A Song of degrees. Behold, bless ye the LORD, all [ye] servants of the LORD, who by night stand in the house of the LORD.


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


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


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


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


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Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Raze [it], raze [it], [even] to its foundation.


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


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[A Psalm] of David. I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise to thee.


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I will worship towards thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.


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


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


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


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


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


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Thy eyes saw my substance, yet being imperfect; and in thy book all [my members] were written, [which] in continuance were fashioned, when [as yet there was] none of them.


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[If] I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth [wood] upon the earth.


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Maschil of David; a prayer when he was in the cave. I cried to the LORD with my voice; with my voice to the LORD I made my supplication.


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


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


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


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


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A Psalm of David. Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, [and] in thy righteousness.


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


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


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Cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way in which I should walk; for I lift up my soul to thee.


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


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


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[A Psalm] of David. Blessed [be] the LORD my strength, who teacheth my hands to war, [and] my fingers to fight;


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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Happy [is that] people, that is in such a case: [yes], happy [is that] people, whose God [is] the LORD.


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David's [Psalm] of praise. I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.


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


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Who executeth judgment for the oppressed: who giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners:


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she impelled him.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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A hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbor: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoreth himself, and is destitute of bread.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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Whoever despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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He that goeth about as a tale-bearer revealeth secrets; therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.


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


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


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


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


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Whoever stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.


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


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


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


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


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For it is a pleasant thing if thou keepest them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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He that keepeth the fig-tree shall eat the fruit of it: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honored.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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The rich man is wise in his own conceit; but the poor man that hath understanding searcheth him out.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spoke to Ithiel, even to Ithiel and Ucal,


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


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


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


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There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet are not washed from their filthiness.


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


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The horse-leech hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yes, four things say not, It is enough:


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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Yes, I hated all my labor which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it to the man that shall be after me.


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And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labor in which I have labored, and in which I have showed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.


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


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For what hath man of all his labor, and of the vexation of his heart, in which he hath labored under the sun?


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


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


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


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


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A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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And if one prevaileth against him, two shall withstand him; and a three-fold cord is not quickly broken.


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


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


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\5:1\Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.


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\5:2\Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.


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\5:3\For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by a multitude of words.


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\5:4\When thou vowest a vow to God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.


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\5:6\Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: why should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands?


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\5:7\For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.


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\5:8\If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perversion of judgment and justice in a province, wonder not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there are higher than they.


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\5:10\He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.


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\5:11\When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners of them, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?


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\5:12\The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eateth little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.


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\5:13\There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners of them to their hurt.


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\5:14\But those riches perish by evil labor: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.


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\5:15\As he came into the world, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labor, which he may carry away in his hand.


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\5:16\And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath labored for the wind?


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\5:18\Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.


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\5:19\Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat of it, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.


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\5:20\For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?


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It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.


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


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


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


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


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


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It is good that thou shouldst take hold of this; yes, also from this withdraw not thy hand: for he that feareth God shall escape from them all.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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Though a sinner doeth evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet surely I know that it will be well with them that fear God, who fear before him:


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth an offensive odor: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor.


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


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If the spirit of the ruler riseth against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offenses.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor the structure of the parts of conception in her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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Thy neck is like the tower of David built for an armory, on which hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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I have come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh, with my spice; I have eaten my honey-comb with my honey; I have drank my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yes, drink abundantly, O beloved.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thy eyes like the fish-pools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath-rabbim: thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh towards Damascus.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; he let out the vineyard to keepers; every one for the fruit of it was to bring a thousand pieces of silver.


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


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The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.


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Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.


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The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.


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Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger, they are gone away backward.


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Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.


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From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.


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Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.


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And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.


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Except the LORD of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom; we should have been like Gomorrah.


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Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.


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To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats.


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Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination to me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot endure; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.


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Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble to me; I am weary to bear them.


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And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you: yes, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.


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Wash ye, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil;


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Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be white as snow, though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.


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But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.


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How is the faithful city become a harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.


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Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come to them.


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Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of my adversaries, and avenge me of my enemies:


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And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counselors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.


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And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.


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For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.


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And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.


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And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mount of the LORD'S house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it.


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And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.


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And he will judge among the nations, and will rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plow-shares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.


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Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they are replenished from the east, and are sooth-sayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.


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Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots:


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Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:


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Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty.


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The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be abased, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.


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For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:


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And the loftiness of man shall be abased, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.


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And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.


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In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;


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To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.


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For behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the rod and the staff, the whole support of bread, and the whole support of water,


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The captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counselor, and the skillful artificer, and the eloquent orator.


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And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor: the child shall behave himself proudly against the elder, and the base against the honorable.


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When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand:


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In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be a healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.


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For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory.


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The show of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe to their soul! for they have rewarded evil to themselves.


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Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.


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As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they who lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.


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The LORD will enter into judgment with the elders of his people, and with their princes: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.


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What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.


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Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with extended necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:


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Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will uncover their secret parts.


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In that day the Lord will take away the show of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon.


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And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be an offensive odor; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.


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And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.


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In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that have escaped of Israel.


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And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:


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When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst of it by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.


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And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defense.


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And there shall be a tabernacle for a shade in the day time from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.


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Now will I sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved concerning his vineyard. My well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:


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And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones of it, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a wine-press therein: and he expected that it would bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.


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And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.


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What more could have been done to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? Why, when I expected that it would bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?


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And now come; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall of it, and it shall be trodden down:


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And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.


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For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.


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Woe to them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there is no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!


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In my ears said the LORD of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.


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Woe to them that rise early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflameth them!


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And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands.


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Therefore my people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.


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Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.


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And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be abased.


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But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.


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Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat.


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That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!


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Woe to them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!


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Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.


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Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills trembled, and their carcasses were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.


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And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from afar, and will hiss to them from the end of the earth: and behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:


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None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:


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Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses' hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:


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Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yes, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.


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And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one looketh to the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in its heavens.


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In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and elevated, and his train filled the temple.


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Above it stood seraphim: each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.


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And one cried to another, and said, Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.


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And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.


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Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.


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Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:


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And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thy iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.


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Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.


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And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.


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Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.


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Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities shall be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate;


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And the LORD shall have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.


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But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil-tree, and as an oak whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance of it.


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And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up towards Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.


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And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.


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Then said the LORD to Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shear-jashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field;


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And say to him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be faint-hearted for the two tails of these smoking fire-brands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.


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Let us go up against Judah, and harass it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal:


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For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within sixty five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people.


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And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.


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And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David? Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?


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Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.


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For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken by both her kings.


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The LORD will bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father's house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria.


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And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD will hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.


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And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes.


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In the same day will the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, namely, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet: and it shall also consume the beard.


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And it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk that they shall give, he shall eat butter: for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the land.


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And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place shall be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand pieces of silver, it shall even be for briers and thorns.


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With arrows and with bows shall men come thither; because all the land shall become briers and thorns.


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And on all hills that shall be digged with the mattock, there shall not come thither the fear of briers and thorns: but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and for the treading of lesser cattle.


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Moreover, the LORD said to me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Maher-shalal-hash-baz.


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And I took to me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.


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And I went to the prophetess; and she conceived, and bore a son. Then said the LORD to me, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz.


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For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.


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Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's son;


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Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all its channels, and go over all its banks:


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And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the extension of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.


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Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces.


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Take counsel together, and it shall come to naught; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.


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For the LORD spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,


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Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.


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And he will be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for a trap and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.


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And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.


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Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwelleth in mount Zion.


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And when they shall say to you, Seek to them that have familiar spirits, and to wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek to their God? for the living to the dead?


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To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.


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And they shall pass through it, distressed and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.


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And they shall look to the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.


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Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her distress, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.


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The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shades of death, upon them hath the light shined.


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Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.


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For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.


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For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.


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For to us a child is born, to us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.


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Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.


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And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart,


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The bricks have fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones; the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.


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The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.


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Therefore the Lord will have no joy in their young men, neither will have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is a hypocrite and an evil-doer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.


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For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the rising of smoke.


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Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother.


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And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm:


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Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh: and they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.


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Woe to them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed;


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To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!


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And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?


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Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.


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I will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.


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Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.


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As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images excelled them of Jerusalem and of Samaria;


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Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.


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For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man:


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And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.


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Shall the ax boast itself against him that heweth with it? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that moveth it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it, or as if the staff should lift itself, as if it were no wood.


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Therefore will the Lord, the LORD of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he will kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.


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And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day;


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And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standard-bearer fainteth.


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And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as have escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again lean upon him that smote them; but shall lean upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.


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For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.


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Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt.


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And the LORD of hosts will raise up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and as his rod was upon the sea, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt.


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And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.


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They have gone over the passage: they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah is afraid; Gibeah of Saul hath fled.


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As yet shall he remain at Nob that day: he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.


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Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts will lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.


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And he shall cut down the thickets of the forests with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.


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And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots:


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And the spirit of the LORD will rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;


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And will make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he will not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:


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But with righteousness will he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he will smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips will he slay the wicked.


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The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.


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And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.


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And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the den of the basilisk.


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They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.


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And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.


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And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the isles of the sea.


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And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.


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The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not distress Ephraim.


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But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines towards the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.


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And the LORD will utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind will he shake his hand over the river, and will smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dry shod.


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And there shall be a highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; as it was to Israel in the day that he came up from the land of Egypt.


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And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thy anger is turned away, and thou hast comforted me.


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Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.


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And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.


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Cry aloud and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.


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Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice to them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.


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I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for my anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.


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The noise of a multitude in the mountains, as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations assembled: the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.


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They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.


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And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.


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Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he will destroy its sinners out of it.


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For the stars of heaven and its constellations shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.


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And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.


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Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.


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And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one to his own land.


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Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined to them shall fall by the sword.


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Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be plundered, and their wives ravished.


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Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.


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Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.


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And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellence, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.


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It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.


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But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.


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And the wild beasts of the isles shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.


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For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.


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And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.


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And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage in which thou wast made to serve,


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That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!


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He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.


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Yes, the fir-trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.


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Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.


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Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.


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How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!


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For thou hast said in thy heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:


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They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that shook kingdoms:


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That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed its cities; that opened not the house of his prisoners?


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But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcass trodden under feet.


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Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evil-doers shall never be renowned.


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Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they may not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.


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For I will arise against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD.


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I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts.


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The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand.


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That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.


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This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched over all the nations.


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For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?


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Rejoice not thou, all Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a basilisk, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.


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And the first-born of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.


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Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, all Palestina, art dissolved: for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times.


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What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That the LORD hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.


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The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence;


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He is gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, the high places, to weep: Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba: on all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard shorn.


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In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth: on the tops of their houses, and in their streets, every one shall howl, weeping abundantly.


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And Heshbon shall cry, and Elealeh: their voice shall be heard even to Jahaz: therefore the armed soldiers of Moab shall cry out; his life shall be grievous to him.


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My heart shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives shall flee to Zoar, a heifer of three years old: for they shall go up the ascent of Luhith with weeping; for in the way of Horonaim they shall raise a cry of destruction.


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For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate: for the herb is withered away, the grass faileth, there is no green thing.


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Therefore the abundance they have gained, and that which they have laid up, shall they carry away to the brook of the willows.


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For the cry hath gone round the borders of Moab, her howling to Eglaim, and her howling to Beer-elim.


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For the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood: for I will bring more upon Dimon, lions upon him that escapeth of Moab, and upon the remnant of the land.


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Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land from Sela to the wilderness, to the mount of the daughter of Zion.


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For it shall be, that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon.


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Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noon-day; hide the outcasts; discover not him that wandereth.


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Let my outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land.


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And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.


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We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud: even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: but his lies shall not be so.


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Therefore shall Moab howl for Moab, every one shall howl: for the foundations of Kir-hareseth shall ye mourn; surely they are stricken.


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For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down her principal plants, they have come even to Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are extended, they have gone over the sea.


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Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen.


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And gladness is taken away, and joy from the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage-shouting to cease.


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And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail.


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But now the LORD hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of a hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.


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The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.


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The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.


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The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the LORD of hosts.


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And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be diminished, and the fatness of his flesh shall become lean.


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And it shall be as when the harvest-man gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim.


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Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive-tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches of it, saith the LORD God of Israel.


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At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel.


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And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images.


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In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough, and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel: and there shall be desolation.


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Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with foreign slips:


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In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.


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Woe to the multitude of many people, who make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!


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The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God will rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.


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And behold at the time of evening trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that ravage us, and the lot of them that rob us.


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That sendeth embassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation measured by line and trodden down, whose land the rivers have laid waste.


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All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.


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For so the LORD said to me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling-place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.


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For before the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning-hooks, and take away and cut down the branches.


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They shall be left together to the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them.


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In that time shall the present be brought to the LORD of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation measured by line and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, the mount Zion.


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The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and will come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.


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And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbor; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.


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And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst of her, and I will destroy her counsel: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.


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And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts.


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And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defense shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither.


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The paper-reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more.


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The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.


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Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counselors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye to Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?


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Where are they? where are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the LORD of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt.


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The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the support of its tribes.


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The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst of it: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work of it, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.


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In that day shall Egypt be like women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it.


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And the land of Judah shall be a terror to Egypt, every one that maketh mention of it shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts, which he hath determined against it.


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In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction.


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In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at its border to the LORD.


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And it shall be for a sign and for a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry to the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a savior, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.


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And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yes, they shall vow a vow to the LORD, and perform it.


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And the LORD will smite Egypt: he will smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the LORD, and he will be entreated by them, and will heal them.


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In that day shall there be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians.


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In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land:


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Whom the LORD of hosts will bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.


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In the year that Tartan came to Ashdod, (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it;


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At the same time spoke the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go, and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.


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And the LORD said, As my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Cush;


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So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Cushites captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their hind-parts uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.


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And the inhabitant of this isle shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria: and how shall we escape?


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The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.


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A grievous vision is declared to me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler plundereth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all her sighing have I made to cease.


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Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it.


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My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear to me.


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And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed:


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And he cried, a lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watch-tower in the day time, and I am set in my ward whole nights.


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And behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken to the ground.


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O my threshing, and the corn of my floor; that which I have heard from the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared to you.


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The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?


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The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ye: return, come.


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The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye traveling companies of Dedanim.


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The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they met with their bread him that fled.


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For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.


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For thus hath the Lord said to me, Within a year, according to the years of a hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail:


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And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the LORD God of Israel hath spoken it.


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The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou hast wholly gone up to the house-tops?


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Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.


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All thy rulers have fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, who have fled from far.


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Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labor not to comfort me, because of the devastation of the daughter of my people.


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For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.


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And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.


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And he uncovered the coverings of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armor of the house of the forest.


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Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye collected the waters of the lower pool.


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And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall.


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Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked to its maker, neither had respect to him that fashioned it long ago.


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And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:


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And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to-morrow we shall die.


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And it was revealed in my ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.


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Thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, Go, repair to this treasurer, even to Shebna, who is over the house, and say,


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What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulcher here, as he that heweth him out a sepulcher on high, and that graveth a habitation for himself in a rock?


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With violence he will surely turn and toss thee like a ball into a wide country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house.


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And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.


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And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.


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And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house.


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And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.


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In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it.


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The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.


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Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.


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And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations.


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Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish young men, nor bring up virgins.


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Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her far off to sojourn.


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Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traders are the honorable of the earth?


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The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth.


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He stretched his hand over the sea, he shook the kingdoms: the LORD hath given a commandment against the merchant city, to destroy its strong holds.


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And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon: arise, pass over to Chittim; there also shalt thou have no rest.


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Behold the land of the Chaldeans; this people was not, till the Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness: they set up its towers, they raised up its palaces; and he brought it to ruin.


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And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as a harlot.


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Take a harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.


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And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.


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And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the LORD: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the LORD, for sufficient food, and for durable clothing.


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Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad its inhabitants.


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And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of interest, so with the giver of interest to him.


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The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.


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The earth also is defiled under its inhabitants; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.


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Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell in it are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.


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When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive-tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done.


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They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea.


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Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea.


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From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe to me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yes, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.


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And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.


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The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression of it shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.


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And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.


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And they shall be gathered, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.


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Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign on mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.


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O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.


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For thou hast made of a city a heap; of a fortified city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.


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For thou hast been a defense to the poor, a defense to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.


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Thou wilt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shade of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low.


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And on this mountain will the LORD of hosts make to all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.


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And he will destroy on this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.


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He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people will he remove from all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.


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And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD, we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.


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For on this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill.


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And he will spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he will bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands.


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And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls will he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.


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In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.


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For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.


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Yes, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.


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With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yes, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.


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Let favor be shown to the wicked, yet he will not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness he will deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.


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LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yes, the fire of thy enemies shall devour them.


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O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us; but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.


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They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.


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Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, thou hast increased the nation; thou art glorified: thou hadst removed it far to all the ends of the earth.


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LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.


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As a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD.


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We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance on the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.


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Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.


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Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself as it were for a little moment until the indignation shall be overpast.


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For behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.


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In that day the LORD with his keen and great and strong sword will punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.


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I the LORD do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.


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Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together.


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Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me, and he shall make peace with me.


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He shall cause them that descend from Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.


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Hath he smitten him, as he smote those that smote him? or is he slain according to the slaughter of them that are slain by him?


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In measure, when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it: he stayeth his rough wind in the day of the east wind.


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By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalk-stones that are beaten asunder, the groves and images shall not stand up.


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Yet the fortified city shall be desolate, and the habitation forsaken, and left like a wilderness: there shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down, and consume its branches.


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When its boughs are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will show them no favor.


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And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall gather from the channel of the river to the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel.


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And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come who were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD on the holy mount at Jerusalem.


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Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower; who are on the head of the rich valleys of them that are overcome with wine!


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Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.


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And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the early fruit before the summer; which, when he that looketh upon it, seeth while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.


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In that day will the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, to the residue of his people,


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And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.


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But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are overwhelmed with wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.


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Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.


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For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:


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To whom he said, This is the rest with which ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.


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But the word of the LORD was to them, precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.


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Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we in agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not reach us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:


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Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.


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Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place.


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And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.


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From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.


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For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.


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For the LORD will rise as on mount Perazim, he will be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.


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Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.


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When he hath made even the face of it, doth he not cast abroad the vetches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat, and the appointed barley, and the rye in their place?


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For the vetches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart-wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the vetches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.


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Bread-corn is bruised; because he will not always be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.


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This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in operation.


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And I will encamp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee.


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And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.


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Moreover, the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yes, it shall be at an instant suddenly.


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Thou shalt be visited by the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.


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And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night-vision.


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It shall even be as when a hungry man dreameth, and behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.


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Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.


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For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.


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And the vision of all is become to you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:


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And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.


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Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precept of men:


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Therefore behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even an astonishing work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.


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Woe to them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?


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Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?


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Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?


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And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.


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The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.


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For the terrible one is brought to naught, and the scoffer is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off:


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That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of naught.


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Therefore thus saith the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now become pale.


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But when he seeth his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.


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They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.


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Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not from me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:


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That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shade of Egypt!


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Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shade of Egypt your confusion.


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They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be a help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach.


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The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the young and the old lion, the viper and flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them.


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For the Egyptian shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still.


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Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever:


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Who say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not to us right things, speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits:


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Withdraw from the way, turn aside from the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.


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Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and lean upon it:


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Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant.


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And he shall break it as the breaking of the potter's vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a piece to take fire from the hearth, or to take water out of the pit.


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For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.


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But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.


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One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on a hill.


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And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious to you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.


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For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious to thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.


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And though the Lord shall give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thy eyes shall see thy teachers:


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And thy ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.


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Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a polluted cloth; thou shalt say to it, Be gone from me.


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Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, with which thou shalt sow the ground; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.


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The oxen likewise and the young asses that plow the ground shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.


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And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.


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Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven-fold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.


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Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden of it is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:


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And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.


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Ye shall have a song, as in the night, when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come upon the mountain of the LORD, to the mighty One of Israel.


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And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall show the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones.


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And in every place where the grounded staff shall pass, which the LORD shall lay upon him, it shall be with tabrets and harps: and in battles of shaking will he fight with it.


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For Tophet is ordained of old; yes, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile of it is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.


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Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and rely on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not to the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!


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Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evil-doers, and against the help of them that work iniquity.


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Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is helped shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.


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For thus hath the LORD spoken to me, As the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so will the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.


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As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.


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For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made to you for a sin.


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Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited.


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And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.


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And a man shall be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as streams of water in a dry place, as the shade of a great rock in a weary land.


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The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.


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For the vile person will speak villainy, and his heart will work iniquity, to practice hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry; and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.


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The instruments also of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right.


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Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women: for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come.


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Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones: strip ye, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins.


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Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; also, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city:


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Because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks;


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Until the spirit shall be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness shall be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be counted for a forest.


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And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance for ever.


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And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting-places;


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Woe to thee that layest waste, and thou wast not laid waste; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to lay waste, thou shalt be wasted; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.


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O LORD, be gracious to us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.


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At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.


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And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpillar: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them.


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And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.


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The highways lie waste, the way-faring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.


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The earth mourneth and languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.


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The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?


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He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;


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He shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.


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Thy heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?


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Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.


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Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thy eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of its stakes shall ever be removed, neither shall any of its cords be broken.


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But there the glorious LORD will be to us a place of broad rivers and streams; in which shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass through it.


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Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey.


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And the inhabitants shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.


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Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is in it; the world, and all things that spring from it.


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For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter.


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Their slain also shall be cast out, and their ill smell shall come up from their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.


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And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their hosts shall fall down, as the leaf falleth from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig-tree.


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For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Edom, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.


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The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.


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And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be drenched with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.


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And its streams shall be turned into pitch, and its dust into brimstone, and its land shall become burning pitch.


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It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke of it shall ascend for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.


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But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.


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They shall call her nobles to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing.


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And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in her fortresses, and it shall be a habitation of dragons, and a court for owls.


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The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the isle, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech-owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.


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There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.


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Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.


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And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it to them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.


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The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose.


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It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice, even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellence of our God.


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Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.


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Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.


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And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.


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And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called, The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the way-faring men, though fools, shall not err therein.


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No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:


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And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.


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Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and took them.


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And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem against king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field.


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Then came forth to him Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, who was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph's son, the recorder.


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And Rabshakeh said to them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this in which thou trustest?


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I say, sayest thou (but they are but vain words) I have counsel and strength for war: now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?


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Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; on which if a man lean, it will enter his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him.


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But if thou shalt say to me, We trust in the LORD our God: is it not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar?


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Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou canst on thy part set riders upon them.


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And am I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it? the LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.


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Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah to Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and speak not to us in the Jew's language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.


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But Rabshakeh said, Hath my master sent me to thy master and to thee to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit upon the wall, that they may devour their vilest excretions with you?


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Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jew's language, and said, Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.


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Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, the LORD will surely deliver us: this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.


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Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me: and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig-tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern;


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Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.


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Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?


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Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?


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Who are they among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?


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But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.


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Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.


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And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.


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And they said to him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.


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It may be the LORD thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left.


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And Isaiah said to them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.


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Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumor, and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.


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So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he had departed from Lachish.


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And he heard it said concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, He is come forth to make war with thee. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,


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Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest, deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.


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Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them utterly; and shalt thou be delivered?


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Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed, as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden who were in Telassar?


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Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?


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And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.


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O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubim, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.


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Incline thy ear, O LORD, and hear; open thy eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent to reproach the living God.


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Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only.


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Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria:


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This is the word which the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and derided thee; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.


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Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed; and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted thy eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.


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By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots have I come up to the hight of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down its tall cedars, and its choice fir-trees: and I will enter into the hight of its border, and the forest of its Carmel.


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I have digged, and drank water; and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of the besieged places.


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Hast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it; and of ancient times, that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldst be to lay waste fortified cities into ruinous heaps.


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Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded: they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the house-tops, and as corn blasted before it is grown up.


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Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into my ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.


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And this shall be a sign to thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself; and the second year that which springeth of the same: and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.


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And the remnant that hath escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward:


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For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape from mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.


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Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a mound against it.


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Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and eighty five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.


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And it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Armenia: and Esar-haddon his son reigned in his stead.


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In those days was Hezekiah sick with a mortal disease. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thy house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.


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And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept bitterly.


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Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add to thy days fifteen years.


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And I will deliver thee and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.


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And this shall be a sign to thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken;


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Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which hath gone down on the sun-dial of Ahaz ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it had gone down.


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I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years.


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I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.


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My age hath departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.


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I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.


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Like a crane or a swallow, so I chattered: I mourned as a dove: my eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me.


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What shall I say? he hath both spoken to me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.


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O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.


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Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.


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For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.


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The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.


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The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.


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For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaster upon the boil, and he will recover.


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At that time Merodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and had recovered.


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And Hezekiah was glad of them, and showed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah did not show them.


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Then came Isaiah the prophet to king Hezekiah, and said to him, What said these men? and from whence came they to thee? and Hezekiah said, They have come to me from a far country, even from Babylon.


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Then said he, What have they seen in thy house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in my house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not showed them.


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Behold, the days come, that all that is in thy house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD.


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Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.


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Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry to her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received from the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.


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The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.


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Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.


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And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh together shall see it: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.


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The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all its goodliness is as the flower of the field:


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The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.


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O Zion, that bringest good tidings, go up upon the high mountain: O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God!


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Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm will rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.


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He will feed his flock like a shepherd: he will gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and will gently lead those that are with young.


