Day 318 of 730

¹Then came certain of the elders of Israel to me, and sat before me.

²The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

³"Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their heart, and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them?

⁴Therefore speak to them, and tell them, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Every man of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart, and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet; I the Lord will answer him therein according to the multitude of his idols;

⁵that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols."'

⁶"Therefore tell the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Return, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.

⁷For everyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who live in Israel, who separates himself from me, and takes his idols into his heart, and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet to inquire for himself of me; I the Lord will answer him by myself:

⁸and I will set my face against that man, and will make him an astonishment, for a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and you shall know that I am the Lord.

⁹"'"If the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, the Lord, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand on him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

¹⁰They shall bear their iniquity: the iniquity of the prophet shall be even as the iniquity of him who seeks him;

¹¹that the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither defile themselves any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God," says the Lord God.'"

¹²The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

¹³"Son of man, when a land sins against me by committing a trespass, and I stretch out my hand on it, and break the staff of its bread, and send famine on it, and cut off from it man and animal;

¹⁴though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, says the Lord God."

¹⁵"If I cause evil animals to pass through the land, and they ravage it, and it be made desolate, so that no man may pass through because of the animals;

¹⁶though these three men were in it, as I live," says the Lord God, "they should deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only should be delivered, but the land should be desolate.

¹⁷"Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, 'Sword, go through the land'; so that I cut off from it man and animal;

¹⁸though these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only should be delivered themselves.

¹⁹"Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my wrath on it in blood, to cut off from it man and animal;

²⁰though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they should deliver neither son nor daughter; they should but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

²¹"For thus says the Lord God: 'How much more when I send my four severe judgments on Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the evil animals, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and animal!

²²Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be carried forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth to you, and you shall see their way and their doings; and you shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought on Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought on it.

²³They shall comfort you, when you see their way and their doings; and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it,' says the Lord God."

¹The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

²"Son of man, what is the vine tree more than any tree, the vine-branch which is among the trees of the forest?

³Shall wood be taken of it to make any work? Or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?

⁴Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire has devoured both its ends, and its midst is burned: is it profitable for any work?

⁵Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less, when the fire has devoured it, and it is burned, shall it yet be meet for any work!

⁶"Therefore thus says the Lord God: 'As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

⁷I will set my face against them; they shall go forth from the fire, but the fire shall devour them; and you shall know that I am the Lord, when I set my face against them.

⁸I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass,' says the Lord God."

¹I love you, Lord, my strength.

²The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.

³I call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; and I am saved from my enemies.

⁴The cords of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

⁵The cords of Sheol were around me. The snares of death came on me.

⁶In my distress I called on the Lord, and cried to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple. My cry before him came into his ears.

⁷Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken, because he was angry.

⁸Smoke went out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. Coals were kindled by it.

⁹He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet.

¹⁰He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.

¹¹He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion around him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

¹²At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.

¹³The Lord also thundered in the sky. The Most High uttered his voice: hailstones and coals of fire.

¹⁴He sent out his arrows, and scattered them; Yes, great lightning bolts, and routed them.

¹⁵Then the channels of waters appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, Lord, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

¹⁶He sent from on high. He took me. He drew me out of many waters.

¹⁷He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.

¹⁸They came on me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support.

¹⁹He brought me forth also into a large place. He delivered me, because he delighted in me.

²⁰The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands has he recompensed me.

²¹For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

²²For all his ordinances were before me. I did not put away his statutes from me.

²³I was also blameless with him. I kept myself from my iniquity.

²⁴Therefore the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

²⁵With the merciful you will show yourself merciful. With the perfect man, you will show yourself perfect.

²⁶With the pure, you will show yourself pure. With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.

²⁷For you will save the afflicted people, but the haughty eyes you will bring down.

²⁸For you will light my lamp, Lord. My God will light up my darkness.

²⁹For by you, I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall.

³⁰As for God, his way is perfect. The word of the Lord is tried. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.

³¹For who is God, except the Lord? Who is a rock, besides our God,

³²the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect?

³³He makes my feet like deer's feet, and sets me on my high places.

³⁴He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.

³⁵You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand sustains me. Your gentleness has made me great.

³⁶You have enlarged my steps under me, My feet have not slipped.

³⁷I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them. Neither will I turn again until they are consumed.

³⁸I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise. They shall fall under my feet.

³⁹For you have girded me with strength to the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

⁴⁰You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.

⁴¹They cried, but there was none to save; even to the Lord, but he did not answer them.

⁴²Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind. I cast them out as the mire of the streets.

⁴³You have delivered me from the strivings of the people. You have made me the head of the nations. A people whom I have not known shall serve me.

⁴⁴As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me. The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.

⁴⁵The foreigners shall fade away, and shall come trembling out of their close places.

⁴⁶The Lord lives; and blessed be my rock. Exalted be the God of my salvation,

⁴⁷even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples under me.

⁴⁸He rescues me from my enemies. Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me. You deliver me from the violent man.

⁴⁹Therefore I will give thanks to you, Lord, among the nations, and will sing praises to your name.

⁵⁰He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his seed, forevermore.

¹Doesn't wisdom cry out? Doesn't understanding raise her voice?

²On the top of high places by the way, where the paths meet, she stands.

³Beside the gates, at the entry of the city, at the entry doors, she cries aloud:

⁴"To you men, I call! I send my voice to the sons of mankind.

⁵You simple, understand prudence. You fools, be of an understanding heart.

⁶Hear, for I will speak excellent things. The opening of my lips is for right things.

⁷For my mouth speaks truth. Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

⁸All the words of my mouth are in righteousness. There is nothing crooked or perverse in them.

⁹They are all plain to him who understands, right to those who find knowledge.

¹⁰Receive my instruction rather than silver; knowledge rather than choice gold.

¹¹For wisdom is better than rubies. All the things that may be desired can't be compared to it.

¹²"I, wisdom, have made prudence my dwelling. Find out knowledge and discretion.

¹³The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. I hate pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth.

¹⁴Counsel and sound knowledge are mine. I have understanding and power.

¹⁵By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.

¹⁶By me princes rule; nobles, and all the righteous rulers of the earth.

¹⁷I love those who love me. Those who seek me diligently will find me.

¹⁸With me are riches, honor, enduring wealth, and prosperity.

¹⁹My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold; my yield than choice silver.

²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of justice;

²¹That I may give wealth to those who love me. I fill their treasuries.

²²"The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his work, before his deeds of old.

²³I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, before the earth existed.

²⁴When there were no depths, I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water.

²⁵Before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was brought forth;

²⁶while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the beginning of the dust of the world.

²⁷When he established the heavens, I was there; when he set a circle on the surface of the deep,

²⁸when he established the clouds above, when the springs of the deep became strong,

²⁹when he gave to the sea its boundary, that the waters should not violate his commandment, when he marked out the foundations of the earth;

³⁰then I was the craftsman by his side. I was a delight day by day, always rejoicing before him,

³¹Rejoicing in his whole world. My delight was with the sons of men.

³²"Now therefore, my sons, listen to me, for blessed are those who keep my ways.

³³Hear instruction, and be wise. Do not refuse it.

³⁴Blessed is the man who hears me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my door posts.

³⁵For whoever finds me, finds life, and will obtain favor from the Lord.

³⁶But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul. All those who hate me love death."