Day 557 of 730

¹Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

²"Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with a promise:

³"that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth."

⁴You fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

⁵Servants, be obedient to those who according to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as to Christ;

⁶not in the way of service only when eyes are on you, as men pleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

⁷with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men;

⁸knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive the same again from the Lord, whether he is bound or free.

⁹You masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him.

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might.

¹¹Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

¹²For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world's rulers of this darkness, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

¹³Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.

¹⁴Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

¹⁵and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace;

¹⁶above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.

¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the spoken word of God;

¹⁸with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints:

¹⁹on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the Good News,

²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

²¹But that you also may know my affairs, how I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will make known to you all things;

²²whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our state, and that he may comfort your hearts.

²³Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁴Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.

¹Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.

²Let the redeemed by the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the adversary,

³And gathered out of the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.

⁴They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way. They found no city to live in.

⁵Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.

⁶Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses,

⁷he led them also by a straight way, that they might go to a city to live in.

⁸Let them praise the Lord for his loving kindness, for his wonderful works to the children of men!

⁹For he satisfies the longing soul. He fills the hungry soul with good.

¹⁰Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron,

¹¹because they rebelled against the words of God, and condemned the counsel of the Most High.

¹²Therefore he brought down their heart with labor. They fell down, and there was none to help.

¹³Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

¹⁴He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their bonds in sunder.

¹⁵Let them praise the Lord for his loving kindness, for his wonderful works to the children of men!

¹⁶For he has broken the gates of brass, and cut through bars of iron.

¹⁷Fools are afflicted because of their disobedience, and because of their iniquities.

¹⁸Their soul abhors all kinds of food. They draw near to the gates of death.

¹⁹Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, he saves them out of their distresses.

²⁰He sends his word, and heals them, and delivers them from their graves.

²¹Let them praise the Lord for his loving kindness, for his wonderful works to the children of men!

²²Let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with singing.

²³Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business in great waters;

²⁴These see the Lord's works, and his wonders in the deep.

²⁵For he commands, and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up its waves.

²⁶They mount up to the sky; they go down again to the depths. Their soul melts away because of trouble.

²⁷They reel back and forth, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.

²⁸Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and he brings them out of their distress.

²⁹He makes the storm a calm, so that its waves are still.

³⁰Then they are glad because it is calm, so he brings them to their desired haven.

³¹Let them praise the Lord for his loving kindness, for his wonderful works for the children of men!

³²Let them exalt him also in the assembly of the people, and praise him in the seat of the elders.

³³He turns rivers into a desert, water springs into a thirsty ground,

³⁴and a fruitful land into a salt waste, for the wickedness of those who dwell in it.

³⁵He turns a desert into a pool of water, and a dry land into water springs.

³⁶There he makes the hungry live, that they may prepare a city to live in,

³⁷sow fields, plant vineyards, and reap the fruits of increase.

³⁸He blesses them also, so that they are multiplied greatly. He doesn't allow their livestock to decrease.

³⁹Again, they are diminished and bowed down through oppression, trouble, and sorrow.

⁴⁰He pours contempt on princes, and causes them to wander in a trackless waste.

⁴¹Yet he lifts the needy out of their affliction, and increases their families like a flock.

⁴²The upright will see it, and be glad. All the wicked will shut their mouths.

⁴³Whoever is wise will pay attention to these things. They will consider the loving kindnesses of the Lord.

¹The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the oracle: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:

²"Surely I am the most ignorant man, and do not have a man's understanding.

³I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One.

⁴Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know?

⁵"Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

⁶Do not add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar.

⁷"Two things I have asked of you; do not deny me before I die:

⁸Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me;

⁹lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is the Lord?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

¹⁰"Do not slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.

¹¹There is a generation that curses their father, and doesn't bless their mother.

¹²There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness.

¹³There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up.

¹⁴There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and their jaws like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men.

¹⁵"The leach has two daughters: 'Give, give.' "There are three things that are never satisfied; four that do not say, 'Enough:'

¹⁶Sheol, the barren womb; the earth that is not satisfied with water; and the fire that doesn't say, 'Enough.'

¹⁷"The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother: the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it.

¹⁸"There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which I do not understand:

¹⁹The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent on a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maiden.

²⁰"So is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats and wipes her mouth, and says, 'I have done nothing wrong.'

²¹"For three things the earth tremble, and under four, it can't bear up:

²²For a servant when he is king; a fool when he is filled with food;

²³for an unloved woman when she is married; and a handmaid who is heir to her mistress.

²⁴"There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise:

²⁵the ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer.

²⁶The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks.

²⁷The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks.

²⁸You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces.

²⁹"There are three things which are stately in their march, four which are stately in going:

³⁰The lion, which is mightiest among animals, and doesn't turn away for any;

³¹the greyhound, the male goat also; and the king against whom there is no rising up.

³²"If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, put your hand over your mouth.

³³For as the churning of milk brings forth butter, and the wringing of the nose brings forth blood; so the forcing of wrath brings forth strife."