Day 616 of 730

¹Behold, how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this cause the world does not know us, because it did not know him.

²Beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet revealed what we will be. We know that, when he is revealed, we will be like him; for we will see him just as he is.

³Everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, even as he is pure.

⁴Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness.

⁵You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him is no sin.

⁶Whoever remains in him does not sin. Whoever sins hasn't seen him, neither knows him.

⁷Little children, let no one lead you astray. He who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

⁸He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was revealed, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

⁹Whoever is born of God does not commit sin, because his seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

¹⁰In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever does not do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who does not love his brother.

¹¹For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;

¹²unlike Cain, who was of the evil one, and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

¹³Do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you.

¹⁴We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who does not love remains in death.

¹⁵Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.

¹⁶By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

¹⁷But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart of compassion against him, how does the love of God remain in him?

¹⁸Little children, let us not love in word only, neither with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.

¹⁹And by this we will know that we are of the truth, and persuade our heart before him,

²⁰because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

²¹Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness toward God;

²²and whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight.

²³This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he commanded us.

²⁴He who keeps his commandments remains in him, and he in him. By this we know that he remains in us, by the Spirit which he gave us.

¹Preserve me, God, for in you do I take refuge.

²My soul, you have said to the Lord, "You are my Lord. Apart from you I have no good thing."

³As for the holy ones who are in the land, they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.

⁴Their sorrows shall be multiplied who give gifts to another god. Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, nor take their names on my lips.

⁵The Lord assigned my portion and my cup. You made my lot secure.

⁶The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, I have a good inheritance.

⁷I will bless the Lord, who has given me counsel. Yes, my heart instructs me in the night seasons.

⁸I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

⁹Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices. My body shall also dwell in safety.

¹⁰For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption.

¹¹You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

¹Do not boast about tomorrow; for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

²Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.

³A stone is heavy, and sand is a burden; but a fool's provocation is heavier than both.

⁴Wrath is cruel, and anger is overwhelming; but who is able to stand before jealousy?

⁵Better is open rebuke than hidden love.

⁶Faithful are the wounds of a friend; although the kisses of an enemy are profuse.

⁷A full soul loathes a honeycomb; but to a hungry soul, every bitter thing is sweet.

⁸As a bird that wanders from her nest, so is a man who wanders from his home.

⁹Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart; so does earnest counsel from a man's friend.

¹⁰Do not forsake your friend and your father's friend. Do not go to your brother's house in the day of your disaster: better is a neighbor who is near than a distant brother.

¹¹Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart, then I can answer my tormentor.

¹²A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge; but the simple pass on, and suffer for it.

¹³Take his garment when he puts up collateral for a stranger. Hold it for a wayward woman!

¹⁴He who blesses his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse by him.

¹⁵A continual dropping on a rainy day and a contentious wife are alike:

¹⁶restraining her is like restraining the wind, or like grasping oil in his right hand.

¹⁷Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens his friend's countenance.

¹⁸Whoever tends the fig tree shall eat its fruit. He who looks after his master shall be honored.

¹⁹As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man.

²⁰Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; and a man's eyes are never satisfied.

²¹The crucible is for silver, and the furnace for gold; but man is refined by his praise.

²²Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain, yet his foolishness will not be removed from him.

²³Know well the state of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds:

²⁴for riches are not forever, nor does even the crown endure to all generations.

²⁵The hay is removed, and the new growth appears, the grasses of the hills are gathered in.

²⁶The lambs are for your clothing, and the goats are the price of a field.

²⁷There will be plenty of goats' milk for your food, for your family's food, and for the nourishment of your servant girls.