And the Lord spoke to you from the heart of the fire. You heard the sound of his words but didn’t see his form; there was only a voice.

“The Lord spoke these words to all of you assembled there at the foot of the mountain. He spoke with a loud voice from the heart of the fire, surrounded by clouds and deep darkness. This was all he said at that time, and he wrote his words on two stone tablets and gave them to me.

The Lord gave me the two tablets on which God had written with his own finger all the words he had spoken to you from the heart of the fire when you were assembled at the mountain.

Once again the Lord wrote the Ten Commandments on the tablets and gave them to me. They were the same words the Lord had spoken to you from the heart of the fire on the day you were assembled at the foot of the mountain.

he added: “Take to heart all the words of warning I have given you today. Pass them on as a command to your children so they will obey every word of these instructions.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Do not drag me away with the wicked— with those who do evil— those who speak friendly words to their neighbors while planning evil in their hearts.

Psalm 45

For the choir director: A love song to be sung to the tune “Lilies.” A psalm of the descendants of Korah.

Beautiful words stir my heart. I will recite a lovely poem about the king, for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet.

His words are as smooth as butter, but in his heart is war. His words are as soothing as lotion, but underneath are daggers!

My father taught me, “Take my words to heart. Follow my commands, and you will live.

Keep their words always in your heart. Tie them around your neck.

The words of the godly are like sterling silver; the heart of a fool is worthless.

The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking; the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words.

Sayings of the Wise

Listen to the words of the wise; apply your heart to my instruction.

For their hearts plot violence, and their words always stir up trouble.

Smooth words may hide a wicked heart, just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot.

For their tongues shoot lies like poisoned arrows. They speak friendly words to their neighbors while scheming in their heart to kill them.

When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.

Judgment on False Prophets

My heart is broken because of the false prophets, and my bones tremble. I stagger like a drunkard, like someone overcome by wine, because of the holy words the Lord has spoken against them.

Then he added, “Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself.

So my people come pretending to be sincere and sit before you. They listen to your words, but they have no intention of doing what you say. Their mouths are full of lustful words, and their hearts seek only after money.

But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you.

Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.”

Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts.