And when Saul inquired of the Lord, (A)the Lord did not answer him, either by (B)dreams or (C)by Urim or by the prophets.

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37 So Saul (A)asked counsel of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You deliver them into the hand of Israel?” But (B)He did not answer him that day.

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Then He said,

“Hear now My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, make Myself known to him (A)in a vision;
I speak to him (B)in a dream.

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21 (A)He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire before the Lord for him (B)by the judgment of the Urim. (C)At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, he and all the children of Israel with him—all the congregation.”

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(A)You ask and do not receive, (B)because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

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Her gates have sunk into the ground;
He has destroyed and (A)broken her bars.
(B)Her king and her princes are among the [a]nations;
(C)The Law is no more,
And her (D)prophets find no [b]vision from the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 2:9 Gentiles
  2. Lamentations 2:9 Prophetic revelation

31 Now we know that (A)God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.

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20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, (A)for that which is [a]conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 1:20 Lit. begotten

The Rebellions of Israel

20 It came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that (A)certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” says the Lord God, (B)“I will not be inquired of by you.” ’

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28 “The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream;
And he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully.
What is the chaff to the wheat?” says the Lord.

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And of (A)Levi he said:

(B)Let Your [a]Thummim and Your Urim be with Your holy one,
(C)Whom You tested at Massah,
And with whom You contended at the waters of Meribah,

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 33:8 Lit. Perfections and Your Lights

30 And (A)you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the [a]Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord. So Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the Lord continually.

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 28:30 Lit. Lights and the Perfections

My Son, Be Wise

27 Do(A) not boast about tomorrow,
For you do not know what a day may bring forth.

(B)Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth;
A stranger, and not your own lips.

A stone is heavy and sand is weighty,
But a fool’s wrath is heavier than both of them.

Wrath is cruel and anger a torrent,
But (C)who is able to stand before jealousy?

(D)Open rebuke is better
Than love carefully concealed.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But the kisses of an enemy are (E)deceitful.

A satisfied soul [a]loathes the honeycomb,
But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

Like a bird that wanders from its nest
Is a man who wanders from his place.

Ointment and perfume delight the heart,
And the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by [b]hearty counsel.

10 Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend,
Nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity;
(F)Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

11 My son, be wise, and make my heart glad,
(G)That I may answer him who reproaches me.

12 A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself;
The simple pass on and are (H)punished.

13 Take the garment of him who is surety for a stranger,
And hold it in pledge when he is surety for a seductress.

14 He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning,
It will be counted a curse to him.

15 A (I)continual dripping on a very rainy day
And a contentious woman are alike;
16 Whoever [c]restrains her restrains the wind,
And grasps oil with his right hand.

17 As iron sharpens iron,
So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

18 (J)Whoever [d]keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit;
So he who waits on his master will be honored.

19 As in water face reflects face,
So a man’s heart reveals the man.

20 (K)Hell[e] and [f]Destruction are never full;
So (L)the eyes of man are never satisfied.

21 (M)The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
And a man is valued by what others say of him.

22 (N)Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain,
Yet his foolishness will not depart from him.

23 Be diligent to know the state of your (O)flocks,
And attend to your herds;
24 For riches are not forever,
Nor does a crown endure to all generations.
25 (P)When the hay is removed, and the tender grass shows itself,
And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in,
26 The lambs will provide your clothing,
And the goats the price of a field;
27 You shall have enough goats’ milk for your food,
For the food of your household,
And the nourishment of your maidservants.

The Righteous Are Bold as a Lion

28 The (Q)wicked flee when no one pursues,
But the righteous are bold as a lion.

Because of the transgression of a land, many are its princes;
But by a man of understanding and knowledge
Right will be prolonged.

(R)A poor man who oppresses the poor
Is like a driving rain [g]which leaves no food.

(S)Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
(T)But such as keep the law contend with them.

(U)Evil men do not understand justice,
But (V)those who seek the Lord understand all.

Better is the poor who walks in his integrity
Than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich.

Whoever keeps the law is a discerning son,
But a companion of gluttons shames his father.

One who increases his possessions by usury and extortion
Gathers it for him who will pity the poor.

One who turns away his ear from hearing the law,
(W)Even his prayer is an abomination.

10 (X)Whoever causes the upright to go astray in an evil way,
He himself will fall into his own pit;
(Y)But the blameless will inherit good.

11 The rich man is wise in his own eyes,
But the poor who has understanding searches him out.

12 When the righteous rejoice, there is great (Z)glory;
But when the wicked arise, men [h]hide themselves.

13 (AA)He who covers his sins will not prosper,
But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

14 Happy is the man who is always reverent,
But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

15 (AB)Like a roaring lion and a charging bear
(AC)Is a wicked ruler over poor people.

16 A ruler who lacks understanding is a great (AD)oppressor,
But he who hates covetousness will prolong his days.

17 (AE)A man burdened with bloodshed will flee into a pit;
Let no one help him.

18 Whoever walks blamelessly will be [i]saved,
But he who is perverse in his ways will suddenly fall.

19 (AF)He who tills his land will have plenty of bread,
But he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough!

20 A faithful man will abound with blessings,
(AG)But he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.

21 (AH)To [j]show partiality is not good,
(AI)Because for a piece of bread a man will transgress.

22 A man with an evil eye hastens after riches,
And does not consider that (AJ)poverty will come upon him.

23 (AK)He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward
Than he who flatters with the tongue.

24 Whoever robs his father or his mother,
And says, “It is no transgression,”
The same (AL)is companion to a destroyer.

25 (AM)He who is of a proud heart stirs up strife,
(AN)But he who trusts in the Lord will be prospered.

26 He who (AO)trusts in his own heart is a fool,
But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.

27 (AP)He who gives to the poor will not lack,
But he who hides his eyes will have many curses.

28 When the wicked arise, (AQ)men hide themselves;
But when they perish, the righteous increase.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 27:7 tramples on
  2. Proverbs 27:9 Lit. counsel of the soul
  3. Proverbs 27:16 Lit. hides
  4. Proverbs 27:18 protects or tends
  5. Proverbs 27:20 Or Sheol
  6. Proverbs 27:20 Heb. Abaddon
  7. Proverbs 28:3 Lit. and there is no bread
  8. Proverbs 28:12 Lit. will be searched for
  9. Proverbs 28:18 delivered
  10. Proverbs 28:21 Lit. recognize faces

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