Riches Are Meaningless

If you see the poor oppressed(A) in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still.

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“Because the poor are plundered(A) and the needy groan,(B)
    I will now arise,(C)” says the Lord.
    “I will protect them(D) from those who malign them.”

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Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness

Again I looked and saw all the oppression(A) that was taking place under the sun:

I saw the tears of the oppressed—
    and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors—
    and they have no comforter.(B)

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16 And I saw something else under the sun:

In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
    in the place of justice—wickedness was there.

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I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people,(A) the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.

When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. Then the angel said to me: “Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery(B) of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns.(C)

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41 The Son of Man(A) will send out his angels,(B) and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.(C)

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Psalm 82

A psalm of Asaph.

God presides in the great assembly;
    he renders judgment(A) among the “gods”:(B)

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10 The righteous will be glad(A) when they are avenged,(B)
    when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.(C)
11 Then people will say,
    “Surely the righteous still are rewarded;(D)
    surely there is a God who judges the earth.”(E)

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19 Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?’(A) Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood,(B) dogs(C) will lick up your blood—yes, yours!’”

20 Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!”(D)

“I have found you,” he answered, “because you have sold(E) yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord.

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Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.(A) Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.(B) Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers(C) who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries(D) of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.(E) You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves(F) in the day of slaughter.[a](G) You have condemned and murdered(H) the innocent one,(I) who was not opposing you.

Patience in Suffering

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming.(J) See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting(K) for the autumn and spring rains.(L)

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Footnotes

  1. James 5:5 Or yourselves as in a day of feasting

13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.(A) Mercy triumphs over judgment.

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23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel(A) of the Lord struck him down,(B) and he was eaten by worms and died.

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Suddenly an angel(A) of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.(B)

Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.(C) 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself,(D) and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

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27 Indeed Herod(A) and Pontius Pilate(B) met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus,(C) whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.(D)

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76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet(A) of the Most High;(B)
    for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,(C)

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35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you,(A) and the power of the Most High(B) will overshadow you. So the holy one(C) to be born will be called[a] the Son of God.(D)

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 1:35 Or So the child to be born will be called holy,

32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.(A) The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,(B)

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“So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers,(A) adulterers(B) and perjurers,(C) against those who defraud laborers of their wages,(D) who oppress the widows(E) and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners(F) among you of justice, but do not fear(G) me,” says the Lord Almighty.

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This is what the Lord Almighty says: “It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time,(A) but will it seem marvelous to me?(B)” declares the Lord Almighty.

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“This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice;(A) show mercy and compassion to one another.(B) 10 Do not oppress the widow(C) or the fatherless, the foreigner(D) or the poor.(E) Do not plot evil against each other.’(F)

11 “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly(G) they turned their backs(H) and covered their ears.(I) 12 They made their hearts as hard as flint(J) and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets.(K) So the Lord Almighty was very angry.(L)

13 “‘When I called, they did not listen;(M) so when they called, I would not listen,’(N) says the Lord Almighty.(O)

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Habakkuk’s Second Complaint

12 Lord, are you not from everlasting?(A)
    My God, my Holy One,(B) you[a] will never die.(C)
You, Lord, have appointed(D) them to execute judgment;
    you, my Rock,(E) have ordained them to punish.
13 Your eyes are too pure(F) to look on evil;
    you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.(G)
Why then do you tolerate(H) the treacherous?(I)
    Why are you silent while the wicked
    swallow up those more righteous than themselves?(J)

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Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 1:12 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition; Masoretic Text we

Habakkuk’s Complaint

How long,(A) Lord, must I call for help,
    but you do not listen?(B)
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
    but you do not save?(C)
Why do you make me look at injustice?
    Why do you tolerate(D) wrongdoing?(E)
Destruction and violence(F) are before me;
    there is strife,(G) and conflict abounds.

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Hear this, you leaders of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel,
who despise justice
    and distort all that is right;(A)
10 who build(B) Zion with bloodshed,(C)
    and Jerusalem with wickedness.(D)
11 Her leaders judge for a bribe,(E)
    her priests teach for a price,(F)
    and her prophets tell fortunes for money.(G)
Yet they look(H) for the Lord’s support and say,
    “Is not the Lord among us?
    No disaster will come upon us.”(I)
12 Therefore because of you,
    Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,(J)
    the temple(K) hill a mound overgrown with thickets.(L)

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Leaders and Prophets Rebuked

Then I said,

“Listen, you leaders(A) of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel.
Should you not embrace justice,
    you who hate good and love evil;
who tear the skin from my people
    and the flesh from their bones;(B)
who eat my people’s flesh,(C)
    strip off their skin
    and break their bones in pieces;(D)
who chop(E) them up like meat for the pan,
    like flesh for the pot?(F)

Then they will cry out to the Lord,
    but he will not answer them.(G)
At that time he will hide his face(H) from them
    because of the evil they have done.(I)

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You drive the women of my people
    from their pleasant homes.(A)
You take away my blessing
    from their children forever.

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