Judgment against Sinful Kings

22 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and announce this word there. You are to say: Hear the word of the Lord, king of Judah, you who sit on the throne of David—you, your officers, and your people who enter these gates. This is what the Lord says: Administer justice and righteousness.(A) Rescue the victim of robbery from the hand of his oppressor.(B) Don’t exploit or brutalize the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow. Don’t shed innocent blood in this place. For if you conscientiously carry out this word, then kings sitting on David’s throne will enter through the gates of this palace(C) riding on chariots and horses—they, their officers, and their people. But if you do not obey these words, then I swear by Myself”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“that this house will become a ruin.”(D)

For this is what the Lord says concerning the house of the king of Judah:

You are like Gilead to Me,
or the summit of Lebanon,
but I will certainly turn you into a wilderness,
uninhabited cities.
I will appoint destroyers against you,
each with his weapons.
They will cut down the choicest of your cedars
and throw them into the fire.

“Many nations will pass by this city and ask one another, ‘Why did the Lord do such a thing to this great city?’ They will answer, ‘Because they abandoned the covenant(E) of Yahweh their God and worshiped and served other gods.’”(F)

A Message Concerning Shallum

10 Do not weep for the dead;
do not mourn for him.
Weep bitterly for the one[a] who has gone away,
for he will never return again
and see his native land.

11 For this is what the Lord says concerning Shallum(G) son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in place of his father Josiah: “He has left this place—he will never return here again, 12 but he will die in the place where they deported him, never seeing this land again.”

A Message concerning Jehoiakim

13 Woe for the one who builds his palace
through unrighteousness,(H)
his upper rooms through injustice,
who makes his fellow man serve without pay
and will not give him his wages,(I)
14 who says, “I will build myself a massive palace,
with spacious upper rooms.”
He will cut windows[b] in it,
and it will be paneled with cedar
and painted with vermilion.
15 Are you a king because you excel in cedar?
Didn’t your father eat and drink
and administer justice and righteousness?(J)
Then it went well with him.
16 He took up the case of the poor and needy,
then it went well.
Is this not what it means to know Me?
This is the Lord’s declaration.
17 But you have eyes and a heart for nothing
except your own dishonest profit,
shedding innocent blood
and committing extortion and oppression.

18 Therefore, this is what the Lord says concerning Jehoiakim(K) son of Josiah, king of Judah:

They will not mourn for him, saying,
“Woe, my brother!” or “Woe, my sister!”
They will not mourn for him, saying,
“Woe, lord! Woe, his majesty!”
19 He will be buried like a donkey,(L)
dragged off and thrown
outside the gates of Jerusalem.
20 Go up to Lebanon and cry out;
raise your voice in Bashan;
cry out from Abarim,(M)
for all your lovers[c] have been crushed.(N)
21 I spoke to you when you were secure.
You said, “I will not listen.”
This has been your way since youth;(O)
indeed, you have never listened to Me.
22 The wind will take charge of[d] all your shepherds,
and your lovers[e] will go into captivity.
Then you will be ashamed and humiliated(P)
because of all your evil.
23 You residents of Lebanon,
nestled among the cedars,
how you will groan[f] when labor pains come on you,
agony like a woman in labor.(Q)

A Message concerning Coniah

24 “As I live,” says the Lord, “though you, Coniah[g](R) son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, were a signet ring(S) on My right hand, I would tear you from it. 25 In fact, I will hand you over to those you dread,(T) who want to take your life, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Chaldeans. 26 I will hurl you and the mother who gave birth(U) to you into another land,(V) where neither of you were born, and there you will both die. 27 They will never return to the land they long to return to.”

28 Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered pot,(W)
a jar no one wants?
Why are he and his descendants hurled out
and cast into a land they have not known?
29 Earth, earth, earth,
hear the word of the Lord!

30 This is what the Lord says:

Record this man as childless,(X)
a man who will not be successful in his lifetime.
None of his descendants will succeed
in sitting on the throne of David(Y)
or ruling again in Judah.

The Lord and His Sheep

23 “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!”(Z) This is the Lord’s declaration. “Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds who shepherd My people: You have scattered My flock, banished them, and have not attended to them.(AA) I will attend to you because of your evil acts”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “I will gather the remnant of My flock from all the lands where I have banished them, and I will return them to their grazing land. They will become fruitful and numerous.(AB) I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them.(AC) They will no longer be afraid or dismayed, nor will any be missing.” This is the Lord’s declaration.

The Righteous Branch of David

“The days are coming”(AD)—this is the Lord’s declaration—
“when I will raise up a Righteous Branch of David.(AE)
He will reign wisely as king
and administer justice and righteousness in the land.(AF)
In His days Judah will be saved,
and Israel will dwell securely.(AG)
This is what He will be named:
Yahweh Our Righteousness.(AH)

“The days are coming”—the Lord’s declaration—“when it will no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives who brought the Israelites from the land of Egypt,’(AI) but, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the land of the north and from all the other countries where I[h] had banished them.’ They will dwell once more in their own land.”(AJ)

False Prophets Condemned

Concerning the prophets:

My heart is broken within me,(AK)
and all my bones tremble.
I have become like a drunkard,
like a man overcome by wine,
because of the Lord,
because of His holy words.
10 For the land is full of adulterers;(AL)
the land mourns because of the curse,
and the grazing lands in the wilderness have dried up.
Their way of life[i] has become evil,
and their power is not rightly used
11 because both prophet and priest are ungodly,(AM)
even in My house I have found their evil.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
12 Therefore, their way will be to them
like slippery paths in the gloom.(AN)
They will be driven away and fall down there,
for I will bring disaster on them,
the year of their punishment.
This is the Lord’s declaration.

13 Among the prophets of Samaria
I saw something disgusting:
They prophesied by[j] Baal
and led My people Israel astray.(AO)
14 Among the prophets of Jerusalem also
I saw a horrible thing:
They commit adultery and walk in lies.
They strengthen the hands of evildoers,
and none turns his back on evil.
They are all like Sodom(AP) to Me;
Jerusalem’s residents are like Gomorrah.

15 Therefore, this is what the Lord of Hosts says concerning the prophets:

I am about to feed them wormwood
and give them poisoned water to drink,(AQ)
for from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodliness[k] has spread throughout the land.

16 This is what the Lord of Hosts says: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are making you worthless. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the Lord’s mouth. 17 They keep on saying to those who despise Me, ‘The Lord has said: You will have peace.’(AR) They have said to everyone who follows the stubbornness of his heart, ‘No harm will come to you.’”

18 For who has stood in the council(AS) of the Lord
to see and hear His word?
Who has paid attention to His word and obeyed?
19 Look, a storm from the Lord!(AT)
Wrath has gone out,
a whirling storm.
It will whirl about the heads of the wicked.
20 The Lord’s anger will not turn back
until He has completely fulfilled the purposes of His heart.
In time to come you will understand it clearly.(AU)

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 22:10 = Shallum (Jehoahaz) in v. 11
  2. Jeremiah 22:14 Lit My windows
  3. Jeremiah 22:20 Or friends, or allies
  4. Jeremiah 22:22 Lit will shepherd
  5. Jeremiah 22:22 Or friends, or allies
  6. Jeremiah 22:23 LXX, Syr, Vg; MT reads will be pitied
  7. Jeremiah 22:24 = Jehoiachin
  8. Jeremiah 23:8 LXX reads He
  9. Jeremiah 23:10 Lit Their manner of running
  10. Jeremiah 23:13 = in the name of
  11. Jeremiah 23:15 Or pollution

Judgment Against Wicked Kings

22 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king(A) of Judah and proclaim this message there: ‘Hear(B) the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne(C)—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates.(D) This is what the Lord says: Do what is just(E) and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor(F) the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow,(G) and do not shed innocent blood(H) in this place. For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings(I) who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. But if you do not obey(J) these commands, declares the Lord, I swear(K) by myself that this palace will become a ruin.’”

For this is what the Lord says about the palace of the king of Judah:

“Though you are like Gilead(L) to me,
    like the summit of Lebanon,(M)
I will surely make you like a wasteland,(N)
    like towns not inhabited.
I will send destroyers(O) against you,
    each man with his weapons,
and they will cut(P) up your fine cedar beams
    and throw them into the fire.(Q)

“People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?’(R) And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods.(S)’”

10 Do not weep for the dead(T) king or mourn(U) his loss;
    rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled,
because he will never return(V)
    nor see his native land again.

11 For this is what the Lord says about Shallum[a](W) son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: “He will never return. 12 He will die(X) in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.”

13 “Woe(Y) to him who builds(Z) his palace by unrighteousness,
    his upper rooms by injustice,
making his own people work for nothing,
    not paying(AA) them for their labor.
14 He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace(AB)
    with spacious upper rooms.’
So he makes large windows in it,
    panels it with cedar(AC)
    and decorates it in red.(AD)

15 “Does it make you a king
    to have more and more cedar?
Did not your father have food and drink?
    He did what was right and just,(AE)
    so all went well(AF) with him.
16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy,(AG)
    and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know(AH) me?”
    declares the Lord.
17 “But your eyes and your heart
    are set only on dishonest gain,(AI)
on shedding innocent blood(AJ)
    and on oppression and extortion.”(AK)

18 Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:

“They will not mourn(AL) for him:
    ‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’
They will not mourn for him:
    ‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’
19 He will have the burial(AM) of a donkey—
    dragged away and thrown(AN)
    outside the gates of Jerusalem.”

20 “Go up to Lebanon and cry out,(AO)
    let your voice be heard in Bashan,(AP)
cry out from Abarim,(AQ)
    for all your allies(AR) are crushed.
21 I warned you when you felt secure,(AS)
    but you said, ‘I will not listen!’
This has been your way from your youth;(AT)
    you have not obeyed(AU) me.
22 The wind(AV) will drive all your shepherds(AW) away,
    and your allies(AX) will go into exile.
Then you will be ashamed and disgraced(AY)
    because of all your wickedness.
23 You who live in ‘Lebanon,[b](AZ)
    who are nestled in cedar buildings,
how you will groan when pangs come upon you,
    pain(BA) like that of a woman in labor!

24 “As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “even if you, Jehoiachin[c](BB) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring(BC) on my right hand, I would still pull you off. 25 I will deliver(BD) you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians.[d] 26 I will hurl(BE) you and the mother(BF) who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. 27 You will never come back to the land you long to return(BG) to.”

28 Is this man Jehoiachin(BH) a despised, broken pot,(BI)
    an object no one wants?
Why will he and his children be hurled(BJ) out,
    cast into a land(BK) they do not know?
29 O land,(BL) land, land,
    hear the word of the Lord!
30 This is what the Lord says:
“Record this man as if childless,(BM)
    a man who will not prosper(BN) in his lifetime,
for none of his offspring(BO) will prosper,
    none will sit on the throne(BP) of David
    or rule anymore in Judah.”

The Righteous Branch

23 “Woe to the shepherds(BQ) who are destroying and scattering(BR) the sheep of my pasture!”(BS) declares the Lord. Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds(BT) who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock(BU) and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil(BV) you have done,” declares the Lord. “I myself will gather the remnant(BW) of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture,(BX) where they will be fruitful and increase in number. I will place shepherds(BY) over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid(BZ) or terrified, nor will any be missing,(CA)” declares the Lord.

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when I will raise up for David[e] a righteous Branch,(CB)
a King(CC) who will reign(CD) wisely
    and do what is just and right(CE) in the land.
In his days Judah will be saved
    and Israel will live in safety.(CF)
This is the name(CG) by which he will be called:
    The Lord Our Righteous Savior.(CH)

“So then, the days are coming,”(CI) declares the Lord, “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’(CJ) but they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”(CK)

Lying Prophets

Concerning the prophets:

My heart(CL) is broken within me;
    all my bones tremble.(CM)
I am like a drunken man,
    like a strong man overcome by wine,
because of the Lord
    and his holy words.(CN)
10 The land is full of adulterers;(CO)
    because of the curse[f](CP) the land lies parched
    and the pastures(CQ) in the wilderness are withered.(CR)
The prophets follow an evil course
    and use their power unjustly.

11 “Both prophet and priest are godless;(CS)
    even in my temple(CT) I find their wickedness,”
declares the Lord.
12 “Therefore their path will become slippery;(CU)
    they will be banished to darkness
    and there they will fall.
I will bring disaster on them
    in the year they are punished,(CV)
declares the Lord.

13 “Among the prophets of Samaria
    I saw this repulsive thing:
They prophesied by Baal(CW)
    and led my people Israel astray.(CX)
14 And among the prophets of Jerusalem
    I have seen something horrible:(CY)
    They commit adultery and live a lie.(CZ)
They strengthen the hands of evildoers,(DA)
    so that not one of them turns from their wickedness.(DB)
They are all like Sodom(DC) to me;
    the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”(DD)

15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says concerning the prophets:

“I will make them eat bitter food
    and drink poisoned water,(DE)
because from the prophets of Jerusalem
    ungodliness(DF) has spread throughout the land.”

16 This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Do not listen(DG) to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
    they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions(DH) from their own minds,
    not from the mouth(DI) of the Lord.
17 They keep saying(DJ) to those who despise me,
    ‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’(DK)
And to all who follow the stubbornness(DL) of their hearts
    they say, ‘No harm(DM) will come to you.’
18 But which of them has stood in the council(DN) of the Lord
    to see or to hear his word?
    Who has listened and heard his word?
19 See, the storm(DO) of the Lord
    will burst out in wrath,
a whirlwind(DP) swirling down
    on the heads of the wicked.
20 The anger(DQ) of the Lord will not turn back(DR)
    until he fully accomplishes
    the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
    you will understand it clearly.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 22:11 Also called Jehoahaz
  2. Jeremiah 22:23 That is, the palace in Jerusalem (see 1 Kings 7:2)
  3. Jeremiah 22:24 Hebrew Koniah, a variant of Jehoiachin; also in verse 28
  4. Jeremiah 22:25 Or Chaldeans
  5. Jeremiah 23:5 Or up from David’s line
  6. Jeremiah 23:10 Or because of these things

Greeting

Paul, Silvanus,[a](A) and Timothy:(B)

To the church of the Thessalonians(C) in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

God’s Judgment and Glory

We must always thank God for you, brothers. This is right, since your faith is flourishing and the love(D) each one of you has for one another(E) is increasing.(F) Therefore, we ourselves boast(G) about you among God’s churches—about your endurance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions you endure. It is a clear evidence of God’s righteous(H) judgment(I) that you will be counted worthy of God’s kingdom, for which you also are suffering,(J) since it is righteous for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you and to reward with rest you who are afflicted, along with us. This will take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His powerful angels, taking vengeance with flaming fire(K) on those who don’t know God(L) and on those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.(M) These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction(N) from the Lord’s presence(O) and from His glorious strength(P) 10 in that day when He comes(Q) to be glorified(R) by His saints(S) and to be admired by all those who have believed, because our testimony among you was believed. 11 And in view of this, we always pray for you that our God will consider you worthy of His calling,(T) and will, by His power, fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith,(U) 12 so that the name(V) of our Lord Jesus will be glorified(W) by you, and you by Him,(X) according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Paul, Silas[a](A) and Timothy,(B)

To the church of the Thessalonians(C) in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.(D)

Thanksgiving and Prayer

We ought always to thank God for you,(E) brothers and sisters,[b] and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.(F) Therefore, among God’s churches we boast(G) about your perseverance and faith(H) in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.(I)

All this is evidence(J) that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy(K) of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just:(L) He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you(M) and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven(N) in blazing fire(O) with his powerful angels.(P) He will punish(Q) those who do not know God(R) and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.(S) They will be punished with everlasting destruction(T) and shut out from the presence of the Lord(U) and from the glory of his might(V) 10 on the day(W) he comes to be glorified(X) in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.(Y)

11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you,(Z) that our God may make you worthy(AA) of his calling,(AB) and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness(AC) and your every deed prompted by faith.(AD) 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you,(AE) and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Thessalonians 1:1 Greek Silvanus, a variant of Silas
  2. 2 Thessalonians 1:3 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 2:1, 13, 15; 3:1, 6, 13.
  3. 2 Thessalonians 1:12 Or God and Lord, Jesus Christ

Psalm 83

Prayer against Enemies

A song. A psalm of Asaph.(A)

God, do not keep silent.
Do not be deaf, God; do not be idle.(B)
See how Your enemies make an uproar;
those who hate You have acted arrogantly.[a](C)
They devise clever schemes against Your people;
they conspire against Your treasured ones.(D)
They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation
so that Israel’s name will no longer be remembered.”(E)
For they have conspired with one mind;
they form an alliance[b] against You(F)
the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,(G)
Moab and the Hagrites,(H)
Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek,(I)
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre.(J)
Even Assyria has joined them;
they lend support[c] to the sons of Lot.[d](K)Selah

Deal with them as You did with Midian,(L)
as You did with Sisera
and Jabin at the Kishon River.(M)
10 They were destroyed at En-dor;
they became manure for the ground.(N)
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,(O)
and all their tribal leaders like Zebah and Zalmunna,(P)
12 who said, “Let us seize God’s pastures for ourselves.”(Q)

13 Make them like tumbleweed, my God,
like straw before the wind.(R)
14 As fire burns a forest,
as a flame blazes through mountains,(S)
15 so pursue them with Your tempest
and terrify them with Your storm.(T)
16 Cover their faces with shame
so that they will seek Your name Yahweh.(U)
17 Let them be put to shame and terrified forever;
let them perish in disgrace.(V)
18 May they know that You alone—
whose name is Yahweh—
are the Most High over all the earth.(W)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 83:2 Lit have lifted their head
  2. Psalm 83:5 Lit they cut a covenant
  3. Psalm 83:8 Lit they are an arm
  4. Psalm 83:8 = Moab and Edom

Psalm 83[a]

A song. A psalm of Asaph.

O God, do not remain silent;(A)
    do not turn a deaf ear,
    do not stand aloof, O God.
See how your enemies growl,(B)
    how your foes rear their heads.(C)
With cunning they conspire(D) against your people;
    they plot against those you cherish.(E)
“Come,” they say, “let us destroy(F) them as a nation,(G)
    so that Israel’s name is remembered(H) no more.”

With one mind they plot together;(I)
    they form an alliance against you—
the tents of Edom(J) and the Ishmaelites,
    of Moab(K) and the Hagrites,(L)
Byblos,(M) Ammon(N) and Amalek,(O)
    Philistia,(P) with the people of Tyre.(Q)
Even Assyria(R) has joined them
    to reinforce Lot’s descendants.[b](S)

Do to them as you did to Midian,(T)
    as you did to Sisera(U) and Jabin(V) at the river Kishon,(W)
10 who perished at Endor(X)
    and became like dung(Y) on the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,(Z)
    all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,(AA)
12 who said, “Let us take possession(AB)
    of the pasturelands of God.”

13 Make them like tumbleweed, my God,
    like chaff(AC) before the wind.
14 As fire consumes the forest
    or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,(AD)
15 so pursue them with your tempest(AE)
    and terrify them with your storm.(AF)
16 Cover their faces with shame,(AG) Lord,
    so that they will seek your name.

17 May they ever be ashamed and dismayed;(AH)
    may they perish in disgrace.(AI)
18 Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord(AJ)
    that you alone are the Most High(AK) over all the earth.(AL)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 83:1 In Hebrew texts 83:1-18 is numbered 83:2-19.
  2. Psalm 83:8 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.

11 A word spoken at the right time
is like gold apples on a silver tray.[a](A)
12 A wise correction to a receptive ear(B)
is like a gold ring or an ornament of gold.

13 To those who send him, a trustworthy messenger
is like the coolness of snow on a harvest day;
he refreshes the life of his masters.(C)

14 The man who boasts about a gift that does not exist
is like clouds and wind without rain.(D)

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 25:11 Or like apples of gold in settings of silver

11 Like apples[a] of gold in settings of silver(A)
    is a ruling rightly given.
12 Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold
    is the rebuke of a wise judge to a listening ear.(B)

13 Like a snow-cooled drink at harvest time
    is a trustworthy messenger to the one who sends him;
    he refreshes the spirit of his master.(C)
14 Like clouds and wind without rain
    is one who boasts of gifts never given.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 25:11 Or possibly apricots