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Exhortation to Uprightness

Love righteousness, you rulers of the earth;
think of the Lord in goodness
and seek him with sincerity of heart,(A)
because he is found by those who do not put him to the test
and manifests himself to those who do not distrust him.(B)
For perverse thoughts separate people from God,
and when his power is tested, it exposes the foolish,(C)
because wisdom will not enter a deceitful soul
or dwell in a body enslaved to sin.
For a holy and disciplined spirit will flee from deceit
and will leave foolish thoughts behind
and will be ashamed at the approach of unrighteousness.(D)

For wisdom is a kindly spirit,
but it will not free blasphemers from the guilt of their words,
because God is witness of their inmost feelings
and a true observer of their hearts and a hearer of their tongues.(E)
Because the spirit of the Lord has filled the world
and that which holds all things together knows what is said,(F)

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