I have posted watchmen(A) on your walls, Jerusalem;
    they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the Lord,
    give yourselves no rest,(B)
and give him no rest(C) till he establishes Jerusalem
    and makes her the praise(D) of the earth.

The Lord has sworn(E) by his right hand
    and by his mighty arm:
“Never again will I give your grain(F)
    as food for your enemies,
and never again will foreigners drink the new wine
    for which you have toiled;
but those who harvest it will eat(G) it
    and praise the Lord,(H)
and those who gather the grapes will drink it
    in the courts of my sanctuary.”(I)

10 Pass through, pass through the gates!(J)
    Prepare the way for the people.
Build up, build up the highway!(K)
    Remove the stones.
Raise a banner(L) for the nations.

11 The Lord has made proclamation
    to the ends of the earth:(M)
“Say to Daughter Zion,(N)
    ‘See, your Savior comes!(O)
See, his reward is with him,
    and his recompense accompanies him.’”(P)
12 They will be called(Q) the Holy People,(R)
    the Redeemed(S) of the Lord;
and you will be called Sought After,
    the City No Longer Deserted.(T)

God’s Day of Vengeance and Redemption

63 Who is this coming from Edom,(U)
    from Bozrah,(V) with his garments stained crimson?(W)
Who is this, robed in splendor,
    striding forward in the greatness of his strength?(X)

“It is I, proclaiming victory,
    mighty to save.”(Y)

Why are your garments red,
    like those of one treading the winepress?(Z)

“I have trodden the winepress(AA) alone;
    from the nations no one was with me.
I trampled(AB) them in my anger
    and trod them down in my wrath;(AC)
their blood spattered my garments,(AD)
    and I stained all my clothing.
It was for me the day of vengeance;(AE)
    the year for me to redeem had come.
I looked, but there was no one(AF) to help,
    I was appalled that no one gave support;
so my own arm(AG) achieved salvation for me,
    and my own wrath sustained me.(AH)
I trampled(AI) the nations in my anger;
    in my wrath I made them drunk(AJ)
    and poured their blood(AK) on the ground.”

Praise and Prayer

I will tell of the kindnesses(AL) of the Lord,
    the deeds for which he is to be praised,
    according to all the Lord has done for us—
yes, the many good things(AM)
    he has done for Israel,
    according to his compassion(AN) and many kindnesses.
He said, “Surely they are my people,(AO)
    children who will be true to me”;
    and so he became their Savior.(AP)
In all their distress he too was distressed,
    and the angel(AQ) of his presence(AR) saved them.[a]
In his love and mercy he redeemed(AS) them;
    he lifted them up and carried(AT) them
    all the days of old.(AU)
10 Yet they rebelled(AV)
    and grieved his Holy Spirit.(AW)
So he turned and became their enemy(AX)
    and he himself fought(AY) against them.

11 Then his people recalled[b] the days of old,
    the days of Moses and his people—
where is he who brought them through the sea,(AZ)
    with the shepherd of his flock?(BA)
Where is he who set
    his Holy Spirit(BB) among them,
12 who sent his glorious arm(BC) of power
    to be at Moses’ right hand,
who divided the waters(BD) before them,
    to gain for himself everlasting renown,(BE)
13 who led(BF) them through the depths?(BG)
Like a horse in open country,
    they did not stumble;(BH)
14 like cattle that go down to the plain,
    they were given rest(BI) by the Spirit of the Lord.
This is how you guided your people
    to make for yourself a glorious name.

15 Look down from heaven(BJ) and see,
    from your lofty throne,(BK) holy and glorious.
Where are your zeal(BL) and your might?
    Your tenderness and compassion(BM) are withheld(BN) from us.
16 But you are our Father,(BO)
    though Abraham does not know us
    or Israel acknowledge(BP) us;
you, Lord, are our Father,
    our Redeemer(BQ) from of old is your name.
17 Why, Lord, do you make us wander(BR) from your ways
    and harden our hearts(BS) so we do not revere(BT) you?
Return(BU) for the sake of your servants,
    the tribes that are your inheritance.(BV)
18 For a little while(BW) your people possessed your holy place,
    but now our enemies have trampled(BX) down your sanctuary.(BY)
19 We are yours from of old;
    but you have not ruled over them,
    they have not been called[c] by your name.(BZ)

64 [d]Oh, that you would rend the heavens(CA) and come down,(CB)
    that the mountains(CC) would tremble before you!
As when fire sets twigs ablaze
    and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name(CD) known to your enemies
    and cause the nations to quake(CE) before you!
For when you did awesome(CF) things that we did not expect,
    you came down, and the mountains trembled(CG) before you.
Since ancient times no one has heard,
    no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,(CH)
    who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.(CI)
You come to the help of those who gladly do right,(CJ)
    who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
    you were angry.(CK)
    How then can we be saved?
All of us have become like one who is unclean,(CL)
    and all our righteous(CM) acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,(CN)
    and like the wind our sins sweep us away.(CO)
No one(CP) calls on your name(CQ)
    or strives to lay hold of you;
for you have hidden(CR) your face from us
    and have given us over(CS) to[e] our sins.

Yet you, Lord, are our Father.(CT)
    We are the clay, you are the potter;(CU)
    we are all the work of your hand.(CV)
Do not be angry(CW) beyond measure, Lord;
    do not remember our sins(CX) forever.
Oh, look on us, we pray,
    for we are all your people.(CY)
10 Your sacred cities(CZ) have become a wasteland;
    even Zion is a wasteland, Jerusalem a desolation.(DA)
11 Our holy and glorious temple,(DB) where our ancestors praised you,
    has been burned with fire,
    and all that we treasured(DC) lies in ruins.
12 After all this, Lord, will you hold yourself back?(DD)
    Will you keep silent(DE) and punish us beyond measure?

Judgment and Salvation

65 “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me;
    I was found by those who did not seek me.(DF)
To a nation(DG) that did not call on my name,(DH)
    I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’
All day long I have held out my hands
    to an obstinate people,(DI)
who walk in ways not good,
    pursuing their own imaginations(DJ)
a people who continually provoke me
    to my very face,(DK)
offering sacrifices in gardens(DL)
    and burning incense(DM) on altars of brick;
who sit among the graves(DN)
    and spend their nights keeping secret vigil;
who eat the flesh of pigs,(DO)
    and whose pots hold broth of impure meat;
who say, ‘Keep away; don’t come near me,
    for I am too sacred(DP) for you!’
Such people are smoke(DQ) in my nostrils,
    a fire that keeps burning all day.

“See, it stands written before me:
    I will not keep silent(DR) but will pay back(DS) in full;
    I will pay it back into their laps(DT)
both your sins(DU) and the sins of your ancestors,”(DV)
    says the Lord.
“Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains
    and defied me on the hills,(DW)
I will measure into their laps
    the full payment(DX) for their former deeds.”

This is what the Lord says:

“As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes(DY)
    and people say, ‘Don’t destroy it,
    there is still a blessing in it,’
so will I do in behalf of my servants;(DZ)
    I will not destroy them all.
I will bring forth descendants(EA) from Jacob,
    and from Judah those who will possess(EB) my mountains;
my chosen(EC) people will inherit them,
    and there will my servants live.(ED)
10 Sharon(EE) will become a pasture for flocks,(EF)
    and the Valley of Achor(EG) a resting place for herds,
    for my people who seek(EH) me.

11 “But as for you who forsake(EI) the Lord
    and forget my holy mountain,(EJ)
who spread a table for Fortune
    and fill bowls of mixed wine(EK) for Destiny,
12 I will destine you for the sword,(EL)
    and all of you will fall in the slaughter;(EM)
for I called but you did not answer,(EN)
    I spoke but you did not listen.(EO)
You did evil in my sight
    and chose what displeases me.”(EP)

13 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“My servants will eat,(EQ)
    but you will go hungry;(ER)
my servants will drink,(ES)
    but you will go thirsty;(ET)
my servants will rejoice,(EU)
    but you will be put to shame.(EV)
14 My servants will sing(EW)
    out of the joy of their hearts,
but you will cry out(EX)
    from anguish of heart
    and wail in brokenness of spirit.
15 You will leave your name
    for my chosen ones to use in their curses;(EY)
the Sovereign Lord will put you to death,
    but to his servants he will give another name.(EZ)
16 Whoever invokes a blessing(FA) in the land
    will do so by the one true God;(FB)
whoever takes an oath in the land
    will swear(FC) by the one true God.
For the past troubles(FD) will be forgotten
    and hidden from my eyes.

New Heavens and a New Earth

17 “See, I will create
    new heavens and a new earth.(FE)
The former things will not be remembered,(FF)
    nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice(FG) forever
    in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem(FH) to be a delight
    and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoice(FI) over Jerusalem
    and take delight(FJ) in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying(FK)
    will be heard in it no more.

20 “Never again will there be in it
    an infant(FL) who lives but a few days,
    or an old man who does not live out his years;(FM)
the one who dies at a hundred
    will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reach[f] a hundred
    will be considered accursed.
21 They will build houses(FN) and dwell in them;
    they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.(FO)
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,(FP)
    or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,(FQ)
    so will be the days(FR) of my people;
my chosen(FS) ones will long enjoy
    the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain,(FT)
    nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;(FU)
for they will be a people blessed(FV) by the Lord,
    they and their descendants(FW) with them.
24 Before they call(FX) I will answer;(FY)
    while they are still speaking(FZ) I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb(GA) will feed together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox,(GB)
    and dust will be the serpent’s(GC) food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
    on all my holy mountain,”(GD)
says the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 63:9 Or Savior in their distress. / It was no envoy or angel / but his own presence that saved them
  2. Isaiah 63:11 Or But may he recall
  3. Isaiah 63:19 Or We are like those you have never ruled, / like those never called
  4. Isaiah 64:1 In Hebrew texts 64:1 is numbered 63:19b, and 64:2-12 is numbered 64:1-11.
  5. Isaiah 64:7 Septuagint, Syriac and Targum; Hebrew have made us melt because of
  6. Isaiah 65:20 Or the sinner who reaches

I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence,

And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured:

But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness.

10 Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people.

11 Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

12 And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

63 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.

Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?

I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.

For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.

And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me.

And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.

I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.

For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour.

In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

10 But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.

11 Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him?

12 That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name?

13 That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble?

14 As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name.

15 Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained?

16 Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O Lord, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.

17 O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

18 The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary.

19 We are thine: thou never barest rule over them; they were not called by thy name.

64 Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,

As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!

When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.

For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.

But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.

10 Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.

11 Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste.

12 Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O Lord? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?

65 I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.

I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;

A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;

Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;

Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.

Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,

Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the Lord, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.

Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.

And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.

10 And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.

11 But ye are they that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number.

12 Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.

13 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed:

14 Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit.

15 And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord God shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name:

16 That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.

17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.

19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.

20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.

21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.

22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them.

24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.

Timothy and Epaphroditus

19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy(A) to you soon,(B) that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20 I have no one else like him,(C) who will show genuine concern for your welfare. 21 For everyone looks out for their own interests,(D) not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father(E) he has served with me in the work of the gospel. 23 I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me.(F) 24 And I am confident(G) in the Lord that I myself will come soon.

25 But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker(H) and fellow soldier,(I) who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.(J) 26 For he longs for all of you(K) and is distressed because you heard he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I am all the more eager to send him,(L) so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. 29 So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him,(M) 30 because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me.(N)

No Confidence in the Flesh

Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again,(O) and it is a safeguard for you. Watch out for those dogs,(P) those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision,(Q) we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus,(R) and who put no confidence in the flesh—

19 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.

20 For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.

21 For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's.

22 But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel.

23 Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me.

24 But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly.

25 Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.

26 For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick.

27 For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

28 I sent him therefore the more carefully, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.

29 Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation:

30 Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me.

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.

Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

BOOK III

Psalms 73–89

Psalm 73

A psalm of Asaph.

Surely God is good to Israel,
    to those who are pure in heart.(A)

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;(B)
    I had nearly lost my foothold.(C)
For I envied(D) the arrogant
    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.(E)

They have no struggles;
    their bodies are healthy and strong.[a]
They are free(F) from common human burdens;
    they are not plagued by human ills.
Therefore pride(G) is their necklace;(H)
    they clothe themselves with violence.(I)
From their callous hearts(J) comes iniquity[b];
    their evil imaginations have no limits.
They scoff, and speak with malice;(K)
    with arrogance(L) they threaten oppression.(M)
Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
    and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
    and drink up waters in abundance.[c]
11 They say, “How would God know?
    Does the Most High know anything?”

12 This is what the wicked are like—
    always free of care,(N) they go on amassing wealth.(O)

13 Surely in vain(P) I have kept my heart pure
    and have washed my hands in innocence.(Q)
14 All day long I have been afflicted,(R)
    and every morning brings new punishments.

15 If I had spoken out like that,
    I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand(S) all this,
    it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary(T) of God;
    then I understood their final destiny.(U)

18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;(V)
    you cast them down to ruin.(W)
19 How suddenly(X) are they destroyed,
    completely swept away(Y) by terrors!
20 They are like a dream(Z) when one awakes;(AA)
    when you arise, Lord,
    you will despise them as fantasies.(AB)

21 When my heart was grieved
    and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless(AC) and ignorant;
    I was a brute beast(AD) before you.

23 Yet I am always with you;
    you hold me by my right hand.(AE)
24 You guide(AF) me with your counsel,(AG)
    and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?(AH)
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.(AI)
26 My flesh and my heart(AJ) may fail,(AK)
    but God is the strength(AL) of my heart
    and my portion(AM) forever.

27 Those who are far from you will perish;(AN)
    you destroy all who are unfaithful(AO) to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.(AP)
    I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;(AQ)
    I will tell of all your deeds.(AR)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 73:4 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text struggles at their death; / their bodies are healthy
  2. Psalm 73:7 Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew Their eyes bulge with fat
  3. Psalm 73:10 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.

73 Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.

But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.

For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.

They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.

Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.

Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.

They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.

They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.

10 Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.

11 And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?

12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.

13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.

14 For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.

15 If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children.

16 When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;

17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.

18 Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.

19 How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.

20 As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.

21 Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins.

22 So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.

23 Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.

24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.

26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

27 For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.

28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.

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Saying 26

13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good;
    honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
14 Know also that wisdom is like honey for you:
    If you find it, there is a future hope for you,
    and your hope will not be cut off.(A)

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13 My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:

14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.

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