“As a slave earnestly longs for the shade, And as a hired man eagerly awaits his wages,

He is like a lion eager to tear [his prey], And like a young lion lurking in hiding places.

“Then they will call upon me (Wisdom), but I will not answer; They will seek me eagerly but they will not find me,

So that your ear is attentive to [skillful and godly] wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding [seeking it conscientiously and striving for it eagerly];

The mind of the intelligent and discerning seeks knowledge and eagerly inquires after it, But the mouth of the [stubborn] fool feeds on foolishness.

Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, For anger dwells in the heart of fools.

And I will wait for the Lord who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; and I will look eagerly for Him.

“Lift up your eyes to the barren heights and see; Where have you not been violated? You sat by the road waiting [eagerly] for them [those man-made gods] Like an Arab [tribesman who waits to attack] in the desert, And you have desecrated the land With your [vile] prostitution and your wickedness (disobedience to God).

Destruction of Jerusalem Impending

“Run for safety, you children of Benjamin, Out of the midst of Jerusalem! And blow a trumpet in Tekoa [in Judah] And raise a signal-fire in Beth-haccherem [near Jerusalem]; For evil is looking down [with eager anticipation] from the north, And great destruction.

“They all come for violence; Their horde of faces moves [eagerly] forward, They gather prisoners like sand.

“I said, ‘Most certainly you will [reverently] fear Me; Accept correction.’ So Jerusalem’s dwelling will not be cut off In accordance with all that I have appointed concerning her [punishment], But they were eager [even rising early] to make all their deeds corrupt.

You look for much [harvest], but it comes to little; and even when you bring that home, I blow it away. Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because of My house, which lies in ruins while each of you runs to his own house [eager to enjoy it].

When the strong horses went out, they were eager to patrol the earth. And the Lord said, “Go, patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth [watching and protecting it].

For the [pagan] Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; [but do not worry,] for your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

He [eagerly] longed to eat the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.

So they were eager to arrest Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His time had not yet come.

And the man began to pay attention to them, eagerly expecting to receive something from them.

Now these people were more noble and open-minded than those in Thessalonica, so they received the message [of salvation through faith in the Christ] with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

So, for my part, I am ready and eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

For [even the whole] creation [all nature] waits eagerly for the children of God to be revealed.

And not only this, but we too, who have the first fruits of the Spirit [a joyful indication of the blessings to come], even we groan inwardly, as we wait eagerly for [the sign of] our adoption as sons—the redemption and transformation of our body [at the resurrection].

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait eagerly for it with patience and composure.

so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift [which comes from the Holy Spirit], as you eagerly wait [with confident trust] for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ [when He returns].

Prophecy a Superior Gift

Pursue [this] love [with eagerness, make it your goal], yet earnestly desire and cultivate the spiritual gifts [to be used by believers for the benefit of the church], but especially that you may prophesy [to foretell the future, to speak a new message from God to the people].

So it is with you, since you are so very eager to have spiritual gifts and manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in ways that will build up the church [spiritually].