Ecclesiastes 5 Cross References - LEB

¹ * Guard your steps when you go to the house of God; draw near to listen rather than to offer a sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. ² Do not be rash with your mouth, and do not let your heart be quick to utter a word before God. For God is in heaven, and you are on earth; therefore, let your words be few. ³ For a dream comes with many cares, and the voice of a fool with many words. ⁴ When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, for _⌊he takes no pleasure_⌋* in fools. Fulfill what you vow! ⁵ It is better that you not vow than that you vow and not fulfill it. ⁶ Do not let your mouth lead your flesh into sin, and do not tell the messenger that it was a mistake. Why anger God at your words, so that he destroys the work of your hands? ⁷ For with many dreams come vanities and numerous words. Therefore, fear God! ⁸ Do not be surprised if you see the poor being oppressed with violence or do not see justice and righteousness in the province. For one official is watched by a higher official, and there are even higher officials over them! ⁹ The produce of the land is exploited by everyone; _⌊even the king profits from the field of the poor_⌋!* ¹⁰ Whoever loves money is not satisfied with money, and whoever loves wealth is not satisfied with profit. This also is vanity! ¹¹ When prosperity increases, those who consume it increase. _⌊So its owner gains nothing, except to see his wealth before it is spent_⌋.* ¹² The sleep of the laborer is pleasant, whether he eats little or much, but the wealth of the rich man does not allow him to rest. ¹³ There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: wealth _⌊hoarded_⌋* by its owner to his harm. ¹⁴ That wealth was lost in a bad venture. Although he has borne a child, _⌊he has nothing to leave to him_⌋.* ¹⁵ Just as he came from his mother's womb naked, _⌊he will depart_⌋* just as he came; he will take nothing with him for his toil. ¹⁶ This also is a grievous illness. Exactly as he came, so he will go. What profit does he gain for all his toil for the wind? ¹⁷ Also, he eats in darkness all his days; he is frustrated in much sickness and resentment. ¹⁸ Look! I have discovered what is good and fitting: to eat and to drink and _⌊to enjoy_⌋* all the fruit of the toil with which one toils under the sun during the number of the days of his life that God gives to him—for this is his lot.* ¹⁹ This indeed is a gift of God: everyone to whom God gives wealth and possessions, he also empowers him _⌊to enjoy them_⌋,* to accept his lot, and to rejoice in the fruit of his toil. ²⁰ For he does not remember the brief days of his life, for God keeps his heart preoccupied with enjoyment of life.

³ And _⌊in the course of time_⌋* Cain brought an offering from the fruit of the ground to Yahweh, ⁴ and Abel also brought an offering from _⌊the choicest firstlings of his flock_⌋.* And Yahweh looked with favor to Abel and to his offering, ⁵ but to Cain and to his offering he did not look with favor. And Cain became very angry, and his face fell.

¹⁶ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely Yahweh _⌊is indeed_⌋* in this place and I did not know!" ¹⁷ Then he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! _⌊This is nothing else than the house of God_⌋,* and this is the gate of heaven!"

⁵ And he said, "You must not come near to here. Take off your sandals from on your feet, because the place on which you are standing, it is holy ground."

³ Therefore* Moses said to Aaron, "This is what Yahweh spoke, saying, 'Among those who are close to me I will show myself holy, and _⌊in the presence of_⌋* all the people I will display my glory.'"* So* Aaron was silent.

¹⁵ The commander of Yahweh's army said to Joshua, "Take off your sandals* from your feet,* for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.

¹² therefore I said, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not yet implored the face of Yahweh.' So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering." ¹³ Then Samuel said to Saul, "You have behaved foolishly! You have not kept the command of Yahweh your God which he commanded you. For then, Yahweh would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.

²¹ The troops took from the plunder, sheep and cattle, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God at Gilgal." ²² Then Samuel said,
"Is there as much delight for Yahweh in burnt offerings and sacrifices as there is in _⌊obeying_⌋* Yahweh? Look! _⌊To obey_⌋* is better than sacrifice; to give heed than the fat of rams.

¹⁶ But on account of his strength his heart grew proud unto destruction. And he acted unfaithfully against Yahweh his God and went into the temple of Yahweh to offer an incense offering on the altar.

⁸ It is not concerning a lack of your sacrifices that I rebuke you, and your burnt offerings are before me continually. ⁹ I will not take from your house a bull or from your stalls a he-goat, ¹⁰ because every animal of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. ¹¹ I know every bird of the mountains, and every moving creature in the field is mine. ¹² If I were hungry I would not tell you, because the world and its fullness are mine. ¹³ Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? ¹⁴ Offer to God a thank offering and pay your vows to the Most High. ¹⁵ And call me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will glorify me." ¹⁶ But to the wicked God says, "What right have you to recite my statutes and _⌊mention my covenant with your mouth_⌋,* ¹⁷ while you yourself hate discipline, and cast my words behind you? ¹⁸ When you see a thief, then you are pleased with him, and your association is with adulterers.

⁷ a God feared greatly in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all surrounding him?

⁸ The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination of Yahweh, but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

²⁷ The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it in divisiveness!

¹² When you come to appear before me, who asked for this from your hand: you trampling my courts? ¹³ You must not _⌊continue_⌋* to bring offerings* of futility, incense—it is an abomination to me; new moon and Sabbath, the calling of a convocation— I cannot endure iniquity with solemn assembly. ¹⁴ Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become to me like a burden, I am not able to bear them. ¹⁵ And when you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers,* I will not be listening. Your hands are full of blood. ¹⁶ Wash! Make yourselves clean! Remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes! Cease to do evil! ¹⁷ Learn to do good! Seek justice! Rescue the oppressed! Defend the orphan! Plead for the widow! ¹⁸ "Come now, and let us argue," says Yahweh. "Even though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white like snow; even though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. ¹⁹ If you are willing and you are obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. ²⁰ But if you refuse and you rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword.
For the mouth of Yahweh has spoken."

³ The one who slaughters a bull strikes a man; the one who slaughters a lamb for sacrifice breaks the neck of a dog. The one who offers an offering, the blood of swine; the one who offers frankincense blesses an idol. Indeed, they themselves have chosen their ways, and their soul delights in their abhorrence.

²¹ Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, "Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh. ²² For I did not speak with your ancestors,* nor did I command them in the day of bringing them out from the land of Egypt, concerning the matter of burnt offering and sacrifice. ²³ But I only commanded them this word, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'Obey my voice, and I will be to you God, and you will be to me people, and you must walk in all of the way that I command you, so that it goes well with you.'

⁶ Because I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. ⁷ But like Adam, they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me.

¹⁰ "Who also among you will shut the temple doors so that you will not kindle fire in vain on my altar? I take no pleasure in you," says Yahweh of hosts, "and _⌊I will not accept_⌋* an offering from your hand. ¹¹ From the rising of the sun to its setting, my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is being presented to my name, and a pure offering. For my name is great among the nations," says Yahweh of hosts.

³³ Therefore I sent for you at once, and you _⌊were kind enough to come_⌋.* So now we all are present before God to hear all the things that have been commanded to you by the Lord."

¹¹ Now these were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica. _⌊They_⌋* accepted the message with all eagerness, examining the scriptures every day to see if these things were so.

²² For do you not have houses for eating and drinking? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who do not have anything? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you!

²⁶ For if* we keep on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

²⁸ Therefore, since we* are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be thankful, through which let us serve God acceptably, with awe and reverence. ²⁹ For indeed our God is a consuming fire.

¹⁹ Understand this, my dear brothers: every person must be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,

¹ Therefore, ridding yourselves of all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, ² like newborn infants long for the unadulterated spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to salvation,

²⁷ Then Abraham answered and said, "Look, please, I was bold to speak to my Lord, but I am dust and ashes.

³⁰ And he said, "Please, let not my Lord be angry, and I will speak. What if* thirty be found there?" And he answered, "I will not do it if I find thirty there."

³² And he said, "Please, let not my Lord be angry, and I will speak only once more. What if* ten are found there?" And he answered, "I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten."

²⁰ And Jacob made a vow* saying, "If God will be with me and protect me on this way that I am going, and gives me food to eat and clothing to wear,

²² And this stone that I have set up as a pillar shall be the house of God, and of all that you give to me I will certainly give a tenth to you."

² if a man makes a vow for Yahweh or swears an oath with a binding pledge on himself, he must not render his word invalid; he must do all that went out from his mouth. ³ "If a woman makes a vow to Yahweh, and she binds a pledge on herself in her father's house in your childhood, ⁴ but if her father hears her vow or her pledge that she bound on herself and says nothing to her, then all her vows will stand, and every pledge that she binds on her life will stand. ⁵ If her father forbids her on the day he hears of it, all her vows or her pledges that she bound on herself will not stand, and Yahweh will forgive her because her father has forgiven her.

³⁰ And Jephthah made a vow to Yahweh, and he said, "If indeed you will give the _⌊Ammonites_⌋* into my hand,

²⁴ Now the men of Israel were hard pressed on that day, because Saul had made the army take an oath, saying, "Cursed be the man who eats any food until evening, when I will have avenged myself on my enemies!" So none of the army tasted any food. ²⁵ (Now all the people of the land used to go into the forest, for there was honey on the surface of the ground.) ²⁶ When the army came to the forest, look! There was honey flowing, but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the army was afraid of the solemn oath. ²⁷ However, Jonathan had not heard about the oath of his father with the army, so he extended the end of the staff which was in his hand, and he dipped it into the honeycomb.* Then he put his hand to his mouth and his eyes gleamed.* ²⁸ Then a man from the army informed him and said, "Your father made the army swear a solemn oath, saying, 'Cursed be the man who eats food today,'" so the army is exhausted. ²⁹ Then Jonathan said, "My father has brought trouble on the land! See now that my eyes have brightened because I have tasted a little of this honey. ³⁰ _⌊How much more could have been done_⌋* if the troops had eaten freely today from the plunder of their enemies that they had found! For now the loss among the Philistines is not great." ³¹ They defeated the Philistines that day from Micmash to Aijalon, and the troops were very weary. ³² Then the troops took the plunder: they took sheep and cattle and _⌊calves_⌋* and slaughtered them on the ground and the troops ate them all with the blood. ³³ So they reported it to Saul, saying, "Look! The troops are sinning against Yahweh by eating the animals with the blood!" And he said, "You have dealt treacherously! Roll to me a large stone _⌊today_⌋!"* ³⁴ Then Saul said, "Disperse yourselves among the troops and say to them, 'Bring to me each one his ox and each his sheep and slaughter them in this place and eat, but do not sin against Yahweh by eating the animals with the blood.'" So all the troops brought them, each leading his ox in his hand that night, and slaughtered it there. ³⁵ Then Saul built an altar to Yahweh; _⌊it was the first altar he built_⌋* to Yahweh. ³⁶ Saul said, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and let us plunder them until the morning light, and let us not leave alive a man among them." So they said, "Do all that is good in your eyes." But the priest said, "Let us draw near to God here." ³⁷ So Saul inquired of God, "Should I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?" But he did not answer him on that day. ³⁸ Then Saul said, "Come here, all you leaders of the people, _⌊so that we find out_⌋* what the sin was this day. ³⁹ For as Yahweh lives, who delivers Israel, I swear that even if it is in Jonathan my son, _⌊he will certainly die_⌋!"* But nobody from all the army answered him. ⁴⁰ Then he said to all Israel, "You will be _⌊on one side_⌋,* and I and my son Jonathan will be _⌊on the other_⌋."* And the army said to Saul, "Do what is good in your eyes." ⁴¹ Then Saul said to Yahweh the God of Israel, "_⌊Render a decision perfectly_⌋."* Jonathan and Saul were chosen by lot and the people went out. ⁴² Then Saul said, "Let them cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan," and Jonathan was chosen. ⁴³ So Saul said, "Tell me what you have done." So Jonathan told him and said, "I _⌊merely tasted_⌋* a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am, I must die." ⁴⁴ Then Saul said, "So may God do to me and _⌊more_⌋,* you will certainly die today, Jonathan!" ⁴⁵ But the army said to Saul, "Must Jonathan die, who accomplished this great victory in Israel? Far from it! As Yahweh lives, not a hair from his head will fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day." So the army ransomed Jonathan and he did not die.

³ But our God is in the heavens; all that he desires, he does.

¹⁹ In many words, transgression is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is prudent.

²⁵ It is a snare to humankind to say rashly "It is holy," and after vows, to scrutinize.

³ For a dream comes with many cares, and the voice of a fool with many words.

⁷ For with many dreams come vanities and numerous words. Therefore, fear God!

⁹ "For as the heavens are _⌊higher_⌋* than the earth, so my ways are _⌊higher_⌋* than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

⁷ "But when you* pray, do not babble repetitiously like the pagans, for they think that because of their many words they will be heard.

⁹ Therefore you pray in this way:
"Our Father who is in heaven, may your name be treated as holy.

²³ And he swore to her,* "Anything whatever you ask me for I will give you, up to half my kingdom!"

² For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect individual,* able to hold in check his whole body also.

² "Should an abundance of words go unanswered, or _⌊a man full of talk_⌋* be vindicated?*

² The tongue of the wise will dispense knowledge, but the mouth of fools will pour out folly.

¹² The wise man wins favor by the words of his mouth, but the fool is devoured by his own lips. ¹³ He begins by saying what is foolish and ends by uttering what is wicked delusion. ¹⁴ The fool _⌊talks too much_⌋,* for no one knows what will be. Who can tell anyone what will happen _⌊in the future_⌋?*

¹ And God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there, and make an altar to the God who appeared to you when you fled from before Esau your brother."

³ Then let us make ready and let us go up to Bethel, so that I can make an altar there to the God who answered me in the day of my trouble, and who has been with me on the way that I have gone."

² if a man makes a vow for Yahweh or swears an oath with a binding pledge on himself, he must not render his word invalid; he must do all that went out from his mouth.

²¹ "_⌊When you make a vow_⌋* to Yahweh your God, you shall not postpone _⌊fulfillment of it_⌋,* for certainly Yahweh your God shall require it from you and if postponed _⌊you will incur guilt_⌋.* ²² And _⌊if you refrain from vowing_⌋,* _⌊you shall not incur guilt_⌋.* ²³ The utterance of your lips _⌊you must perform diligently_⌋* just as you have vowed freely to Yahweh your God whatever it was that you promised* with your mouth.

¹⁴ Offer to God a thank offering and pay your vows to the Most High.

¹³ I will come into your house* with burnt offerings. I will pay to you my vows ¹⁴ that my lips uttered, and my mouth spoke in my distress.

¹¹ Make vows and fulfill them to Yahweh, your God; let all surrounding him bring tribute to the one to be feared.*

¹⁴ I will pay my vows made to Yahweh in the presence of all his people.

¹⁶ Ah, Yahweh, I am indeed your servant; I am your servant, the child of your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds. ¹⁷ I will offer to you a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and proclaim the name of Yahweh. ¹⁸ I will pay my vows made to Yahweh in the presence of all his people,

¹⁰⁶ I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to heed _⌊your righteous ordinances_⌋.*

¹⁰ He does not delight in the strength of the horse; he takes no pleasure in the legs of the man. ¹¹ Yahweh takes pleasure in those who fear him, the ones who hope* for his loyal love.

²¹ And Yahweh will make himself known to Egypt, and Egypt will know Yahweh on that day, and they will worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows* to Yahweh, and they will fulfill them.

⁹ But I, with a voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you; I will fulfill what I have vowed. Deliverance* belongs to Yahweh!"

¹⁰ "Who also among you will shut the temple doors so that you will not kindle fire in vain on my altar? I take no pleasure in you," says Yahweh of hosts, "and _⌊I will not accept_⌋* an offering from your hand.

³³ "Again you have heard that it was said to the _⌊people of old_⌋,* 'Do not swear falsely,* but fulfill your oaths to the Lord.'*

⁶ you did not delight in whole burnt offerings and offerings for sins.

²² And _⌊if you refrain from vowing_⌋,* _⌊you shall not incur guilt_⌋.*

⁴ When it* remained to you, did it not remain yours? And when it* was sold, was it at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to people, but to God!"

¹⁶ The angel who redeemed me from all evil, may he bless the boys. And through them let my name be perpetuated,* and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac. And let them multiply into many in the midst of the earth.

⁴ Or when a person* swears, speaking thoughtlessly with his lips, to do evil or to do good _⌊with regard to_⌋* anything that _⌊the person_⌋* in a sworn oath speaks thoughtlessly, but* _⌊he is unaware of it_⌋,* he will be guilty _⌊in any of_⌋* these. ⁵ When he becomes guilty _⌊in any of_⌋* these, he shall confess* what he has sinned _⌊regarding_⌋* it, ⁶ and he shall bring his guilt offering to* Yahweh for his sin that he has _⌊committed_⌋:* a female from the flock,* a ewe-lamb or _⌊a she-goat_⌋,* as a sin offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him for* his sin.

⁹ " 'And if it is a domestic animal from which they present an offering for Yahweh, all that he gives from it for Yahweh shall be a holy object. ¹⁰ He shall not replace it, nor shall he exchange it, either good with bad or bad with good; and if he indeed exchanges a domestic animal with a domestic animal, then* _⌊it and its substitution shall be a holy object_⌋.*

²⁵ The priest will make atonement for all of the community of the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* and _⌊they will be forgiven_⌋* because it was unintentional; they will bring their offering, an offering made by fire for Yahweh, their sin offering _⌊before Yahweh_⌋* for their unintentional sin.

¹ * Guard your steps when you go to the house of God; draw near to listen rather than to offer a sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. ² Do not be rash with your mouth, and do not let your heart be quick to utter a word before God. For God is in heaven, and you are on earth; therefore, let your words be few.

⁴ He struggled with the angel and prevailed; he pleaded for his mercy. He met him at Bethel, and there he spoke with him.* ⁵ Yahweh the God of hosts, Yahweh is his renowned name!

⁹ 'You have looked for much, and look! It came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?' _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh of hosts. 'Because my house is desolate and you are running each to your own house! ¹⁰ Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld the dew and the earth has withheld its produce. ¹¹ I have called for a drought on the land and the hills,* on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil, on what the soil produces, on human beings and wild animals,* and on _⌊all their labor_⌋.'"*

¹⁴ And Haggai answered and said, " 'So it is with this people, and with this nation before me,' _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh, 'and so it is with every kind of work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean. ¹⁵ But now, please _⌊consider_⌋* from this day forward, before one stone was placed on another in the temple of Yahweh, ¹⁶ _⌊from that time when_⌋* one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten, and when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty measures,* there were only twenty. ¹⁷ I struck you with blight, and with plant mildew, and hail, all the work of your hands. But _⌊you did not come back to me_⌋,'* _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh.

⁷ For the lips of the priest should guard knowledge, and they should seek instruction* from his mouth, for he is the messenger of Yahweh of hosts.

¹ "Look! I am going to send my messenger,* and he will prepare* the way _⌊before me_⌋.* And the Lord whom you are seeking will come suddenly to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you are taking pleasure—look!—he is about to come," says Yahweh of hosts.

³⁰ "And when* forty years had been completed, an angel appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai in the flame of a burning bush. ³¹ And when* Moses saw it,* he was astonished at the sight, and when* he approached to look at it,* the voice of the Lord came: ³² 'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob!'* So Moses began trembling and* did not dare to look at it.* ³³ And the Lord said to him, 'Untie the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. ³⁴ _⌊I have certainly seen_⌋* the mistreatment of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.'* ³⁵ This Moses whom they had repudiated, saying, 'Who appointed you a ruler and a judge?'*—this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer with _⌊the help_⌋* of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.

¹³ the work of each one will become evident. For the day will reveal it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the work of each one, of what sort it is. ¹⁴ If anyone's work that he has built upon it remains, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, but so as through fire.

¹⁰ Because of this, the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, on account of the angels.

²¹ I testify solemnly before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing according to partiality.

¹⁴ Are they not all spirits engaged in special service, sent on assignment for the sake of those who are going to inherit salvation?

²⁶ If anyone thinks he is religious, although he* does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.

⁸ Watch yourselves that you do not lose what we have worked for, but receive a full reward.

¹⁷ May your heart* not envy the sinners, but live in fear of Yahweh _⌊all day_⌋.*

¹⁴ I know everything God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, and nothing can be taken from it, for God so acts that humans* might stand in awe before him.

¹⁸ It is good to take hold of the one and also must not let go of the other; for whoever fears God will hold both of them secure.

¹² Although the sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I also know that it will be good for those who fear God—because they fear _⌊his presence_⌋.*

¹³ Now that all has been heard, here is the final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

¹⁰ Who among you is in fear of Yahweh, obeys* the voice of his servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light, trusts in the name of Yahweh and depends on his God? ¹¹ Look! All of you are kindlers of fire, who gird yourselves with flaming arrows. Walk in the light of your fire, and among the flaming arrows you have kindled! You shall have this from my hand: you shall lie down in* a place of torment.

³⁶ But I tell you that every worthless word that they speak, people will give an account for it on the day of judgment!

¹⁹ You shall say to him, 'Thus says Yahweh: "Have you committed murder and also taken possession?" ' You shall also say to him, 'Thus says Yahweh: "In the place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth, the dogs will also lick your blood." '" ²⁰ Then Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, my enemy?" He said, "I have found you because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of Yahweh.

¹⁵ And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, and as he was about to destroy it, Yahweh saw and was grieved on account of the calamity. Then he said to the angel, the destroyer, "It is enough; slacken your hand." And the angel of Yahweh was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ¹⁶ And David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of Yahweh standing between earth and heaven, with his sword drawn in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.

¹⁹ for he has oppressed; he has abandoned the poor; he has seized a house but* did not build it. ²⁰ Because he has not known satisfaction in his stomach, _⌊he lets nothing escape that he desires_⌋.* ²¹ _⌊There is nothing left after he has eaten_⌋;* therefore his prosperity will not endure. ²² In the fullness of his excess _⌊he will be in distress_⌋;* all of misery's power will come upon him. ²³ _⌊When his stomach fills up_⌋,* God will send _⌊his burning anger_⌋* upon him, and he will let it rain down upon him* as his food. ²⁴ "He will flee from an iron weapon, but an arrow of bronze will pierce him. ²⁵ He draws it forth, and it comes out from his body, and the glittering point comes from his gall-bladder; terrors come upon him. ²⁶ _⌊Total darkness_⌋* is hidden for his treasures;* _⌊an unfanned fire_⌋* will devour him; the remnant* _⌊will be consumed_⌋* in his tent. ²⁷ The heavens will reveal his guilt, and the earth will rise up against him. ²⁸ The products of his house will be carried away* like gushing waters* on the day of his wrath. ²⁹ This is a wicked human being's portion from God and the inheritance of his decree from God."*

⁸ for what is the hope of the godless when he cuts them off, when God takes away his life? ⁹ Will God hear his cry of distress when distress comes upon him? ¹⁰ Or, in Shaddai will he find delight? Will he call upon God at all times? ¹¹ "I will teach you* about* God's hand; I will not conceal that which is with Shaddai. ¹² Look, you all have seen, and _⌊why in the world_⌋* _⌊have you become altogether vain_⌋?* ¹³ "This is the portion of the wicked human being with God, and they receive from Shaddai the inheritance of the ruthless. ¹⁴ If their children multiply, it is for the sword, and his offspring _⌊do not have enough to eat_⌋.* ¹⁵ Their* survivors are buried through* the plague, and their* widows do not weep. ¹⁶ If he heaps up silver like the dust and fashions clothing like the clay, ¹⁷ he makes it ready, and the righteous will wear it, and the innocent will divide the silver. ¹⁸ "He builds his house like the moth, and like a booth that a watchman has made. ¹⁹ He goes to bed with wealth, but* _⌊he will do so no more_⌋;* he opens his eyes, and _⌊it is gone_⌋.* ²⁰ Terrors overtake him like the water; a storm wind carries him off in the night. ²¹ The east wind lifts him up, and he is gone, and it sweeps him away from his place. ²² And it hurls at him, and it has no compassion; he will quickly flee from its power. ²³ It claps its hands over him, and it hisses at him from its place.

¹⁷ The longing of the afflicted you have heard, O Yahweh. You will make their heart secure. You will _⌊listen attentively_⌋* ¹⁸ to render judgment for the fatherless and the oppressed so that a mere mortal from the earth will no longer cause terror.

⁵ "Because of the oppression of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the poor, now I will rise up," Yahweh says. "I shall put them in the safety for which they* long."

⁹ Confuse, O Lord; divide their speech, because I see violence and strife in the city.

¹⁰ The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. ¹¹ And people* will say, "Surely there is a _⌊reward_⌋* for the righteous. Surely there is a God who judges in the land."*

¹ A psalm of Asaph.*
God stands in the divine assembly;* he administers judgment in the midst of the gods.*

¹⁸ that they may know that you, whose name is Yahweh, you alone, are the Most High over the whole earth.

³ For Yahweh is the* great God, and the great king over all gods,

¹¹ Do not let a _⌊slanderer_⌋* be established in the land; as for the man of violence, let evil hunt him quickly. ¹² I know* that Yahweh will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and justice for the needy.

¹⁷ I love _⌊those who love me_⌋,* and those who seek me diligently shall find me.

¹⁶ I saw something else under the sun: instead of justice there was evil; instead of righteousness there was wickedness.

¹ I looked again, and I saw all the oppression that occurs under the sun.
_⌊I saw the tears of the oppressed— no one comforts them! Those who oppress them are powerful— no one can comfort them_⌋!*

¹⁵ _⌊Why_⌋* do you crush my people and grind the face of the poor?"
_⌊declares_⌋* the Lord Yahweh of hosts.

⁷ For the vineyard of Yahweh of hosts is the house of Israel, and the man* of Judah is the plantation of his delight. And he waited for justice,* but look! Bloodshed!* For righteousness,* but look! A cry of distress!*

⁵ Ah! Assyria, the rod of my anger, and a staff is in their hand: my wrath! ⁶ I send him against a godless nation, and I command him against the people of my wrath, to capture spoil and to carry off plunder, and to make them* a trampling place, like the clay of the streets. ⁷ But he does not think this,* and his heart does not plan this. For it is in his heart to destroy and to cut off not a few nations.

¹² And this shall happen: when the Lord has finished all his work against _⌊Mount Zion_⌋* and Jerusalem, "I will punish the _⌊arrogance_⌋* of the king of Assyria and _⌊his haughtiness_⌋."*

³⁶ And the angel of Yahweh set out and struck one hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. When* they rose in the morning, look! All of them were dead corpses.

¹⁰ who from the beginning declares the end, and from before, things that have not been done, who says, 'My plan shall stand,' and, 'I will accomplish* all my wishes,'* ¹¹ who calls a bird of prey from the east, the man of his* plan from a country from afar. Indeed I have spoken; indeed I will bring it to being. I have formed it; indeed I will do it.

¹⁵ For thus says the high and lofty one who resides forever, and whose name is holy:
"I reside in a high and holy place, and with the _⌊contrite_⌋* and humble of spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the _⌊contrite_⌋.*

¹³ transgressing and denying Yahweh, and turning _⌊away from following_⌋* our God; speaking oppression and falsehood, conceiving and uttering words of deception from the heart. ¹⁴ And justice is pushed back, and righteousness stands afar; for truth stumbles in the public square, and straightforwardness is unable to enter, ¹⁵ and truth is missing, and he who turns aside from evil is plundered. And Yahweh saw, and it was displeasing in his eyes that there was no justice ¹⁶ And he saw that there was no man, and he was appalled that there was no one who intercedes, so* his arm came to assist him, and his righteousness _⌊was what_⌋* sustained him.

¹⁷ "But there is nothing in your eyes and your heart _⌊except_⌋* your unlawful gain, and on shedding the blood of the innocent, and on committing oppression and extortion." ¹⁸ _⌊Therefore_⌋* thus says Yahweh concerning Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah:
"They will not lament for him, 'Alas, my brother,' or 'Alas, sister.' They will not lament for him, 'Alas, lord,' or 'alas, his majesty.' ¹⁹ He will be buried with the burial of a donkey. He will be* dragged away and thrown _⌊outside_⌋* the gates of Jerusalem.

⁶ Look! The princes of Israel, each one according to his strength,* they are in you _⌊for the shedding of blood_⌋.* ⁷ They have treated father and mother with contempt in you; _⌊they violated_⌋* the alien with* extortion; in the midst of you they mistreated the orphan and widow. ⁸ You despised my holy objects; my Sabbaths you profaned. ⁹ Slanderous men are _⌊among you_⌋* to shed blood, and they, _⌊among you_⌋,* eat upon the mountains; they do wickedness in the midst of you. ¹⁰ They uncover the nakedness of a father among* you; they violate a woman unclean of menstruation among* you. ¹¹ And a man does a detestable thing with the wife of his neighbor, and a man defiles his daughter-in-law in wickedness, and a man sexually violates among* you his sister, the daughter of his father. ¹² They take a bribe among* you in order to shed blood; and you take usury, and you make gain from your neighbors by extortion, and so you have forgotten me, _⌊declares_⌋* the Lord Yahweh. ¹³ And look! I strike my hand for your ill-gotten gain that you have made and at your blood that was in the midst of you. ¹⁴ Can your heart endure,* or can your hands be strong at the days in which I am dealing with you? I, Yahweh, I have spoken, and I will act!

¹² For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are numerous, you foes of the righteous, those who take a bribe, and _⌊those who_⌋* push aside the poor ones in the gate!

² Cross over to Calneh and see, and go from there to Hamath Rabbah and go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms, or is their territory greater than your territory? ³ You that put off the day of disaster and bring near a reign of violence! ⁴ Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory and lounge on their couches, and those eating young rams from the sheep and goats, and bull-calves from the middle of the animal stall. ⁵ Alas for those who sing to the tune of the harp; like David they improvise on instruments of music. ⁶ Alas for those who drink from sprinkling bowls of wine and anoint themselves with the best of olive oils and are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph.

¹² Do horses run on rocks, or does one plow the sea with oxen?* But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood!

⁴ Hear this, those who trample on the poor and who annihilate the afflicted of the land, ⁵ saying, "When will the new moon be over, so that we can sell grain? And the Sabbath, so that we can open the grain bins, that we can make the ephah small and make the shekel large, and can practice deceit with a set of scales of deceit? ⁶ _⌊That we can_⌋* buy the powerless with silver and the poor for the sake of a pair of sandals, and we can sell the waste of the grain?" ⁷ Yahweh has sworn by the pride of Jacob, "Surely I will never forget any of their deeds!

¹ Woe to those who plan wickedness and evil deeds upon their beds! In the light of the morning they did it, because they have power in their hands. ² They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and they take them away. They oppress a man and his house; a man and his inheritance. ³ Therefore, thus says Yahweh: Look! I am planning disaster against this family from which you will not be able to remove your necks. You will not walk proudly, for it is a time of disaster.

⁹ You have driven out the women of my people from the houses of their* pleasure. From their* children you have taken away my glory forever.

¹ And I said, "Listen, O heads of Jacob and leaders of the house of Israel! Is it not for you to know justice? ² Those of you who are haters of good and lovers of evil, who tear their skin from them and their flesh from their bones, ³ and who eat the flesh of my people, and strip their skin from them, and break their bones, and chop them like meat in the pot, and like flesh in the midst of a cooking pot." ⁴ Then they will cry to Yahweh, but he will not answer them. He will hide his face from them at that time, when they have made their deeds evil.

⁹ Hear this, O rulers of the house of Jacob and leaders of the house of Israel, those detesting justice and perverting all that is right, ¹⁰ he who builds Zion with blood and Jerusalem with wickedness. ¹¹ Its rulers judge for a bribe; its priests teach for a price; its prophets practice divination for money. But they lean on Yahweh, saying, "Is not Yahweh in our midst? Disaster will not come upon us." ¹² Therefore on account of you Zion will be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem will be a heap of rubble, and _⌊the temple mount_⌋* as a high place in a forest.

¹⁰ Is there any longer a man in the house of the wicked treasures of wickedness, and the ephah of scarcity which is accursed?* ¹¹ Shall I regard as pure the one with scales of wickedness, and with a bag of deceitful weights? ¹² Because her rich are full of violence, and her inhabitants speak lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. ¹³ And I also _⌊have made you sick by striking you down_⌋,* making you desolate because of your sins.

² O Yahweh, how long shall I cry for help and you will not listen? How long will I cry out to you, "Violence!" and you will not save? ³ Why do you cause me to see evil while you look at trouble? Destruction and violence happen before me; contention and strife arise.

¹² Are you not from of old, O Yahweh my God, my Holy One? You* shall not die. O Yahweh, you have marked them* for judgment; O Rock, you have established them* for reproof. ¹³ Your eyes are too pure to see evil, and you are not able to look at wrongdoing.* Why do you look at the treacherous? Why are you silent when the wicked swallows up someone more righteous than him?

⁹ "Thus says Yahweh of hosts: 'Judge with trustworthy justice, and show* steadfast love and compassion _⌊to one another_⌋.* ¹⁰ You must not oppress the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, and the needy. You must not devise evil in your heart _⌊against one another_⌋.'* ¹¹ But they refused to listen, and turned* a stubborn shoulder and _⌊stopped their ears from listening_⌋.* ¹² _⌊They made their hearts adamant_⌋* in order not to hear the law* and the words that Yahweh of hosts had sent by his spirit through* the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from Yahweh of hosts. ¹³ 'Thus, just as I* called and they would not hear, so they will call and I will not hear,' says Yahweh of hosts.

⁶ Thus says Yahweh of hosts: 'Even if it seems impossible* _⌊to the remnant_⌋* of this people in those days, should it also seem impossible* _⌊to me_⌋?'* _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh of hosts.

⁵ "Then I will approach you for judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers, and against those who swear _⌊falsely_⌋,* and against the oppressors of the hired worker with his wages, the widow and the orphan, and _⌊the abusers of_⌋* the alien,* and yet do not fear me," says Yahweh of hosts.

⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all the causes of sin and those who do lawless deeds, ⁴² and throw them into the fiery furnace.* In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!

³² This one will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.

³⁵ And the angel answered and* said to her,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the one to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.

⁷⁶ And so you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go on before the Lord to prepare his ways,

²⁷ For in truth both Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, assembled together in this city against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed, ²⁸ to do all that your hand and plan* had predestined to take place.

⁷ And behold, an angel of the Lord stood near him,* and a light shone in the prison cell. And striking Peter's side, he woke him up, saying, "Get up _⌊quickly_⌋!"* And his chains fell off of his* hands. ⁸ And the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and put on your sandals!" And he did so. And he said to him, "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me!" ⁹ And he went out and* was following him.* And he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but was thinking he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰ And after they* had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened for them by itself, and they went out and* went forward along one narrow street, and at once the angel departed from him.

²³ And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down _⌊because_⌋* he did not give the glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and* died.

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how incomprehensible are his ways!

¹³ For judgment is merciless to the one who has not practiced mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

² Your wealth has rotted, and your clothing has become moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and silver have become corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you, and it will consume your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasure in the last days. ⁴ Behold, the wages that were held back by you from the workers who reap your fields cry out, and the cries of the reapers have come to the ears of the Lord of hosts. ⁵ You have lived self-indulgently on the earth* and have lived luxuriously. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned, you have murdered the righteous person; he does not resist you. ⁷ Therefore be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the soil, being patient concerning it until it receives the early and late rains.

¹² Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, when it* takes place to test you, as if something strange were happening to you.

¹³ Do not marvel,* brothers, if the world hates you.

⁶ And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses to Jesus.
And _⌊I was greatly astonished when I saw her_⌋*. ⁷ And the angel said to me, "Why are you astonished? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that has the seven heads and the ten horns that carries her.

²⁹ And God said, "Look—I am giving to you every plant that bears seed which is on the face of the whole earth, and every kind of tree _⌊that bears fruit_⌋.* They shall be yours as food." ³⁰ And to every kind of animal of the earth and to every bird of heaven,* and to everything that moves upon the earth in which there is life I am giving every green plant as food." And it was so.

¹⁷ And to Adam* he said, "Because you listened to the voice of your wife and you ate from the tree _⌊from which I forbade you to eat_⌋,*
the ground shall be cursed on your account. In pain you shall eat from it all the days of your life. ¹⁸ And thorns and thistles shall sprout for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field. ¹⁹ By the sweat of your brow* you shall eat bread, until your return to the ground. For from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

¹² He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and those _⌊to do his plowing_⌋* and to reap his harvest, and those to make weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He will take your daughters as his perfume makers and as cooks and as bakers. ¹⁴ He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive trees and will give them to his servants. ¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your seed and your vineyards and give it to his high officials and to his servants. ¹⁶ He will take your male slaves and your female slaves and the best of your young men* and your donkeys and _⌊will use them for his projects_⌋.* ¹⁷ He will take a tenth of your flocks,* and you yourselves will become his servants.

⁷ Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, and they sustained the king and his palace, _⌊each one was to sustain for each month of the year_⌋.* ⁸ These are their names: Ben-Hur was in the hill country of Ephraim. ⁹ Ben-Deker was in Makaz and in Shaalbim and in Beth-Shemesh and Elon of Beth-Hanan. ¹⁰ Ben-Hesed was in the Arubbot; Socoh and all the land of Hepher were his. ¹¹ Ben-Abinadab was in all of Naphat of Dor; Taphath the daughter of Solomon was his wife. ¹² Baanah the son of Ahilud was in Taanach and Megiddo and all Beth-Shean which is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, of Beth-Shean up to Abel-Meholah up to the other side of Jokmeam. ¹³ Ben-Geber was in Ramoth-Gilead; the villages of Jair, the son of Manasseh which are in the Gilead were his, and the region of Argob which is in the Bashan, sixty great cities, with walls having crossbars of bronze, were his. ¹⁴ Ahinadab the son of Iddo was in Mahanaim. ¹⁵ Ahimaaz was in Naphtali; he moreover also had taken Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife. ¹⁶ Baanah the son of Hushai was in Asher and Bealoth. ¹⁷ Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah was in Issachar. ¹⁸ Shimei the son of Ela was in Benjamin. ¹⁹ Geber the son of Uri was in the land of Gilead, the land of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, and of Og, the king of Bashan; one governor which was over the land. ²⁰ Judah and Israel were as many as the sand which is on the seashore in abundance, eating and drinking and rejoicing! ²¹ * Now Solomon was ruling over all the kingdoms from the River* to the land of the Philistines, and up to the border of Egypt, who were bringing tribute and were serving Solomon all the days of his life. ²² The food of Solomon for one day was thirty dry measures of choice meal and sixty dry measures of flour; ²³ ten stall-fed oxen and twenty pasture-fed oxen and a hundred sheep, besides deer and buck gazelles and roebucks and well-fed fowls.

²⁶ And over those who did the work in the field to till the soil was Ezri the son of Kelub. ²⁷ And over the vineyards was Shemei the Ramathite. And over the produce in the vineyards for the storehouses of the wine was Zabdi the Shiphmite. ²⁸ And over the olive trees and the sycamore trees that were in the Shephelah was Baal-Hanan the Gederite. And over the treasury houses of olive oil was Joash. ²⁹ And over the cattle pastured in the Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite. And over the cattle in the valley was Shaphat the son of Adlai. ³⁰ And over the camels was Obil the Ishmaelite. And over the female donkeys was Jehdeiah the Meronothite.* And over the sheep was Jaziz the Hagrite. ³¹ All of these were officials of the property of King David.

¹⁴ who causes grass to grow for the cattle and herbs for the service of humankind, to bring forth food from the earth, ¹⁵ and wine that makes glad the heart of man, so that their faces shine from oil, and bread that strengthens the heart of man.

¹⁶ The heavens are Yahweh's heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of humankind.

²³ There is much food in the field of the poor, but _⌊it is swept away_⌋* by _⌊injustice_⌋.*

²³ You will surely know the _⌊condition_⌋* of your flock; your heart* attends to the herds. ²⁴ For riches are not forever, nor a crown for generation after generation. ²⁵ When the grass is gone, then green growth will appear, and the herbs of the mountains will be gathered. ²⁶ Lambs will be your clothing, and goats the price of the field. ²⁷ And there will be enough goats' milk for your food, for the food of your household and the _⌊nourishment_⌋* of your maidservants.

¹⁹ He who tills his ground will have plenty bread, but he who follows fantasies will have plenty of poverty.

¹⁰ _⌊As for me_⌋,* look, I am staying at Mizpah to represent you _⌊before_⌋* the Chaldeans who come to us. But you, gather wine and summer fruit and oil, and put them in your vessels, and live in your towns that you have seized." ¹¹ And also all the Judeans who were in Moab, and among the _⌊Ammonites_⌋,* and in Edom, and who were in all the lands, when they heard that the king of Babylon had given a remnant to Judah and that he had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, in an official position over them, ¹² then all the Judeans returned from all the places to which they were scattered. And they came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and they gathered wine and summer fruit that yielded _⌊in great abundance_⌋.*

¹ For the music director. A maskil of David. When Doeg the Edomite came and informed Saul. And he said to him, "David has come to the house of Ahimelech."*
Why do you boast about evil, O mighty man? The loyal love of God endures _⌊continually_⌋.*

⁷ "Look, the man who would not make God his refuge, but he trusted in the greatness of his wealth; he took refuge in his destructiveness."

¹⁰ Do not trust in extortion, and do not put vain confidence in robbery. If wealth increases, do not set your heart on it.

¹⁵ For the leech, there are two daughters; "Give, give!" they cry. As for three of these, they are not satisfied; as for four, they do not say enough. ¹⁶ Sheol* and barrenness of womb, the land is not satisfied with water, and fire does not say "enough!"

¹⁷ So _⌊I dedicated myself_⌋* to learn about wisdom and to learn about delusion and folly. However, I discovered* that this also is chasing wind.

¹¹ Yet when I considered* all the effort which I expended and the toil with which I toiled to do, then behold, "Everything is vanity and chasing wind! There is nothing profitable under the sun!"

¹⁷ So I hated life because the work done under the sun is grievous to me. For everything is vanity and chasing wind! ¹⁸ So I hated all my toil with which I have toiled under the sun, for I must leave it behind to someone who will be after me.

²⁶ For to the person who is good in his eyes, he gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and heaping up only to give it to him who is pleasing to him. This also is vanity and chasing wind!

¹⁹ For the fate of _⌊humans_⌋* and the fate of the beast is _⌊the same_⌋.* The death of the one is like the death of the other, for _⌊both are mortal_⌋.* Man has no advantage over the beast, for both are fleeting.

⁴ I also realized that all of the toil and all of the skillful work that is done—it is envy between one man and _⌊another_⌋.* This also is vanity and chasing wind!

⁸ Sometimes a man is all alone with no companion; he also has neither son nor brother. Yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eye is not satisfied with wealth. He laments, "For whom am I toiling and depriving _⌊myself_⌋* of pleasure?" This also is vanity—it is an unhappy business!

¹⁶ There is no end to all the people, to all who were before him. Yet the later generation will not rejoice in him, for this also is vanity and chasing wind!

⁷ All of a man's toil is for his mouth— yet his appetite is never satisfied.

⁵ _⌊How much less_⌋* the defiant;* the arrogant, treacherous man? He who broadens his throat like Sheol, and who, like death, is not satisfied, and who gathers to himself all the nations, and harvested for himself all the peoples, will not succeed. ⁶ Shall not all of these take up a taunt against him, with ridicule and riddles against him, saying, 'Woe to him who heaps up what is not his'? For how long? And, 'Woe to him who makes himself heavy with pledges'? ⁷ Will not your creditors suddenly rise up and awaken those who make you tremble? Then you shall be as plunder for them.

¹⁹ "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and consuming insect* destroy and where thieves break in and steal,

²⁴ "No one is able to serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You are not able to serve God and money.*

¹⁵ And he said to them, "Watch out and guard yourselves from all greediness, because not even when someone has an abundance _⌊does_⌋* his life consist of his possessions."

¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all evil, by which some, because they* desire it, have gone astray from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains.

¹⁶ And he dealt well with Abram on account of her, and he had sheep, cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

² Now Abram was very wealthy in livestock, in silver, and in gold.

⁵ And Lot, who went with Abram, also had herds and tents. ⁶ And the land could not _⌊support them_⌋* so as to live together, because their possessions were so many that* they were not able to live together. ⁷ And there was a quarrel between the herdsmen of the livestock of Abram and the herdsmen of the livestock of Lot. Now at that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land.

²¹ I saw among the spoil a beautiful robe from Shinar,* two hundred shekels of silver, and one bar of gold that weighed fifty shekels; I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, and the silver is under it." ²² Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there they were, hidden in his tent, and the silver was under it. ²³ And they took them from the tent and brought them to Joshua and all the _⌊Israelites_⌋.* And they spread them out before the presence of Yahweh. ²⁴ Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his cattle and donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and everything that was his, and they brought them to the valley of Achor.* ²⁵ And Joshua said, "Why did you bring us trouble? Yahweh will bring you trouble on this day." And all Israel stoned them* with stones;* and they burned them with fire after they stoned them with stones.

¹³ Then King Solomon conscripted a forced labor from all Israel, and the forced labor numbered thirty thousand men. ¹⁴ He sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand _⌊every month_⌋;* the work groups were a month in Lebanon and two months at home; now Adoniram was over the forced labor. ¹⁵ Solomon had seventy thousand _⌊common laborers_⌋* and eighty thousand stone craftsmen in the hill country. ¹⁶ Besides the chiefs of the officers Solomon had, there were three thousand three hundred having charge over the people who were doing the work. ¹⁷ One hundred and fifty men, prefects and Jews, and those who came to us from the nations around us, were at my table. ¹⁸ Now what was prepared each day for me was one ox, six choice sheep, and birds. And every ten days all kinds of wine were made. But for this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor because the slavery was too heavy on this people.

³⁶ Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to dishonest gain. ³⁷ Turn away my eyes from looking at what is worthless; revive me in your ways.

⁵ Your eyes will _⌊alight_⌋* on it, but there is nothing to it, for suddenly it will make for itself wings like an eagle and it will be exhausted in the heavens.

⁹ _⌊Better to be content with what your eyes see than for your soul to constantly crave more_⌋.* This also is vanity and chasing wind!

⁹ Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth! Follow the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes— but know that God will bring you into judgment for all these things.

¹¹ Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay is one who amasses wealth without justice. In the middle of his days it will leave him, and at his end he will prove to be a fool."

¹³ Look! Is it not from Yahweh of hosts that people labor for mere fire, and nations exhaust themselves for mere vanity?

¹⁶ because everything that is in the world—the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance of material possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world.

⁸ In peace I will lie down and sleep _⌊at once_⌋,* for you alone, O Yahweh, make me dwell safely.

² It is in vain for you who rise early and sit late, eating the bread of anxious toil, when thus he* provides* for his beloved in his sleep.*

²⁴ If you sit down, you will not panic,* and if you lie down, then your sleep shall be sweet.

²⁶ At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me.

⁵ And Lot, who went with Abram, also had herds and tents. ⁶ And the land could not _⌊support them_⌋* so as to live together, because their possessions were so many that* they were not able to live together. ⁷ And there was a quarrel between the herdsmen of the livestock of Abram and the herdsmen of the livestock of Lot. Now at that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land. ⁸ Then Abram said to Lot, "Please, let there not be quarreling between me and you, and between my shepherds and your shepherds, for we men are brothers. ⁹ Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you want what is on the left, then I will go right; if you want what is on the right, I will go left." ¹⁰ And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw the whole plain of the Jordan, that all of it was well-watered land—this was before Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of Yahweh, like the land of Egypt _⌊in the direction of_⌋* Zoar. ¹¹ So* Lot chose for himself all the plain of the Jordan. And Lot journeyed from the east, and so they separated _⌊from each other_⌋.*

¹⁶ And he brought back all the possessions. And he also brought back Lot, his _⌊relative_⌋,* and his possessions, and the women and the people as well.

¹⁴ Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who were taking* his daughters and said, "Get up! Go out from this place, because Yahweh is going to destroy the city!" But _⌊it seemed like a joke_⌋* in the eyes of his sons-in-law.

²⁶ But his* wife looked _⌊back_⌋,* and she became a pillar of salt.

³¹ And the firstborn daughter said to the younger one, "Our father is old, and there is no man in the land to come in to us according to the manner of all the land. ³² Come, let us give our father wine to drink and let us lie with him* that _⌊we may secure descendants through our father_⌋."* ³³ And they gave their father wine to drink that night, and the firstborn went and lay with her father, but he did not know when she lay down or when she got up. ³⁴ And it happened that, the next day the firstborn said to the younger one, "Look, I laid with my father last night. Let us give him wine to drink also tonight, then go and lie with him that _⌊we may secure descendants through our father_⌋."* ³⁵ And they gave their father wine to drink again that night, and the younger got up and lay with him, but he did not know when she lay down or when she got up. ³⁶ And the two daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. ³⁷ The firstborn gave birth to a son, and she called his name Moab. He is the father of Moab until this day. ³⁸ And the younger, she also gave birth to a son, and she called his name Ben-Ammi. He is the father of the _⌊Ammonites_⌋* until this day.

¹¹ If they say, "Come with us! We shall lie in wait for blood; we shall ambush the innocent without cause.* ¹² Like Sheol,* we will swallow them alive and whole, _⌊like those who descend to the pit_⌋.* ¹³ We shall find all precious wealth, we shall fill our houses with booty,

¹⁹ Thus are the ways of all who are greedy for gain— it will take the life of its possessors.

³² for the waywardness of the simple ones will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them.

⁴ Wealth does not profit on the day of wrath, but righteousness will deliver from death.

²⁴ There is one who gives yet _⌊grows richer_⌋,* but he who withholds _⌊what is right_⌋* only finds need. ²⁵ A person of blessing will be enriched, and he who gives water also will be refreshed.

¹ Here is another misfortune that I have seen under the sun, and it is prevalent among humankind. ² God gives a man wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires; yet God does not enable him to enjoy it—instead someone else ends up enjoying it. This is vanity—indeed, it is a grievous ill!

⁹ I saw all this as I applied my heart to all the deeds done under the sun: _⌊sometimes those in authority harm others_⌋.*

²⁰ On that day humanity will throw away its idols of silver and its idols of gold, which they made for it to worship, to the rodents* and to the bats—

⁶ For a fool speaks folly, and his _⌊mind_⌋* does iniquity: to _⌊behave wickedly_⌋,* and to speak error concerning Yahweh, to leave the throat of the hungry empty, and he deprives the thirsty of drink. ⁷ And a scoundrel, his weapons are evil; he plans evil devices to ruin the poor with words of deception even* when the speech of the needy is right. ⁸ But* the nobleman plans noble things, and he stands upon noble things.

¹⁸ Moreover, their silver and their gold will not be able to save them on the day of the wrath of Yahweh. And in the fire of his zeal, the whole land shall be consumed, for a terrifying end he shall make for all the inhabitants of the land.

¹⁶ And he told a parable to them, saying, "The land of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. ¹⁷ And he reasoned to himself, saying, 'What should I do? For I do not have anywhere I can gather in my crops.' ¹⁸ And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will gather in there all my grain and possessions. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many possessions stored up for many years. Relax, eat, drink, celebrate!" ' ²⁰ But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your life* is demanded from you, and the things which you have prepared—whose will they be?' ²¹ So is the one who stores up treasure for himself, and who is not rich toward God!"

¹ And he also said to the disciples, "A certain man was rich, who had a manager. And charges were brought to him that this person was squandering his possessions. ² And he summoned him and* said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give the account of your management, because you can no longer manage.' ³ And the manager said to himself, 'What should I do, because my master is taking away the management from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. ⁴ I know what I should do, so that when I am removed from the management they will welcome me into their homes!' ⁵ And he summoned each one of his own master's debtors and* said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' ⁶ And he said, 'A hundred measures of olive oil.' So he said to him, 'Take your promissory note and sit down quickly and* write fifty.' ⁷ Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your promissory note and write eighty.' ⁸ And the master praised the dishonest manager, because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are shrewder than the sons of light with regard to their own generation.* ⁹ And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it runs out they will welcome you into the eternal dwellings. ¹⁰ "The one who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in very little is also dishonest in much. ¹¹ If then you have not been faithful with unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?* ¹² And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you your own? ¹³ No domestic slave is able to serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and will despise the other. You are not able to serve God and money."

¹⁹ "Now a certain man was rich, and dressed in purple cloth and fine linen, feasting sumptuously every day.

²² Now it happened that the poor man died, and he was carried away by the angels to _⌊Abraham's side_⌋.* And the rich man also died and was buried. ²³ And in Hades he lifted up his eyes as he* was in torment and* saw Abraham from a distance, and Lazarus _⌊at his side_⌋.*

²² And when he* heard this,* Jesus said to him, "_⌊You still lack one thing_⌋:* Sell all that you have, and distribute the proceeds* to the poor—and you will have treasure in heaven—and come, follow me." ²³ But when he* heard these things he became very sad, because he was extremely wealthy.

⁸ And Zacchaeus stopped and* said to the Lord, "Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I am giving to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I am paying it* back four times as much!"

⁹ But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and a trap and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge those people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all evil, by which some, because they* desire it, have gone astray from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains.

⁵ Listen, my dear brothers! Did not God choose the poor of the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? ⁶ But you have dishonored the poor! Are not the rich exploiting you and they themselves dragging you into the courts? ⁷ Do they themselves not blaspheme the good name _⌊of the one to whom you belong_⌋*?

¹ Come now, you rich people, weep and cry aloud over the miseries that are coming upon you! ² Your wealth has rotted, and your clothing has become moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and silver have become corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you, and it will consume your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasure in the last days. ⁴ Behold, the wages that were held back by you from the workers who reap your fields cry out, and the cries of the reapers have come to the ears of the Lord of hosts.

⁶ Yahweh kills and restores alive, he brings down to Sheol* and raises up. ⁷ Yahweh makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and also exalts. ⁸ He raises up the poor from the dust. From the ash heap he lifts up the needy, to cause them to sit with noble people and to cause them to inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth belong to Yahweh and he has set the inhabited world on them.

³⁶ All the remainder of your household will come to bow down _⌊before_⌋* him for a bit of silver or a loaf of bread and will say, "Please assign me to one of the _⌊priestly offices_⌋* so that I can eat a morsel of bread." '"

²⁶ and he took the treasures of the house of Yahweh, and he took all the treasures of the king's house. He took the small gold shields that Solomon had made,

⁵ whose harvest the hungry eats, and he takes it _⌊from behind_⌋* the thorns; and the thirsty pants after their wealth.

¹⁵ He swallows riches, but* he vomits them* up; God drives them* out from his stomach. ¹⁶ He will suck the poison of horned vipers; the viper's tongue will kill him. ¹⁷ _⌊He will not enjoy the streams_⌋,* the torrents of honey and curds. ¹⁸ Returning the products of his toil, he will not swallow;* according to the profit of his trade, _⌊he will not enjoy_⌋,*

¹⁶ If he heaps up silver like the dust and fashions clothing like the clay, ¹⁷ he makes it ready, and the righteous will wear it, and the innocent will divide the silver.

⁶ Surely a man walks about as a mere _⌊shadow_⌋;* surely in vain they bustle about. He heaps up possessions but does not know who will gather them in.

⁹ Let his children be orphans, and his wife a widow, ¹⁰ and let his children wander aimlessly and beg, and let them plead from their ruins. ¹¹ Let the creditor seize all that is his, and let strangers plunder his property. ¹² Let there be none who extend to him loyal love, nor any who pities his orphans.

⁹ 'You have looked for much, and look! It came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?' _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh of hosts. 'Because my house is desolate and you are running each to your own house!

¹⁹ "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and consuming insect* destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰ but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor consuming insect* destroy and where thieves do not break in or steal.

²¹ Then* he said, "Naked I came out from my mother's womb, and naked I will return there. Yahweh gives, and Yahweh takes. Let Yahweh's name be blessed."

¹⁷ because when he dies he will not take away any of it. His wealth will not follow down after him.

²⁰ But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your life* is demanded from you, and the things which you have prepared—whose will they be?'

⁷ For we have brought nothing into the world, so that neither can we bring anything out.

²¹ And do not turn aside after the triviality,* which have no value and cannot deliver, for they are triviality.

²⁹ He who brings trouble to his household, he will inherit wind,* and a fool will serve the wise of heart.

³ What does a person gain in all his toil with which he toils under the sun?

²² For what does a person receive for all his toil and in the longing of his heart with which he toils under the sun? ²³ All his days are painful, his labor brings grief, and his heart cannot rest at night. This also is vanity!

¹³ There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: wealth _⌊hoarded_⌋* by its owner to his harm.

¹⁸ We became pregnant, we writhed; we gave birth to wind. We cannot bring about deliverance on the earth, and no inhabitants of the world are born.

⁸ The priests did not say, 'Where is Yahweh?' and those who handle the law did not know me, and the shepherds have _⌊rebelled against me_⌋,* and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and they went after things which do not profit.

⁷ Because they sow the wind, they will reap the whirlwind. The standing grain does not have heads;* it will not yield flour. And if it would yield, strangers would devour it.

³⁶ For what does it benefit a person to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?

²⁷ Do not work for the food that perishes, but the food that remains to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has set his seal on this one."

¹⁷ And to Adam* he said, "Because you listened to the voice of your wife and you ate from the tree _⌊from which I forbade you to eat_⌋,*
the ground shall be cursed on your account. In pain you shall eat from it all the days of your life.

¹² She said, "_⌊As Yahweh your God lives_⌋,* surely I do not have a cake, _⌊but only a handful of flour_⌋* in the jar and a little olive oil in the jug. Here I am gathering a few pieces of wood, and I will go and prepare it for me and my son, that we might eat it and die."

² Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice in his upper room, which was in Samaria, and he was injured. So he sent messengers, and he said to them, "Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, if I will survive this injury."

⁶ Then they said to him, "A man came up to meet us, and he said to us, 'Go, return to the king who sent you and speak to him, "Thus says Yahweh, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron? Therefore the bed upon which you have gone, you will not come down from it, for you will surely die.'" '"

²⁷ The skin disease of Naaman shall cling to you and to your offspring forever." Then he went out from before him having a skin disease like the snow.

¹⁰ Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in _⌊the prison_⌋,* for he was enraged with him concerning this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time. ¹¹ Now behold, the words of Asa from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel. ¹² And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, he fell _⌊severely_⌋* ill in his feet. But even in his illness he did not seek Yahweh, but only among the healers.

²⁴ Though the army of Aram* came with few men, Yahweh gave a very large army into their hand, for they had forsaken Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.* And they inflicted punishment on Joash. ²⁵ And when they were going away from him (for they had left him with many wounds), his servants conspired against him on account of the blood of the sons* of Jehoiada the priest. So they killed him on his bed and he died. And they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him at the burial sites of the kings.

²⁵ Yet* another dies with a bitter inner self* and has not tasted prosperity.

³³ And he consumed their days with futility * their years with terror.*

⁷ For we are brought to an end by your anger, and we hasten off* by your wrath. ⁸ You have put our iniquities before you, our hidden sins into the light of your countenance. ⁹ For all of our days dwindle away in your rage; we complete our years like a sigh. ¹⁰ As for the days of our years, within them are seventy years or if by strength eighty years, and their pride* is trouble and disaster, for it passes quickly and we fly away. ¹¹ Who knows the strength of your anger, and your rage consistent with* the fear due you?

⁹ Indeed, I eat ashes like bread and mix my drink with tears*

²⁷ When your panic comes like a storm, and your calamity arrives like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you, ²⁸ then they will call* me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but not find me. ²⁹ Since they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of Yahweh,

¹⁶ And he said to me, "Son of man,* look, I am going to break the _⌊supply_⌋* of bread in Jerusalem, and they will eat bread by weight, _⌊anxiously_⌋,* and _⌊rationed water_⌋,* and they will drink with horror, ¹⁷ so that they will lack food and water, and they will be appalled _⌊with one another_⌋,* and they will waste away because of their guilt.*

³⁰ Because of this, many are weak and sick among you, and quite a few _⌊have died_⌋*. ³¹ But if we were evaluating ourselves, we would not be judged. ³² But if we* are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined, in order that we will not be condemned with the world.

¹⁰ I neither withheld anything from my eyes that they desired, nor did I deprive any pleasure from my heart. My heart rejoiced in all my toil, for this was my reward from all my toil.

²⁴ There is nothing better for a person than to eat and drink and _⌊find delight_⌋* in his toil. For I also realized that this is from the hand of God!

¹² So I realized that there is _⌊nothing better_⌋* for them than to _⌊rejoice and enjoy themselves_⌋* during their lives. ¹³ And for anyone to eat and drink, that is, _⌊to enjoy the fruit of all his toil_⌋,* this also is a gift of God.

²² So I concluded that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy the fruit of his labor, for this is his lot in life. _⌊For no one knows what will happen in the future._⌋*

¹⁵ So I recommend enjoyment. For there is nothing better for man under the sun than to eat and to drink and to rejoice. This will accompany him in his toil the days of his life that God gives to him under the sun.

⁷ Go—eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart! For God already has approved your deeds.

³⁴ And his allowance, a continual allowance was given to him by the king of Babylon _⌊on a daily basis_⌋* all the days of his life up to the day of his death.

¹⁷ Command those who are rich in this present age not to be proud and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of riches, but in God, who provides us all things richly for enjoyment,

¹⁸ But you must remember Yahweh your God, for he is the one giving you strength to acquire wealth in order to confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors* _⌊as it is today_⌋.*

¹³ Too, what you have not asked I give to you: both riches and honor, so that no man among the kings will be like you all of your days.

¹² wisdom and knowledge is given to you. And I will also give to you wealth, possessions, and honor, the like of which was not had by the kings who were before you, nor will there be the like after you."

²⁴ There is nothing better for a person than to eat and drink and _⌊find delight_⌋* in his toil. For I also realized that this is from the hand of God! ²⁵ For who can eat and drink, and who can enjoy life apart from him?* ²⁶ For to the person who is good in his eyes, he gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and heaping up only to give it to him who is pleasing to him. This also is vanity and chasing wind!

¹³ And for anyone to eat and drink, that is, _⌊to enjoy the fruit of all his toil_⌋,* this also is a gift of God.

² God gives a man wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires; yet God does not enable him to enjoy it—instead someone else ends up enjoying it. This is vanity—indeed, it is a grievous ill!

⁸ Yahweh will command _⌊concerning you_⌋* the blessing to be in your barns and _⌊in all your endeavors_⌋;* and he will bless you in the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you. ⁹ Yahweh will establish you for _⌊himself_⌋* as a holy people as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of Yahweh your God and you walk in his ways. ¹⁰ And all of the peoples of the earth shall see that _⌊by the name of Yahweh you are called_⌋,* and _⌊they shall fear you_⌋.* ¹¹ And _⌊Yahweh will make you successful and prosperous_⌋,* in the fruit of your womb and on the land that Yahweh swore to your ancestors* to give to you. ¹² Yahweh shall open for you his _⌊rich_⌋* storehouse, even the heavens, to give the rain for* your land in its time and to bless all of the work of your hand, and you will lend to many nations; you will not borrow from them.

⁴⁷ "_⌊Because_⌋* of the fact that you did not serve Yahweh your God with joy and with gladness of heart for the abundance of everything,

⁶ Many are saying, "Who will show us something good?" Lift up over* us the light of your face, O Yahweh. ⁷ You have put gladness in my heart more than _⌊when_⌋* their grain and their wine abound.

¹⁶ The little belonging to the righteous is better than the wealth of many wicked.

⁵ You meet with the one who rejoices, one who does righteousness. In your ways they remember you. Look! You were angry and we sinned against them in ancient times and we were saved.

¹³ Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh:
"Look! My servants shall eat but* you, you shall be hungry. Look! My servants shall drink but* you, you shall be thirsty. Look! My servants shall rejoice but* you, you shall be ashamed. ¹⁴ Look! My servants shall shout _⌊for joy_⌋,* but* you, you shall cry out _⌊for pain_⌋* and howl _⌊for sadness_⌋.*

²¹ And they shall build houses and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. ²² They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat. For the days of my people shall be like the days of a tree, and my chosen ones shall enjoy the work of their hands. ²³ They shall not labor for nothing, and they shall not give birth to horror, for they _⌊shall be offspring blessed by_⌋* Yahweh, and their descendants with them. ²⁴ And this will happen: before they call, I myself will answer; while still they are speaking, I myself will hear.

¹ Therefore, because we* have been declared righteous by faith, we have* peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

⁵ and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. ⁶ For while* we were still helpless, yet at the proper time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For only rarely will someone die on behalf of a righteous person (for on behalf of a good person possibly someone might even dare to die), ⁸ but God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while* we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Therefore, by much more, because we* have been declared righteous now by his blood, we will be saved through him from the wrath. ¹⁰ For if, while we* were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, by much more, having been reconciled, we will be saved by his life. ¹¹ And not only this, but also we are boasting in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.