Bible in 90 Days
135 Hallelujah! Praise the name of Jehovah; praise, ye servants of Jehovah,
2 Ye that stand in the house of Jehovah, in the courts of the house of our God.
3 Praise ye Jah; for Jehovah is good: sing psalms unto his name; for it is pleasant.
4 For Jah hath chosen Jacob unto himself, Israel for his own possession.
5 For *I* know that Jehovah is great, and our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatsoever Jehovah pleased, he hath done in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all deeps;
7 Who causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; who maketh lightnings for the rain; who bringeth the wind out of his treasuries:
8 Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast;
9 Who sent signs and miracles into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh and upon all his servants;
10 Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings,
11 Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan;
12 And gave their land for an inheritance, an inheritance unto Israel his people.
13 Thy name, O Jehovah, is for ever; thy memorial, O Jehovah, from generation to generation.
14 For Jehovah will judge his people, and will repent in favour of his servants.
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men's hands:
16 They have a mouth, and they speak not; eyes have they, and they see not;
17 They have ears, and they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouth.
18 They that make them are like unto them,—every one that confideth in them.
19 House of Israel, bless ye Jehovah; house of Aaron, bless ye Jehovah;
20 House of Levi, bless ye Jehovah; ye that fear Jehovah, bless Jehovah.
21 Blessed be Jehovah out of Zion, who dwelleth at Jerusalem! Hallelujah!
136 Give ye thanks unto Jehovah, for he is good; for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever:
2 Give thanks unto the God of gods, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever;
3 Give thanks unto the Lord of lords, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever.
4 To him who alone doeth great wonders, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever:
5 To him that by understanding made the heavens, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever;
6 To him that stretched out the earth above the waters, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever;
7 To him that made great lights, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever;
8 The sun for rule over the day, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever,
9 The moon and stars for rule over the night, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever:
10 To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever,
11 And brought out Israel from among them, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever,
12 With a powerful hand and with a stretched-out arm, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever;
13 To him that divided the Red sea into parts, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever,
14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever,
15 And overturned Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever;
16 To him that led his people through the wilderness, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever;
17 To him that smote great kings, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever,
18 And slew famous kings, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever;
19 Sihon king of the Amorites, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever,
20 And Og king of Bashan, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever;
21 And gave their land for an inheritance, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever,
22 An inheritance unto Israel his servant, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever:
23 Who hath remembered us in our low estate, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever;
24 And hath delivered us from our oppressors, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever:
25 Who giveth food to all flesh, for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever.
26 Give ye thanks unto the God of the heavens; for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever.
137 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down; yea, we wept when we remembered Zion.
2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that made us wail [required] mirth, [saying,] Sing us [one] of the songs of Zion.
4 How should we sing a song of Jehovah's upon a foreign soil?
5 If I forget thee, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget [its skill];
6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to my palate: if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7 Remember, O Jehovah, against the sons of Edom, the day of Jerusalem; who said, Lay [it] bare, Lay [it] bare, down to its foundation!
8 Daughter of Babylon, who art to be laid waste, happy he that rendereth unto thee that which thou hast meted out to us.
9 Happy he that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the rock.
[A Psalm] of David.
138 I will give thee thanks with my whole heart; before the gods will I sing psalms of thee.
2 I will bow down toward the temple of thy holiness, and celebrate thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth; for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
3 In the day when I called thou answeredst me; thou didst encourage me with strength in my soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall celebrate thee, Jehovah, when they have heard the words of thy mouth;
5 And they shall sing in the ways of Jehovah, for great is the glory of Jehovah.
6 For Jehovah is high; but he looketh upon the lowly, and the proud he knoweth afar off.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou wilt stretch forth thy hand against the anger of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.
8 Jehovah will perfect what concerneth me: thy loving-kindness, O Jehovah, [endureth] for ever; forsake not the works of thine own hands.
To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
139 Jehovah, thou hast searched me, and known [me].
2 *Thou* knowest my down-sitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off;
3 Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways;
4 For there is not yet a word on my tongue, [but] lo, O Jehovah, thou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thy hand upon me.
6 O knowledge too wonderful for me! it is high, I cannot [attain] unto it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? and whither flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into the heavens thou art there; or if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou [art there];
9 [If] I take the wings of the dawn [and] dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11 And if I say, Surely darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night;
12 Even darkness hideth not from thee, and the night shineth as the day: the darkness is as the light.
13 For thou hast possessed my reins; thou didst cover me in my mother's womb.
14 I will praise thee, for I am fearfully, wonderfully made. Marvellous are thy works; and [that] my soul knoweth right well.
15 My bones were not hidden from thee when I was made in secret, curiously wrought in the lower parts of the earth.
16 Thine eyes did see my unformed substance, and in thy book all [my members] were written; [during many] days were they fashioned, when [as yet] there was none of them.
17 But how precious are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18 [If] I would count them, they are more in number than the sand. When I awake, I am still with thee.
19 Oh that thou wouldest slay the wicked, O +God! And ye men of blood, depart from me.
20 For they speak of thee wickedly, they take [thy name] in vain, thine enemies.
21 Do not I hate them, O Jehovah, that hate thee? and do not I loathe them that rise up against thee?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred; I account them mine enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; prove me, and know my thoughts;
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me; and lead me in the way everlasting.
To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
140 Free me, O Jehovah, from the evil man; preserve me from the violent man:
2 Who devise mischiefs in [their] heart; every day are they banded together for war.
3 They sharpen their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah.
4 Keep me, O Jehovah, from the hands of the wicked [man], preserve me from the violent man, who devise to overthrow my steps.
5 The proud have hidden a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the way-side; they have set traps for me. Selah.
6 I have said unto Jehovah, Thou art my God: give ear, O Jehovah, to the voice of my supplications.
7 Jehovah, the Lord, is the strength of my salvation: thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.
8 Grant not, O Jehovah, the desire of the wicked; further not his device: they would exalt themselves. Selah.
9 [As for] the head of those that encompass me, let the mischief of their own lips cover them.
10 Let burning coals fall on them; let them be cast into the fire; into deep waters, that they rise not up again.
11 Let not the man of [evil] tongue be established in the earth: evil shall hunt the man of violence to [his] ruin.
12 I know that Jehovah will maintain the cause of the afflicted one, the right of the needy.
13 Yea, the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name; the upright shall dwell in thy presence.
A Psalm of David.
141 Jehovah, I have called upon thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I call unto thee.
2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening oblation.
3 Set a watch, O Jehovah, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
4 Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise deeds of wickedness with men that are workers of iniquity; and let me not eat of their dainties.
5 Let the righteous smite me, it is kindness; and let him reprove me, it is an excellent oil which my head shall not refuse: for yet my prayer also is [for them] in their calamities.
6 When their judges are thrown down from the rocks, they shall hear my words, for they are sweet.
7 Our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol, as when one cutteth and cleaveth [wood] upon the earth.
8 For unto thee, Jehovah, Lord, are mine eyes; in thee do I trust: leave not my soul destitute.
9 Keep me from the snare which they have laid for me, and from the traps of the workers of iniquity.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that *I* withal pass over.
An instruction of David; when he was in the cave: a prayer.
142 I cry unto Jehovah with my voice: with my voice unto Jehovah do I make supplication.
2 I pour out my plaint before him; I shew before him my trouble.
3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then *thou* knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they hidden a snare for me.
4 Look on the right hand and see; there is no man that knoweth me: refuge hath failed me; no man careth for my soul.
5 I cried unto thee, Jehovah; I said, Thou art my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.
6 Attend unto my cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I.
7 Bring my soul out of prison, that I may celebrate thy name. The righteous shall surround me, because thou dealest bountifully with me.
A Psalm of David.
143 Jehovah, hear my prayer; give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, in thy righteousness.
2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant; for in thy sight no man living shall be justified.
3 For the enemy persecuteth my soul: he hath crushed my life down to the earth; he hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.
4 And my spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.
5 I remember the days of old: I meditate on all thy doing; I muse on the work of thy hands.
6 I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul, as a parched land, [thirsteth] after thee. Selah.
7 Answer me speedily, O Jehovah; my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, or I shall be like unto them that go down into the pit.
8 Cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in the morning, for in thee do I confide; make me to know the way wherein I should walk, for unto thee do I lift up my soul.
9 Deliver me, O Jehovah, from mine enemies: unto thee do I flee for refuge.
10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: let thy good Spirit lead me in a plain country.
11 Revive me, O Jehovah, for thy name's sake; in thy righteousness bring my soul out of trouble;
12 And in thy loving-kindness cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that oppress my soul: for I am thy servant.
[A Psalm] of David.
144 Blessed be Jehovah my rock, who teacheth my hands to war, my fingers to fight;
2 My mercy and my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I trust, who subdueth my people under me!
3 Jehovah, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him, the son of man, that thou takest thought of him?
4 Man is like to vanity; his days are as a shadow that passeth away.
5 Jehovah, bow thy heavens, and come down; touch the mountains, that they smoke;
6 Cast forth lightnings, and scatter them; send forth thine arrows, and discomfit them:
7 Stretch out thy hands from above; rescue me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of aliens,
8 Whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
9 O God, I will sing a new song unto thee; with the ten-stringed lute will I sing psalms unto thee:
10 Who givest salvation unto kings; who rescuest David thy servant from the hurtful sword.
11 Rescue me, and deliver me from the hand of aliens, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
12 That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; our daughters as corner-columns, sculptured after the fashion of a palace:
13 Our granaries full, affording all manner of store; our sheep bringing forth thousands, ten thousands in our pastures;
14 Our kine laden [with young]; no breaking in and no going forth, and no outcry in our streets.
15 Blessed the people that is in such a case! Blessed the people whose God is Jehovah!
A Psalm of praise. Of David.
145 I will extol thee, my God, O King, and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
2 Every day will I bless thee, and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.
3 Great is Jehovah, and exceedingly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall laud thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
5 I will speak of the glorious splendour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.
6 And they shall tell of the might of thy terrible acts; and thy great deeds will I declare.
7 They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
8 Jehovah is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great loving-kindness.
9 Jehovah is good to all; and his tender mercies are over all his works.
10 All thy works shall praise thee, Jehovah, and thy saints shall bless thee.
11 They shall tell of the glory of thy kingdom, and speak of thy power;
12 To make known to the children of men his mighty acts, and the glorious splendour of his kingdom.
13 Thy kingdom is a kingdom of all ages, and thy dominion is throughout all generations.
14 Jehovah upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all that are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their food in its season.
16 Thou openest thy hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
17 Jehovah is righteous in all his ways, and kind in all his works.
18 Jehovah is nigh unto all that call upon him, unto all that call upon him in truth.
19 He fulfilleth the desire of them that fear him; he heareth their cry, and saveth them.
20 Jehovah keepeth all that love him, and all the wicked will he destroy.
21 My mouth shall speak the praise of Jehovah; and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
146 Hallelujah! Praise Jehovah, O my soul.
2 As long as I live will I praise Jehovah; I will sing psalms unto my God while I have my being.
3 Put not confidence in nobles, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his purposes perish.
5 Blessed is he who hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in Jehovah his God,
6 Who made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is therein; who keepeth truth for ever;
7 Who executeth judgment for the oppressed, who giveth bread to the hungry. Jehovah looseth the prisoners;
8 Jehovah openeth [the eyes of] the blind; Jehovah raiseth up them that are bowed down; Jehovah loveth the righteous;
9 Jehovah preserveth the strangers; he lifteth up the fatherless and the widow; but the way of the wicked doth he subvert.
10 Jehovah will reign for ever, [even] thy God, O Zion, from generation to generation. Halleluiah!
147 Praise ye Jah! for it is good. Sing psalms of our God; for it is pleasant: praise is comely.
2 Jehovah doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth the outcasts of Israel.
3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
4 He counteth the number of the stars; he giveth names to them all.
5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
6 Jehovah lifteth up the meek; he abaseth the wicked to the earth.
7 Sing unto Jehovah with thanksgiving; sing psalms upon the harp unto our God:
8 Who covereth the heavens with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains;
9 Who giveth to the cattle their food, to the young ravens which cry.
10 He delighteth not in the strength of the horse, he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man;
11 Jehovah taketh pleasure in those that fear him, in those that hope in his loving-kindness.
12 Laud Jehovah, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.
13 For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee;
14 He maketh peace in thy borders; he satisfieth thee with the finest of the wheat.
15 He sendeth forth his oracles to the earth: his word runneth very swiftly.
16 He giveth snow like wool, scattereth the hoar frost like ashes;
17 He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?
18 He sendeth his word, and melteth them; he causeth his wind to blow—the waters flow.
19 He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.
20 He hath not dealt thus with any nation; and as for [his] judgments, they have not known them. Hallelujah!
148 Hallelujah! Praise Jehovah from the heavens; praise him in the heights.
2 Praise ye him, all his angels; praise ye him, all his hosts.
3 Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all ye stars of light.
4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that are above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the name of Jehovah, for he it is that commanded, and they were created:
6 And he established them for ever and ever; he made [for them] a statute which shall not pass.
7 Praise Jehovah from the earth, ye sea-monsters, and all deeps;
8 Fire and hail, snow and vapour, stormy wind fulfilling his word;
9 Mountains and all hills, fruit-trees and all cedars;
10 Beasts and all cattle, creeping things and winged fowl;
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and maidens, old men with youths,—
13 Let them praise the name of Jehovah: for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above the earth and the heavens.
14 And he hath lifted up the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints, [even] of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Hallelujah!
149 Hallelujah! Sing unto Jehovah a new song; [sing] his praise in the congregation of the godly.
2 Let Israel rejoice in his Maker; let the sons of Zion be joyful in their King.
3 Let them praise his name in the dance; let them sing psalms unto him with the tambour and harp.
4 For Jehovah taketh pleasure in his people; he beautifieth the meek with salvation.
5 Let the godly exult in glory; let them shout for joy upon their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand:
7 To execute vengeance against the nations, [and] punishment among the peoples;
8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;
9 To execute upon them the judgment written. This honour have all his saints. Hallelujah!
150 Hallelujah! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in the firmament of his power.
2 Praise him in his mighty acts; praise him according to the abundance of his greatness.
3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet; praise him with lute and harp;
4 Praise him with the tambour and dance; praise him with stringed instruments and the pipe;
5 Praise him with loud cymbals; praise him with high sounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that hath breath praise Jah. Hallelujah!
1 Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
2 to know wisdom and instruction; to discern the words of understanding;
3 to receive the instruction of wisdom, righteousness and judgment, and equity;
4 to give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
5 He that is wise will hear, and will increase learning; and the intelligent will gain wise counsels:
6 to understand a proverb and an allegory, the words of the wise and their enigmas.
7 The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge: fools despise wisdom and instruction.
8 Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;
9 for they shall be a garland of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent not.
11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;
12 let us swallow them up alive as Sheol, and whole, as those that go down into the pit;
13 we shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
14 cast in thy lot among us; we will all have one purse:
15 —my son, walk not in the way with them, keep back thy foot from their path;
16 for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
17 For in vain the net is spread in the sight of anything which hath wings.
18 And these lay wait for their own blood; they lurk secretly for their own lives.
19 So are the paths of every one that is greedy of gain: it taketh away the life of its possessors.
20 Wisdom crieth without; she raiseth her voice in the broadways;
21 she calleth in the chief [place] of concourse, in the entry of the gates; in the city she uttereth her words:
22 How long, simple ones, will ye love simpleness, and scorners take pleasure in their scorning, and the foolish hate knowledge?
23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour forth my spirit unto you, I will make known to you my words.
24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one regarded;
25 and ye have rejected all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
26 I also will laugh in your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh;
27 when your fear cometh as sudden destruction, and your calamity cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish come upon you:
28 —then will they call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me early, and shall not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of Jehovah;
30 they would none of my counsel, they despised all my reproof:
31 therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their way, and be filled with their own devices.
32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of the foolish shall cause them to perish.
33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be at rest from fear of evil.
2 My son, if thou receivest my words, and layest up my commandments with thee,
2 so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom [and] thou apply thy heart to understanding;
3 yea, if thou criest after discernment [and] liftest up thy voice to understanding;
4 if thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hidden treasures:
5 then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah, and find the knowledge of God.
6 For Jehovah giveth wisdom; out of his mouth [come] knowledge and understanding.
7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright; [he] is a shield to them that walk in integrity;
8 guarding the paths of just judgment and keeping the way of his godly ones.
9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness and judgment and equity: every good path.
10 When wisdom entereth into thy heart and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul,
11 discretion shall keep thee, understanding shall preserve thee:
12 To deliver thee from the way of evil, from the man that speaketh froward things;
13 [from those] who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;
14 who rejoice to do evil, [and] delight in the frowardness of evil;
15 whose paths are crooked, and who are perverted in their course:
16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, from the stranger who flattereth with her words;
17 who forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God;
18 —for her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead;
19 none that go unto her return again, neither do they attain to the paths of life:
20 —that thou mayest walk in the way of the good, and keep the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it;
22 but the wicked shall be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful shall be plucked up out of it.
3 My son, forget not my teaching, and let thy heart observe my commandments;
2 for length of days, and years of life, and peace shall they add to thee.
3 Let not loving-kindness and truth forsake thee; bind them about thy neck, write them upon the tablet of thy heart:
4 and thou shalt find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
5 Confide in Jehovah with all thy heart, and lean not unto thine own intelligence;
6 in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will make plain thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear Jehovah, and depart from evil:
8 it shall be health for thy navel, and moisture for thy bones.
9 Honour Jehovah with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase;
10 so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy vats shall overflow with new wine.
11 My son, despise not the instruction of Jehovah, neither be weary of his chastisement;
12 for whom Jehovah loveth he chasteneth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
13 Blessed is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
14 For the gain thereof is better than the gain of silver, and her revenue than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies; and all the things thou canst desire are not equal unto her.
16 Length of days is in her right hand; in her left hand riches and honour.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her; and happy is he that retaineth her.
19 Jehovah by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens.
20 By his knowledge the deeps were broken up, and the skies drop down the dew.
21 My son, let them not depart from thine eyes; keep sound wisdom and discretion:
22 so shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace unto thy neck.
23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely, and thy foot shall not stumble;
24 when thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid, but thou shalt lie down and thy sleep shall be sweet.
25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the destruction of the wicked, when it cometh;
26 for Jehovah shall be thy confidence, and he will keep thy foot from being taken.
27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thy hand to do it.
28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to-morrow I will give, when thou hast it by thee.
29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
31 Envy not the man of violence, and choose none of his ways.
32 For the perverse is an abomination to Jehovah; but his secret is with the upright.
33 The curse of Jehovah is in the house of the wicked; but he blesseth the habitation of the righteous.
34 He indeed scorneth the scorners; but he giveth grace unto the lowly.
35 The wise shall inherit glory; but shame shall be the promotion of the foolish.
4 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know intelligence;
2 for I give you good doctrine: forsake ye not my law.
3 For I was a son unto my father, tender and an only one in the sight of my mother.
4 And he taught me, and said unto me, Let thy heart retain my words; keep my commandments and live.
5 Get wisdom, get intelligence: forget [it] not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee; love her, and she shall preserve thee.
7 The beginning of wisdom [is], Get wisdom; and with all thy getting get intelligence.
8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee; she shall bring thee to honour when thou dost embrace her.
9 She shall give to thy head a garland of grace; a crown of glory will she bestow upon thee.
10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of thy life shall be multiplied.
11 I will teach thee in the way of wisdom, I will lead thee in paths of uprightness.
12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
13 Take fast hold of instruction, let [her] not go: keep her, for she is thy life.
14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil [men]:
15 avoid it, pass not by it; turn from it, and pass away.
16 For they sleep not except they have done mischief, and their sleep is taken away unless they have caused [some] to fall.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the righteous is as the shining light, going on and brightening until the day be fully come.
19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thy heart.
22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
23 Keep thy heart more than anything that is guarded; for out of it are the issues of life.
24 Put away from thee perverseness of mouth, and corrupt lips put far from thee.
25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be well-ordered.
27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left; remove thy foot from evil.
5 My son, attend unto my wisdom, incline thine ear to my understanding;
2 that thou mayest keep reflection, and that thy lips may preserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of the strange woman drop honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil;
4 but her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on Sheol.
6 Lest she should ponder the path of life, her ways wander, she knoweth not [whither].
7 And now, children, hearken unto me, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:
9 lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel;
10 lest strangers be filled with thy wealth, and the fruits of thy toil [come] into the house of a stranger;
11 and thou mourn in thine end, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed;
12 and thou say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof!
13 and I have not hearkened unto the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to those that instructed me;
14 I was well nigh in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.
15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.
16 Thy fountains shall be poured forth, as water-brooks in the broadways.
17 Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.
18 Let thy fountain be blessed; and have joy of the wife of thy youth.
19 As a lovely hind and a graceful roe, let her breasts satisfy thee at all times: be thou ravished continually with her love.
20 And why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?
21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah, and he pondereth all his paths.
22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sin.
23 He shall die for want of discipline; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
6 My son, if thou hast become surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand for a stranger,
2 thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, since thou hast come into the hand of thy friend: go, humble thyself, and be urgent with thy friend.
4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids:
5 deliver thyself as a gazelle from the hand [of the hunter], and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise:
7 which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,
8 provideth her bread in the summer, [and] gathereth her food in the harvest.
9 How long, sluggard, wilt thou lie down? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest!
11 So shall thy poverty come as a roving plunderer, and thy penury as an armed man.
12 A man of Belial, a wicked person, is he that goeth about with a perverse mouth;
13 he winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;
14 deceits are in his heart; he deviseth mischief at all times, he soweth discords.
15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly: in a moment shall he be broken, and without remedy.
16 These six [things] doth Jehovah hate, yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood;
18 a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations; feet that are swift in running to mischief;
19 a false witness that uttereth lies, and he that soweth discords among brethren.
20 My son, observe thy father's commandment, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;
21 bind them continually upon thy heart, tie them about thy neck:
22 when thou walkest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and [when] thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
23 For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching a light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
24 to keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
25 Lust not after her beauty in thy heart, neither let her take thee with her eyelids;
26 for by means of a whorish woman [a man is brought] to a loaf of bread, and another's wife doth hunt for the precious soul.
27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his garments not be burned?
28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?
29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife: whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.
30 They do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry:
31 and if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.
32 Whoso committeth adultery with a woman is void of understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
33 A wound and contempt shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy is the rage of a man, and he will not spare in the day of vengeance;
35 he will not regard any ransom, neither will he rest content though thou multipliest [thy] gifts.
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