The fire that purifies and the fire that consumes are the same flame. The ax awaits where arrogance flourishes.

NARRATOR

However, the gloom will not be as when the land had distress, as in former times when the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali were treated with contempt. But at a later time He will cause it to be honored— the way by the sea, in the region of the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

The people who were walking in the darkness Have seen a great light. As for those dwelling in the land of deep shadow, Light has shone on them.

You have made the nation populous; You have made its rejoicing great. They rejoice before you As people rejoice in the harvesttime, As those who joyfully divide up the spoil.

For you have shattered to pieces the yoke of their load, The rod on their shoulders, the staff of the taskmaster, As in the day of Midian.

Every boot that shakes the earth as it marches And every garment soaked in blood Will become fuel for the fire.

For a child has been born to us, A son has been given to us; And the rulership will rest on his shoulder. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

To the increase of his rulership And to peace, there will be no end, On the throne of David and on his kingdom, In order to establish it firmly and to sustain it Through justice and righteousness, From now on and forever. The zeal of Jehovah of armies will do this.

Jehovah sent a word against Jacob, And it has come against Israel.

PEOPLE OF ISRAEL — PROUD DECLARATION

And all the people will know it—Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria— Who say in their haughtiness and in their insolence of heart: “Bricks have fallen, But we will build with hewn stone. Sycamore trees have been cut down, But we will replace them with cedars.”

NARRATOR

Jehovah will raise up Rezin’s adversaries against him And will stir his enemies to action, Syria from the east and the Philistines from the west, They will devour Israel with open mouths. In view of all this, his anger has not turned back, But his hand is still stretched out to strike.

For the people have not returned to the One who strikes them; They have not sought Jehovah of armies.

Jehovah will cut off from Israel Head and tail, shoot and rush, in one day.

The elder and highly respected one is the head, And the prophet giving false instruction is the tail.

Those leading this people are causing them to wander, And those who are being led are confused.

That is why Jehovah will not rejoice over their young men, And he will have no mercy on their fatherless children and their widows, Because all of them are apostates and evildoers And every mouth is speaking senselessness. In view of all this, his anger has not turned back, But his hand is still stretched out to strike.

For wickedness burns like a fire, Consuming thornbushes and weeds. It will set fire to the thickets of the forest, And they will go up in clouds of smoke.

In the fury of Jehovah of armies The land has been set on fire, And the people will become fuel for the fire. No one will spare even his brother.

One will cut down on the right But still be hungry; And one will eat on the left But will not be satisfied. Each will devour the flesh of his own arm.

Manasseh will devour Ephraim, And Ephraim Manasseh. Together they will be against Judah. In view of all this, his anger has not turned back, But his hand is still stretched out to strike.

ISAIAH 10

NARRATOR

Woe to those who enact harmful regulations, Who constantly draft oppressive decrees, To deny the legal claim of the poor, To deprive the lowly among my people of justice, Making widows their spoil And fatherless children their plunder!

What will you do on the day of reckoning, When destruction comes from afar? To whom will you flee for assistance, And where will you leave your wealth?

Nothing remains except to crouch among the prisoners Or to fall among the slain. In view of all this, his anger has not turned back, But his hand is still stretched out to strike.

JEHOVAH (ABOUT ASSYRIA)

“Aha! the Assyrian, The rod to express my anger And the staff in their hand for my denunciation!

I will send him against an apostate nation, Against the people who infuriated me; I will command him to take much spoil and much plunder And to trample them like mud in the streets.

But he will not be inclined this way And his heart will not scheme this way; For it is in his heart to annihilate, To cut off many nations, not a few.

For he says, ‘Are not my princes all kings? Is not Calno just like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?

My hand has seized the kingdoms of the worthless gods, Whose graven images were more than those of Jerusalem and Samaria! Will I not also do to Jerusalem and her idols Just as I have done to Samaria and to her worthless gods?’ ”

NARRATOR

When Jehovah finishes all his work on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, He will punish the king of Assyria for his insolent heart And his proud, arrogant gaze.

ASSYRIAN KING — BOASTING

“For he says, ‘I will do this by the strength of my hand And with my wisdom, for I am wise. I will remove the boundaries of peoples And pillage their treasures, And I will subdue the inhabitants like a mighty one.

Like a man reaching into a nest, My hand will seize the resources of the peoples; And like one gathering abandoned eggs, I will gather the whole earth! No one will flutter his wings or open his mouth or chirp.’ ”

NARRATOR

Will the ax exalt itself over the one who chops with it? Will the saw exalt itself over the one who saws with it? Could a staff wave the one who lifts it? Or could a rod lift up the one who is not made of wood?

Therefore the true Lord, Jehovah of armies, Will inflict emaciation on his fat ones, And beneath his glory he will kindle a blazing fire.

Israel’s Light will become a fire, And his Holy One a flame; It will blaze up and consume his weeds and his thornbushes in one day.

He will utterly do away with the glory of his forest and his orchard; It will be as when a sick man wastes away.

The rest of the trees of his forest Will be so few that a boy could list them.

In that day those remaining of Israel And the survivors of the house of Jacob Will no longer support themselves on the one who struck them; But they will support themselves on Jehovah, The Holy One of Israel, with faithfulness.

Only a remnant will return, The remnant of Jacob, to the Mighty God.

For though your people, O Israel, Are as the grains of sand of the sea, Only a remnant of them will return. An extermination has been decided on, And justice will engulf them.

Yes, the extermination decided on by the Sovereign Lord, Jehovah of armies, Will be carried out in the entire land.

Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord, Jehovah of armies, says: “Do not be afraid, my people who are dwelling in Zion, Because of the Assyrian, who used to strike you with the rod And to lift up his staff against you as Egypt did.

For in a very little while the denunciation will come to an end; My anger will be directed to their destruction.

Jehovah of armies will brandish a whip against him, As when he defeated Midian by the rock Oreb. And his staff will be over the sea, And he will raise it as he did with Egypt.

In that day his load will depart from on your shoulder, And his yoke from on your neck, And the yoke will be broken because of the oil.”

He has come to Aiath; He has passed through Migron; At Michmash he deposits his baggage.

They have passed over the ford; They spend the night at Geba; Ramah trembles, Gibeah of Saul has fled.

Cry out and scream, O daughter of Gallim! Pay attention, O Laishah! O poor Anathoth!

Madmenah has run away. The inhabitants of Gebim have sought shelter.

This very day he will halt in Nob. He shakes his fist at the mountain of the daughter of Zion, The hill of Jerusalem.

Look! The true Lord, Jehovah of armies, Is chopping off branches with a terrible crash; The tallest trees are being cut down, And the lofty are brought low.

He strikes down the thickets of the forest with an iron tool, And Lebanon will fall by a mighty one.

#bible #reading #audiobook #isaiah #spokenword #wisdom #god

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“May your seas be wide enough for wonder, your harbor always waiting, and your light never fail when another soul is searching.” – The Lantern Keeper

When light is rejected, what is chosen—is the darkness.

Isaiah 3

NARRATOR:


For look! the true Lord, Jehovah of armies, 
is removing from Jerusalem and Judah every kind of support and supply—
all support of bread and water. Mighty man and warrior, 
judge and prophet, diviner and elder, 
chief of fifty, dignitary, and adviser, 
the expert magician and the skilled charmer—
all will be taken away.

JEHOVAH:

I will make boys their princes, 
and the unstable will rule over them.

NARRATOR:


The people will oppress one another, 
each one his fellow man.
The boy will assault the old man, 
and the lightly esteemed one will defy the respected one. Each one will take hold of his brother in his father’s house and say:

PEOPLE:


“You have a cloak—you be our commander.
Take charge of this overthrown pile of ruins.”

NARRATOR:


But he will protest in that day:

BROTHER:


“I will not be your wound dresser; 
I have no food or clothing in my house.
Do not make me commander over the people.” For Jerusalem has stumbled, 
and Judah has fallen, 
because in word and deed they are against Jehovah; 
they behave defiantly in his glorious presence. The expression of their faces testifies against them, 
and they proclaim their sin like Sodom; 
they do not try to hide it.
Woe to them, for they are bringing disaster on themselves! Tell the righteous that it will go well for them; 
they will be rewarded for what they do.
Woe to the wicked one!
Disaster will befall him, 
for what his hands have done will be done to him. As for my people, their taskmasters are abusive, 
 and women rule over them.
My people, your leaders are causing you to wander, 
 and they confuse the direction of your paths.

NARRATOR:


Jehovah is taking his position to accuse; 
he is standing up to pass sentence on peoples.
Jehovah will enter into judgment with the elders and princes of his people.

JEHOVAH:


“You have burned down the vineyard, 
and what you have stolen from the poor is in your houses.
How dare you crush my people 
and grind the faces of the poor in the dirt?”

NARRATOR:


Jehovah says:

JEHOVAH:


“Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, 
walking with their heads high, 
flirting with their eyes, skipping along, 
making a tinkling sound with their anklets, 
I will strike the head of the daughters of Zion with scabs, 
and I will make their forehead bare. In that day I will take away 
the beauty of their bangles, 
the headbands and the crescent-shaped ornaments, 
the earrings, the bracelets, and the veils, 
the headdresses, the ankle chains, the breastbands, 
the perfume receptacles and the charms, 
the finger rings and the nose rings, 
the ceremonial robes, the overtunics, the cloaks, and the purses, 
the hand mirrors and the linen garments, 
the turbans and the veils. Instead of balsam oil, there will be a rotten smell; 
instead of a belt, a rope; 
instead of a beautiful hairstyle, baldness; 
instead of a rich garment, a garment of sackcloth; 
and a brand mark instead of beauty. By the sword your men will fall, 
and your mighty men in battle.
Her entrances will mourn and grieve, 
and she will sit on the ground desolate.”

Isaiah 4

NARRATOR:


And seven women will grab hold of one man in that day, saying:

WOMEN:


“We will eat our own bread
and wear our own clothing; 
only let us be called by your name
to take away our disgrace.”

NARRATOR:


In that day what Jehovah makes sprout will be splendid and glorious, 
and the fruitage of the land will be the pride and beauty
of the survivors of Israel. Whoever remains in Zion and is left over in Jerusalem will be called holy—
all of those in Jerusalem written down for life. When Jehovah washes away the filth of the daughters of Zion
and rinses away the bloodshed of Jerusalem
by the spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning, 
Jehovah will create over the whole site of Mount Zion
and over the place of her conventions
a cloud and smoke by day
and a bright flaming fire by night.
Over all the glory there will be a shelter—
a booth for shade by day from the heat, 
and for refuge and protection from storms and rain.

Isaiah 5

PROPHET:


Let me sing, please, to my beloved
a song about my loved one and his vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard on a fruitful hillside.
He dug it up and rid it of stones.
He planted it with a choice red vine, 
built a tower in the middle of it, 
and hewed out a winepress in it.
Then he kept hoping for it to produce grapes, 
but it produced only wild grapes. “And now, you inhabitants of Jerusalem
and men of Judah—
please judge between me and my vineyard. What more could I have done for my vineyard
that I have not already done?
Why, when I hoped for grapes, 
did it produce only wild grapes? Now, please, let me tell you
what I will do to my vineyard: I will remove its hedge, 
and it will be burned down.
I will break down its stone wall, 
and it will be trampled on.
I will make it a wasteland; 
it will not be pruned or hoed.
It will be overgrown with thornbushes and weeds, 
and I will command the clouds not to send any rain on it.”

NARRATOR:


For the vineyard of Jehovah of armies is the house of Israel; 
the men of Judah are the plantation he was fond of.
He kept hoping for justice, 
but look—there was injustice; 
for righteousness, 
but look—a cry of distress. Woe to those who join one house to another
and who annex one field to another
until there is no more room
and you live by yourselves on the land! Jehovah of armies has sworn
that many houses, though great and beautiful, 
will become an object of horror, 
without an inhabitant.
For ten acres of vineyard will produce but one bath measure, 
and a homer of seed will produce only an ephah. Woe to those who get up early in the morning to drink alcohol, 
who linger late into the evening darkness until wine inflames them!
They have harp and stringed instrument, tambourine, flute, and wine at their feasts, 
but they do not consider the activity of Jehovah
and they do not see the work of his hands. So my people will go into exile for lack of knowledge; 
their glorious men will go hungry, 
and all their people will be parched with thirst. So the Grave has enlarged itself
and opened its mouth wide without limit; 
and her splendor, her noisy multitudes, and her revelers
will certainly go down into it. Man will bow down; man will be brought low; 
and the eyes of the haughty will be brought low.
Jehovah of armies will be exalted by his judgment; 
the true God, the Holy One, will sanctify himself through righteousness. And the lambs will graze as in their pasture; 
foreign residents will feed on the desolate places of well-fed animals. Woe to those who drag along their guilt with ropes of deception
and their sin with wagon cords—
those who say:

ARROGANT PEOPLE:


“Let Him speed up his work; 
let it come quickly that we may see it.
Let the purpose of the Holy One of Israel take place
that we may know it!”

NARRATOR:


Woe to those who say that good is bad and bad is good, 
who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, 
who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those wise in their own eyes
and discreet in their own sight!
Woe to those who are mighty in drinking wine
and masters at mixing alcoholic drinks, 
those who acquit the wicked for a bribe
and deny justice to the righteous! Therefore, just as fire consumes stubble
and dry grass shrivels in the flames, 
their very roots will rot
and their blossoms will scatter like powder, 
because they rejected the law of Jehovah of armies
and disrespected the word of the Holy One of Israel. That is why the anger of Jehovah burns against his people, 
and he will stretch out his hand against them and strike them.
The mountains will quake, 
and their corpses will be like refuse in the streets.
In view of all this, his anger has not turned back, 
but his hand is still stretched out to strike. He has raised up a signal to a distant nation; 
he has whistled for them to come from the ends of the earth; 
and look! they are coming very swiftly.
None among them are tired or stumbling; 
no one is drowsy or sleeps.
The belt around their waist is not loosened, 
nor are their sandal laces broken. All their arrows are sharp, 
and all their bows are bent.
The hooves of their horses are like flint, 
and their wheels like a storm wind.
Their roaring is like that of a lion; 
they roar like young lions.
They will growl and seize the prey
and carry it off with no one to rescue it. In that day they will growl over it
like the growling of the sea.
Anyone who gazes at the land will see distressing darkness; 
even the light has grown dark because of the clouds.

#bible #reading #audiobook #isaiah #spokenword #wisdom #god

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“May your seas be wide enough for wonder, your harbor always waiting, and your light never fail when another soul is searching.” – The Lantern Keeper

Every descent into ruin begins with forgetting who we are.

NARRATOR

The vision that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

JEHOVAH

Hear, O heavens, and pay attention, O earth, For Jehovah has spoken: “Sons I have brought up and raised, But they have revolted against m

A bull well knows its buyer, And a donkey the manger of its owner; But Israel does not know me, My own people do not behave with understanding.

Woe to the sinful nation, The people weighed down with error, A brood of wicked men, corrupt children! They have abandoned Jehovah; They have treated the Holy One of Israel with disrespect; They have turned their backs on him.

Where will you be struck next as you add to your rebellion? The whole head is sick, And the whole heart is diseased.

From the sole of the foot to the head, nothing is healthy. There are wounds and bruises and open sores— They have not been treated or bound up or softened with oil.

Your land is desolate. Your cities are burned with fire. Foreigners devour your land right in front of you. It is like a wasteland overthrown by foreigners.

The daughter of Zion has been left like a shelter in a vineyard, Like a hut in a cucumber field, Like a city under siege.

Unless Jehovah of armies had left us a few survivors, We should have become like Sodom, And we should have resembled Gomorrah.

Hear the word of Jehovah, you dictators of Sodom. Pay attention to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah.

Of what benefit to me are your many sacrifices?” says Jehovah. “I have had enough of your burnt offerings of rams And the fat of well-fed animals, And I have no delight in the blood of young bulls and lambs and goats.

When you come to appear before me, Who has required this from you, This trampling of my courtyards?

Stop bringing in any more worthless grain offerings. Your incense is detestable to me. New moons, sabbaths, the calling of conventions— I cannot put up with the use of magical power along with your solemn assembly.

I have hated your new moons and your festivals. They have become a burden to me; I am tired of bearing them.

And when you spread out your palms, I hide my eyes from you. Although you offer many prayers, I am not listening; Your hands are filled with blood.

Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove your evil deeds from my sight; Stop doing bad. Learn to do good, seek justice, Correct the oppressor, Defend the rights of the fatherless child, And plead the cause of the widow.

Come, now, and let us set matters straight between us,” says Jehovah. “Though your sins are like scarlet, They will be made as white as snow; Though they are as red as crimson cloth, They will become like wool.

If you show willingness and listen, You will eat the good things of the land. But if you refuse and rebel, You will be devoured by the sword, For the mouth of Jehovah has spoken it.”

NARRATOR

How the faithful city has become a prostitute! She was full of justice; Righteousness used to lodge in her, But now murderers.

Your silver has become dross, And your beer is diluted with water.

Your princes are stubborn and partners with thieves. Every one of them loves a bribe and chases after gifts. They do not grant justice to the fatherless, And the legal case of the widow never reaches them.

JEHOVAH

“Ah! I will rid myself of my adversaries, And I will take revenge on my enemies.

I will turn my hand against you, I will smelt away your dross as with lye, And I will remove all your impurities.

I will restore your judges as in the beginning And your advisers as at the start. After this you will be called City of Righteousness, Faithful Town.

With justice Zion will be redeemed, And her people who return, with righteousness.

The rebels and the sinners will be broken together, And those leaving Jehovah will come to their finish.

For they will be ashamed of the mighty trees that you desired, And you will be disgraced because of the gardens that you chose.

For you will become like a big tree with withering leaves, And like a garden without water.

The strong man will become tow, And his work a spark; Both of them will go up in flames together, With no one to extinguish them.”

NARRATOR

This is what Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

In the final part of the days, The mountain of the house of Jehovah Will become firmly established above the top of the mountains, And it will be raised up above the hills, And to it all the nations will stream.

And many peoples will go and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, To the house of the God of Jacob. He will instruct us about his ways, And we will walk in his paths.” For law will go out of Zion, And the word of Jehovah out of Jerusalem.

He will render judgment among the nations And set matters straight respecting many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, Nor will they learn war anymore.

O house of Jacob, come, Let us walk in the light of Jehovah.

For you have forsaken your people, the house of Jacob, Because they have become full of things from the East; They practice magic like the Philistines, And they abound with the children of foreigners.

Their land is filled with silver and gold, And there is no limit to their treasures. Their land is filled with horses, And there is no limit to their chariots.

Their land is filled with worthless gods. They bow down to the work of their own hands, To what their own fingers have made. So man bows down—he becomes low— And you cannot possibly pardon them.

Enter into the rock and hide yourself in the dust Because of the terrifying presence of Jehovah And his majestic splendor.

The haughty eyes of man will be brought low, And the arrogance of men will bow down. Jehovah alone will be exalted in that day.

For it is the day belonging to Jehovah of armies. It is coming upon everyone who is haughty and lofty, Upon everyone, whether exalted or lowly, Upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and exalted And upon all the oaks of Bashan, Upon all the lofty mountains And upon all the high hills, Upon every high tower and every fortified wall, Upon all the ships of Tarshish And upon all desirable boats.

Man’s haughtiness will be brought down, And the arrogance of men will bow low. Jehovah alone will be exalted in that day. The worthless gods will completely disappear.

And people will enter into the caves of the rocks And into the holes in the ground Because of the terrifying presence of Jehovah And his majestic splendor When he arises to make the earth tremble in terror.

In that day men will take their worthless gods of silver and of gold That they had made for themselves to bow down to And throw them away to the shrewmice and to the bats, In order to enter into the holes in the rocks And into the clefts of the crags Because of the terrifying presence of Jehovah And his majestic splendor When he arises to make the earth tremble in terror.

For your own sakes, quit trusting in mere man,
Who is only the breath in his nostrils.
Why should he be taken into account?

#bible #isaiah #audiobook #reading

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“May your seas be wide enough for wonder, your harbor always waiting, and your light never fail when another soul is searching.” – The Lantern Keeper

For dust we are, and to dust we return.

I took all of this to heart and concluded that the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hands of the true God.

Men are not aware of the love and the hate that took place prior to them.

All have the very same outcome — the righteous and the wicked, the good and the clean and the unclean, those sacrificing and those not sacrificing.

The good one is the same as the sinner; the one who swears an oath is the same as the one who is cautious about swearing an oath.

This is a distressing thing that happens under the sun: because all have the same outcome, the heart of humans is full of bad; there is madness in their heart during their life, and then they die.

There is hope for whoever is among the living, because a live dog is better off than a dead lion.

For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing at all, nor do they have any more reward, because all memory of them is forgotten.

Their love and their hate and their jealousy have already perished. They no longer have any share in what is done under the sun.

Go, eat your food with rejoicing, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for already the true God has found pleasure in your works.

May your clothing always be white, and do not fail to put oil on your head.

Enjoy life with your beloved wife all the days of your futile life, which He has given you under the sun— all the days of your futility— for that is your lot in life and in your hard work at which you toil under the sun.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do with all your might, for there is no work, nor planning, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the Grave, where you are going.

I have seen something further under the sun: the swift do not always win the race, nor do the mighty win the battle, nor do the wise always have the food, nor do the intelligent always have the riches, nor do those with knowledge always have success, because time and unexpected events overtake them all.

For man does not know his time. Just as fish are caught in an evil net, and birds are caught in a trap, so the sons of men are ensnared in a time of disaster, when it suddenly overtakes them.

I also observed this about wisdom under the sun— and it impressed me:

There was a small city with a few men in it, and a mighty king came against it, surrounded it, and built great siegeworks against it.

In it was found a poor but wise man, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But no one remembered that poor man.

And I said to myself: Wisdom is better than mightiness— yet a poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heeded.

Better to heed the calm words of the wise than the shouts of the one ruling among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but just one sinner can destroy much good.

As dead flies cause the perfumer’s oil to stink and bubble, so a little foolishness outweighs wisdom and glory.

The heart of the wise one leads him in the right way, but the heart of the stupid one leads him in the wrong way.

In whatever way the fool walks, he is lacking good sense, and he lets everyone know that he is a fool.

If the anger of a ruler should flare up against you, do not leave your place, for calmness allays great sins.

There is something distressing that I have seen under the sun, the sort of mistake made by those in power: Foolishness is put in many high positions, but the rich remain in low positions.

I have seen servants on horseback, but princes walking on foot just like servants.

The one who digs a pit may fall into it; the one who breaks through a stone wall may be bitten by a snake.

The one who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and the one who splits logs may be endangered by them.

If an iron tool is dull and one does not sharpen its edge, he will need to exert much effort. But wisdom helps to achieve success.

If the snake bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage to the skilled charmer.

The words from the mouth of the wise one bring favor, but the lips of the stupid one are his ruin.

The first words out of his mouth are foolishness, and his last words are disastrous madness. But the fool keeps on speaking.

A man does not know what will happen; who can tell him what will come after him?

The hard work of the stupid one wears him out, for he does not even know how to find his way to the city.

How terrible for a land when the king is a boy and the princes start their feasting in the morning!

How happy for the land when the king is the son of nobles, and the princes eat at the proper time for strength, not for drunkenness!

Because of extreme laziness, the roof beams sag, and because of idle hands, the house leaks.

Bread is made for laughter, and wine makes life enjoyable, but money answers every need.

Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king, and do not curse the rich in your bedroom; for a bird may convey the sound, or a creature with wings may repeat what was said.

#bible #audiobook #ecclesiastes

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“May your seas be wide enough for wonder, your harbor always waiting, and your light never fail when another soul is searching.” – The Lantern Keeper

The way of the wise is a quiet strength, rooted in reverence, blooming in restraint.

A mild answer turns away rage, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise makes good use of knowledge, but the mouth of the stupid blurts out foolishness. The eyes of Jehovah are everywhere, watching both the bad and the good.

A calm tongue is a tree of life, but twisted speech causes despair. A fool disrespects his father’s discipline, but a shrewd person accepts correction. In the house of the righteous one there is abundant treasure, but the produce of the wicked one brings him trouble.

The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but not so the heart of the stupid one. The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to Jehovah, but the prayer of the upright is a pleasure to Him. Jehovah detests the way of the wicked one, but He loves the one who pursues righteousness.

Discipline seems bad to one forsaking the way, but whoever hates reproof will die. The Grave and the place of destruction are in full view of Jehovah—how much more so the hearts of men! The scoffer does not love the one correcting him; he will not consult the wise.

A joyful heart makes for a cheerful countenance, but heartache crushes the spirit. The understanding heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of the stupid feeds on foolishness. All the days of the afflicted one are bad, but the one with a cheerful heart has a continual feast.

Better is a little in the fear of Jehovah than great wealth along with anxiety. Better is a dish of vegetables where there is love than a fattened bull where there is hatred. A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but one who is slow to anger calms a quarrel.

The way of the lazy one is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is like a level highway. A wise son makes his father rejoice, but a stupid man despises his mother. Foolishness is a joy to one lacking good sense, but the man of discernment walks straight ahead.

Plans fail when there is no consultation, but there is accomplishment through many advisers. A man rejoices in giving the right answer, and a word spoken at the right time—how good it is! The path of life leads upward to one with insight, to turn him away from the Grave below.

Jehovah will tear down the house of the haughty, but He will preserve the boundary of the widow. Jehovah detests the schemes of the wicked one, but pleasant sayings are pure to Him. The one making dishonest profit brings trouble on his own household, but the one hating bribes will keep living.

The heart of the righteous one meditates before answering, but the mouth of the wicked blurts out bad things. Jehovah is far away from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous. Bright eyes make the heart rejoice; a good report invigorates the bones.

The one who listens to life-giving reproof is at home among the wise. Anyone refusing discipline despises his life, but whoever listens to reproof acquires understanding. The fear of Jehovah is a training in wisdom, and before glory there is humility.

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“May your seas be wide enough for wonder, your harbor always waiting, and your light never fail when another soul is searching.” – The Lantern Keeper