Baramhat 14, 1742

¹Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; ²for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. ³For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; ⁴that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, ⁵not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; ⁶that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. ⁷For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. ⁸Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit. ⁹But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; ¹⁰and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; ¹¹that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, ¹²that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing. ¹³But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. ¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. ¹⁵For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. ¹⁸Therefore comfort one another with these words.

⁷Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ⁸Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. ¹¹Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. ¹²There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?

⁹Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; ¹⁰for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city." ¹¹And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. ¹²When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat, ¹³saying, "This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law." ¹⁴And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, "If it were a matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you. ¹⁵But if it is a question of words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; for I do not want to be a judge of such matters." ¹⁶And he drove them from the judgment seat. ¹⁷Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things. ¹⁸So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow.

¹Plead my cause, O LORD, with those who strive with me; Fight against those who fight against me. ²Take hold of shield and buckler, And stand up for my help. ³Also draw out the spear, And stop those who pursue me. Say to my soul, "I am your salvation." ⁴Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor Who seek after my life; Let those be turned back and brought to confusion Who plot my hurt. ⁵Let them be like chaff before the wind, And let the angel of the LORD chase them. ⁶Let their way be dark and slippery, And let the angel of the LORD pursue them. ⁷For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit, Which they have dug without cause for my life. ⁸Let destruction come upon him unexpectedly, And let his net that he has hidden catch himself; Into that very destruction let him fall. ⁹And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD; It shall rejoice in His salvation. ¹⁰All my bones shall say, "LORD, who is like You, Delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, Yes, the poor and the needy from him who plunders him?" ¹¹Fierce witnesses rise up; They ask me things that I do not know. ¹²They reward me evil for good, To the sorrow of my soul. ¹³But as for me, when they were sick, My clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting; And my prayer would return to my own heart. ¹⁴I paced about as though he were my friend or brother; I bowed down heavily, as one who mourns for his mother. ¹⁵But in my adversity they rejoiced And gathered together; Attackers gathered against me, And I did not know it; They tore at me and did not cease; ¹⁶With ungodly mockers at feasts They gnashed at me with their teeth. ¹⁷Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue me from their destructions, My precious life from the lions. ¹⁸I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people. ¹⁹Let them not rejoice over me who are wrongfully my enemies; Nor let them wink with the eye who hate me without a cause. ²⁰For they do not speak peace, But they devise deceitful matters Against the quiet ones in the land. ²¹They also opened their mouth wide against me, And said, "Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen it." ²²This You have seen, O LORD; Do not keep silence. O Lord, do not be far from me. ²³Stir up Yourself, and awake to my vindication, To my cause, my God and my Lord. ²⁴Vindicate me, O LORD my God, according to Your righteousness; And let them not rejoice over me. ²⁵Let them not say in their hearts, "Ah, so we would have it!" Let them not say, "We have swallowed him up." ²⁶Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion Who rejoice at my hurt; Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor Who exalt themselves against me. ²⁷Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, "Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant." ²⁸And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness And of Your praise all the day long.

¹There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ²And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? ³I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. ⁴Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? ⁵I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

Proverbs 8

¹Does not wisdom cry out, And understanding lift up her voice? ²She takes her stand on the top of the high hill, Beside the way, where the paths meet. ³She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city, At the entrance of the doors: ⁴"To you, O men, I call, And my voice is to the sons of men. ⁵O you simple ones, understand prudence, And you fools, be of an understanding heart. ⁶Listen, for I will speak of excellent things, And from the opening of my lips will come right things; ⁷For my mouth will speak truth; Wickedness is an abomination to my lips. ⁸All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; Nothing crooked or perverse is in them. ⁹They are all plain to him who understands, And right to those who find knowledge. ¹⁰Receive my instruction, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choice gold; ¹¹For wisdom is better than rubies, And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.

Isaiah 43

¹⁰"You are My witnesses," says the LORD, "And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. ¹¹I, even I, am the LORD, And besides Me there is no savior. ¹²I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, And there was no foreign god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses," Says the LORD, "that I am God. ¹³Indeed before the day was, I am He; And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?" ¹⁴Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: "For your sake I will send to Babylon, And bring them all down as fugitives-- The Chaldeans, who rejoice in their ships. ¹⁵I am the LORD, your Holy One, The Creator of Israel, your King." ¹⁶Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea And a path through the mighty waters, ¹⁷Who brings forth the chariot and horse, The army and the power (They shall lie down together, they shall not rise; They are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick): ¹⁸"Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. ¹⁹Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. ²⁰The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen. ²¹This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise. ²²"But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob; And you have been weary of Me, O Israel. ²³You have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings, Nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings, Nor wearied you with incense. ²⁴You have bought Me no sweet cane with money, Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices; But you have burdened Me with your sins, You have wearied Me with your iniquities. ²⁵"I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins. ²⁶Put Me in remembrance; Let us contend together; State your case, that you may be acquitted. ²⁷Your first father sinned, And your mediators have transgressed against Me. ²⁸Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary; I will give Jacob to the curse, And Israel to reproaches.

Job 32

⁶So Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, answered and said: "I am young in years, and you are very old; Therefore I was afraid, And dared not declare my opinion to you. ⁷I said, "Age should speak, And multitude of years should teach wisdom.' ⁸But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. ⁹Great men are not always wise, Nor do the aged always understand justice. ¹⁰"Therefore I say, "Listen to me, I also will declare my opinion.' ¹¹Indeed I waited for your words, I listened to your reasonings, while you searched out what to say. ¹²I paid close attention to you; And surely not one of you convinced Job, Or answered his words-- ¹³Lest you say, "We have found wisdom'; God will vanquish him, not man. ¹⁴Now he has not directed his words against me; So I will not answer him with your words. ¹⁵"They are dismayed and answer no more; Words escape them. ¹⁶And I have waited, because they did not speak, Because they stood still and answered no more.