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EZEKIEL 3

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  3:1 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.
    
4 And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel— 6 not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. 7 But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. 8 Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. 9 Like emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.” 10 Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears. 11 And go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ whether they hear or refuse to hear.”
    
12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great earthquake: “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from its place!” 13 It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the sound of a great earthquake. 14 The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the hand of the Lord being strong upon me. 15 And I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who were dwelling by the Chebar canal, and I sat where they were dwelling. And I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days. A Watchman for Israel
16 And at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me: 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 18 If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. 20 Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”
    
22 And the hand of the Lord was upon me there. And he said to me, “Arise, go out into the valley, and there I will speak with you.” 23 So I arose and went out into the valley, and behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, like the glory that I had seen by the Chebar canal, and I fell on my face. 24 But the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and he spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself within your house. 25 And you, O son of man, behold, cords will be placed upon you, and you shall be bound with them, so that you cannot go out among the people. 26 And I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and unable to reprove them, for they are a rebellious house. 27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ He who will hear, let him hear; and he who will refuse to hear, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.



EZEKIEL 4

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The Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized
  4:1 “And you, son of man, take a brick and lay it before you, and engrave on it a city, even Jerusalem. 2 And put siegeworks against it, and build a siege wall against it, and cast up a mound against it. Set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it all around. 3 And you, take an iron griddle, and place it as an iron wall between you and the city; and set your face toward it, and let it be in a state of siege, and press the siege against it. This is a sign for the house of Israel.
    
4 “Then lie on your left side, and place the punishment of the house of Israel upon it. For the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their punishment. 5 For I assign to you a number of days, 390 days, equal to the number of the years of their punishment. So long shall you bear the punishment of the house of Israel. 6 And when you have completed these, you shall lie down a second time, but on your right side, and bear the punishment of the house of Judah. Forty days I assign you, a day for each year. 7 And you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with your arm bared, and you shall prophesy against the city. 8 And behold, I will place cords upon you, so that you cannot turn from one side to the other, till you have completed the days of your siege.
    
9 “And you, take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and emmer, and put them into a single vessel and make your bread from them. During the number of days that you lie on your side, 390 days, you shall eat it. 10 And your food that you eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day; from day to day you shall eat it. 11 And water you shall drink by measure, the sixth part of a hin; from day to day you shall drink. 12 And you shall eat it as a barley cake, baking it in their sight on human dung.” 13 And the Lord said, “Thus shall the people of Israel eat their bread unclean, among the nations where I will drive them.” 14 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I have never defiled myself. From my youth up till now I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has tainted meat come into my mouth.” 15 Then he said to me, “See, I assign to you cow’s dung instead of human dung, on which you may prepare your bread.” 16 Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, behold, I will break the supply of bread in Jerusalem. They shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and they shall drink water by measure and in dismay. 17 I will do this that they may lack bread and water, and look at one another in dismay, and rot away because of their punishment.



PROVERBS 31

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The Words of King Lemuel
  31:1 The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:
2
What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb?
What are you doing, son of my vows?
3
Do not give your strength to women,
your ways to those who destroy kings.
4
It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
it is not for kings to drink wine,
or for rulers to take strong drink,
5
lest they drink and forget what has been decreed
and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
6
Give strong drink to the one who is perishing,
and wine to those in bitter distress;
7
let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.
8
Open your mouth for the mute,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
The Woman Who Fears the Lord
10
An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12
She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13
She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14
She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
15
She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
16
She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17
She dresses herself with strength
and makes her arms strong.
18
She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19
She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20
She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21
She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22
She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23
Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24
She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25
Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26
She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27
She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28
Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29
“Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
30
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31
Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.



PSALM 128

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Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the Lord
A Song of Ascents.
128:1
Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways!
2
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

3
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4
Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.

5
The Lord bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!
6
May you see your children’s children!
Peace be upon Israel!

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