HOSEA 1

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  1:1 The word of the Lord that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. Hosea’s Wife and Children2 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” 3 So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
    4 And the Lord said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”
    6 She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to him, “Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. 7 But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.”
    8 When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. 9 And the Lord said, “Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.”
    10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.” 11 And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel.

HOSEA 2

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Israel’s Unfaithfulness Punished  2:1 Say to your brothers, “You are my people,” and to your sisters, “You have received mercy.”
2

“Plead with your mother, plead—

for she is not my wife,

and I am not her husband—

that she put away her whoring from her face,

and her adultery from between her breasts; 3

lest I strip her naked

and make her as in the day she was born,

and make her like a wilderness,

and make her like a parched land,

and kill her with thirst. 4

Upon her children also I will have no mercy,

because they are children of whoredom. 5

For their mother has played the whore;

she who conceived them has acted shamefully.

For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers,

who give me my bread and my water,

my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’ 6

Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns,

and I will build a wall against her,

so that she cannot find her paths. 7

She shall pursue her lovers

but not overtake them,

and she shall seek them

but shall not find them.

Then she shall say,

‘I will go and return to my first husband,

for it was better for me then than now.’ 8

And she did not know

that it was I who gave her

the grain, the wine, and the oil,

and who lavished on her silver and gold,

which they used for Baal. 9

Therefore I will take back

my grain in its time,

and my wine in its season,

and I will take away my wool and my flax,

which were to cover her nakedness. 10

Now I will uncover her lewdness

in the sight of her lovers,

and no one shall rescue her out of my hand. 11

And I will put an end to all her mirth,

her feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths,

and all her appointed feasts. 12

And I will lay waste her vines and her fig trees,

of which she said,

‘These are my wages,

which my lovers have given me.’

I will make them a forest,

and the beasts of the field shall devour them. 13

And I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals

when she burned offerings to them

and adorned herself with her ring and jewelry,

and went after her lovers

and forgot me, declares the Lord. The Lord’s Mercy on Israel14

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her,

and bring her into the wilderness,

and speak tenderly to her. 15

And there I will give her her vineyards

and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.

And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth,

as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.
    16 “And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ 17 For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. 18 And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. 19 And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. 20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.
21

“And in that day I will answer, declares the Lord,

I will answer the heavens,

and they shall answer the earth, 22

and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil,

and they shall answer Jezreel, 23

and I will sow her for myself in the land.

And I will have mercy on No Mercy,

and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’;

and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’”

HOSEA 3

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Hosea Redeems His Wife  3:1 And the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. 3 And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.” 4 For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods. 5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days.

PROVERBS 28

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28:1

The wicked flee when no one pursues,

but the righteous are bold as a lion. 2

When a land transgresses, it has many rulers,

but with a man of understanding and knowledge,

its stability will long continue. 3

A poor man who oppresses the poor

is a beating rain that leaves no food. 4

Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,

but those who keep the law strive against them. 5

Evil men do not understand justice,

but those who seek the Lord understand it completely. 6

Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity

than a rich man who is crooked in his ways. 7

The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding,

but a companion of gluttons shames his father. 8

Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit

gathers it for him who is generous to the poor. 9

If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,

even his prayer is an abomination. 10

Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way

will fall into his own pit,

but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance. 11

A rich man is wise in his own eyes,

but a poor man who has understanding will find him out. 12

When the righteous triumph, there is great glory,

but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves. 13

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,

but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. 14

Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always,

but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity. 15

Like a roaring lion or a charging bear

is a wicked ruler over a poor people. 16

A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,

but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days. 17

If one is burdened with the blood of another,

he will be a fugitive until death;

let no one help him. 18

Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered,

but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall. 19

Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,

but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty. 20

A faithful man will abound with blessings,

but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished. 21

To show partiality is not good,

but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong. 22

A stingy man hastens after wealth

and does not know that poverty will come upon him. 23

Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor

than he who flatters with his tongue. 24

Whoever robs his father or his mother

and says, “That is no transgression,”

is a companion to a man who destroys. 25

A greedy man stirs up strife,

but the one who trusts in the Lord will be enriched. 26

Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool,

but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered. 27

Whoever gives to the poor will not want,

but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse. 28

When the wicked rise, people hide themselves,

but when they perish, the righteous increase.

PSALM 140

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Deliver Me, O Lord, from Evil MenTo the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
140:1

Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men;

preserve me from violent men, 2

who plan evil things in their heart

and stir up wars continually. 3

They make their tongue sharp as a serpent’s,

and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah
4

Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;

preserve me from violent men,

who have planned to trip up my feet. 5

The arrogant have hidden a trap for me,

and with cords they have spread a net;

beside the way they have set snares for me. Selah
6

I say to the Lord, You are my God;

give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord! 7

O Lord, my Lord, the strength of my salvation,

you have covered my head in the day of battle. 8

Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;

do not further their evil plot, or they will be exalted! Selah
9

As for the head of those who surround me,

let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them! 10

Let burning coals fall upon them!

Let them be cast into fire,

into miry pits, no more to rise! 11

Let not the slanderer be established in the land;

let evil hunt down the violent man speedily!
12

I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,

and will execute justice for the needy. 13

Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;

the upright shall dwell in your presence.