ISAIAH 12-13

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The Lord Is My Strength and My Song12:1

You will say in that day:

“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,

for though you were angry with me,

your anger turned away,

that you might comfort me.
2

“Behold, God is my salvation;

I will trust, and will not be afraid;

for the Lord God is my strength and my song,

and he has become my salvation.”
    3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 And you will say in that day:

“Give thanks to the Lord,

call upon his name,

make known his deeds among the peoples,

proclaim that his name is exalted.
5

“Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;

let this be made known in all the earth. 6

Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,

for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” The Judgment of Babylon  13:1 The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.
2

On a bare hill raise a signal;

cry aloud to them;

wave the hand for them to enter

the gates of the nobles. 3

I myself have commanded my consecrated ones,

and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger,

my proudly exulting ones.
4

The sound of a tumult is on the mountains

as of a great multitude!

The sound of an uproar of kingdoms,

of nations gathering together!

The Lord of hosts is mustering

a host for battle. 5

They come from a distant land,

from the end of the heavens,

the Lord and the weapons of his indignation,

to destroy the whole land.
6

Wail, for the day of the Lord is near;

as destruction from the Almighty it will come! 7

Therefore all hands will be feeble,

and every human heart will melt. 8

They will be dismayed:

pangs and agony will seize them;

they will be in anguish like a woman in labor.

They will look aghast at one another;

their faces will be aflame.
9

Behold, the day of the Lord comes,

cruel, with wrath and fierce anger,

to make the land a desolation

and to destroy its sinners from it. 10

For the stars of the heavens and their constellations

will not give their light;

the sun will be dark at its rising,

and the moon will not shed its light. 11

I will punish the world for its evil,

and the wicked for their iniquity;

I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant,

and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. 12

I will make people more rare than fine gold,

and mankind than the gold of Ophir. 13

Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,

and the earth will be shaken out of its place,

at the wrath of the Lord of hosts

in the day of his fierce anger. 14

And like a hunted gazelle,

or like sheep with none to gather them,

each will turn to his own people,

and each will flee to his own land. 15

Whoever is found will be thrust through,

and whoever is caught will fall by the sword. 16

Their infants will be dashed in pieces

before their eyes;

their houses will be plundered

and their wives ravished.
17

Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them,

who have no regard for silver

and do not delight in gold. 18

Their bows will slaughter the young men;

they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb;

their eyes will not pity children. 19

And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,

the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans,

will be like Sodom and Gomorrah

when God overthrew them. 20

It will never be inhabited

or lived in for all generations;

no Arab will pitch his tent there;

no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there. 21

But wild animals will lie down there,

and their houses will be full of howling creatures;

there ostriches will dwell,

and there wild goats will dance. 22

Hyenas will cry in its towers,

and jackals in the pleasant palaces;

its time is close at hand

and its days will not be prolonged.

PROVERBS 7

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Warning Against the Adulteress7:1

My son, keep my words

and treasure up my commandments with you; 2

keep my commandments and live;

keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; 3

bind them on your fingers;

write them on the tablet of your heart. 4

Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”

and call insight your intimate friend, 5

to keep you from the forbidden woman,

from the adulteress with her smooth words.
6

For at the window of my house

I have looked out through my lattice, 7

and I have seen among the simple,

I have perceived among the youths,

a young man lacking sense, 8

passing along the street near her corner,

taking the road to her house 9

in the twilight, in the evening,

at the time of night and darkness.
10

And behold, the woman meets him,

dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart. 11

She is loud and wayward;

her feet do not stay at home; 12

now in the street, now in the market,

and at every corner she lies in wait. 13

She seizes him and kisses him,

and with bold face she says to him, 14

“I had to offer sacrifices,

and today I have paid my vows; 15

so now I have come out to meet you,

to seek you eagerly, and I have found you. 16

I have spread my couch with coverings,

colored linens from Egyptian linen; 17

I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,

aloes, and cinnamon. 18

Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;

let us delight ourselves with love. 19

For my husband is not at home;

he has gone on a long journey; 20

he took a bag of money with him;

at full moon he will come home.”
21

With much seductive speech she persuades him;

with her smooth talk she compels him. 22

All at once he follows her,

as an ox goes to the slaughter,

or as a stag is caught fast 23

till an arrow pierces its liver;

as a bird rushes into a snare;

he does not know that it will cost him his life.
24

And now, O sons, listen to me,

and be attentive to the words of my mouth. 25

Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;

do not stray into her paths, 26

for many a victim has she laid low,

and all her slain are a mighty throng. 27

Her house is the way to Sheol,

going down to the chambers of death.

TITUS 3

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Be Ready for Every Good Work  3:1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. 9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned. Final Instructions and Greetings12 When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. 13 Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. 14 And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.
    15 All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith.
    Grace be with you all.