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EZRA 5

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Rebuilding Begins Anew
  5:1 Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. 2 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.
    
3 At the same time Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and their associates came to them and spoke to them thus: “Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?” 4 They also asked them this: “What are the names of the men who are building this building?” 5 But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until the report should reach Darius and then an answer be returned by letter concerning it. Tattenai’s Letter to King Darius
6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and his associates, the governors who were in the province Beyond the River, sent to Darius the king. 7 They sent him a report, in which was written as follows: “To Darius the king, all peace. 8 Be it known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones, and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands. 9 Then we asked those elders and spoke to them thus: ‘Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?’ 10 We also asked them their names, for your information, that we might write down the names of their leaders. 11 And this was their reply to us: ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished. 12 But because our fathers had angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried away the people to Babylonia. 13 However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree that this house of God should be rebuilt. 14 And the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon, these Cyrus the king took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor; 15 and he said to him, Take these vessels, go and put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site. 16 Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it has been in building, and it is not yet finished.’ 17 Therefore, if it seems good to the king, let search be made in the royal archives there in Babylon, to see whether a decree was issued by Cyrus the king for the rebuilding of this house of God in Jerusalem. And let the king send us his pleasure in this matter.”



PSALM 17

« Psalm 16 | Psalm 17 | Psalm 18 »

In the Shadow of Your Wings
A Prayer of David.
17:1
Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry!
Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
2
From your presence let my vindication come!
Let your eyes behold the right!

3
You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night,
you have tested me, and you will find nothing;
I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
4
With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
5
My steps have held fast to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.

6
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my words.
7
Wondrously show your steadfast love,
O Savior of those who seek refuge
from their adversaries at your right hand.

8
Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings,
9
from the wicked who do me violence,
my deadly enemies who surround me.

10
They close their hearts to pity;
with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
11
They have now surrounded our steps;
they set their eyes to cast us to the ground.
12
He is like a lion eager to tear,
as a young lion lurking in ambush.

13
Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him!
Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
14
from men by your hand, O Lord,
from men of the world whose portion is in this life.
You fill their womb with treasure;
they are satisfied with children,
and they leave their abundance to their infants.

15
As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.



PSALM 18

« Psalm 17 | Psalm 18 | Psalm 19 »

The Lord Is My Rock and My Fortress
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who addressed the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:
18:1
I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3
I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.

4
The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
5
the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.

6
In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.

7
Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8
Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9
He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
10
He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
11
He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.
12
Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

13
The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
14
And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
15
Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

16
He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
17
He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
18
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
19
He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

20
The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
21
For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22
For all his rules were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23
I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
24
So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25
With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
26
with the purified you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
27
For you save a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
28
For it is you who light my lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
29
For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
30
This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

31
For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?—
32
the God who equipped me with strength
and made my way blameless.
33
He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.
34
He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35
You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand supported me,
and your gentleness made me great.
36
You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
37
I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
and did not turn back till they were consumed.
38
I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
39
For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made those who rise against me sink under me.
40
You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41
They cried for help, but there was none to save;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42
I beat them fine as dust before the wind;
I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

43
You delivered me from strife with the people;
you made me the head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
44
As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me.
45
Foreigners lost heart
and came trembling out of their fortresses.

46
The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation—
47
the God who gave me vengeance
and subdued peoples under me,
48
who rescued me from my enemies;
yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;
you delivered me from the man of violence.

49
For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing to your name.
50
Great salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his offspring forever.



PROVERBS 12

« Proverbs 11 | Proverbs 12 | Proverbs 13 »

12:1
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates reproof is stupid.
2
A good man obtains favor from the Lord,
but a man of evil devices he condemns.
3
No one is established by wickedness,
but the root of the righteous will never be moved.
4
An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.
5
The thoughts of the righteous are just;
the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
6
The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
but the mouth of the upright delivers them.
7
The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
but the house of the righteous will stand.
8
A man is commended according to his good sense,
but one of twisted mind is despised.
9
Better to be lowly and have a servant
than to play the great man and lack bread.
10
Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast,
but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.
11
Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.
12
Whoever is wicked covets the spoil of evildoers,
but the root of the righteous bears fruit.
13
An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
but the righteous escapes from trouble.
14
From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good,
and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.
15
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
but a wise man listens to advice.
16
The vexation of a fool is known at once,
but the prudent ignores an insult.
17
Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence,
but a false witness utters deceit.
18
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19
Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
20
Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
but those who plan peace have joy.
21
No ill befalls the righteous,
but the wicked are filled with trouble.
22
Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
but those who act faithfully are his delight.
23
A prudent man conceals knowledge,
but the heart of fools proclaims folly.
24
The hand of the diligent will rule,
while the slothful will be put to forced labor.
25
Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down,
but a good word makes him glad.
26
One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor,
but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
27
Whoever is slothful will not roast his game,
but the diligent man will get precious wealth.
28
In the path of righteousness is life,
and in its pathway there is no death.

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