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All you that are righteous, shout for joy for what the LORD has done; praise him, all you that obey him.
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Give thanks to the LORD with harps, sing to him with stringed instruments.
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Sing a new song to him, play the harp with skill, and shout for joy!
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The words of the LORD are true, and all his works are dependable.
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The LORD loves what is righteous and just; his constant love fills the earth.
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The LORD created the heavens by his command, the sun, moon, and stars by his spoken word.
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He gathered all the seas into one place; he shut up the ocean depths in storerooms.
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Worship the LORD, all the earth! Honor him, all peoples of the world!
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When he spoke, the world was created; at his command everything appeared.
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The LORD frustrates the purposes of the nations; he keeps them from carrying out their plans.
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But his plans endure forever; his purposes last eternally.
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Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD; happy are the people he has chosen for his own!
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The LORD looks down from heaven and sees all of us humans.
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From where he rules, he looks down on all who live on earth.
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He forms all their thoughts and knows everything they do.
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A king does not win because of his powerful army; a soldier does not triumph because of his strength.
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War horses are useless for victory; their great strength cannot save.
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The LORD watches over those who obey him, those who trust in his constant love.
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He saves them from death; he keeps them alive in times of famine.
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We put our hope in the LORD; he is our protector and our help.
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We are glad because of him; we trust in his holy name.
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May your constant love be with us, LORD, as we put our hope in you.
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These are the solemn words of Agur son of Jakeh: "God is not with me, God is not with me, and I am helpless.
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I am more like an animal than a human being; I do not have the sense we humans should have.
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I have never learned any wisdom, and I know nothing at all about God.
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Have any ever mastered heavenly knowledge? Have any ever caught the wind in their hands? Or wrapped up water in a piece of cloth? Or fixed the boundaries of the earth? Who are they, if you know? Who are their children?
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"God keeps every promise he makes. He is like a shield for all who seek his protection.
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If you claim that he said something that he never said, he will reprimand you and show that you are a liar."
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I ask you, God, to let me have two things before I die:
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keep me from lying, and let me be neither rich nor poor. So give me only as much food as I need.
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If I have more, I might say that I do not need you. But if I am poor, I might steal and bring disgrace on my God.
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Never criticize servants to their master. You will be cursed and suffer for it.
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There are people who curse their fathers and do not show their appreciation for their mothers.
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There are people who think they are pure when they are as filthy as they can be.
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There are people who think they are so good---oh, how good they think they are!
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There are people who take cruel advantage of the poor and needy; that is the way they make their living.
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A leech has two daughters, and both are named "Give me!" There are four things that are never satisfied:
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the world of the dead, a woman without children, dry ground that needs rain, and a fire burning out of control.
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If you make fun of your father or despise your mother in her old age, you ought to be eaten by vultures or have your eyes picked out by wild ravens.
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There are four things that are too mysterious for me to understand:
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an eagle flying in the sky, a snake moving on a rock, a ship finding its way over the sea, and a man and a woman falling in love.
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This is how an unfaithful wife acts: she commits adultery, takes a bath, and says, "But I haven't done anything wrong!"
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There are four things that the earth itself cannot tolerate:
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a slave who becomes a king, a fool who has all he wants to eat,
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a hateful woman who gets married, and a servant woman who takes the place of her mistress.
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There are four animals in the world that are small, but very, very clever:
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Ants: they are weak, but they store up their food in the summer.
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Rock badgers: they are not strong either, but they make their homes among the rocks.
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Locusts: they have no king, but they move in formation.
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Lizards: you can hold one in your hand, but you can find them in palaces.
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There are four things that are impressive to watch as they walk:
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lions, strongest of all animals and afraid of none;
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goats, strutting roosters, and kings in front of their people.
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If you have been foolish enough to be arrogant and plan evil, stop and think!
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If you churn milk, you get butter. If you hit someone's nose, it bleeds. If you stir up anger, you get into trouble.
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These are the solemn words which King Lemuel's mother said to him:
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"You are my own dear son, the answer to my prayers. What shall I tell you?
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Don't spend all your energy on sex and all your money on women; they have destroyed kings.
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Listen, Lemuel. Kings should not drink wine or have a craving for alcohol.
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When they drink, they forget the laws and ignore the rights of people in need.
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Alcohol is for people who are dying, for those who are in misery.
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Let them drink and forget their poverty and unhappiness.
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"Speak up for people who cannot speak for themselves. Protect the rights of all who are helpless.
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Speak for them and be a righteous judge. Protect the rights of the poor and needy."
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How hard it is to find a capable wife! She is worth far more than jewels!
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Her husband puts his confidence in her, and he will never be poor.
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As long as she lives, she does him good and never harm.
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She keeps herself busy making wool and linen cloth.
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She brings home food from out-of-the-way places, as merchant ships do.
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She gets up before daylight to prepare food for her family and to tell her servant women what to do.
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She looks at land and buys it, and with money she has earned she plants a vineyard.
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She is a hard worker, strong and industrious.
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She knows the value of everything she makes, and works late into the night.
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She spins her own thread and weaves her own cloth.
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She is generous to the poor and needy.
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She doesn't worry when it snows, because her family has warm clothing.
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She makes bedspreads and wears clothes of fine purple linen.
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Her husband is well known, one of the leading citizens.
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She makes clothes and belts, and sells them to merchants.
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She is strong and respected and not afraid of the future.
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She speaks with a gentle wisdom.
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She is always busy and looks after her family's needs.
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Her children show their appreciation, and her husband praises her.
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He says, "Many women are good wives, but you are the best of them all."
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Charm is deceptive and beauty disappears, but a woman who honors the LORD should be praised.
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Give her credit for all she does. She deserves the respect of everyone.
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From Paul, who by God's will is an apostle of Christ Jesus--- To God's people in Ephesus, who are faithful in their life in union with Christ Jesus:
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May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
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Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! For in our union with Christ he has blessed us by giving us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world.
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Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him. Because of his love
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God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his children---this was his pleasure and purpose.
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Let us praise God for his glorious grace, for the free gift he gave us in his dear Son!
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For by the blood of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God,
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which he gave to us in such large measure! In all his wisdom and insight
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God did what he had purposed, and made known to us the secret plan he had already decided to complete by means of Christ.
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This plan, which God will complete when the time is right, is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head.
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All things are done according to God's plan and decision; and God chose us to be his own people in union with Christ because of his own purpose, based on what he had decided from the very beginning.
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Let us, then, who were the first to hope in Christ, praise God's glory!
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And you also became God's people when you heard the true message, the Good News that brought you salvation. You believed in Christ, and God put his stamp of ownership on you by giving you the Holy Spirit he had promised.
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The Spirit is the guarantee that we shall receive what God has promised his people, and this assures us that God will give complete freedom to those who are his. Let us praise his glory!
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For this reason, ever since I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God's people,
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I have not stopped giving thanks to God for you. I remember you in my prayers
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and ask the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give you the Spirit, who will make you wise and reveal God to you, so that you will know him.
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I ask that your minds may be opened to see his light, so that you will know what is the hope to which he has called you, how rich are the wonderful blessings he promises his people,
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and how very great is his power at work in us who believe. This power working in us is the same as the mighty strength
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which he used when he raised Christ from death and seated him at his right side in the heavenly world.
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Christ rules there above all heavenly rulers, authorities, powers, and lords; he has a title superior to all titles of authority in this world and in the next.
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God put all things under Christ's feet and gave him to the church as supreme Lord over all things.
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The church is Christ's body, the completion of him who himself completes all things everywhere.
