The overseer then must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher,

I want you to recall both the predictions foretold by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles.

When it was reported to the king of Egypt that the people had fled, the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people, and the king and his servants said, “What in the world have we done? For we have released the people of Israel from serving us!”

Samuel replied to Saul, “I am the seer! Go up in front of me to the high place! Today you will eat with me and in the morning I will send you away. I will tell you everything that you are thinking.

This made the king of Syria upset. So he summoned his advisers and said to them, “One of us must be helping the king of Israel.”

I thought to myself, “I have become much wiser than any of my predecessors who ruled over Jerusalem; I have acquired much wisdom and knowledge.”

I tried to understand, examine, and comprehend the role of wisdom in the scheme of things, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the insanity of folly.

For you ignore the God who rescues you; you pay no attention to your strong protector. So this is what happens: You cultivate beautiful plants and plant exotic vines.

The Lord who rules over all says to the people of Jerusalem: “Do not listen to what those prophets are saying to you. They are filling you with false hopes. They are reporting visions of their own imaginations, not something the Lord has given them to say.

“As for you, O king, while you were in your bed your thoughts turned to future things. The revealer of mysteries has made known to you what will take place.

Old and new wine take away the understanding of my people.

Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said to him: “Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened.

Then the Lord relented over the evil that he had said he would do to his people.

So they placed him in custody until they were able to make a clear legal decision for themselves based on words from the mouth of the Lord.

Be keenly aware that just as a parent disciplines his child, the Lord your God disciplines you.

When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped trying to dissuade her.

David said to Solomon: “My son, I really wanted to build a temple to honor the Lord my God.

“What is mankind that you make so much of them, and that you pay attention to them?

But he is unchangeable, and who can change him? Whatever he has desired, he does.