Receive my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold.

It is better for a person to meet a mother bear being robbed of her cubs, than to encounter a fool in his folly.

Acquire truth and do not sell it – wisdom, and discipline, and understanding.

Do not envy evil people, do not desire to be with them;

Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips.

Men bow down to them in homage, they lie flat on the ground in worship. Don’t spare them!

To whom can you compare God? To what image can you liken him?

They feed on the sin offerings of my people; their appetites long for their iniquity!

So King Adoni-Zedek of Jerusalem sent this message to King Hoham of Hebron, King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and King Debir of Eglon:

The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter to the exiles Nebuchadnezzar had carried off from Jerusalem to Babylon. It was addressed to the elders who were left among the exiles, to the priests, to the prophets, and to all the other people who were exiled in Babylon.

You must go instead to my country and to my relatives to find a wife for my son Isaac.”

but you must go to the family of my father and to my relatives to find a wife for my son.’

May the sovereign God bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants! Then you will become a large nation.

Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan Aram.

Make the work harder for the men so they will keep at it and pay no attention to lying words!”

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,

But he did not lay a hand on the leaders of the Israelites, so they saw God, and they ate and they drank.

And you are to tell the Israelites: ‘This is to be my sacred anointing oil throughout your generations.

You can present them to the Lord as an offering of first fruit, but they must not go up to the altar for a soothing aroma.

You must not have sexual intercourse with the wife of your fellow citizen to become unclean with her.