<p class="poetry">We know our noisy worship of false godsp> <p class="poetry">on the hills and mountains did not help us.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">We know that the <sc>Lordsc> our Godp> <p class="poetry">is the only one who can deliver Israel.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">However, God heard;p> <p class="poetry">he listened to my prayer.p>

<p class="poetry">Yet you will die like mortals;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">you will fall like all the other rulers.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">But it is a spirit in people,p> <p class="poetry">the breath<n id="1" /> of the Almighty,p> <p class="poetry">that makes them understand.p>

<p class="poetry">Yes, you are a God who keeps hidden,p> <p class="poetry">O God of Israel, deliverer!p>

<p class="bodytext">Then Jacob woke up<n id="1" /> and thought,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Surely the <sc>Lordsc> is in this place, but I did not realize it!&#8221;

<p class="poetry">The grass dries up,p> <p class="poetry">the flowers wither,p> <p class="poetry">when the wind sent by the <sc>Lordsc><n id="1" /> blows on them.p> <p class="poetry">Surely humanity<n id="2" /> is like grass.p>

<p class="poetry">But he lifted up our illnesses,p> <p class="poetry">he carried our pain;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">even though we thought he was being punished,p> <p class="poetry">attacked by God, and afflicted for something he had done.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">But, you have been unfaithful to me, nation of Israel,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">like an unfaithful wife who has left her husband,&#8221;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">says the <sc>Lordsc>.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">Then Samuel said, &#8220;Bring me King Agag of the Amalekites.&#8221; So Agag came to him trembling,<n id="1" /> thinking to himself,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Surely death is bitter!&#8221;<n id="3" />

<p class="poetry">I jumped to conclusions and said,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;I am cut off from your presence!&#8221;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">But you heard my plea for mercy when I cried out to you for help.p>

<p class="poetry">But I thought,<n id="1" /> &#8220;I have worked in vain;p> <p class="poetry">I have expended my energy for absolutely nothing.&#8221;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">But the <sc>Lordsc> will vindicate me;p> <p class="poetry">my God will reward me.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="bodytext">In response to all this<n id="1" /> I said, &#8220;Ah, Lord <sc>Godsc>,<n id="2" /> you have surely allowed<n id="3" /> the people of Judah and Jerusalem<n id="4" /> to be deceived by those who say, &#8216;You will be safe!&#8217;<n id="5" /> But in fact a sword is already at our throats.&#8221;<n id="6" />p>

<p class="poetry">How can you say, &#8220;We are wise!p> <p class="poetry">We have the law of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8221;?p> <p class="poetry">The truth is,<n id="1" /> those who teach it<n id="2" /> have used their writingsp> <p class="poetry">to make it say what it does not really mean.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">I thought,<n id="1" /> &#8216;Certainly you will respect<n id="2" /> me!p> <p class="poetry">Now you will accept correction!&#8217;p> <p class="poetry">If she had done so, her home<n id="3" /> would not be destroyed<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">by all the punishments I have threatened.<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">But they eagerly sinnedp> <p class="poetry">in everything they did.<n id="6" />p>

<p class="bodytext">The man<n id="1" /> replied, &#8220;Who made you a ruler<n id="2" /> and a judge over us? Are you planning<n id="3" /> to kill me like you killed that<n id="4" /> Egyptian?&#8221; Then Moses was afraid, thinking,<n id="5" /> &#8220;Surely what I did<n id="6" /> has become known.&#8221;

They came from nations about which the <sc>Lordsc> had warned the Israelites, &#8220;You must not establish friendly relations with them!<n id="1" /> If you do, they will surely shift your allegiance to their gods.&#8221;<n id="2" /> But Solomon was irresistibly attracted to them.<n id="3" />p>