But he refused, saying<n id="1" /> to his master&#8217;s wife, &#8220;Look, my master does not give any thought<n id="2" /> to his household with me here,<n id="3" /> and everything that he owns he has put into my care.<n id="4" />

He then said, &#8220;Look, I hear that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us<n id="1" /> so that we may live<n id="2" /> and not die.&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

We said to my lord, &#8216;We have an aged father, and there is a young boy who was born when our father was old.<n id="1" /> The boy&#8217;s<n id="2" /> brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother&#8217;s sons left,<n id="3" /> and his father loves him.&#8217;p>

And Balaam said to the donkey, &#8220;You have made me look stupid; I wish<n id="1" /> there were a sword in my hand, for I would kill you right now.&#8221;

They replied, &#8220;Yes, straight ahead! But hurry now, for he came to the town today, and the people are making a sacrifice at the high place.

<t /><n id="1" /><p class="bodytext">Then David asked, &#8220;Is anyone still left from the family<n id="2" /> of Saul, so that I may extend kindness to him for the sake of Jonathan?&#8221;p>

Jehoshaphat said, &#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> speaks through him.&#8221;<n id="1" /> So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to visit him.p>

Now, to show my commitment to the temple of my God, I donate my personal treasure of gold and silver to the temple of my God, in addition to all that I have already supplied for this holy temple.

Even if you go and fight bravely in battle, God will defeat you<n id="1" /> before the enemy. God is capable of helping or defeating.&#8221;<n id="2" />

<p class="poetry">I also could speak<n id="1" /> like you,p> <p class="poetry">if<n id="2" /> you were in my place;p> <p class="poetry">I could pile up<n id="3" /> words against youp> <p class="poetry">and I could shake my head at you.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">Is there anything about which someone can say, &#8220;Look at this! It is new!&#8221;?<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">It was already<n id="2" /> done long ago,<n id="3" /> before our time.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill;p> <p class="poetry">however, he must hand over<n id="1" /> the fruit of his labor<n id="2" /> as an inheritance<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">to someone else who did not work for it.p> <p class="poetry">This also is futile, and an awful injustice!<n id="4" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">During the days of my fleeting life<n id="1" /> I have seen both<n id="2" /> of these things:p> <p class="poetry">Sometimes<n id="3" /> a righteous person dies prematurely<n id="4" /> in spite of<n id="5" /> his righteousness,p> <p class="poetry">and sometimes<n id="6" /> a wicked person lives long<n id="7" /> in spite of his evil deeds.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">But whoever is among<n id="1" /> the living<n id="2" /> has hope;p> <p class="poetry">a live dog is better than a dead lion.p>

<p class="poetry">Yes, a time is comingp> <p class="poetry">when watchmen<n id="1" /> will call out on the mountains of Ephraim,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Come! Let us go to Zionp> <p class="poetry">to worship the <sc>Lordsc> our God!&#8221;&#8217;&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> says to her,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Stop crying! Do not shed any more tears!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">For your heartfelt repentance<n id="3" /> will be rewarded.p> <p class="poetry">Your children will return from the land of the enemy.p> <p class="poetry">I, the <sc>Lordsc>, affirm it!<n id="4" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Those who devise sinful plans are as good as dead,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">those who dream about doing evil as they lie in bed.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">As soon as morning dawns they carry out their plans,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">because they have the power to do so.p>

Beware that the heart of no man, woman, clan, or tribe among you turns away from the <sc>Lordsc> our God today to pursue and serve the gods of those nations; beware that there is among you no root producing poisonous and bitter fruit.<n id="1" />

I have<n id="1" /> the power to do you harm, but the God of your father told me last night, &#8216;Be careful<n id="2" /> that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.&#8217;<n id="3" />

But we replied, &#8216;We cannot go down there.<n id="1" /> If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go,<n id="2" /> for we won&#8217;t be permitted to see the man&#8217;s face if our youngest brother is not with us.&#8217;p>