<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">God looks down from heaven<n id="1" /> at the human race,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">to see if there is anyone who is wise<n id="3" /> and seeks God.<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">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">Don&#8217;t panic! Don&#8217;t be afraid!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Did I not tell you beforehand and decree it?p> <p class="poetry">You are my witnesses! Is there any God but me?p> <p class="poetry">There is no other sheltering rock;<n id="2" /> I know of none.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" />

Now, if you will show faithful love to my master, tell me. But if not, tell me as well, so that I may go on my way.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

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" />

<p class="bodytext">They replied, &#8220;The man questioned us<n id="1" /> thoroughly<n id="2" /> about ourselves and our family, saying, &#8216;Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?&#8217;<n id="3" /> So we answered him in this way.<n id="4" /> How could we possibly know<n id="5" /> that he would say,<n id="6" /> &#8216;Bring your brother down&#8217;?&#8221;p>

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>

The land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best region of the land. They may live in the land of Goshen. If you know of any highly capable men<n id="1" /> among them, put them in charge<n id="2" /> of my livestock.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">He called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contending of the Israelites and because of their testing the <sc>Lordsc>,<n id="1" /> saying, &#8220;Is the <sc>Lordsc> among us or not?&#8221;p>

and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether or not there are forests in it. And be brave,<n id="1" /> and bring back some of the fruit of the land.&#8221; Now it was the time of year<n id="2" /> for the first ripe grapes.<n id="3" />p>

You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer,<n id="1" /> for the <sc>Lordsc> your God will be testing you to see if you love him<n id="2" /> with all your mind and being.<n id="3" />

Gideon said to him, &#8220;Pardon me,<n id="1" /> but if the <sc>Lordsc> is with us, why has such disaster<n id="2" /> overtaken us? Where are all his miraculous deeds our ancestors told us about? They said,<n id="3" /> &#8216;Did the <sc>Lordsc> not bring us up from Egypt?&#8217; But now the <sc>Lordsc> has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.&#8221;

The five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish<n id="1" /> said to their kinsmen,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Do you realize that inside these houses are an ephod, some personal idols, a carved image, and a metal image? Decide now what you want to do.&#8221;