<p class="poetry">Seek good and not evil so you can live!p> <p class="poetry">Then the <sc>Lordsc>, the God who commands armies, just might be with you,p> <p class="poetry">as you claim he is.p>

<p class="poetry">Hate what is wrong, love what is right!p> <p class="poetry">Promote<n id="1" /> justice at the city gate!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Maybe the <sc>Lordsc>, the God who commands armies, will have mercy on<n id="3" /> those who are left from<n id="4" /> Joseph.<n id="5" />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>

<p class="poetry">Jerusalem, why are you<n id="1" /> now shouting so loudly?<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Has your king disappeared?<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">Has your wise leader<n id="4" /> been destroyed?p> <p class="poetry">Is this why<n id="5" /> pain grips<n id="6" /> you as if you were a woman in labor?p>

<p class="poetry">You are too just<n id="1" /> to tolerate<n id="2" /> evil;p> <p class="poetry">you are unable to condone<n id="3" /> wrongdoing.p> <p class="poetry">So why do you put up with such treacherous people?<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">Why do you say nothing when the wicked devour<n id="5" /> those more righteous than they are?<n id="6" />p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> has removed the judgment against you;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">he has turned back your enemy.p> <p class="poetry">Israel&#8217;s king, the <sc>Lordsc>, is in your midst!p> <p class="poetry">You no longer need to fear disaster.p>

<p class="poetry">the Angel<n id="1" /> who has protected me<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">from all harm &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">bless these boys.p> <p class="poetry">May my name be named in them,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac.p> <p class="poetry">May they grow into a multitude on the earth.&#8221;p>

He must not replace or exchange it, good for bad or bad for good, and if he does indeed exchange one animal for another animal, then both the original animal<n id="1" /> and its substitute will be holy.

<t /><p class="bodytext">&#8220;&#8216;If a man consecrates his house as holy to the <sc>Lordsc>, the priest will establish its conversion value, whether good or bad. Just as the priest establishes its conversion value, thus it will stand.<n id="1" />

Balaam said to the angel of the <sc>Lordsc>, &#8220;I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood against me in the road.<n id="1" /> So now, if it is evil in your sight,<n id="2" /> I will go back home.&#8221;<n id="3" />

accusing her of impropriety<n id="1" /> and defaming her reputation<n id="2" /> by saying, &#8220;I married this woman but when I had sexual relations<n id="3" /> with her I discovered she was not a virgin!&#8221;

They will fine him one hundred shekels of silver and give them to the young woman&#8217;s father, for the man who made the accusation<n id="1" /> ruined the reputation<n id="2" /> of an Israelite virgin. She will then become his wife and he may never divorce her as long as he lives.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">&#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> will send on you a curse, confusing you and opposing you<n id="1" /> in everything you undertake<n id="2" /> until you are destroyed and quickly perish because of the evil of your deeds, in that you have forsaken me.<n id="3" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">The sons of Judah:p> <p class="bodytext">Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were born to him by Bathshua,<n id="1" /> a Canaanite woman. Er, Judah&#8217;s firstborn, displeased the <sc>Lordsc>, so the <sc>Lordsc> killed him.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;Then, when they were at rest again, they went back to doing evil before you. Then you abandoned them to<n id="1" /> their enemies, and they gained dominion over them. When they again cried out to you, in your compassion you heard from heaven and rescued them time and again.

<p class="poetry">I decided<n id="1" /> to carefully<n id="2" /> and thoroughly examine<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">all that has been accomplished on earth.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">I concluded:<n id="5" /> God has given people<n id="6" /> a burdensome task<n id="7" />p> <p class="poetry">that keeps them<n id="8" /> occupied.<n id="9" />p>

<t /><n id="1" /><p class="poetry">Be careful what you do<n id="2" /> when you go to the temple<n id="3" /> of God;p> <p class="poetry">draw near to listen<n id="4" /> rather than to offer a sacrifice<n id="5" /> like fools,<n id="6" />p> <p class="poetry">for they do not realize that they are doing wrong.p>

<p class="poetry">God gives a man riches, property, and wealthp> <p class="poetry">so that he lacks nothing that his heart<n id="1" /> desires,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">yet God does not enable<n id="3" /> him to enjoy<n id="4" /> the fruit of his labor<n id="5" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">instead, someone else<n id="6" /> enjoys<n id="7" /> it!<n id="8" />p> <p class="poetry">This is fruitless and a grave misfortune.<n id="9" />p>

<p class="poetry">Even though a sinner might commit a hundred crimes<n id="1" /> and still live a long time,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">yet I know that it will go well with God-fearing people<n id="3" /> &#8211; for they stand in fear<n id="4" /> before him.p>

<p class="poetry">Your own wickedness will bring about your punishment.p> <p class="poetry">Your unfaithful acts will bring down discipline on you.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Know, then, and realize how utterly harmful<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">it was for you to reject me, the <sc>Lordsc> your God,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">to show no respect for me,&#8221;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">says the Lord <sc>Godsc> who rules over all.<n id="5" />p>