9, Ecclesiastes 5:8-17; Joshua 7; Jeremiah 2:1-3:5; Matthew 18
Ecclesiastes 5
8
If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.
1 I
9
Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.
2 I
10
He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
6 I
11
When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?
12
The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
4 I
13
There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.
14
But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.
15
As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.
4 I
16
And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?
17
All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.
Joshua 7
1
But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.
10 I
2
And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.
10 I
3
And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.
10 I
4
So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.
10 I
5
And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
10 I
6
And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.
10 I
7
And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!
10 I
8
O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!
10 I
9
For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?
10 I
10
And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?
10 I
11
Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
10 I
12
Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.
10 I
13
Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.
10 I
14
In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the Lord taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the Lord shall take shall come by households; and the household which the Lord shall take shall come man by man.
10 I
15
And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
10 I
16
So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:
10 I
17
And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:
10 I
18
And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.
10 I
19
And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.
10 I
20
And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
10 I
21
When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
10 I
22
So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.
10 I
23
And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord.
10 I
24
And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.
10 I
25
And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.
10 I
26
And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.
10 I
Jeremiah 2
1
Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2
Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.
3
Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the Lord.
4
Hear ye the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel:
5
Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?
4 I
6
Neither said they, Where is the Lord that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?
7
And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.
6 I
8
The priests said not, Where is the Lord? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.
9
Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the Lord, and with your children’s children will I plead.
10
For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing.
11
Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.
6 I
12
Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord.
4 I
13
For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
8 I
14
Is Israel a servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he spoiled?
15
The young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant.
16
Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head.
17
Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, when he led thee by the way?
18
And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?
19
Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord God of hosts.
7 I
20
For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot.
21
Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?
6 I
22
For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God.
4 I
23
How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways;
24
A wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall find her.
25
Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst: but thou saidst, There is no hope: no; for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go.
26
As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets.
27
Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.
28
But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah.
4 I
29
Wherefore will ye plead with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith the Lord.
6 I
30
In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.
31
O generation, see ye the word of the Lord. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee?
2 I
32
Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.
6 I
33
Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? therefore hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways.
34
Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these.
35
Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned.
4 I
36
Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? thou also shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria.
37
Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thine hands upon thine head: for the Lord hath rejected thy confidences, and thou shalt not prosper in them.
Jeremiah 3
1
They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the Lord.
2
Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.
3
Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore’s forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.
4
Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth?
5
Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest.
Matthew 18
1
At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
3 I
2
And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
4 I
3
And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
13 I
4
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
14 I
5
And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
4 I
6
But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
6 I
7
Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
8 I
8
Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
6 I
9
And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
4 I
10
Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
11
For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
12
How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
4 I
13
And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
6 I
14
Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
4 I
15
Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
16
But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
17
And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
18
Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
10 I
19
Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
12 I
20
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
10 I
21
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
11 I
22
Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
11 I
23
Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
24
And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
25
But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
26
The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
27
Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
28
But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
29
And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
30
And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
31
So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
32
Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
33
Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
2 I
34
And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35
So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
14 I