6th December

¹ Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,² How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?³ Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?⁴ If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression;⁵ If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;⁶ If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.⁷ Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.⁸ For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:⁹ (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:)¹⁰ Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?¹¹ Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water?¹² Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.¹³ So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish:¹⁴ Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web.¹⁵ He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.¹⁶ He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.¹⁷ His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the place of stones.¹⁸ If he destroy him from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.¹⁹ Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow.²⁰ Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers:²¹ Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.²² They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.

¹ And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgment?² Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones;³ Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron.⁴ Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.⁵ Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him.⁶ Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.⁷ Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.⁸ But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.⁹ Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity.¹⁰ They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.¹¹ The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.¹² Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.

¹ But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.² And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.³ And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.⁴ But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.⁵ For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.⁶ In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted;⁷ And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.⁸ And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.⁹ Now why dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail.¹⁰ Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.¹¹ Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion.¹² But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor.¹³ Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.

¹ Let brotherly love continue.² Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.³ Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.⁴ Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.⁵ Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.⁶ So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.⁷ Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.⁸ Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.⁹ Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.¹⁰ We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.¹¹ For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.¹² Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.¹³ Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.¹⁴ For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.¹⁵ By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.¹⁶ But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.¹⁷ Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.¹⁸ Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.¹⁹ But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.²⁰ Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,²¹ Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.²² And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words.²³ Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you.²⁴ Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you.²⁵ Grace be with you all. Amen.