8th December

¹ My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.² I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; shew me wherefore thou contendest with me.³ Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked?⁴ Hast thou eyes of flesh? or seest thou as man seeth?⁵ Are thy days as the days of man? are thy years as man's days,⁶ That thou enquirest after mine iniquity, and searchest after my sin?⁷ Thou knowest that I am not wicked; and there is none that can deliver out of thine hand.⁸ Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about; yet thou dost destroy me.⁹ Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again?¹⁰ Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese?¹¹ Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews.¹² Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.¹³ And these things hast thou hid in thine heart: I know that this is with thee.¹⁴ If I sin, then thou markest me, and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity.¹⁵ If I be wicked, woe unto me; and if I be righteous, yet will I not lift up my head. I am full of confusion; therefore see thou mine affliction;¹⁶ For it increaseth. Thou huntest me as a fierce lion: and again thou shewest thyself marvellous upon me.¹⁷ Thou renewest thy witnesses against me, and increasest thine indignation upon me; changes and war are against me.¹⁸ Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? Oh that I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me!¹⁹ I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.²⁰ Are not my days few? cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little,²¹ Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death;²² A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.

¹ Hear ye now what the LORD saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice.² Hear ye, O mountains, the LORD's controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel.³ O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.⁴ For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.⁵ O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD.⁶ Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?⁷ Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?⁸ He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?⁹ The LORD's voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.¹⁰ Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?¹¹ Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?¹² For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.¹³ Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins.¹⁴ Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword.¹⁵ Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.¹⁶ For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people.

¹ My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.² For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;³ And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:⁴ Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?⁵ Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?⁶ But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?⁷ Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?⁸ If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:⁹ But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.¹⁰ For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.¹¹ For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.¹² So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.¹³ For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.¹⁴ What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?¹⁵ If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,¹⁶ And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?¹⁷ Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.¹⁸ Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.¹⁹ Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.²⁰ But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?²² Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?²³ And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.²⁴ Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.²⁵ Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?²⁶ For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.