You are the God who does amazing things; you have revealed your strength among the nations.

Yet he is compassionate. He forgives sin and does not destroy. He often holds back his anger, and does not stir up his fury.

He remembered that they were made of flesh, and were like a wind that blows past and does not return.

The heavens belong to you, as does the earth. You made the world and all it contains.

The spiritually insensitive do not recognize this; the fool does not understand this.

Then they say, "The Lord does not see this; the God of Jacob does not take notice of it."

Does the one who makes the human ear not hear? Does the one who forms the human eye not see?

Does the one who disciplines the nations not punish? He is the one who imparts knowledge to human beings!

Certainly the Lord does not forsake his people; he does not abandon the nation that belongs to him.

when he responds to the prayer of the destitute, and does not reject their request.

The Lord does what is fair, and executes justice for all the oppressed.

He does not always accuse, and does not stay angry.

He does not deal with us as our sins deserve; he does not repay us as our misdeeds deserve.

Gilead belongs to me, as does Manasseh! Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my royal scepter.

He does amazing things that will be remembered; the Lord is merciful and compassionate.

He does not fear bad news. He is confident; he trusts in the Lord.

Our God is in heaven! He does whatever he pleases!

A song of ascents. I look up toward the hills. From where does my help come?

Look! Israel's protector does not sleep or slumber!

A song of ascents, by Solomon. If the Lord does not build a house, then those who build it work in vain. If the Lord does not guard a city, then the watchman stands guard in vain.

He does whatever he pleases in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the ocean depths.

Certainly my tongue does not frame a word without you, O Lord, being thoroughly aware of it.

The Lord is just in all his actions, and exhibits love in all he does.

Lest she should make level the path leading to life, her paths are unstable but she does not know it.

A man who commits adultery with a woman lacks wisdom, whoever does it destroys his own life.

(She is loud and rebellious, she does not remain at home --

till an arrow pierces his liver -- like a bird hurrying into a trap, and he does not know that it will cost him his life.

Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice?

But the one who does not find me brings harm to himself; all who hate me love death."

The woman called Folly is brash, she is naive and does not know anything.

Wealth does not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from mortal danger.

The lazy person does not roast his prey, but personal possessions are precious to the diligent.

A wise son accepts his father's discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

A truthful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies.

A person who has a quick temper does foolish things, and a person with crafty schemes is hated.

The scorner does not love one who corrects him; he will not go to the wise.

A bribe works like a charm for the one who offers it; in whatever he does he succeeds.

The one who has a perverse heart does not find good, and the one who is deceitful in speech falls into trouble.

Whoever brings a fool into the world does so to his grief, and the father of a fool has no joy.

Fearing the Lord leads to life, and one who does so will live satisfied; he will not be afflicted by calamity.

All day long he craves greedily, but the righteous gives and does not hold back.

Wisdom is unattainable for a fool; in court he does not open his mouth.

If you say, "But we did not know about this," does not the one who evaluates hearts consider? Does not the one who guards your life know? Will he not repay each person according to his deeds?

Like a fluttering bird or like a flying swallow, so a curse without cause does not come to rest.

for riches do not last forever, nor does a crown last from generation to generation.

The stingy person hastens after riches and does not know that poverty will overtake him.

The righteous person cares for the legal rights of the poor; the wicked does not understand such knowledge.

Whoever shares with a thief is his own enemy; he hears the oath to testify, but does not talk.

a lion, mightiest of the beasts, who does not retreat from anything;

She knows that her merchandise is good, and her lamp does not go out in the night.

She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.

What does a man acquire from all his labor and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth?

I also know that whatever God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken away from it. God has made it this way, so that men will fear him.

The fool folds his hands and does no work, so he has nothing to eat but his own flesh.

When someone's prosperity increases, those who consume it also increase; so what does its owner gain, except that he gets to see it with his eyes?

For he does not think much about the fleeting days of his life because God keeps him preoccupied with the joy he derives from his activity.

God gives a man riches, property, and wealth so that he lacks nothing that his heart desires, yet God does not enable him to enjoy the fruit of his labor -- instead, someone else enjoys it! This is fruitless and a grave misfortune.

if he should live a thousand years twice, yet does not enjoy his prosperity. For both of them die!

So what advantage does a wise man have over a fool? And what advantage does a pauper gain by knowing how to survive?

The more one argues with words, the less he accomplishes. How does that benefit him?

For there is not one truly righteous person on the earth who continually does good and never sins.

Again, I observed this on the earth: the race is not always won by the swiftest, the battle is not always won by the strongest; prosperity does not always belong to those who are the wisest, wealth does not always belong to those who are the most discerning, nor does success always come to those with the most knowledge -- for time and chance may overcome them all.

If an iron axhead is blunt and a workman does not sharpen its edge, he must exert a great deal of effort; so wisdom has the advantage of giving success.

The toil of a stupid fool wears him out, because he does not even know the way to the city.

The Beloved to the Maidens: I adjure you, O maidens of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and by the young does of the open fields: Do not awaken or arouse love until it pleases!

The Adjuration Refrain The Beloved to the Maidens:I admonish you, O maidens of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and by the young does of the open fields: "Do not awake or arouse love until it pleases!"

An ox recognizes its owner, a donkey recognizes where its owner puts its food; but Israel does not recognize me, my people do not understand."

So the Lord is furious with his people; he lifts his hand and strikes them. The mountains shake, and corpses lie like manure in the middle of the streets. Despite all this, his anger does not subside, and his hand is ready to strike again.

Ephraim's leader is Samaria, and Samaria's leader is the son of Remaliah. If your faith does not remain firm, then you will not remain secure."

Syria from the east, and the Philistines from the west, they gobbled up Israelite territory. Despite all this, his anger does not subside, and his hand is ready to strike again.

So the sovereign master was not pleased with their young men, he took no pity on their orphans and widows; for the whole nation was godless and did wicked things, every mouth was speaking disgraceful words. Despite all this, his anger does not subside, and his hand is ready to strike again.

Manasseh fought against Ephraim, and Ephraim against Manasseh; together they fought against Judah. Despite all this, his anger does not subside, and his hand is ready to strike again.

You will have no place to go, except to kneel with the prisoners, or to fall among those who have been killed. Despite all this, his anger does not subside, and his hand is ready to strike again.

But he does not agree with this, his mind does not reason this way, for his goal is to destroy, and to eliminate many nations.

Does an ax exalt itself over the one who wields it, or a saw magnify itself over the one who cuts with it? As if a scepter should brandish the one who raises it, or a staff should lift up what is not made of wood!

Indeed the stars in the sky and their constellations no longer give out their light; the sun is darkened as soon as it rises, and the moon does not shine.

The Lord has made them undiscerning; they lead Egypt astray in all she does, so that she is like a drunk sliding around in his own vomit.

Does a farmer just keep on plowing at planting time? Does he keep breaking up and harrowing his ground?

Once he has leveled its surface, does he not scatter the seed of the caraway plant, sow the seed of the cumin plant, and plant the wheat, barley, and grain in their designated places?

Grain is crushed, though one certainly does not thresh it forever. The wheel of one's wagon rolls over it, but his horses do not crush it.

Your thinking is perverse! Should the potter be regarded as clay? Should the thing made say about its maker, "He didn't make me"? Or should the pottery say about the potter, "He doesn't understand"?

Yet he too is wise and he will bring disaster; he does not retract his decree. He will attack the wicked nation, and the nation that helps those who commit sin.

The one who lives uprightly and speaks honestly; the one who refuses to profit from oppressive measures and rejects a bribe; the one who does not plot violent crimes and does not seek to harm others --

Look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If someone leans on it for support, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him!

Indeed Sheol does not give you thanks; death does not praise you. Those who descend into the pit do not anticipate your faithfulness.

From whom does he receive directions? Who teaches him the correct way to do things, or imparts knowledge to him, or instructs him in skillful design?

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is an eternal God, the creator of the whole earth. He does not get tired or weary; there is no limit to his wisdom.

He feeds on ashes; his deceived mind misleads him. He cannot rescue himself, nor does he say, 'Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?'

They put it on their shoulder and carry it; they put it in its place and it just stands there; it does not move from its place. Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply; it does not deliver him from his distress.

I am bringing my deliverance near, it is not far away; I am bringing my salvation near, it does not wait. I will save Zion; I will adorn Israel with my splendor."

Why does no one challenge me when I come? Why does no one respond when I call? Is my hand too weak to deliver you? Do I lack the power to rescue you? Look, with a mere shout I can dry up the sea; I can turn streams into a desert, so the fish rot away and die from lack of water.

In the same way, the promise that I make does not return to me, having accomplished nothing. No, it is realized as I desire and is fulfilled as I intend."

They seek me day after day; they want to know my requirements, like a nation that does what is right and does not reject the law of their God. They ask me for just decrees; they want to be near God.

For this reason deliverance is far from us and salvation does not reach us. We wait for light, but see only darkness; we wait for a bright light, but live in deep darkness.

For you are our father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not recognize us. You, Lord, are our father; you have been called our protector from ancient times.

Does a young woman forget to put on her jewels? Does a bride forget to put on her bridal attire? But my people have forgotten me for more days than can even be counted.

"So then, Jeremiah, when your people ask, 'Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?' tell them, 'It is because you rejected me and served foreign gods in your own land. So you must serve foreigners in a land that does not belong to you.'

How can you say, "We are wise! We have the law of the Lord"? The truth is, those who teach it have used their writings to make it say what it does not really mean.

I said, "Who is wise enough to understand why this has happened? Who has a word from the Lord that can explain it? Why does the land lie in ruins? Why is it as scorched as a desert through which no one travels?"

Tell them that the Lord, the God of Israel, says, 'Anyone who does not keep the terms of the covenant will be under a curse.