And I also, I have begun to smite thee, To make desolate, because of thy sins.

And the land hath been for a desolation, Because of its inhabitants, Because of the fruit of their doings.

Who is a God like Thee? taking away iniquity, And passing by the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance, He hath not retained for ever His anger, Because He -- He delighteth in kindness.

Mountains have shaken because of Him, And the hills have been melted; And lifted up is the earth at His presence, And the world and all dwelling in it.

Because of the abundance of the fornications of an harlot, The goodness of the grace of the lady of witchcrafts, Who is selling nations by her fornications, And families by her witchcrafts.

Even thou art drunken, thou art hidden, Even thou dost seek a strong place, because of an enemy.

And also, because the wine is treacherous, A man is haughty, and remaineth not at home, Who hath enlarged as sheol his soul, And is as death that is not satisfied, And doth gather unto itself all the nations, And doth assemble unto itself all the peoples,

Because thou hast spoiled many nations, Spoil thee do all the remnant of the peoples, Because of man's blood, and of violence to the land, To the city, and to all dwelling in it.

For violence to Lebanon doth cover thee, And spoil of beasts doth affright them, Because of man's blood, and of violence to the land, To the city, and to all dwelling in it.

Hush! because of the Lord Jehovah, For near is a day of Jehovah, For prepared hath Jehovah a sacrifice, He hath sanctified His invited ones.

This is to them for their arrogancy, Because they have reproached, And they magnify themselves against the people of Jehovah of Hosts.

In that day thou art not ashamed because of any of thine actions, Wherewith thou hast transgressed against Me, For then do I turn aside from thy midst The exulting ones of thine excellency, And thou dost add no more to be haughty, In My holy mountain.

Looking for much, and lo, little, And ye brought it home, and I blew on it, Wherefore? -- an affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, Because of My house that is waste, And ye are running -- each to his house,

Hush, all flesh, because of Jehovah, For He hath been roused up from His holy habitation!'

Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Again dwell do old men and old women, In broad places of Jerusalem, And each his staff in his hand, Because of abundance of days.

For, before those days there hath been no hiring of man, Yea, a hiring of beasts there is none; And to him who is going out, And to him who is coming in, There is no peace because of the adversary, And I send all men -- each against his neighbour.

Because of the sowing of peace, The vine doth give her fruit, And the earth doth give her increase, And the heavens do give their dew, And I have caused the remnant of this people To inherit all these.

And I have pitched for My house a camp, Because of the passer through, and of the returner, And pass not through against them again doth an exactor, For, now, I have seen with My eyes.

Because the teraphim did speak iniquity, And the diviners have seen a falsehood, And dreams of the vanity they speak, With vanity they give comfort, Therefore they have journeyed as a flock, They are afflicted, for there is no shepherd.

And one hath said unto him, 'What are these wounds in thy hands?' And he hath said, 'Because I was smitten at home by my lovers.'

Because Edom saith, 'We have been made poor, And we turn back and we build the wastes,' Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: They do build, and I do destroy, And men have called to them, 'O region of wickedness,' 'O people whom Jehovah defied to the age.'

If ye hearken not, and if ye lay it not to heart, To give honour to My name, said Jehovah of Hosts, I have sent against you the curse, And I have cursed your blessings, Yea, I have also cursed it, Because ye are not laying it to heart.

My covenant hath been with him of life and of peace, And I make them to him a fear, and he doth fear Me, And because of My name he hath been affrighted.

And I also, I have made you despised and low before all the people, Because ye are not keeping My ways, And are accepting persons in the law.

And this a second time ye do, Covering with tears the altar of Jehovah, With weeping and groaning, Because there is no more turning unto the present, Or receiving of a pleasing thing from your hand.

And ye have said, 'Wherefore?' Because Jehovah hath testified between thee And the wife of thy youth, That thou hast dealt treacherously against her, And she thy companion, and thy covenant-wife.

Ye have said, 'A vain thing to serve God! And what gain when we kept His charge? And when we have gone in black, Because of Jehovah of Hosts?

A voice in Ramah was heard -- lamentation and weeping and much mourning -- Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be comforted because they are not.'

Happy the poor in spirit -- because theirs is the reign of the heavens.

Happy the mourning -- because they shall be comforted.

Happy the meek -- because they shall inherit the land.

Happy those hungering and thirsting for righteousness -- because they shall be filled.

Happy the kind -- because they shall find kindness.

Happy the clean in heart -- because they shall see God.

Happy the peacemakers -- because they shall be called Sons of God.

Happy those persecuted for righteousness' sake -- because theirs is the reign of the heavens.

rejoice ye and be glad, because your reward is great in the heavens, for thus did they persecute the prophets who were before you.

but I -- I say to you, not to swear at all; neither by the heaven, because it is the throne of God,

nor by the earth, because it is His footstool, nor by Jerusalem, because it is a city of a great king,

nor by thy head mayest thou swear, because thou art not able one hair to make white or black;

that ye may be sons of your Father in the heavens, because His sun He doth cause to rise on evil and good, and He doth send rain on righteous and unrighteous.

And when thou mayest pray, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites, because they love in the synagogues, and in the corners of the broad places -- standing -- to pray, that they may be seen of men; verily I say to you, that they have their reward.

And mayest Thou not lead us to temptation, but deliver us from the evil, because Thine is the reign, and the power, and the glory -- to the ages. Amen.

'Because of this I say to you, be not anxious for your life, what ye may eat, and what ye may drink, nor for your body, what ye may put on. Is not the life more than the nourishment, and the body than the clothing?

Go ye in through the strait gate, because wide is the gate, and broad the way that is leading to the destruction, and many are those going in through it;

and ye shall be hated by all because of my name, but he who hath endured to the end, he shall be saved.

Then began he to reproach the cities in which were done most of his mighty works, because they did not reform.

'Woe to thee, Chorazin! woe to thee, Bethsaida! because, if in Tyre and Sidon had been done the mighty works that were done in you, long ago in sackcloth and ashes they had reformed;

'And thou, Capernaum, which unto the heaven wast exalted, unto hades shalt be brought down, because if in Sodom had been done the mighty works that were done in thee, it had remained unto this day;

Yes, Father, because so it was good pleasure before Thee.

take up my yoke upon you, and learn from me, because I am meek and humble in heart, and ye shall find rest to your souls,

And if I, by Beelzeboul, do cast out the demons, your sons -- by whom do they cast out? because of this they -- they shall be your judges.

Because of this I say to you, all sin and evil speaking shall be forgiven to men, but the evil speaking of the Spirit shall not be forgiven to men.

'Because of this, in similes do I speak to them, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor understand,

'And happy are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear,

and he hath not root in himself, but is temporary, and persecution or tribulation having happened because of the word, immediately he is stumbled.

And he said to them, 'Because of this every scribe having been discipled in regard to the reign of the heavens, is like to a man, a householder, who doth bring forth out of his treasure things new and old.'

and he did not there many mighty works, because of their unbelief.

and said to his servants, 'This is John the Baptist, he did rise from the dead, and because of this the mighty energies are working in him.'

For Herod having laid hold on John, did bind him, and did put him in prison, because of Herodias his brother Philip's wife,

and, willing to kill him, he feared the multitude, because as a prophet they were holding him.

and the king was grieved, but because of the oaths and of those reclining with him, he commanded it to be given;

And he answering said to them, 'Wherefore also do ye transgress the command of God because of your tradition?

and he may not honour his father or his mother, and ye did set aside the command of God because of your tradition.

And he did not answer her a word; and his disciples having come to him, were asking him, saying -- 'Let her away, because she crieth after us;'

And Jesus having called near his disciples, said, 'I have compassion upon the multitude, because now three days they continue with me, and they have not what they may eat; and to let them away fasting I will not, lest they faint in the way.'

and they were reasoning in themselves, saying, 'Because we took no loaves.'

And Jesus having known, said to them, 'Why reason ye in yourselves, ye of little faith, because ye took no loaves?

And Jesus answering said to him, 'Happy art thou, Simon Bar-Jona, because flesh and blood did not reveal it to thee, but my Father who is in the heavens.

'Because of this was the reign of the heavens likened to a man, a king, who did will to take reckoning with his servants,

for there are eunuchs who from the mother's womb were so born; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are eunuchs who kept themselves eunuchs because of the reign of the heavens: he who is able to receive it -- let him receive.'

they say to him, Because no one did hire us; he saith to them, Go ye -- ye also -- to the vineyard, and whatever may be righteous ye shall receive.

is it not lawful to me to do what I will in mine own? is thine eye evil because I am good?

'Because of this I say to you, that the reign of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth its fruit;

'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut up the reign of the heavens before men, for ye do not go in, nor those going in do ye suffer to enter.

'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye eat up the houses of the widows, and for a pretence make long prayers, because of this ye shall receive more abundant judgment.

Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye go round the sea and the dry land to make one proselyte, and whenever it may happen -- ye make him a son of gehenna twofold more than yourselves.

Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye give tithe of the mint, and the dill, and the cumin, and did neglect the weightier things of the Law -- the judgment, and the kindness, and the faith; these it behoved you to do, and those not to neglect.

'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye make clean the outside of the cup and the plate, and within they are full of rapine and incontinence.

'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye are like to whitewashed sepulchres, which outwardly indeed do appear beautiful, and within are full of bones of dead men, and of all uncleanness;

'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and adorn the tombs of the righteous,

'Because of this, lo, I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes, and of them ye will kill and crucify, and of them ye will scourge in your synagogues, and will pursue from city to city;

then they shall deliver you up to tribulation, and shall kill you, and ye shall be hated by all the nations because of my name;

and because of the abounding of the lawlessness, the love of the many shall become cold;

And if those days were not shortened, no flesh would have been saved; but because of the chosen, shall those days be shortened.

'Watch ye therefore, because ye have not known in what hour your Lord doth come;

because of this also ye, become ye ready, because in what hour ye do not think, the Son of Man doth come.

and the foolish said to the prudent, Give us of your oil, because our lamps are going out;

for he had known that because of envy they had delivered him up.

And as he is sitting on the tribunal, his wife sent unto him, saying, 'Nothing -- to thee and to that righteous one, for many things did I suffer to-day in a dream because of him.'

he hath trusted on God, let Him now deliver him, if He wish him, because he said -- Son of God I am;'

and he healed many who were ill of manifold diseases, and many demons he cast forth, and was not suffering the demons to speak, because they knew him.

and not being able to come near to him because of the multitude, they uncovered the roof where he was, and, having broken it up, they let down the couch on which the paralytic was lying,

And he said to his disciples that a little boat may wait on him, because of the multitude, that they may not press upon him,

because they said, 'He hath an unclean spirit.'

and other fell upon the rocky ground, where it had not much earth, and immediately it sprang forth, because of not having depth of earth,

and the sun having risen, it was scorched, and because of not having root it did wither;

and have not root in themselves, but are temporary; afterward tribulation or persecution having come because of the word, immediately they are stumbled.

and whenever the fruit may yield itself, immediately he doth send forth the sickle, because the harvest hath come.'

because that he many times with fetters and chains had been bound, and pulled in pieces by him had been the chains, and the fetters broken in pieces, and none was able to tame him,