141 When the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and again choose Israel , and settle them in their own land , then strangers will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob . 2 The peoples will take them along and bring them to their place , and the house of Israel will possess them as an inheritance in the land of the Lord as male servants and female servants e ; and they will take their captors captive and will rule over their oppressors . 3 And it will be in the day when the Lord gives you rest from your pain and turmoil and harsh service in which you have been enslaved ,
4 that you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon , and say , "How the oppressor has ceased , And how fury has ceased ! 5 "The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked , The scepter of rulers 6 Which used to strike the peoples in fury with unceasing e strokes , Which subdued the nations in anger with unrestrained e persecution . 7 "The whole earth is at rest and is quiet ; They break forth into shouts of joy . 8 "Even the cypress trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon , saying, 'Since you were laid low , no tree cutter comes up against us.' 9 " Sheol from beneath e is excited over you to meet you when you come ; It arouses for you the spirits of the dead , all the leaders of the earth ; It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones . 10 " They will all respond and say to you, 'Even you have been made weak as we, You have become like us. 11 'Your pomp and the music of your harps Have been brought down to Sheol ; Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you And worms are your covering .' 12 "How you have fallen from heaven , O star of the morning , son of the dawn ! You have been cut down to the earth , You who have weakened the nations ! 13 "But you said in your heart , 'I will ascend to heaven ; I will raise my throne above the stars of God , And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north . 14 'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds ; I will make myself like the Most High .' 15 "Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol , To the recesses of the pit . 16 "Those who see you will gaze at you, They will ponder over you, saying, 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble , Who shook kingdoms , 17 Who made the world like a wilderness And overthrew its cities , Who did not allow his prisoners to go home ?' 18 "All the kings of the nations lie in glory , Each in his own tomb . 19 "But you have been cast out of your tomb Like a rejected branch , Clothed with the slain who are pierced with a sword , Who go down to the stones of the pit Like a trampled corpse . 20 "You will not be united with them in burial , Because you have ruined your country , You have slain your people . May the offspring of evildoers not be mentioned forever . 21 "Prepare for his sons a place of slaughter Because of the iniquity of their fathers . They must not arise and take possession of the earth And fill the face of the world with cities ." 22 "I will rise up against them," declares the Lord of hosts , "and will cut off from Babylon name and survivors , offspring and posterity ," declares the Lord . 23 "I will also make it a possession for the hedgehog and swamps of water , and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction ," declares the Lord of hosts .
24 The Lord of hosts has sworn saying , "Surely e , just as I have intended so it has happened , and just as I have planned so it will stand , 25 to break Assyria in My land , and I will trample him on My mountains . Then his yoke will be removed from them and his burden removed from their shoulder . 26 "This is the plan devised against the whole earth ; and this is the hand that is stretched out against all the nations . 27 "For the Lord of hosts has planned , and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand , who can turn it back ?"
28 In the year that King Ahaz died this oracle came : 29 "Do not rejoice , O Philistia , all of you, Because the rod that struck you is broken ; For from the serpent's root a viper will come out, And its fruit will be a flying serpent . 30 "Those who are most helpless will eat , And the needy will lie down in security ; I will destroy your root with famine , And it will kill off your survivors . 31 "Wail , O gate ; cry , O city ; Melt away, O Philistia , all of you; For smoke comes from the north , And there is no straggler in his ranks . 32 "How then will one answer the messengers of the nation ? That the Lord has founded Zion , And the afflicted of His people will seek refuge in it."
151 The oracle concerning Moab . Surely in a night Ar of Moab is devastated and ruined ; Surely in a night Kir of Moab is devastated and ruined . 2 They have gone up to the temple and to Dibon , even to the high places to weep . Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba ; Everyone's head is bald and every beard is cut off . 3 In their streets they have girded themselves with sackcloth ; On their housetops and in their squares Everyone is wailing , dissolved in tears . 4 Heshbon and Elealeh also cry out, Their voice is heard all the way to Jahaz ; Therefore e the armed men of Moab cry aloud ; His soul trembles within him. 5 My heart cries out for Moab ; His fugitives are as far as Zoar and Eglath-shelishiyah e , For they go up the ascent of Luhith weeping ; Surely on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of distress over their ruin .
6 For the waters of Nimrim are desolate . Surely the grass is withered , the tender grass died out, There is no green thing . 7 Therefore e the abundance which they have acquired and stored up They carry off over the brook of Arabim . 8 For the cry of distress has gone around the territory of Moab , Its wail goes as far as Eglaim and its wailing even to Beer-elim . 9 For the waters of Dimon are full of blood ; Surely I will bring added woes upon Dimon , A lion upon the fugitives of Moab and upon the remnant of the land .
161 Send the tribute lamb to the ruler of the land , From Sela by way of the wilderness to the mountain of the daughter of Zion . 2 Then, like fleeing birds or scattered nestlings , The daughters of Moab will be at the fords of the Arnon . 3 "Give us advice , make a decision ; Cast your shadow like night at high noon ; Hide the outcasts , do not betray the fugitive . 4 "Let the outcasts of Moab stay with you; Be a hiding place to them from the destroyer ." For the extortioner has come to an end , destruction has ceased , Oppressors have completely disappeared from the land . 5 A throne will even be established in lovingkindness , And a judge will sit on it in faithfulness in the tent of David ; Moreover, he will seek justice And be prompt in righteousness .
6 We have heard of the pride of Moab , an excessive pride ; Even of his arrogance , pride , and fury ; His idle boasts are false e . 7 Therefore Moab will wail ; everyone of Moab will wail . You will moan for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth As those who are utterly stricken . 8 For the fields of Heshbon have withered , the vines of Sibmah as well; The lords of the nations have trampled down its choice clusters Which reached as far as Jazer and wandered to the deserts ; Its tendrils spread themselves out and passed over the sea . 9 Therefore e I will weep bitterly for Jazer , for the vine of Sibmah ; I will drench you with my tears , O Heshbon and Elealeh ; For the shouting over your summer fruits and your harvest has fallen away . 10 Gladness and joy are taken away from the fruitful field ; In the vineyards also there will be no cries of joy or jubilant shouting , No treader treads out wine in the presses , For I have made the shouting to cease . 11 Therefore e my heart intones like a harp for Moab And my inward feelings for Kir-hareseth . 12 So it will come about when Moab presents himself, When he wearies himself upon his high place And comes to his sanctuary to pray , That he will not prevail . 13 This is the word which the Lord spoke earlier concerning Moab . 14 But now the Lord speaks , saying , "Within three years , as a hired man would count them, the glory of Moab will be degraded along with all his great population , and his remnant will be very small and impotent e ."
51 Therefore be imitators of God , as beloved children ; 2 and walk in love , just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma .
3 But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints ; 4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk , or coarse jesting , which are not fitting , but rather giving of thanks . 5 For this you know with certainty , that no e immoral or impure person or covetous man , who is an idolater , has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God . 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words , for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience . 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them; 8 for you were formerly darkness , but now you are Light in the Lord ; walk as children of Light 9 (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth ), 10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord . 11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness , but instead even expose them; 12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret . 13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light , for everything that becomes visible is light . 14 For this reason it says , " Awake , sleeper , And arise from the dead , And Christ will shine on you." 15 Therefore be careful e how you walk , not as unwise men but as wise , 16 making the most of your time , because the days are evil .
(Read Ephesians 5:1-2)
Because God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven you, therefore be ye followers of God, imitators of God. Resemble him especially in his love and pardoning goodness, as becomes those beloved by their heavenly Father. In Christ's sacrifice his love triumphs, and we are to consider it fully.
(Read Ephesians 5:3-14)
Filthy lusts must be rooted out. These sins must be dreaded and detested. Here are not only cautions against gross acts of sin, but against what some may make light of. But these things are so far from being profitable. that they pollute and poison the hearers. Our cheerfulness should show itself as becomes Christians, in what may tend to God's glory. A covetous man makes a god of his money; places that hope, confidence, and delight, in worldly good, which should be in God only. Those who allow themselves, either in the lusts of the flesh or the love of the world, belong not to the kingdom of grace, nor shall they come to the kingdom of glory. When the vilest transgressors repent and believe the gospel, they become children of obedience, from whom God's wrath is turned away. Dare we make light of that which brings down the wrath of God? Sinners, like men in the dark, are going they know not whither, and doing they know not what. But the grace of God wrought a mighty change in the souls of many. Walk as children of light, as having knowledge and holiness. These works of darkness are unfruitful, whatever profit they may boast; for they end in the destruction of the impenitent sinner. There are many ways of abetting, or taking part in the sins of others; by commendation, counsel, consent, or concealment. And if we share with others in their sins, we must expect to share in their plagues. If we do not reprove the sins of others, we have fellowship with them. A good man will be ashamed to speak of what many wicked men are not ashamed to do. We must have not only a sight and a knowledge that sin is sin, and in some measure shameful, but see it as a breach of God's holy law. After the example of prophets and apostles, we should call on those asleep and dead in sin, to awake and arise, that Christ may give them light.
(Read Ephesians 5:15-21)
Another remedy against sin, is care, or caution, it being impossible else to maintain purity of heart and life. Time is a talent given us by God, and it is misspent and lost when not employed according to his design. If we have lost our time heretofore, we must double our diligence for the future. Of that time which thousands on a dying bed would gladly redeem at the price of the whole world, how little do men think, and to what trifles they daily sacrifice it! People are very apt to complain of bad times; it were well if that stirred them more to redeem time. Be not unwise. Ignorance of our duty, and neglect of our souls, show the greatest folly. Drunkenness is a sin that never goes alone, but carries men into other evils; it is a sin very provoking to God. The drunkard holds out to his family and to the world the sad spectacle of a sinner hardened beyond what is common, and hastening to perdition. When afflicted or weary, let us not seek to raise our spirits by strong drink, which is hateful and hurtful, and only ends in making sorrows more felt. But by fervent prayer let us seek to be filled with the Spirit, and to avoid whatever may grieve our gracious Comforter. All God's people have reason to sing for joy. Though we are not always singing, we should be always giving thanks; we should never want disposition for this duty, as we never want matter for it, through the whole course of our lives. Always, even in trials and afflictions, and for all things; being satisfied of their loving intent, and good tendency. God keeps believers from sinning against him, and engages them to submit one to another in all he has commanded, to promote his glory, and to fulfil their duties to each other.
