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times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming: but my people know not the judgement of the Lord.

32 How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us? Lo, certainly in vain he made it.

33 When I called, ye did not answer: when I spake, ye did not hear, but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.

34 Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed:

35 Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit.

36 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear.

37 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God: and your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear.

38 Therefore ye shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney.

SECTION XX.-Frailty of Man.

LESSON CXVI.

LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him? or the son of man, that thou makest account of him?

2 Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.

3 What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?

4 And that thou shouldest visit him every morning? and try him every moment?

T5 Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

6 Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all it is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good.

7 I have sinned: what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?

8 As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work:

9 So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to

me.

10 When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full

of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day.

11 Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro, and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?

12 If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my heaviness, and comfort myself:

13 I am afraid of all my sorrows, I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.

14 And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust, and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.

15 Hast thou eyes of flesh? or seest thou as man seeth?

16 Are thy days as the days of man? are thy years as man's days?

17 Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about.

18 Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again?

19 There is none that can deliver out of thine hand.

¶20 Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.

21 Behold, thou hast made my days as an hand-breadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity.

22 My days are like a shadow that declineth, and I am withered like grass.

23 I am gone like the shadow that declineth, I am tossed up and down as a locust.

24 Surely every man walketh in a vain show; surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.

25 When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity.

26 Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish.

27 I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it.

28 Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand.

29 Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers

were.

30 O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.

31 O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations.

32 And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.

LESSON CXVII.

Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof.

2 In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men,

3 Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake.

4 Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up:

5 It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying;

6 Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his Maker?

7 Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:

8 How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth!

9 They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it.

10 Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom.

11 How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?

12 Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.

13 Behold, even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight:

14 How much less man, that is a worm; and the son of man, which is a worm.

15 What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous ?

¶16 Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise

may be profitable unto himself?

17 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?

18 Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgement?

19 Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite ?

20 If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?

21 If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand?

22 Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art; and thy righteousness may profit the

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23 Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou?

24 How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my words to reason with him?

25 Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer, but I would make supplication to my Judge.

26 If I had called, and he had answered me; yet would I not believe that he had hearkened unto my voice.

27 For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgement.

28 How should man be just with God?

29 If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.

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2 Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lifted it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood. 3 Is it fit to say to a king, Thou art wicked? and to princes, Ye are ungodly?

4 How much less to him that accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor! for they all are the work of his hands.

5 In a moment shall they die, and the people shall be troubled at midnight, and pass away: and the mighty shall be taken away without hand.

¶ 6 Who hath given him a charge over the earth, or who hath disposed the whole world? 7 If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;

8 All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.

9 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him:

10 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

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11 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

12 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

¶13 Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground:

14 Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.

15 And behold, at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not.

16 All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field.

17 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

18 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

19 O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

20 Man doth not live by bread

only; but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.

21 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

22 For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing:

23 Because our days upon earth are a shadow.

24 For we spend our years as a tale that is told.

25 The days of our years are threescore years and ten: and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

LESSON CXIX.

THE pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?

2 And thou sayest in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

3 But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth.

4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.

5 Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so art thou in my hand.

6 Wilt thou disannul my judgement? wilt thou condemn

me, that thou mayest be righteous?

7 Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?

8 Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency, and array thyself with glory and beauty:

9 Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath and behold every one that is proud, and abase him:

10 Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low: and tread down the wicked in their place:

11 Hide them in the dust together, and bind their faces in secret:

12 Then will I also confess unto thee, that thine own right hand can save thee.

¶13 O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself, but in me is thine help.

14 I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities?

15 My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he is flesh.

16 Boast not thyself of tomorrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

17 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.

18 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth: in that very day his thoughts perish.

19 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.

20 An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.

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