"Then I will drawnearto you for judgment;and I will be a swiftwitnessagainst the sorcerersand against the adulterersand against those who swearfalsely,and against those who oppressthe wageearnerin his wages,the widowand the orphan,and those who turnasidethe alienand do not fearMe," saysthe LORDof hosts.
Abrahamsaid,"BecauseI thought,surelythereis nofearof Godin thisplace,and they will killme becauseof my wife.
Now Josephsaidto them on the thirdday,"Dothisand live,for I fearGod:
But the formergovernorswhowere beforeme laidburdenson the peopleand tookfrom them breadand winebesidesfortyshekelsof silver;eventheir servantsdomineeredthe people.But I did not dosobecauseof the fearof God.
"For it would be firethat consumesto Abaddon,And would uprootallmy increase.
"As a slavewho pantsfor the shade,And as a hiredmanwho eagerlywaitsfor his wages,
Transgressionspeaksto the ungodlywithinhis heart;Thereis nofearof Godbeforehis eyes.
"Hear,O My people,and I will admonishyou; O Israel,ifyou would listento Me!
Beforethe LORD,for He is coming,For He is comingto judgethe earth.He will judgethe worldin righteousnessAnd the peoplesin His faithfulness.
Beforethe LORD,for He is comingto judgethe earth;He will judgethe worldwith righteousnessAnd the peopleswith equity.
But the midwivesfearedGod,and did not doas the kingof Egypthad commandedthem, but let the boyslive.
"Furthermore, you shall selectout of allthe peopleablemenwho fearGod,menof truth,those who hatedishonestgain;and you shall place[these] overthem [as] leadersof thousands,of hundreds,of fiftiesand of tens.
"You shall not takethe nameof the LORDyour Godin vain,for the LORDwill not leavehim unpunishedwhotakesHis namein vain.
"He who sacrificesto any god,otherthanto the LORDalone,shall be utterlydestroyed.
By lovingkindnessand truthiniquityis atonedfor, And by the fearof the LORDone keepsawayfrom evil.
"The fearof the LORDis to hateevil;Prideand arroganceand the evilwayAnd the pervertedmouth,I hate.
"But comehere,you sonsof a sorceress,Offspringof an adultererand a prostitute.
For the landis fullof adulterers;For the landmournsbecauseof the curse.The pasturesof the wildernesshave driedup. Their coursealso is evilAnd their mightis not right.
"For they prophesya lieto you in orderto removeyou farfrom your land;and I will driveyou out and you will perish.
"But as for you, do not listento your prophets,your diviners,your dreamers,your soothsayersor your sorcererswhospeakto you, saying,'You will not servethe kingof Babylon.'
becausethey have actedfoolishlyin Israel,and have committedadulterywith their neighbors'wivesand have spokenwordsin My namefalsely,whichI did not commandthem; and I am He who knowsand am a witness,"declaresthe LORD.'"
Then they saidto Jeremiah,"May the LORDbe a true and faithfulwitnessagainst us ifwe do not actin accordance with the wholemessagewith whichthe LORDyour Godwill sendyou to us.
"And althoughthey say,'As the LORDlives,'Surelythey swearfalsely."
Shall I not punishthese[people]?' declaresthe LORD,'On a nationsuchas thisShall I not avengeMyself?'
You shall not oppressyour neighbor,norrob[him]. The wagesof a hiredmanare not to remainwith you all nightuntilmorning.
If [there is] a manwhocommitsadulterywith another man'swife,one whocommitsadulterywith his friend'swife,the adultererand the adulteressshall surelybe putto death.
Now a manora womanwho is a mediumora spiritistshall surelybe putto death.They shall be stonedwith stones,their bloodguiltinessis upon them.'"
As for the personwhoturnsto mediumsand to spiritists,to playthe harlotafterthem, I will also setMy faceagainst that personand will cuthim offfrom amonghis people.
Hear,O peoples,allof you; Listen,O earthand allit contains,And let the LordGODbe a witnessagainst you, The Lordfrom His holytemple.
Are You not from everlasting,O LORD,my God,my HolyOne?We will not die.You, O LORD,have appointedthem to judge;And You, O Rock,have establishedthem to correct.
I saidto them, "Ifit is goodin your sight,give[me] my wages;but ifnot, nevermind!"So they weighedout thirty[shekels] of silveras my wages.
"'A sonhonors[his] father,and a servanthis master.Then ifI am a father,whereis My honor?And ifI am a master,whereis My respect?'saysthe LORDof hoststo you, O priestswho despiseMy name.But you say,'Howhave we despisedYour name?'
"Yet you say,'For whatreason?'Becausethe LORDhas been a witnessbetweenyou and the wifeof your youth,against whomyou have dealttreacherously,though she is your companionand your wifeby covenant.
You have weariedthe LORDwith your words.Yet you say,"Howhave we wearied[Him]?" In that you say,"Everyonewho doesevilis goodin the sightof the LORD,and He delightsin them," or,"Whereis the Godof justice?"
But the otheranswered,and rebukinghim said,"Do you not evenfearGod,sinceyou are underthe samesentence of condemnation?
And why not [say] (as we are slanderously reportedand as someclaimthat we say),"Let us doevilthat goodmay come"? Their condemnationis just.
"Whenyou sethim free,you shall not sendhim awayempty-handed.
"There shall not be foundamong you anyone who makes his sonor his daughterpassthrough the fire,one who usesdivination,one who practiceswitchcraft,or one who interpretsomens,or a sorcerer,
"You shall not pervertthe justicedue an alien[or] an orphan,nortakea widow'sgarmentin pledge.
Cursedis he who distortsthe justicedue an alien,orphan,and widow.'And allthe peopleshall say,'Amen.'
You shall not takethe nameof the LORDyour Godin vain,for the LORDwill not leavehim unpunishedwhotakesHis namein vain.
[and] that noman transgressand defraudhis brotherin the matterbecausethe Lordis [the] avengerin allthese things,justas we alsotold you beforeand solemnly warned[you].
Marriage[is to be held] in honoramongall,and the [marriage] bed[is to be] undefiled;for fornicatorsand adulterersGodwill judge.
But aboveall,my brethren,do not swear,eitherby heavenorby earthorwith anyotheroath;but your yesis to be yes,and your no,no,sothat you may not fallunderjudgment.
Behold,the payof the laborerswho mowedyour fields,[and] which has been withheldby you, criesout [against you]; and the outcryof thosewho did the harvestinghas reachedthe earsof the Lordof Sabaoth.
"But for the cowardlyand unbelievingand abominableand murderersand immoral personsand sorcerersand idolatersand allliars,their part[will be] in the lakethat burnswith fireand brimstone,whichis the seconddeath."
Outsideare the dogsand the sorcerersand the immoral personsand the murderersand the idolaters,and everyonewho lovesand practiceslying.
