He who walksin his uprightnessfearsthe LORD,But he who is deviousin his waysdespisesHim.
Whyhave you despisedthe wordof the LORDby doingevilin His sight?You have struckdownUriahthe Hittitewith the sword,have takenhis wifeto be your wife,and have killedhim with the swordof the sonsof Ammon.
Then Solomonsaid,"You have showngreatlovingkindnessto Your servantDavidmy father,accordingas he walkedbeforeYou in truthand righteousnessand uprightnessof hearttowardYou; and You have reservedfor him thisgreatlovingkindness,that You have givenhim a sonto siton his throne,as [it is] thisday.
To thisdaythey doaccording to the earliercustoms:they do not fearthe LORD,nordo they followtheir statutesor their ordinancesor the law,or the commandmentswhichthe LORDcommandedthe sonsof Jacob,whomHe namedIsrael;
There was a manin the landof Uzwhose namewas Job;and that manwas blameless,upright,fearingGodand turningawayfrom evil.
"I ama joketo my friends,The one who calledon Godand He answeredhim; The just[and] blameless[man] is a joke.
"And to manHe said,'Behold,the fearof the Lord,that is wisdom;And to departfrom evilis understanding.'"
Praisethe LORD!How blessedis the manwho fearsthe LORD,Who greatlydelightsin His commandments.
Let integrityand uprightnesspreserveme, For I waitfor You.
He who despiseshis neighborlackssense,But a manof understandingkeepssilent.
The highwayof the uprightis to departfrom evil;He who watcheshis waypreserveshis life.
By lovingkindnessand truthiniquityis atonedfor, And by the fearof the LORDone keepsawayfrom evil.
Betteris a poorman who walksin his integrityThanhe whois perversein speechand is a fool.
Whosepathsare crooked,And who are deviousin their ways;
Betteris the poorwho walksin his integrityThanhe who is crookedthough he be rich.
The conclusion,when allhas been heard,[is]: fearGodand keepHis commandments,becausethis[applies to] everyperson.
"The one who listensto you listensto Me, and the one who rejectsyou rejectsMe; and he who rejectsMe rejectsthe One who sentMe."
Nowthe Pharisees,who were lovers of money,were listeningto allthese thingsand were scoffingat Him.
They said,"Cornelius,a centurion,a righteousand God-fearingmanwell spokenof by the entirenationof the Jews,was [divinely] directedby a holyangelto sendfor you [to come] to his houseand heara messagefrom you."
but in everynationthe man who fearsHim and doeswhat is rightis welcometo Him.
Sothe churchthroughoutallJudeaand Galileeand Samariaenjoyedpeace,being builtup; and goingon in the fearof the Lordand in the comfortof the HolySpirit,it continued to increase.
