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First Reading: Proverbs Chapter 5 and 6

Proverbs 5

1 My son, attend unto my wisdom; Incline thine ear to my understanding:

2 That thou mayest preserve discretion, And that thy lips may keep knowledge.

3 For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil:

4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword.

5 Her feet go down to death; Her steps take hold on Sheol;

6 So that she findeth not the level path of life: Her ways are unstable, `and' she knoweth `it' not.

7 Now therefore, `my' sons, hearken unto me, And depart not from the words of my mouth.

8 Remove thy way far from her, And come not nigh the door of her house;

9 Lest thou give thine honor unto others, And thy years unto the cruel;

10 Lest strangers be filled with thy strength, And thy labors `be' in the house of an alien,

11 And thou mourn at thy latter end, When thy flesh and thy body are consumed,

12 And say, How have I hated instruction, And my heart despised reproof;

13 Neither have I obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!

14 I was well-nigh in all evil In the midst of the assembly and congregation.

15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, And running waters out of thine own well.

16 Should thy springs be dispersed abroad, And streams of water in the streets?

17 Let them be for thyself alone, And not for strangers with thee.

18 Let thy fountain be blessed; And rejoice in the wife of thy youth.

19 `As' a loving hind and a pleasant doe, Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; And be thou ravished always with her love.

20 For why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, And embrace the bosom of a foreigner?

21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah; And he maketh level all his paths.

22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked, And he shall be holden with the cords of his sin.

23 He shall die for lack of instruction; And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

Proverbs 6

1 My son, if thou art become surety for thy neighbor, If thou hast stricken thy hands for a stranger;

2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, Thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, Seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbor: Go, humble thyself, and importune thy neighbor;

4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, Nor slumber to thine eyelids;

5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand `of the hunter', And as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; Consider her ways, and be wise:

7 Which having no chief, Overseer, or ruler,

8 Provideth her bread in the summer, And gathereth her food in the harvest.

9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

10 `Yet' a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep:

11 So shall thy poverty come as a robber, And thy want as an armed man.

12 A worthless person, a man of iniquity, Is he that walketh with a perverse mouth;

13 That winketh with his eyes, that speaketh with his feet, That maketh signs with his fingers;

14 In whose heart is perverseness, Who deviseth evil continually, Who soweth discord.

15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; On a sudden shall he be broken, and that without remedy.

16 There are six things which Jehovah hateth; Yea, seven which are an abomination unto him:

17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood;

18 A heart that deviseth wicked purposes, Feet that are swift in running to mischief,

19 A false witness that uttereth lies, And he that soweth discord among brethren.

20 My son, keep the commandment of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother:

21 Bind them continually upon thy heart; Tie them about thy neck.

22 When thou walkest, it shall lead thee; When thou sleepest, it shall watch over thee; And when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; And reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

24 To keep thee from the evil woman, From the flattery of the foreigner's tongue.

25 Lust not after her beauty in thy heart; Neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

26 For on account of a harlot `a man is brought' to a piece of bread; And the adulteress hunteth for the precious life.

27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, And his clothes not be burned?

28 Or can one walk upon hot coals, And his feet not be scorched?

29 So he that goeth in to his neighbor's wife; Whosoever toucheth her shall not be unpunished.

30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal To satisfy himself when he is hungry:

31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; He shall give all the substance of his house.

32 He that committeth adultery with a woman is void of understanding: He doeth it who would destroy his own soul.

33 Wounds and dishonor shall he get; And his reproach shall not be wiped away.

34 For jealousy is the rage of a man; And he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

35 He will not regard any ransom; Neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

Second Reading: Psalms Chapter 15 and 16

Psalms 15

1 Jehovah, who shall sojourn in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?

2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, And speaketh truth in his heart;

3 He that slandereth not with his tongue, Nor doeth evil to his friend, Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor;

4 In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honoreth them that fear Jehovah; He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not;

5 He that putteth not out his money to interest, Nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved. Psalm 16 Michtam of David.

Psalms 16

1 Preserve me, O God; for in thee do I take refuge.

2 `O my soul', thou hast said unto Jehovah, Thou art my Lord: I have no good beyond thee.

3 As for the saints that are in the earth, They are the excellent in whom is all my delight.

4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that give gifts for another `god': Their drink-offerings of blood will I not offer, Nor take their names upon my lips.

5 Jehovah is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: Thou maintainest my lot.

6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; Yea, I have a goodly heritage.

7 I will bless Jehovah, who hath given me counsel; Yea, my heart instructeth me in the night seasons.

8 I have set Jehovah always before me: Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth; My flesh also shall dwell in safety.

10 For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol; Neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption.

11 Thou wilt show me the path of life: In thy presence is fulness of joy; In thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psalm 17 A Prayer of David.

Bible Background

TIPS ON READING

READING ALOUD

The Bible is filled with poetry. Some is very dramatic. Reading quietly and with meditation is important. But parts of the Bible became more meaningful when read aloud.

Here are some Psalms that you can try reading aloud for full effect and understanding:

 

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