For the word of God {is} quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and {is} a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. {the unrighteous...: Heb. the man of iniquity} {abundantly...: Heb. multiply to pardon}

As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified {him} not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.

Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

The thoughts of the wicked {are} an abomination to the LORD: but {the words} of the pure {are} pleasant words. {pleasant...: Heb. words of pleasantness}

For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek {after God}: God {is} not in all his thoughts. {God is...: or, all his thoughts are, There is no God}

And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, {see that ye} love one another with a pure heart fervently:

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done {it}.

The thought of foolishness {is} sin: and the scorner {is} an abomination to men.

Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee. {thought: Heb. word} {wicked: Heb. Belial}

He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts {are} thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction {are} in their paths. {destruction: Heb. breaking}

And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.

But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for {your} liberal distribution unto them, and unto all {men};

Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works {are} truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.

Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted {thy} voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? {even} against the Holy {One} of Israel.

Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.

By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: {for obedience...: or, to the obedience of faith}

The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?

And in very deed for this {cause} have I raised thee up, for to shew {in} thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. {raised...: Heb. made thee stand}

But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath {is}, and whose {are} all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:

And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.

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

Wherefore I abhor {myself}, and repent in dust and ashes.

And Pharaoh said, Who {is} the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.

The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.

As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me. {As soon...: Heb. At the hearing of the ear} {submit...: or, yield feigned obedience} {strangers: Heb. sons of the stranger}

And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart {is} evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. {a sweet...: Heb. a savour of rest or, satisfaction} {for the imagination: or, through the imagination}

What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. {rudiments: or, elements} {make a prey: or, seduce you, or, lead you astray}

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

The thought of foolishness {is} sin: and the scorner {is} an abomination to men.

But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.

Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? {hinder you: or, drive you back}

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst: {imagination: or, stubbornness} {drunkenness...: Heb. the drunken to the thirsty}

And even as they did not like to retain God in {their} knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; {to retain: or, to acknowledge} {a reprobate...: or, a mind void of judgment or, an unapproving mind}

O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

SAMECH. I hate {vain} thoughts: but thy law do I love.

Though I have bound {and} strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me. {have...: or, chastened}

But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. {which...: Gr. whereto ye were delivered}

Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:

And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him. {inward...: Gr. bowels}

In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: {taking: or, yielding}

Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for {your} liberal distribution unto them, and unto all {men};

He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted {thy} voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? {even} against the Holy {One} of Israel.

And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills {that are} lifted up,

But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,

And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors. {whose...: Heb. that had taken them captives}