Thursday, February 26

11For the eyes of the Lord are lofty, and man is humble. The haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.

12For the day of the Lord of hosts shall come upon all who are insolent, arrogant, high and lifted up, and they shall be humbled;

13and upon every cedar tree of Lebanon, high and lifted up, and upon every oak of Bashan,

14and upon every mountain and lofty hill,

15and upon every high tower and fortified wall,

16and upon every ship of the sea, and upon every sight of beautiful ships.

17Every man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of man shall fall. The Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.

18But they shall hide all the things made by hands.

19They shall carry them into the caves and cracks of the rocks, and into the holes of the earth, from fear of the Lord's presence and the glory of His might when He arises to strike the earth.

20For in that day, man will cast away his abominations of silver and gold, which they made to worship worthless things and bats,

21so as to enter into the holes of solid rocks and clefts of the rugged rocks, from fear of the Lord and the glory of His might when He arises to strike the earth.

4This is the book of the genesis of heaven and earth when they were made, in the day the Lord God made heaven and earth,

5before any plant of the field was on earth and before any herb of the field sprang up. For God had not sent rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground;

6but a fountain came up from the ground and watered the whole face of the earth.

7Then God formed man out of dust from the ground, and breathed in his face the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

8Then the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man He formed.

9Besides this, God caused every tree beautiful to the sight and good for food to grow from the ground. Also, in the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of learning the knowledge of good and evil.

10Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it separated into four heads.

11The name of the first is Pishon. It circles all the land of Havilah, where there is gold.

12And the gold of that land is good. The carbuncle and the emerald are there as well.

13The name of the second river is Gihon. It circles all the land of Ethiopia.

14The name of the third river is Tigris. It flows over against the Assyrians. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

15Then the Lord God took the man He formed and put him in the garden to tend and keep it.

16And the Lord God commanded Adam, saying, 'You may eat food from every tree in the garden;

17but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you may not eat; for in whatever day you eat from it, you shall die by death.'

18And the Lord God said, 'It is not good for man to be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him.'

19Also, God formed out of the ground all the wild animals of the field and all the birds of heaven, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. Thus whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.

1My son, do not forget my laws, But let your heart keep my words;

2For length of days, and years of life and peace They will add to you.

3Do not let almsgiving and faithfulness forsake you, But hang them upon your neck;

4And you will find grace And provide good things before the Lord and men.

5Trust in God with all your heart, And do not exalt your own wisdom.

6In all your ways know wisdom, That she may cut a straight path for you; And your foot will not stumble.

7Do not rely on your own discernment, But fear God, and turn away from every evil.

8Then there shall be healing for your body And care for your bones.

9Honor the Lord from your righteous labors, And offer Him the firstfruits from the fruits of your righteousness,

10That your storehouses may be filled with abundance of grain, And your winepresses may gush with wine.

11My son, do not despise the instruction of the Lord, Neither grow weary under His reproof.

12For whom the Lord loves He instructs, And chastises every son He receives.

13Blessed is a man who finds wisdom, And a mortal who sees discernment;

14For the profits gained from wisdom are better Than the treasures of gold and silver.

15And wisdom is more valuable than precious stones, And nothing evil will withstand her;

16She is well known to all who come near her, And no honor is worthy of her.

17For length of days and years of life are in her right hand, And in her left hand are riches and glory;

18Righteousness proceeds from her mouth, And she carries law and mercy upon her tongue.