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giorno-plays-piano · 4 years ago

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Okay but what about Orc!bucky and Goddess!reader ..😳🤭 Shes an Aphrodite, I can imagine her looking down and seeing orc!bucky and just craving him. They be a great power couple ...

Hi hun! I'm sorry it took me so much time to write this fic, and, well, since most of us already have some depiction of Aphrodite in mind, I decided to make the reader her daughter. Guess the story turned out something very different from what you wanted, but I still hope you will enjoy it!

Somebody to Die For

Pairing: orc!Bucky x goddess!Reader

Warnings: violence, injuries, angst, hurt/comfort.

Words: 2385.

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"I will fight for you till they cut off my arms, my legs, and my head."

You looked at the warrior in front of you, his heavy body clad in armor, his arms holding a spear and a shield you brought to him yourself, earning a slap from your mother, the goddess of beauty who forbid you to help humans so shamelessly, and yet, you always did.

The man standing in front of you was neither orc nor human but the descendant of the both of them, the only hero who could possibly defeat the evil forces when every other man had failed. He's rough; he's rude; he knew little of honor, but he's the one who still fought when the ones before him had long given up. Despite the prejudice against orcs, now even humans understood he was their only salvation.

You hoped he would survive the last battle. Not just because you needed the human kind to have a savior, a leader, the one who would aid them when nobody else would, but because you had grown found of him, the man you had been guiding for years, helping him to protect those who detested him, bringing him hope when he was ready to give up, embracing him when he no longer had the power to hold his spear. A daughter of the goddess of beauty, you were to bring this beauty to the parts of the world where your tired mother could not, but you brought hope instead.

"Fight for me, and if you win, I will fulfill your wish, soldier." You whispered through your golden mask that covered your face entirely, only your eyes visible to the orc standing on his knees.

Your mother never approved of it, but you had seen people going mad from having just one glance at you, your immense beauty blinding them, driving them insane, making them forgot who they were. It was a curse, not a blessing. It was the reason you wore your mask at all times, only showing your face to those your deemed worthy, strong enough to withstand the charms you had no control over.

You knew your hero wanted to see your face more than anything else in the world.

"I will bring you the demon's head on a golden plate, my goddess."

You'd chuckle at his attempt to please you, but you were scared, you feared he would fail, fall, die in the hands of evil forces feasting upon human kind and threatening to destroy all the gods had created. You could not fight along him, possessing no skills to win that battle; moreover, your mother would most certainly kill you if you intervened, breaking the oath you had given to her. You could only help the hero you had chosen while staying in the shadow.

"Stay alive, Bucky." Those were your last words when you pressed the cold lips of your mask to the orc's forehead, giving him your blessing and hiding the tears behind the cold metal.

If only you could fight, but your hands grew cold every time you touched the hero's spear, unable to wield a sword or a mace. The war was not your domain, all the gods kept telling you when you plead them to gift you enough strength and courage to engage in battle. No, your fate was to shine like a golden statue, blinding all those who dared to look at you, bending them to your will like you mother had always done. They couldn't understand your ardent desire to watch over the humankind and all those who needed your help, spending your time healing soldiers, aiding orphans and the elderly, bringing food and water to all those in need. The gods cared little for mortals. Even when the Great Evil appeared out of nowhere, wreaking havoc on the lands belonging to people constantly praying for gods mercy, the immortals were too busy with their own affairs, realizing how serious the matter was when it had been too late.

When the orc you clad in charmed armor stood in front of the army of the undead, the diabolical creatures with horns and gaunt wings growling behind them, ready to strike, you prayed for him to come out of the battle alive. It was his fate to be the last hero standing between the chaos and all what was dear to the living, yet he bore no responsibility for it - he didn't ask to be the hero, to fight when his spear was long broken, go forward while the undead broke his bones and demons feasted upon his flesh, ripping pieces of meat before the orc could crush their heads with his mere hands. You kept casting spells to aid him, knowing your mother would whip you, but you didn't care, healing your hero's wounds so he could fight until he would cut off the head of the Demon King with his own sword.

Your hero was laying on top of demon's dead body, still holding the head even while unconscious as you sneaked into the field full of corpses, bodies of demons and bones of the undead rotting under the blazing sun. Your hero was dying from his wounds, bleeding so much his skin was loosing its color, and now it was your time to bring him back to the living before it was too late.

Oh, you knew your mother could kill you for stealing the salve meant only for gods to heal their wounds, but you no longer cared. What did it matter if the one who saved you all was to pay with his life for everything he had done to protect the living? No, it was unfair. The orc stood to gain nothing from his heroic deeds, gods being too arrogant to acknowledge him properly, but he had the right to keep his life.

And so you carried his heavy body to the springs, washing his wounds, applying the salve generously and casting as much healing spells as you did in your entire life to keep him alive, praying and hoping the gods would take mercy on him. Yes, he was three quarters an orc; he was barbaric, savage, ferocious, but he had kindness in his heart like no other, agreeing to fight for humans who had always utterly despised him. Despite being a brute, he was kind to children, women and elderly people. He had never lay his hand on those weaker than him, except when they attacked him on their own. In the end, he was the only hero who answered your call when all those you had asked for help died on the battlefield, unable to fight the demons and their army of corpses.

It had been three days and three nights you spent tending to his wounds until his heart started beating like of a living being. You cried your eyes out when you heard it. The salve had finally worked, and the open wounds closed, leaving his body scarred but healed; his breath steadied, and soon your hero would come back to you, you knew. Gods had answered your prayers for the first time.

"Am I dead?" Bucky asked you when he opened his eyes on the fourth day as he saw you tired face, your mask long abandoned the moment you brought him to the springs.

You smiled at him and held him close, his head laying on your lap while you witnessed his awakening, his body covered in salve, making his skin shine like pure gold.

"You are alive and well." leaning to him, you left a kiss on his forehead, brushing his dark disheveled hair out of his face, and the orc made an odd sound as if he were purring like a giant cat. "You will live a long life, cherished and honored by those you protected, I promise you."

"Will you keep that one promise you gave me, my goddess?"

He's impatient, he had always been, and you laughed at his eagerness, knowing his body still hurt, but the orc didn't seem to mind it. Was he unhappy with seeing your face? You didn't think so, and yet, apparently, he wanted something else. Gold? Women? Immortality? The last one would be quite hard, that is if gods wouldn't struck you with a lightning or something just to teach you a lesson to be more pliant and respectful.

"What it is that you want, my warrior? I will do whatever you ask me to if it is within my powers, just like I promised."

"It's within your powers, I'm sure." He grumbled, making you laugh even harder at his unusual grumpiness, touching the tips of his tusks, and the orc laughed at you, too.

"What is it, then? Don't keep me waiting, mortal, for even I grew tired of tending to you over four days." Winking at him in the most frivolous manner just like your mother had taught you, you giggled then, and the hero's face lightened up.

"This is not how I imagined it to be, but who cares, anyway." he muttered to himself and sat up, turning to you and hurriedly searching the pockets of his torn pants, obviously empty after his long, intense battle. "Shit! I've brought you golden rings and necklaces and bracelets, but those flying bitches made holes in my clothes. I should have hidden my gifts under some rock before the battle."

"Oh, you should have!"

He's impossible, you thought as you both snickered, his huge, calloused hands touching gentle yours. He brought you gold? What for?

"Well, whatever, I'll find more for you later if you don't mind, goddess. Will you give me the honor of becoming my wife even if I didn't bring you the gifts?" The orc tilted his head to the side, looking at you as if it were just a mere matter of something minor, unimportant, but soon, as he watched you openly gape at him for his audacity, he quickly bowed his head, kneeling in front of you.

You were speechless. For once, you had never for once suspected of the hero having these feelings for you. Surely, he prayed to you, he respected you as a mortal should respect their deity, he was intrigued by your true appearance you had concealed from him, but his spoke of marriage seemed preposterous. Was it your face again, your mother's charms? No, no, it couldn’t have been it for the hero intended to bring you gifts, wedding gifts, that is. He had come prepared.

Unbelievable. Did his feelings grow while he didn't even know how you looked?

"Forgive me my insolence, goddess." he mumbled, realizing his offer could be a grave offense to you, a being standing way higher than him. "But I can serve you till the end of my days, do whatever you tell me to. If I have survived the last battle and brought people salvation they wanted, I must be good enough, right?"

"Will you serve me even if I am not your wife?" You asked him quietly, looking at your hands covered in the balm you stole from the gods just to heal his wounds, knowing you were attracted to him despite your feelings never being voiced.

For a couple of seconds the orc grew silent, watching the carpet you put him on to tend to his wounds: it had been soaked in his blood that now dried out.

"I will serve you even then." He uttered grimly, refusing to look you in the eyes, his gaze on your hands as he kept sitting in front of you.

Afraid to speak, you fell silent too, wishing to touch him, brush your hand against his disheveled hair. Oh, didn't you want him? Didn't you wish to be embraced by the very hero you spent years guiding and healing so he would continue his journey? Didn't you deserve to be loved, the daughter of the goddess of that very same love you'd been craving for so long?

But your hero was a mortal. You were frightened to even think what gods would do to him for his impertinence.

Oh, evil gods. You spent years to teach and guide the mortal hero they despised who brought the salvation to the lands they were so afraid to lose, and yet neither him nor you were given anything in return. Instead, they were granting you a torture of refusing advances of the only one dear to you.

Please, darling.

Your mother's irritated voice cut through the silence like a knife, and you froze, knowing she was rolling her eyes at you, watching you secretly like she often did.

You have a heart of stone if you reject the man who is standing on his knees in front of you. I grant you my permission if you so need it.

As her mighty voice rang in the complete silence of a cave, Bucky shivered, immediately getting on his feet. Of course, he knew nothing of your mother except that she was a goddess, and he had never heard her voice. It didn't matter to you, though, as you stared at him, dumbfounded.

Permission. She granted you her permission to marry him. You were free to act as you like, knowing the gods wouldn't bring their wrath upon your hero.

"I will have you if you promise to love and cherish me like no other, protect me, and be loyal to me until your last breath." You whispered, your eyes full of tears as you watched him from below while he towered above you, and the next second he was on his knees again, taking your arms in his and kissing your tears away.

"Even if my face will be disfigured, my tongue cut off, and my body dismembered, I will love you till my last breath." his voice was so quiet, yet you heard him as if he were screaming at the top of his voice. "I promise to worship you and come to you aid whenever you need me."

Hurriedly ripping a piece of his ragged, soaked in blood clothes, he wrapped it around your finger like it was a ring he had lost.

"My soul, my heart, and my sword - everything I possess I give to you."

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Tags: @finleyjayne @alexakeyloveloki @helenaeisenhower @villanellevi @hurricanerin @inlovewiththefictionalcharacters @chris-evans-indian-fanfic @navegandoaciegas @rosalynshields @brattycherubwrites @sllooney @angrythingstarlight @lookiamtrying @buckysbunny @soleil-dor @stargazingfangirl18 @dillybuggg @literate-lamb @cosicas-cuquis @sarge-barnes-sir @buckybarnesplumwhore @jaysayey @megzdoodle @gotnofucks @lux-ravenwolf @ximebebx @jeremyrennerfanxxxx123 @sourpatchspinster @iheartsebandchris

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #dark bucky barnes #dark bucky barnes x reader #orc!bucky #winter soldier #mcu #mcu fanfiction #requests

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redhawtriot · 5 years ago

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Caught in The Act (Bakugou x Reader)

Tip Jar ☕- Not expected but always appreciated💞

Bro, these get longer and longer😭 I am so sorry, but I enjoy myself way too much writing these! Plus, this will be the last one for a while! The next poll is open for a few days longer than the last (since this is about the halfway point of this interactive series!) I have a few different endings in mind😈

Anyway, thank you for voting for the last part, even though it got a little heated between the 750+ of you☺️

If it’s not the choice you wanted, there will be quite a few more opportunities to vote and get your way, so don’t worry your pretty little booties❤️

HnM💕

Part 1 Part 2 Part 4

Part 3:

“Hey… wha’s wrong, best buddy? Holy hell, w-why are you crying?!” Kirishima loudly whispered. A loud rumble could be heard before he violently gagged, releasing the contents of his stomach, “Oh, God,” he croaked before gagging again, “I am so sorry.”

Bakugou didn’t even bother looking at him before he turned his back and harshly faced away. The blond aggressively dried his eyes with the back of his hand-- muttering a stream of curses through gritted teeth. He deeply hoped that that damn idiot would forget this night ever happened,

“Go to bed, shitty hair,” he snapped, still refusing to look at him, “Sober up so you can clean that shit up, because I sure as hell am not doing it for you,” he pointed to the mess of bile on the floor so hard that his weight followed after his finger, causing him to stumble.

“You’re the one to talk,” Kirishima giggled as he scratched the back of his head. His best friend didn’t even attempt to retort an aggressive defense and only stared at the ground with a much softer glare than normal. Something had to be very wrong with him.

The redhead sympathetically reached out to him, but Bakugou immediately swatted him away and roamed off in another direction,

“Hey, why you cryin’, man? What’s wrong?” Kirishima called out to Bakugou as the latter continued to walk away from him— instantly tensing up,

“Nothing,” he spat as he entered Kirishima’s room and began rummaging for pants. Kirishima’s clouded mind didn’t even notice that he was naked until then.

“Hey, bro,” Kirishima followed Bakugou to his dresser. He reached out to his friend, placing a hand on his shoulder to both steady himself and comfort the blond, “I am not judging you I just want to he—”

“I SAID NOTHING, DAMMIT!” Bakugou snapped, smacking a clumsy Kirishima’s hand away before angrily stomping a few feet away to clothe himself. He slid down the hallway wall and took a seat to face your door, sending a weak glare in that direction.

Kirishima mindlessly followed after him and found a seat by his side, “Why aren’t you going inside then?” Kirishima shrugged as he struggled to keep himself from leaning.

“None of your god dammed business.”

“Oh…” Kirishima’s eyebrows were raised suddenly. He drunkenly blinked a few times, “You’re in trouble?!” he concluded incredulously, “You guys have never fought before, dude! What happened!?” he slurred loudly.

“Nothing!” Bakugou’s furrowed and defensive eyebrows dropped sadly for a few beats, before he could fix them.

Kirishima knew his friend more than Bakugou would like to give him credit for, “I-Is she okay?” he dragged himself up to his feet, “I can only imagine how much she’s hurting if you’re crying like this.” his words seemed to sober substantially.

“I’m okay, dammit. We are okay!” Bakugou threw his glare towards the ground before throwing his arms up to rest on his knees. His heart felt extremely heavy as he spoke for some reason. It was like when a lie hung heavily on his chest, but that couldn’t be the same feeling. He was sure that he wasn’t lying. The two of you were going to be okay.

Right?

Of course, you were.

Bakugou determinedly threw his head up towards his best friend, “Just go to sleep, you alcoholic!” he demanded in a slur before noticing that Krishima was not in the same place that he once was. He made a quick sweep of his surroundings and saw Kiri leaning with his ear pressed against your bedroom door, “HEY, bastard!! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

“Shhhh,” Krishima smashed a drunk finger against his lips, “She is crying Bakugou! I can hear her!!” the man’s face was twisted in utter terror as he looked back and forth from Bakugou to the door. He shook his head in disbelief as he grabbed onto your door handle, “I-I am gonna go in there and help her—”

“No! Stop, dammit,” Bakugou practically threw himself up and over to Kirishima before he could open your door. The two intoxicated men struggled against each other for a bit before Bakugou finally overpowered him and snatched him away.

“What’s your problem, Bakugou?!” Kirishima had yet to accept his loss and continued to struggle against Bakugou’s grip, “She needs our help!”

Bakugou gave him one final shove before choking up, “I fucked up, okay!?” He blurted with tears in his eyes.

The man anxiously grabbed his own hair and leaned back against the wall before once again painfully writhing down it as sobs dared to fly out from the back of his burning throat, “I… really fucked up.”

“How—” the word became stuck in Kirishimas mouth. Even inebriated, he knew that he would be overstepping his boundaries. Bakugou obviously wasn’t ready to talk about this. He hardly ever wanted to confront his mistakes, but in that moment, it seemed like it might have been more than just a simple mistake.

Whatever it was would have to be dealt with another day. But for now, all Kirishima could do was offer some encouraging words to his best friend.

The man sighed, “She really loves you, you know,” he began as he walked over to his crying friend and once more found a seat next to him. He continued with a soft, almost sad smile, “From the day she saw you. When, uh, we had our quirk tests the first day in Aizawa’s class? She lit up whenever you had your turn on the softball throw,” he smiled at the memory,

“She was always so calm and gentle, but she never really looked as happy as she did whenever you were involved, man,” Kirishima gave a sigh before softly throwing his head back onto the wall to watch the world spin. He gave a short laugh, “Even when she was dating Todoroki for that short while,” his smile slowly died down after a short silence,

“Whatever you did, she loves you, but it’s all on to you to fix it, man. You gotta start putting more effort into her. You can’t just rely on the fact that she is super loyal to you. Stop taking her for granted.”

This automatically sent flames under Bakugou, “What are you fucking getting at?” he spat.

“Relax man, I live with you guys, remember?” his words became more slurred as his eyes fluttered shut, “I see things. All I am saying is that you are always going to have a part of Y/N’s heart. But… you have to show her that you are deserving of that or else... she is eventually going to leave us.”

“How do I even know if I am deserving of her? What if..” the thought became stuck in Bakugou’s throat. He had to swallow hard to get his words flowing again, “What if she deserves better than me, dammit? I love her I know I do, but the terrible things I do and say just fly out so damn naturally,” he choked out. As much as he hated to admit it, it had only been a matter of time before he did something so terrible to you.

Bakugou angrily bumped his head against the wall behind him as tears continued to roll down his face, “I am such a fucking idiot. Fuck, I want to hold her and kiss her and tell her how much she means to me every day, but it’s like something in my DNA prevents me from doing that—from focusing on anything other than winning,” the blond shook his head in complete disgust at his own thoughts,

“What if all this time I thought that my relationship with her was holding me back from becoming the number one hero, when really, I was the one holding her back from being happy?” he finished as he looked over to his best friend.

However, Kirshima was already sound asleep, his head leaning awkwardly on the back wall.

Yes. Bakugou knew that he was a raging mess of a man. He knew that he didn’t deserve you, but he never wanted it to get to the point where you knew that too.

But as you stood in front of him with compete hatred in your eyes, about to abandon him, it was like all of his worst fears were coming to eat him alive.

“Please, don’t leave me…” he cried through gritted teeth as he buried his face into your stomach. He hated everything about himself right now. He was absolutely pathetic, and you had every right to leave his ass. He never should have looked at that woman,

“I-I am so in love with you,” he begged as he painfully gripped your waist. You were so good to him. You stayed with him through all of his shittiest moments—even when he was an ass to you. You were a complete angel—a blessing placed right in front of him that he had so foolishly tried to forsake so many times. God, you were the most beautiful thing that had ever happen to him.

So why then, did he fuck everything up so badly? He was complete and utter trash, yet you always still saw the best in him. He prayed that you could find the best on him just one more time, “Don’t give up on me…” tears finally could freely roll down his cheeks as he sobbed loudly into you.

Words couldn’t find their way out of your mouth. The many thoughts seemed to congregate in a massive mess in the forefront of your brain and became stuck in a traffic jam on the tip of your tongue.

Your lips fumbled over themselves, and nothing came out but disgruntled noise as you looked at the broken man in front of you.

The sight of him broke your heart to pieces.

No.

He broke your heart to pieces already. And still hasn’t even properly apologized to you.

“Bakugou,” you softly called out to him before he reluctantly looked up to your face. His wet eyes shimmered with only a glimpse of hope, but as soon as you grabbed his hands that were gripped around your waist and threw them off of you, that little hope died,

“You cheated on me—unashamed and unprotected. I deserve more than that. I deserve love, and... you can’t give that to me right now,” you choked out, your words not fully convincing even yourself. You had to dig deep within you to find resolve. You took a deep breath,

“I’m... I’m leaving,” you said lowly as tears streamed down your face. His wet cheeks matched yours as you promptly turned back towards the front door and left with nothing but your slippers, phone and car keys.

Bakugou couldn’t help but to stay frozen as he watched your form disappear behind the cold metal frame of the door. That couldn’t have just happened.

As minutes of him staring blankly at the door passed by, reality seemed to slap him in the face. He threw his head down to the ground as heavy and painful sobs ripped through his chest.

You weren’t faring much better as you tried to blink your blurry vision away and focus on the road in front of you as you drove. You didn’t even know where to go.

You couldn’t go to Jirou’s. She would probably go crazy on Bakugou and you had had enough yelling within the last 24 hours. Plus, it was way too early in the breakup for that. You honestly had very little faith in yourself that you would be able to maintain permanent distance from the man you love.

Loved?

No, the debilitating pain in your chest most definitely proved that the word was in present tense. You fought a sob from freeing itself from your sore throat as you frantically patted at your lap in an attempt to find your phone.

God, who could you call right now?

All of your friends but Jirou were just as close to Bakugou as they were you. You didn’t want to put anyone in the middle of your mess, but you felt like you were about to explode—like the sobs and tears could only release so much pressure. It wasn’t enough. You needed to vent, but to who?

You mindlessly dialed one of your contacts,

“Hello?! Y/N?”

“T-Todoroki...? Can you talk right now?” you croaked. You instantly tried to fix your voice through a subtle cough, “You sound… active. Are you busy?” you faked poise.

Yes, of course you knew that the ex-boyfriend card was way low, but you guys had honestly only dated for about three months ages ago in high school and had stayed close friends even after that. It wasn’t until your engagement to Bakugou where your friendship had eventually faded away—much to Bakugou’s enjoyment.

“No! Of course we can talk!” he gently argued. You could hear a lot of noise on the other end of the call before he continued, “I am just… surprised is all. It’s been a long time, after all,” he finished, but you could still hear a noise in the background. Were those sirens?

“Yeah, I know and I am really sorry for calling so suddenly,” you apologized, ignoring the distractions on the other line, “I just.. I don’t have anyone to talk to right now,” your eyes widened as you realized how terrible that must have sounded, “Not that you’re my final resort or anything I--!”

“No, it’s okay. I understand. So, what is it that you need to talk about?” he answered. As soon as he finished speaking you could hear screams on his side of the line.

“I—um,” the distractions were becoming too much for you, “Todoroki? Are you—uh, busy right now?”

“Truthfully, I am at work right now,” you could almost hear his familiar soft smile on the other end, “but it’s nothing major, just stopping a bank heist.”

“BANK HEIST!?” you gasped, before a laugh made it’s way from you. You were finally able to sniffle some of your tears away as the corners of you lips widened into a smile, “Oh my God, It’s really okay, Todoroki. It’s not that importa—”

“No, really, Y/N, it’s fine!” he interrupted, “You seem to be very upset. I would like to help you in any way that I can... Why don’t you come over to my house, so that we can properly talk? I’ll try to wrap things up on my side and meet you there as soon as I can.”

As soon as he finished speaking, your phone dinged. You quickly flashed the device towards your eyes as you tried to mind the road ahead of you:

My Son: Hey. I just wanted to check on you and make sure you were alright! Bakugou is throwing an absolute fit right now so maybe I should leave and give him space now😅... We can meet up at our diner and you can get me up to speed on…

“Y/N? You remember my address, right?” Todoroki snapped your attention away from the rest of the text, but you got the jest of it.

So, Kiri wanted to meet up as well, huh? But... were your really ready to face him?

You felt humiliated by just the thought.

Do you meet up with ex-boyfriend Todoroki? Or Best friend Kirishima?

YOU DECIDE!

Click this link to cast your vote!

#bakugou x reader #bakugou imagine #kiribaku #todoroki x reader #todoroki imagine #mha x reader #bnha x reader #mha imagines #bnha imagines #my hero academia #boku no academia #mha fanfiction

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dfroza · 4 years ago

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Today’s reading from the ancient book of Proverbs and book of Psalms

for july 11 of 2021 with Proverbs 11 and Psalm 11, accompanied by Psalm 22 for the 22nd day of Summer and Psalm 42 for day 192 of the year (now with the consummate book of 150 Psalms in its 2nd revolution this year)

[Proverbs 11]

Dishonesty in business disgusts the Eternal,

but fair dealing delights Him.

When pride comes, shame is not far behind,

but wisdom accompanies those who are humble.

The right-living are guided by integrity,

but the crooked ways of the faithless will lead to ruin.

Riches won’t matter on the day of wrath,

but right living will rescue from death.

The good deeds of the blameless pave a peaceful, productive path,

but wrongdoers trip over their own faults.

The good deeds of the upright will rescue them,

but the faithless will be conquered by their shallow desires.

When wrongdoers die, their hopes die with them.

Their great expectations vanish into nothing more than a dream.

Those who do right are pulled from trouble;

it falls on wrongdoers instead who are left to sink in their own problems.

The words of the godless ruin those close to them,

but through insight the right-living are spared.

When prosperity comes to those who do right, the whole city celebrates;

but when the wicked get their just punishment, there is joyous cheering.

A city thrives through the blessing of those living right,

but the words of a wrongdoer will bring it to ruin.

Whoever puts down another is not wise,

but one who knows better keeps quiet.

A gossip can’t keep anything confidential,

but a reliable person protects a secret.

Without wise guidance, a nation falls;

but victory is certain when there are plenty of wise counselors.

Trouble compounds when you guarantee a stranger’s debt,

but you’ll be safe if you refuse the pledge.

A gracious woman acquires honor,

but cruel people are only interested in acquiring money.

Kindness is its own reward,

but cruelty is a self-inflicted wound.

The wicked earn a living by deception,

but the one who plants righteousness gathers a true harvest.

Indeed, those who do what is right will live a good life,

but those who pursue evil will die.

The Eternal detests a crooked heart and a warped mind,

but He takes great pleasure in those who follow the right way.

Certainly those who do wrong will not escape punishment,

but those who do right will go free.

Much like a gold ring in the snout of a pig,

so is a beautiful woman who lacks good judgment.

Those who live right crave what is good,

but the prospect of wrongdoers is wrath.

One shares liberally and yet gains even more,

while another hoards more than is right and still has need.

A giving person will receive much in return,

and someone who gives water will also receive the water he needs.

Curses fall upon those who hoard food,

but blessings come to those who sell food.

Those who seek good find the goodwill of others,

but those who look for evil are sure to find it.

Those who trust in their wealth are headed for great disappointment,

but those who do right will sprout like green leaves in the spring.

A person who stirs up trouble in his family will inherit stormy winds,

and foolish troublers will end up serving the wise.

The tree of life grows where the fruit of right-living falls,

and whoever wins souls is wise.

If the righteous can expect to be repaid on earth,

how much more can the ungodly and the sinners?

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 11 (The Voice)

[Psalm 11]

For the worship leader. A song of David.

Psalm 11 is a Davidic psalm expressing trust in the Eternal as a refuge and fortress for those who do what is right. David spent many years struggling first with Saul, then with the neighboring nations, and finally against the rebellion led by his son Absalom.

I am already in the soft embrace of the Eternal,

so why do you beckon me to leave, saying,

“Fly like a bird to the mountains.

Look! The wicked approach with bows bent,

sneaking around in the shadows,

setting their arrows against their bowstrings to pierce everyone whose heart is pure.

If the foundations are crumbling,

is there hope for the righteous?”

But the Eternal has not moved; He remains in His holy temple.

He sits squarely on His heavenly throne.

He observes the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, examining us within and without,

exploring every fiber of our beings.

The Eternal searches the hearts of those who are good,

but He despises all those who can’t get enough of perversion and violence.

If you are evil, He will rain hot lava over your head,

will fill your cup with burning wind and liquid fire to scorch your insides.

The Eternal is right in all His ways;

He cherishes all that is upright.

Those who do what is right in His eyes will see His face.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 11 (The Voice)

[Psalm 22]

For the worship leader. A song of David to the tune “Deer of the Dawn.”

My God, my God, why have You turned Your back on me?

Your ears are deaf to my groans.

O my God, I cry all day and You are silent;

my tears in the night bring no relief.

Still, You are holy;

You make Your home on the praises of Israel.

Our mothers and fathers trusted in You;

they trusted, and You rescued them.

They cried out to You for help and were spared;

they trusted in You and were vindicated.

But I am a worm and not a human being,

a disgrace and an object of scorn.

Everyone who sees me laughs at me;

they whisper to one another I’m a loser; they sneer and mock me, saying,

“He relies on the Eternal; let the Eternal rescue him

and keep him safe because He is happy with him.”

But You are the One who granted me life;

You endowed me with trust as I nursed at my mother’s breast.

I was dedicated to You at birth;

You’ve been my God from my mother’s womb.

Stay close to me—

trouble is at my door;

no one else can help me.

I’m surrounded by many tormenters;

like strong bulls of Bashan, they circle around me with their taunts.

They open their mouths wide at me

like ravenous, roaring lions.

My life is poured out like water,

and all my bones have slipped out of joint.

My heart melts like wax inside me.

My strength is gone, dried up like shards of pottery;

my dry tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;

You lay me in the dust of death.

A throng of evil ones has surrounded me

like a pack of wild dogs;

They pierced my hands and ripped a hole in my feet.

I count all my bones;

people gawk and stare at me.

They make a game out of dividing my clothes among themselves;

they cast lots for the clothes on my back.

But You, O Eternal, stay close;

O You, my help, hurry to my side.

Save my life from violence,

my sweet life from the teeth of the wild dog.

Rescue me from the mouth of the lion.

From the horns of the wild oxen, You responded to my plea.

I will speak Your Name to my brothers and sisters

when I praise You in the midst of the community.

You who revere the Eternal, praise Him—

descendants of Jacob, worship Him;

be struck with wonder before Him, all you children of Israel.

He’s not put off

by the suffering of the suffering one;

He doesn’t pretend He hasn’t seen him;

when he pleaded for help, He listened.

You stir my praise in the great assembly;

I will fulfill my vows before those who humble their hearts before Him.

Those who are suffering will eat and be nourished;

those who seek Him will praise the Eternal.

May your hearts beat strong forever!

Those from the farthest reaches of the earth will remember

and turn back to look for the Eternal;

All the families of the nations

will worship You.

The Eternal owns the world;

He exercises His gentle rule over all the nations.

All the wealthy of the world will eat and worship;

all those who fall in the dust will bow before Him,

even the life that is headed to the grave.

Our children will serve Him;

future generations will hear the story of how the Lord rescued us.

They will tell the generations to come

of the righteousness of the Lord,

of what He has done.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 22 (The Voice)

[Book Two]

[Psalm 42]

For the worship leader. A contemplative song of the sons of Korah.

My soul is dry and thirsts for You, True God,

as a deer thirsts for water.

I long for the True God who lives.

When can I stand before Him and feel His comfort?

Right now I’m overwhelmed by my sorrow and pain;

I can’t stop feasting on my tears.

People crowd around me and say,

“Where is your True God whom you claim will save?”

With a broken heart,

I remember times before

When I was with Your people. Those were better days.

I used to lead them happily into the True God’s house,

Singing with joy, shouting thanksgivings with abandon,

joining the congregation in the celebration.

Why am I so overwrought?

Why am I so disturbed?

Why can’t I just hope in God?

Despite all my emotions, I will believe and praise the One

who saves me and is my life.

My God, my soul is so traumatized;

the only help is remembering You wherever I may be;

From the land of the Jordan to Hermon’s high place

to Mount Mizar.

In the roar of Your waterfalls,

ancient depths surge, calling out to the deep.

All Your waves break over me;

am I drowning?

Yet in the light of day, the Eternal shows me His love.

When night settles in and all is dark, He keeps me company—

His soothing song, a prayerful melody to the True God of my life.

Even still, I will say to the True God, my rock and strength:

“Why have You forgotten me?

Why must I live my life so depressed, crying endlessly

while my enemies have the upper hand?”

My enemies taunt me.

They shatter my soul the way a sword shatters a man’s bones.

They keep taunting all the day long,

“Where is He, your True God?”

Why am I so overwrought,

Why am I so disturbed?

Why can’t I just hope in God?

Despite all my emotions, I will believe and praise the One

who saves me, my God.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 42 (The Voice)

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the-voice-of-hell · 5 years ago

Text

The Septagram

- Previous - First -

***

PART SEVEN:

PARADISE

“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this bookTM.”

TMAvailable soon on Amazon Kindle!

***

The Queen was in control again, The Septagram was hers, and Seattle was done. The pink lights of faded halos lit, the orange light of Abalaam’s flaming corpse, and the white light of Amduscias filled the cavern adequately. Goat boys started to surround people, to lean on them, but Bymaan commanded them to stay their hands.

She straddled the neck of her camel - her throne - and commanded everybody’s attention with hands orant. “Today I have paid the price for sins of my past. I mistreated my wheels, Bybaal and Abalaam. Let me not repeat those sins today. My judgment is mercy. Jennifer, Sergio, stand before me.”

Jen grumped at the goats and they quailed away from her, as the two of them approached the Queen. Amduscias fell in beside them, despite his earlier treachery against Jen’s cause. She looked at the unicorn in consternation, then back to Bymaan.

The Queen said, “I wanted our shared blood to count for something, I wanted a chance for us to live together in love. But I can see now that will not be possible. For your crimes, you must be banished forever from The Septagram.”

Jen wanted to protest, to say Seattle’s name, but she knew it was over.

Bymaan continued, “I know you may be tempted to rebel, to cause trouble, Jennifer, but you owe it to Sergio to allow him to go home. Please be sensible.”

The unicorn looked at her and blinked softly. She knew better than to trust the beast now, but it was hard to stay mad at a unicorn. She and Sergio mounted the beast, and it leapt into the hole in the ceiling to carry them away.

“Now, Jamie Infante and Park Ji-hyung, stand before me.”

The cops staggered before the queen. Infante glared bullets at the angelic guard, who kept their distance. Park put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a deep look of concern. Don’t fuck this up. He understood. Whether or not he could restrain his temper was another matter.

Iphigenia walked beside the queen on the right, Cariamon took up a spot at her left. Infante found it hard to resist glaring at her, but the Queen commanded his attention.

“Jamie, you have resisted this invasion of your land with courage and honor, and suffered more from the hands of my forces than I would have preferred. But you remain our enemy. I expect no less of you.”

“Don’t call me Jamie.”

“Sergeant Infante,” she nodded respectfully, “you will be allowed to return to your country’s lands - to let them know what happened here. To let them know that The Septagram is here to stay. If you return in arms, you will be slain.”

“You can’t do this, devil lady. America always wins.”

Park said, “Accept my gratitude in lieu of his, please.”

“I do, Ji-hyung. Take care that you both leave our lands with all haste.”

He nodded eagerly. Cariamon gestured with his rod for some goat boys to help the men leave. They showed them to the ropes they’d used to descend, and helped Park get to climbing. They let Infante do that himself - understandably avoiding arm’s length of the furious nephilim. As Infante climbed up, he looked back to Iphigenia. She was looking straight at him.

“Madison, Jason, come before me.”

Jason helped his daughter along. He looked up at the queen with a slightly bowed head, but Maddy was too weary to make such a show of submission. Her head lolled on her shoulders.

“Your Majesty,” he said.

“Jason, Madison, you tried to take my subjects from me against their will. It is strictly forbidden. But you are not my subjects. In the spirit of amity between our nations - and because the beauty of your love has impressed me - I will allow you full amnesty for your crimes. I only ask that if you return to your family, respect their wishes in every way. If you tarry in The Septagram overlong, expect a visit from my legion. There will be rules for travel between our nations.”

“Uh, Thank you ma’am. -ness. High. Um.” He settled for a hasty nod. Words failed him. The eerie angel with the bone wings came from her side to help escort the two frail humans away.

“Clark Upton,” Queen Bymaan said, “you sought an audience with me?”

Clark stepped past the goat boys and such, took his place before her.

“I guess I wanted to know the score. Your army made its little announcement with a big show of force. How can people make an informed decision about something as big as their national allegiance, with goons goose-stepping door to door?”

“I understand, more than you know. Have you wondered at the source of your unusual power, Mr. Upton?”

“Eh...”

“You are a long lost cousin to every angel in this room - the descendant of love between the Hosts and of Man. That gives you a place of pride here. You helped me to defeat my treacherous lieutenant Abalaam, whether you willed it or not, and I am grateful. Take your time. Decide if you will join your brothers and sisters in The Septagram, or keep your allegiance to the Empire of America.”

“Well, alright. I’ll stick around for a bit, thank you.” He bowed.

He stepped back while the goat boys stepped forward. They all fell in around their Queen in worship. Iphigenia looked at the scene in mild disbelief. What had she gotten herself into?

Bymaan looked down at her kindly. “Go to her remains and practice this ritual to the letter. Do let me know if it doesn’t go right. It will restore her to life.” She handed the nephilim a glowing pink page, like the one from her vision, manifested from thin air.

Ippy accepted it with great care, and looked up at her. “This is your part in bringing her back. You said I had to do something too?”

“You had this power in you all along. As an angel, your blood can sustain her for as long as you live. No need for her to take the life of anyone else. Isn’t that sweet?”

She nodded. “Thank you. Thank you.”

The Queen turned to the goat boys. “Let your Primus know that your legion is now in her thrall. She is a Knight of Hell, by my decree.”

“Your Majesty!,” they bleated and hustled to make her will a reality.

***

The demon legionnaires escorted Maddy and Jason out to Broadway and abandoned them there. People and monsters were still ogling the ruins, helping survivors, or chattering in excitement. They hobbled the opposite direction of that crush, to the south.

Maddy cried, “Where are we going?”

Jason said, “There might still be somebody working in the Pill Hill hospitals. If not, maybe we can find a way to patch up your leg there on our own.”

“Oh. How far is it?”

“All this hipster bullshit down here? Just past that. See the taller building back there? That’s one of ’em. I don’t remember if it’s Swedish or Virginia Mason.”

“So far...”

“I could throw ya over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes, Princess.”

“Don’t be mean, Daddy.”

“Hehe, I don’t mean it like that. But you’re less up for walking than I am. How about a piggy-back ride?”

“Ugh.”

A dolphin with sexy lady legs walked up to them. “Heya! You need a hand?” She didn’t have hands, but it didn’t come off like a bad joke somehow.

“No thanks,” Jason groaned. Trusting one of those demons with his baby was the last thing he was going to do.

“I’m sorry,” the dolphin thing said, and it walked away.

“Thank you, Daddy. I can’t...”

“I can’t either. Mom and Kevin are nuts. The world is nuts.”

“Mm-hm.”

They hobbled along mutely, the weirdos of the world washing past them in a carnival blur. Past the college the hill turned down some, then again past the QFC. They came to the northern base of Pill Hill - a lump of hospitals, now dominated by black citadels. The handful of citadels around the hospital district were very tall, but only about the width and depth of a city block, so odds were good a substantial amount of hospital still stood somewhere between them.

There was a short but very steep length of hill at first. They struggled and Maddy cried a few times, but when they got to the top, it was a fairly straight gentle slope down, with hospitals and clinics along the way.

The foot traffic never stopped, but it was a good sign - it seemed like people were coming to the area for medical attention, implying there was indeed a hospital open.

They reached the emergency room at Virginia Mason, and it was hopping. The atmosphere wasn’t quite war zone and it wasn’t quite Mos Eisley cantina, but it was bizarre. The hospital staff were supplemented with Hell’s weirdos, looking like Jim Henson creations in scrubs. Jason took Maddy to the counter.

“Welcome,” said the lady. “Where and how are you hurt today?”

Maddy said, “I have a broken ankle, and… probably more.”

“Any bleeding?”

“Not a lot?”

“And you, sir?”

Jason said, “Not much. Could be worth a look at the ol’ bones, if radiology’s still a thing.”

“It is. Give me your full names, dates of birth, gender.”

Jason started to pull out his wallet and the lady waved dismissively. “Put it away. Nobody’s keeping track of any of this.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Is Queen Bymaan a pinko? Is that how this is all going to work now? Who’s gonna pay for that, when you start to run out of… supplies… and stuff?”

“I don’t have time for this. Names, dates of birth, gender.” She put two very simple forms on the counter, near the ballpoint pen that was chained to the counter. They surely weren’t the hospital standard, more like something hastily composed in Word, printed, and cut into fourths with scissors.

Maddy filled hers out, then Jason. He looked at the lady expectantly.

“It ain’t that different from usual. Now you get to go wait.” She pointed to the lobby.

They went among the random citizens of the Septagram and sat nervously. There were no magazines to read. They put their heads together and quietly planned their escape.

***

Amduscias had abdicated a great deal of power in Hell for the opportunity to come to Earth. He breathed air, flexed his muscles, galloped across the asphalt wherever the nephilim told him to go. It was an amusing fiction - the idea of being a simple beast of burden, an object of affection for a horse girl. He’d keep it going until a more interesting diversion presented itself.

He leapt across the cavernous collapse of the interstate highway, landing on the north side with a scramble, then kept on - throwing sparks from his powerful cloven hooves.

The early afternoon sun was golden and warm, but the unicorn was fast enough to put some cooling wind on Jen’s cheeks. She appreciated it. Part of her wondered if she should trace the same path as Rosemarie and the others, up Westlake to the north - just in case the legions had proven less honorable and left them as rat-gnawed bones along the way. But I-5 would be the fastest way out of The Septagram, and she was sick of the place.

The elevated highway was so weak from recent abuse that it wobbled under a thousand pounds of horse-like demon duke and a few hundred pounds of angel-flavored people. It stabilized more as it turned into a bridge over the Ship Canal out into the U District.

Sergio slapped her side to get her attention and she slowed Amduscias to a canter. She said, “What’s up, Serge?” It was still a little hard to hear her over the hoofbeats.

“This is north, huh?”

“Yeah. Quickest way out of the state, up to Canadia.”

“They will be trouble at the border.”

“We can go off to some quiet spot and hop the fence. But I do wanna see how Rosie and John are doin’, if I can find ’em. What do you think?”

“I want to go to Venezuela. We should go in as legal, wait as much as we have to, so I can be able to go.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, buddy.” Her voice became too quiet to hear.

“Jen.” He circled her waist more fully with his arms and leaned his chin on her shoulder. It was a bit of a reach - they were a similar height and she wasn’t small in the middle. “You know we have a different lifes. I can’t say we will always like each other. But I would like if you come to Venezuela with me. As my lover.” He kissed her ear. It was flaming hot, bright pink.

She slowed to a trot, turned to get an arm around him and they kissed. As she broke the awkward embrace, she said, “Maybe.”

Amduscias whickered in amusement and went back up to a canter without prompting. Some of the trees alongside the highway had become magically overgrown, towering into the sky. Some weeds had grown up beside them, to become nearly as tall as regular trees. The scent of blackberries was heavy in the air. The crows and gulls steered clear of the streets and buildings, where pigeons starlings and sparrows had become larger than hawks. Some tiny demons rode them like steeds, merrily jousting in the sky.

It was a new world, and they left it behind.

***

Infante and Park had been offered assistance on the way out of the rubble, but Infante insisted on doing things the hard way, and Park didn’t want to let the guy out of his sight. They finished the climb a half hour later than Maddy and Jason, with their goatish escort.

The men reached a peak in the rubble and surveyed Seattle. The sky and land were full of weirdos. Black citadels still remained - three in a tight cluster at the southwest end of the hill, one beyond it on Beacon Hill, one directly downhill from them in Amazon territory, and one out north on the green woolly side of Queen Anne.

Military surveillance craft were soaring high above. Would one of those drop a nuke before the cops had a chance to escape the region, make good on their exile? What did Uncle Sam have in store for the occupied territory?

Park said, “I don’t think they’re going to babysit us on the way out. Might as well go back to Tacoma and pack our bags.”

“This is ate up, sir. I can’t fucking stand it.”

“We weren’t ready. Shit happens. I don’t wanna wait around for it to get worse. Let’s go, Sergeant.”

Jamie looked at him with a miserable expression mangling his perfect face. His lower lip was almost comically pouty.

Ji-hyung shed a tear and worked his own lips wordlessly, tried to press the emotions down. He swallowed a lump and spoke quietly. The wind threatened to steal the words away completely. “We got the murder clubs. Let’s take that win and go. Please.”

Jamie nodded and hugged him. “I will. I won’t cause trouble now. For you.”

Ji-hyung kissed him.

A bergamot with court jester legs, bird feet for arms, and a lizard head mocked them. “Oooh, kissy kissy.”

Infante flicked it away with a finger and it tumbled down a dark crevice into nothingness. They both flinched and froze, unsure if that would bring down the troops.

A minute later, when it did not, they made their way down the mountain of debris.

***

Iphigenia entered the Cherry Hill Citadel with an escort of legionnaires. She bid them to leave her alone and they did. The stairs were worse on the way up than coming down - so many flights. The afternoon light coming through the slot-like windows wasn’t strong enough to fully illuminate the path, but it was strong enough to make the interior lights too weak to see by either. It was one of those times of day where seeing was situationally worse than in the middle of the night. She turned on the flashlight in her shirt pocket and it barely helped.

At last, she came to the throne room. It was still a shambles, covered in corpses, weapons, shell casings, and bird shit. She swallowed emotion and walked quickly to the place beside the throne, where Jelly Sue had crumbled. Her shards were sullied with gore from dead angels. Would the dust be pure enough to bring her back?

Ippy looked at her hands. She was clean enough now. The skin at her knuckles was in serious need of lotion. The dark brown on the back, the lighter color beneath, the thinness, the protruding tendons when she moved her fingers - all normal enough. But they were the hands that had made Bymaan the Queen of The Septagram - had ensured Lucifer’s continued dominion over a part of the Earth.

She could think of a lot of people who wouldn’t approve of that. Churchy relatives shook their heads at her from the sides of her mind. They were easy, however, to brush away. She took the pink paper out of a pocket.

The page was covered in archaic and arcane bullshit she would not normally understand, but the meaning magically passed from the page into her mind. She needed to create elaborate symbols around the remains, chant to the demon kings, and focus her will on the task for as long as it would take.

She looked at the broken ceramic at her feet. If she didn’t go through with the ritual, she’d never experience whatever spell the vampire had her under again. She’d be free, be whoever she wanted to be.

No, that was not what she wanted at all. Maybe a spell was part of it, the vampire spirit using the allure of a pretty doll to get at her angelic blood. But what she felt was real. Who knew what that pissed off cop was planning at this point? Might as well make it worthwhile - and fulfill her heart’s true desire.

She found she could make the glowing lines of the symbols by running her hands over the brick tiles of the floor. It was still hard work, on hands and knees, requiring a focus she used to need medicine to maintain. She mumbled the words, the meaning in her will more important than the ones in her mouth.

The sun’s rays grew longer as they poured through the room, creeping higher as the sun went lower. By the time she was done, there was no more daylight at the level of the bricks - just her magic symbols glowing softly in pink. Her palms were raw, the knees of her pants worn through, her back and thighs cramping. She avoided the sight of the remains, her focus on the task - on finding her vampire soul and bringing it back.

An angel looked in on her, then turned away, directing a few others to stay back as well. She needed privacy.

At last, the symbols were complete. She dragged herself to her feet against the side of an altar, staggered to the center of the circle - to the remains - and made the final invocations. “To Zimimmar, King of the North, I beseech you. To Egyn, King if the Northeast, I plead. To Oriens, King of the East, I cry. To Amaymaan, King of the South and Lord of Greed, I pray. To Korsaan, Monarch of the South, I prostrate myself. To Monarch Pruchlaas of the Southwest, hear me. To King Gaap of the West, please. To Queen Bymaan of the Northwest, the powers left to you in Hell, I need them with me. Kings of the Corners, invest me with dominion over Life and Death, in this moment I pray.”

She felt her sense of her own body jar out of place, like a fever dementing proprioception, but not as severe. It was a schism between body and soul. When she moved her arms, the body took a few moments to catch up to her soul.

Iphigenia fell to her knees over the shards and raised her arms above them. A white glow began there, and her hands moved into it, caught it like a twig passing through flame. She pushed it down, not sure exactly what she was doing at this point in the ritual.

She knew she’d achieved some kind of altered state, but that it could be lost with a moment’s distraction. That thought itself was a distraction that sent her flailing. She waved her arms, trying to grab the magic before it flew away. Too late. She was just Ippy again.

She fell to her side and gave up. Maybe it was hopeless, maybe the Queen could make it work by her own hand. She squeezed her eyes shut. Then she felt a disturbing pulsing sensation within her gunshot wound. The unicorn hadn’t healed everything in her.

A trickle of blood rose there, raced over her skin when it broke the surface tension at the lip of the wound. It was trapped by her shirt. Realizing what it could mean, she pulled the shirt down to her elbows and brought the wound closer to the shattered remains.

Ippy bled more. Where did she get all this blood from? Was that her real super power? She was getting light-headed and ill, so there must be a limit. She let herself blow right past that, vomited a little, and slumped to the floor in paralysis.

Arms burst out of the plaster and gripped the floor. Iphigenia couldn’t move to see. The arms pulled themselves up, slow enough for a head and shoulders to assemble from the shards. Rows of evenly spaces holes broke across the surface of the bald head and black strands squirmed free, snake like.

The blood soaked through the grains of the remaining shards turning them to red mud that sloshed in turmoil. The color wasn’t far from the dark skin veneer over the hollow ceramic vampire. She hoisted her hips out of the shards, kept on, as stiff and clumsy as befit a doll brought to life.

Jelly Sue escaped the grave. She was facedown, and halfway down the steps of the shallow pool that had been evaporated in the battle where she was shattered, a mound of perfect glossy black ringlets burying her head.

They both lay there a while, recovering the power of motion. Jelly pushed herself up to hands and knees, crawled to her owner. “Ippy?”

Iphigenia rolled onto her back enough to look at her doll. “Jelly. I’m happy to see you.”

“I’m happy to see you, too.” The doll laid down beside her owner and looked at her with big sparkling eyes, alert but with no trace of the heavy feelings that had brought her back from destruction. No human soul.

Iphigenia felt good again, felt right.

***

The unicorn had been an issue. The border guards tried to kill him and Jen and Sergio barely escaped death in a hail of bullets. Mounties and American creeps, brothers in arms against the supernatural. Amduscias did get away, to the land of maple syrup and moose. After that, the only way to free Sergio was to act like riding a demonic creature into Canada was all her idea.

That was it. Jen spent several months in a Canadian detention center, waiting for the countries to decide what to do with her. While she waited, she tested her strength in the cell at night. She wasn’t as powerful, but still much stronger than she had been before the Host came. She surmised it was her proximity to Hell’s lands. They had conquered from Olympia to Everett, with a few dozen miles of DMZ all around.

One day, she was finally and inexplicably freed. They walked her to the gate without a word, cold, like a scene out of an Ed Norton movie. Then she saw the reason and smiled for the first time in ages. Rosemarie was there, wearing dark brown sunglasses and a business skirt, leaning on an expensive silver sedan.

She embraced her friend. “Oh. My. GOD! How did you do this?”

“Easy, baby. Easy on me.” She wheezed a bit beneath the power hug.

Jen smooched her on the cheek and let her go. “OK, but you gotta tell me. What the hell is going on?”

“I’m rich now. You know how it is. Rich people get what they want.”

Jen pummelled her with soft little jabs. “C’mooon, what’re you hiding?”

“OK, I have the mark, right? So after the dust settled, I had dual citizenship in the United States and The Septagram. That gave me travel rights, where I could get a cool job. A lot of money for nothing, ya know?”

Jen crinkled her nose. “What the fuck is happening out here?”

“It’s a whole new world. I don’t have enough clout to break your exile, but I was able to get some of your stuff out of your apartment, rented you a place in Portland.”

“The Rose City? No way.”

“The Emerald City is gone, girl. Portland has better concerts anyway.”

“This stinks.” She looked around at the mossy, ugly border burg and its cracked concrete.

“Get in, loser. It’s gonna be a long drive.”

“Alright. Hey, did my unicorn ever turn up?”

“Oh my god, just stop.”

Rosemarie shoved her friend roughly down into the passenger seat - which would have been impossible if Jen didn’t let it happen. Then she walked around and got behind the wheel.

“Seattle’s gone. It’s The Septagram now. How am I supposed to feel about that?,” Jen asked.

“Same as my Duwamish grandma. Shit happens.”

Jen nodded grimly, then squeezed her hand. “I didn’t think anybody would come for me.”

“Everybody loves you, stupid.”

She smiled and cried. Rosemarie started the car.

***

Jamie looked at Ji-hyung from across the hotel room. He was brooding again. He was trying to come off as sexily stoic, but it was a poor act to conceal deep concern or sadness. What a nuisance.

“You have got to tell me what’s bothering you.”

“Me, bothered? I’ve got it all right now.”

“Bullshit, sir. You’ve been having visions again.”

“Again? No. They never stopped.”

“Yeah, well, a new one is messing with your head. You gotta get yourself squared away, dude.” He wagged a judgmental finger. It was at odds with the rest of his presentation - stark naked sitting in bed, muscular body and half-ready manhood way too erotic for such displays.

“Don’t trouble yourself, Jamie. You always carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

“Naw, that’s what they call projection, sir.”

Ji-hyung was wearing a suit shirt and tie, but no pants. He took off his underwear as he sat on the bed. “Is it? When we got here, you were expecting to get a big debrief and then go straight back to war, right? But nobody wanted a war except you.”

“That’s not true. I had a couple of senators in my corner.” They were in Washington DC - had been since their escape from Washington state.

“And how did that work out for you?” He loosened his tie.

“You think you’re going to distract me? This is about you.”

He whipped off the tie and pulled open his shirt. “It’s about me, huh? You know what that means.”

“Goddamn it.”

Ji-hyung’s gambit work. He distracted the young guy with sex and love. They did some dirty stuff, then eased down into passionate kissing and a close embrace. They left a sheet between them so they wouldn’t get too sticky.

Jamie was half-asleep. Ji-hyung admired his face and his body, sadly. He knew what was coming. In theory, he could stop it. Make an excuse to rush Jamie out the door, convince him to go somewhere else. But something in changing the future paralyzed him, filled him with dread - even if the future untouched was dreadful enough as it was to be.

The clock moved around its lazy arc and Ji-hyung breathed in Jamie’s aura, tried to savor every moment. When the clock struck 3:21, he said, “You might wanna get dressed, Sergeant. You have visitors.”

“Wh-what?”

“They’re going to knock on the door in two minutes, give you everything you want.”

“This is it. This is what you’ve been worried about.”

“Get some pants on, Jamie.” Ji-hyung pulled the sheet over himself and away from Jamie.

“Fuck.” He got up and threw on a tank top and some khakis. The door started making noise as he was just finishing the second pant leg. “COMING.”

He answered the door without letting them in, or letting them have a view of the bed. “Senator Chilvers. I’m sorry, you caught me in a messy situation.”

“It’s alright, Sergeant Infante. I know you know how to handle a mess. Can you meet with us downstairs in ten minutes?”

“Yeah. Yes sir. See you soon.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Infante closed the door and came back. “What is it, Ji-hyung? What is everything I want?”

“Another run at The Septagram. Revenge. There’s still no political will to send Queen Bymaan back to Hell, but a secret faction has formed in the DoD that wants to run an op. You’re in.”

“You saw all that in a vision? Wasn’t just some pheasants and swords you’re misinterpreting?”

“I did. It wasn’t.” He pulled the sheet up under his nose and stared sadly at Jamie.

The beautiful guy flexed and sighed. “What is it? Am I going to die?”

“I don’t know. But I know I’m never going to see you again.”

Jamie swallowed a lump. Ji-hyung was right.

***

Clark and Thurston wore tuxes, like most nights in The Septagram. Neither had accepted the mark and neither were completely comfortable about the overtly infernal nature of the realm, but it was the place to be - and as artists, that was where they had to ply their trade. They were in the Denny Regrade Citadel, formerly ruled by Abalaam, hobnobbing with the elite.

The crude edges from its rise to earth had been smoothed and polished. A painstakingly installed elevator had made the trip to the throne room tolerable. Electric chandeliers gleamed on the gold leaf rococo accents, new to the room. Angels and important humans laughed and drank wine.

The men found themselves alone for a moment. Clark leaned over and kissed Thurston on the cheek.

Thurston raised eyebrows. “Are we feeling ourselves tonight?”

“Every night. But what about you? Still afraid this is like selling your soul?”

He sighed. “Well, it’s only a little more obvious than kissing rich asses to keep the theatre in donations. And at least a nascent monarchy has an art budget that isn’t subject to the vagaries of real estate prices.”

“That’s a fact, my friend. Want to dance?”

“Performing for free?”

“For fun. Remember fun, Thurston?”

He rolled his pretty dark eyes. “OK, let’s get this over with...”

He led Clark to the dance floor, knowing full well the old man would end up leading the dance itself.

Queen Bymaan relaxed on the Citadel’s throne. It was a sculpture styled to look like a great chariot, horse sculptures suspended from the ceiling, like it was trying to fly away. Pet giantess fetishists clung to her thighs like nerdy dogs and the ambassador from America eyeballed her breasts unsubtly.

“Your Majesty,” he said, “Do not take this to be the official position of the United States government, but I thank God every day that he cast you down where we can behold you. You are radiant.”

“I’m still not letting you have the nukes back, Chuck.”

“I don’t flatter myself to believe you’d be moved by my flattery. It’s genuine.”

She smiled. Earth boys are easy.

Iphigenia was in deep black coattails and a gold lamé sash over slate grey silk clothing and tall shining black boots. Her hair was cleaned and braided in front, blossoming into a shiny waterfall behind her. She cracked the fingers of white-gloved hands and sat at the grand piano. The band died down and dancers slowed, looking for guidance.

Jelly Sue was in a red satin ball gown that was far too long. She lifted the skirt enough to walk up a step stool, and take a place seated atop the piano. She looked to Ippy with a placid smile.

“Warm up?,” Ippy asked. Jelly didn’t need it. Her voice never cracked, but Ippy thought it was cute. She raised a little brandy glass and pinged it with a cocktail fork.

Jelly responded, “Mimimimi-miiii...”

“That’s good, Jelly.”

They smiled sweetly at each other. Then Ippy raised an eyebrow and started to play. It was a slow, gentle jazz tune - an original, composed with help from a herald demon or two. She played with some force to establish the rhythm, then lightened her touch on the keys as Jelly Sue started to sing.

Her voice was flawless, high, but strong.

“Some friends you find

In a dusty mausoleum.

Some friends you find

So dirty you can’t see ’em

Who ever wants to be alone?

Make your friends of dolls or bones

When I need a knife to cut you free

That’s when you mean the most to me

I see you in the darkest hour

I see you and I grow in power

You are the blood in my glass

Some friends you find

In the tomb and filthy rubble.

Some friends you find, and

If you love them, bring a shovel.”

Clark was moved by the romantic melody, and hugged Thurston in the middle of their dance. Thurston obliged him with a gentle kiss on the forehead, but never lost sight of the creature on the piano. Her song chilled his blood.

***

The Homme family were comfortable inside a spacious living room with recessed lighting and puffy beige carpet. Outside, a cold winter wind threatened snow that never seemed to arrive.

Jason relaxed with his feet up on the ottoman, his lovely wife Heather beside him. Madison was at the far end of the couch in a ball, watching her boyfriend Braden and her brother Freddy playing on the Xbox. Grown men acting like kids. Typical. At least they didn’t cuss at each other anymore.

The phone rang and Heather got up to catch it. Jason looked down the long couch at Maddy. “Your beau is duelling your brother to the death. It’s very Shakespearean, Princess.”

“It’s Smash Brawl, Daddy, not rapiers in Verona.”

Freddy suddenly sat up, letting his character get tossed into a pit. “It’s Mortal Kombat, Sis! Are you freaking kidding me?”

Braden said, “That’s teamwork. Thanks for the help, Hon.”

“No fair! Ugh.”

Heather came back and sat on the table a little disturbed looking.

“What’s the matter, Mommy?”

“Oh? Sorry, Baby. Your Daddy isn’t going to like it.”

“What was it? The IRS.”

“Your brother.”

He pointed a finger at her. “That’s right. I don’t like it.”

“He said he’s got a piece of waterfront on Mercer Island now, wants us to come for a visit.”

“Why the hell would we want to do that? I’m sorry, Honey.”

“Daddy.”

Heather held both hands up to calm. “He’s your brother, and you should at least consider it.”

“That ship has sailed, Honey. Right out to the Puget Sound and smashed on some rocks. He can be somebody else’s brother. Some kinda… goat-faced sunuvabitch.”

The younger guys put down the controllers and turned to face the conversation. Braden said, “Man, waterfront on Mercer Island? How loaded is old Kevin now anyway?”

Freddy said, “We should go! It sounds lit, dogg.”

“I’ll show you lit, if you talk that trash in my house, Son.”

“Naw, seriously. The war is over. We can go there and back, no problem. Why are you so worried?”

Maddy said, “You weren’t there, Freddy! Even if they aren’t fighting, it’s dangerous. And it’s just wrong! You don’t go and get the Mark of the Beast.”

Jason said, “She’s right. And look what they’re doing with it. People are making all this money. They say in the Bible you get the mark so you can do commerce, right? You might as well just sign your soul over in blood.”

Freddy said, “Psh. I gueeess.”

He tugged his sleeves down a little farther.

--The End

***

#The Septagram

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dfroza · 4 years ago

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Today’s reading from the ancient books of Proverbs and Psalms

for Wednesday, november 11 of 2020 with Proverbs 11 and Psalm 11, accompanied by Psalm 51 for the 51st day of Autumn, and Psalm 16 for day 316 of the year (now with the consummate book of 150 Psalms in its 3rd revolution this year)

[Proverbs 11]

To set high standards for someone else,

and then not live up to them yourself,

is something that God truly hates.

But it pleases him when we apply the right standards

of measurement.

When you act with presumption,

convinced that you’re right,

don’t be surprised if you fall flat on your face!

But walking in humility helps you to make wise decisions.

Integrity will lead you to success and happiness,

but treachery will destroy your dreams.

When Judgment Day comes,

all the wealth of the world won’t help you one bit.

So you’d better be rich in righteousness,

for that’s the only thing that can save you in death.

Those with good character walk on a smooth path,

with no detour or deviation.

But the wicked keep falling because of their own wickedness.

Integrity will keep a good man from falling.

But the unbeliever is trapped,

held captive to his sinful desires.

When an evil man dies, all hope is lost,

for his misplaced confidence goes in the coffin

and gets buried along with him.

Lovers of God are snatched away from trouble,

and the wicked show up in their place.

The teachings of hypocrites can destroy you,

but revelation knowledge will rescue the righteous.

The blessing that rests on the righteous

releases strength and favor to the entire city,

but shouts of joy will be heard when the wicked one dies.

The blessing of favor resting upon the righteous

influences a city to lift it higher,

but wicked leaders tear it apart by their words.

To quarrel with a neighbor is senseless.

Bite your tongue; be wise and keep quiet!

You can’t trust gossipers with a secret;

they’ll just go blab it all.

Put your confidence instead in a trusted friend,

for he will be faithful to keep it in confidence.

People lose their way without wise leadership,

but a nation succeeds and stands in victory

when it has many good counselors to guide it.

The evil man will do harm when confronted by a righteous man,

because he hates those who await good news.

A gracious, generous woman

will be honored with a splendid reputation,

but the woman who hates the truth

lives surrounded with disgrace and by men

who are cutthroats, only greedy for money.

A man of kindness attracts favor,

while a cruel man attracts nothing but trouble.

Evil people may get a short-term gain,

but to sow seeds of righteousness

will bring a true and lasting reward.

A son of righteousness experiences the abundant life,

but the one who pursues evil hurries to his own death.

The Lord can’t stand the stubborn heart bent toward evil,

but he treasures those whose ways are pure.

Assault your neighbor and you will certainly be punished,

but God will rescue the children of the godly.

A beautiful woman who abandons good morals

is like a fine gold ring dangling from a pig’s snout.

True lovers of God are filled with longings

for what is pleasing and good,

but the wicked can only expect doom.

Generosity brings prosperity,

but withholding from charity brings poverty.

Those who live to bless others

will have blessings heaped upon them,

and the one who pours out his life to pour out blessings

will be saturated with favor.

People will curse the businessman with no ethics,

but the one with a social conscience receives praise from all.

Living your life seeking what is good for others brings untold favor,

but those who wish evil for others will find it coming back on them.

Keep trusting in your riches and down you’ll go!

But the lovers of God rise up like flowers in the spring.

The fool who brings trouble to his own family

will be cut out of the will,

and the family servant will do better than he.

But a life lived loving God bears lasting fruit,

for the one who is truly wise wins souls.

If the righteous are barely saved,

what’s in store for all the wicked?

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 11 (The Passion Translation)

[Psalm 11]

For the worship leader. A song of David.

I am already in the soft embrace of the Eternal,

so why do you beckon me to leave, saying,

“Fly like a bird to the mountains.

Look! The wicked approach with bows bent,

sneaking around in the shadows,

setting their arrows against their bowstrings to pierce everyone whose heart is pure.

If the foundations are crumbling,

is there hope for the righteous?”

But the Eternal has not moved; He remains in His holy temple.

He sits squarely on His heavenly throne.

He observes the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, examining us within and without,

exploring every fiber of our beings.

The Eternal searches the hearts of those who are good,

but He despises all those who can’t get enough of perversion and violence.

If you are evil, He will rain hot lava over your head,

will fill your cup with burning wind and liquid fire to scorch your insides.

The Eternal is right in all His ways;

He cherishes all that is upright.

Those who do what is right in His eyes will see His face.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 11 (The Voice)

[Psalm 51]

A David Psalm, After He Was Confronted by Nathan About the Affair with Bathsheba

Generous in love—God, give grace!

Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.

Scrub away my guilt,

soak out my sins in your laundry.

I know how bad I’ve been;

my sins are staring me down.

You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen

it all, seen the full extent of my evil.

You have all the facts before you;

whatever you decide about me is fair.

I’ve been out of step with you for a long time,

in the wrong since before I was born.

What you’re after is truth from the inside out.

Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.

Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean,

scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life.

Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,

set these once-broken bones to dancing.

Don’t look too close for blemishes,

give me a clean bill of health.

God, make a fresh start in me,

shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.

Don’t throw me out with the trash,

or fail to breathe holiness in me.

Bring me back from gray exile,

put a fresh wind in my sails!

Give me a job teaching rebels your ways

so the lost can find their way home.

Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,

and I’ll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.

Unbutton my lips, dear God;

I’ll let loose with your praise.

Going through the motions doesn’t please you,

a flawless performance is nothing to you.

I learned God-worship

when my pride was shattered.

Heart-shattered lives ready for love

don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.

Make Zion the place you delight in,

repair Jerusalem’s broken-down walls.

Then you’ll get real worship from us,

acts of worship small and large,

Including all the bulls

they can heave onto your altar!

The Book of Psalms, Poem 51 (The Message)

[Psalm 16]

The Golden Secret

A precious song, engraved in gold, by King David

Keep me safe, O mighty God.

I run for dear life to you, my safe place.

So I said to the Lord God,

“You are my Maker, my Mediator, and my Master.

Any good thing you find in me has come from you.”

And he said to me, “My holy lovers are wonderful,

my majestic ones, my glorious ones,

fulfilling all my desires.”

Yet there are those who yield to their weakness,

and they will have troubles and sorrows unending.

I never gather with such ones,

nor give them honor in any way.

Lord, I have chosen you alone as my inheritance.

You are my prize, my pleasure, and my portion.

I leave my destiny and its timing in your hands.

Your pleasant path leads me to pleasant places.

I’m overwhelmed by the privileges

that come with following you,

for you have given me the best!

The way you counsel and correct me makes me praise you more,

for your whispers in the night give me wisdom,

showing me what to do next.

Because you are close to me and always available,

my confidence will never be shaken,

for I experience your wrap-around presence every moment.

My heart and soul explode with joy—full of glory!

Even my body will rest confident and secure.

For you will not abandon me to the realm of death,

nor will you allow your Holy One to experience corruption.

For you bring me a continual revelation of resurrection life,

the path to the bliss that brings me face-to-face with you.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 16 (The Passion Translation)

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dfroza · 4 years ago

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Today’s reading from the ancient books of Proverbs and Psalms

for April 25 of 2021 with Proverbs 25 and Psalm 25, accompanied by Psalm 37 for the 37th day of Spring and Psalm 115 for day 115 of the year

[Proverbs 25]

Solomon’s proverbs, published by the scribes of King Hezekiah:

God conceals the revelation of his word

in the hiding place of his glory.

But the honor of kings is revealed

by how they thoroughly search out

the deeper meaning of all that God says.

The heart of a king is full of understanding,

like the heavens are high and the ocean is deep.

If you burn away the impurities from silver,

a sterling vessel will emerge from the fire.

And if you purge corruption from the kingdom,

a king’s reign will be established in righteousness.

Don’t boast in the presence of a king

or promote yourself by taking a seat at the head table

and pretending that you’re someone important.

For it is better for the king to say to you,

“Come, you should sit at the head table,”

than for him to say in front of everyone,

“Please get up and move—

you’re sitting in the place of the prince.”

Don’t be hasty to file a lawsuit.

By starting something you wish you hadn’t,

you could be humiliated when you lose your case.

Don’t reveal another person’s secret

just to prove a point in an argument,

or you could be accused of being a gossip

and gain a reputation for being one

who betrays the confidence of a friend.

Winsome words spoken at just the right time

are as appealing as apples gilded in gold

surrounded with silver.

When you humbly receive wise correction,

it adorns your life with beauty

and makes you a better person.

A reliable, trustworthy messenger

refreshes the heart of his master,

like a gentle snowfall at harvest time.

Clouds that carry no water

and a wind that brings no refreshing rain—

that’s what you’re like when you boast

of a gift that you don’t have.

[Wisdom Practices Self-Control]

Use patience and kindness when you want to persuade leaders

and watch them change their minds right in front of you.

For your gentle wisdom will quell the strongest resistance.

When you discover something sweet,

don’t overindulge and eat more than you need,

for excess in anything can make you sick of even a good thing.

Don’t wear out your welcome

by staying too long at the home of your friends,

or they may get fed up with always having you there

and wish you hadn’t come.

Lying about and slandering people

are as bad as hitting them with a club,

or wounding them with an arrow,

or stabbing them with a sword.

You can’t depend on an unreliable person

when you really need help.

It can be compared to biting down on an abscessed tooth

or walking with a sprained ankle.

When you sing a song of joy to someone suffering

in the deepest grief and heartache,

it can be compared to disrobing in the middle of a blizzard

or rubbing salt in a wound.

Is your enemy hungry? Buy him lunch.

Win him over with your kindness.

Your surprising generosity will awaken his conscience

and God will reward you with favor.

As the north wind brings a storm,

saying things you shouldn’t brings a storm to any relationship.

It’s better to live all alone in a rundown shack

than to share a castle with a crabby spouse!

Like a drink of cool water refreshes a weary, thirsty soul,

so hearing good news revives the spirit.

When a lover of God gives in and compromises with wickedness,

it can be compared to contaminating a stream with sewage

or polluting a fountain.

It’s good to eat sweet things,

but you can take too much.

It’s good to be honored,

but to seek words of praise is not honor at all.

If you live without restraint

and are unable to control your temper,

you’re as helpless as a city with broken-down defenses,

open to attack.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 25 (The Passion Translation)

[Psalm 25]

A song of David.

ALWAYS I will lift up my soul to You, Eternal One,

BECAUSE You are my God and I put my trust in You.

Do not let me be humiliated.

Do not let my enemies celebrate at my expense.

CERTAINLY none of the people who rely on You will be shamed,

but those who are unfaithful, who intentionally deceive,

they are the ones who will be disgraced.

DEMONSTRATE Your ways, O Eternal One.

Teach me to understand so I can follow.

EASE me down the path of Your truth.

FEED me Your word

because You are the True God who has saved me.

I wait all day long, hoping, trusting in You.

GRACIOUS Eternal One, remember Your compassion; rekindle Your concern and love,

which have always been part of Your actions toward those who are Yours.

Do not HOLD against me the sins I committed when I was young;

instead, deal with me according to Your mercy and love.

Then Your goodness may be demonstrated in all the world, Eternal One.

IMMENSELY good and honorable is the Eternal;

that’s why He teaches sinners the way.

With JUSTICE, He directs the humble in all that is right,

and He shows them His way.

KIND and true are all the ways of the Eternal

to the people who keep His covenant and His words.

O LORD, the Eternal, bring glory to Your name,

and forgive my sins because they are beyond number.

MAY anyone who fears the Eternal

be shown the path he should choose.

His soul will NOT only live in goodness,

but his children will inherit the land.

ONLY those who stand in awe of the Eternal will have intimacy with Him,

and He will reveal His covenant to them.

PERPETUALLY my focus takes me to the Eternal

because He will set me free from the traps laid for me.

QUIETLY turn Your eyes to me and be compassionate toward me

because I am lonely and persecuted.

RAPIDLY my heart beats as troubles build on the horizon.

Come relieve me from these threats.

SEE my troubles and my misery,

and forgive all my sins.

TAKE notice of my enemies.

See how there are so many of them

who hate me and would seek my violent destruction.

Watch over my soul,

and let me face shame and defeat

UNASHAMED because You are my refuge.

May honor and strong character keep me safe.

VIGILANTLY I wait for You, hoping, trusting.

Save Israel from all its troubles,

O True God.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 25 (The Voice)

[Psalm 37]

A song of David.

Don’t be worried with evil workers

or envy the gains of people with all-wrong-upside-down ways.

Soon enough they will wither like grass,

like green herbs fading in summer’s heat.

Believe in the Eternal, and do what is good—

live in the land He provides; roam, and rest in God’s faithfulness.

Take great joy in the Eternal!

His gifts are coming, and they are all your heart desires!

Commit your path to the Eternal; let Him direct you.

Put your confidence in Him, and He will follow through with you.

He will spread out righteousness for you

as a sunrise spreads radiance over the land;

He will deliver justice for you into the light of the high sun.

Be still. Be patient. Expect the Eternal to arrive and set things right.

Don’t get upset when you see the worldly ones rising up the ladder.

Don’t be bothered by those who are anchored in wicked ways.

So turn from anger. Don’t rage,

and don’t worry—these ways frame the doorway to evil.

Besides, those who act from evil motives will be cut off from the land;

but those who wait, hoping in the Eternal, will enjoy its riches.

You’ll see . . . the wicked won’t know what hit them;

you’ll blink, and they’ll be gone;

you’ll go out looking for them, but you won’t find them.

But the humble-hearted will inherit the land;

they will take pleasure in its peace and enjoy its abundance.

How that wicked man devises evil against God’s righteous ones!

He grits his teeth, consumed by hate for the upright.

But oh, how the Lord laughs at him!

He knows the wicked man will get his; the day is coming.

The wicked unsheathe their swords, pull taut their bows;

the poor and needy are their victims,

and evil is on the prowl to kill those with integrity, God’s beloved.

But their swords will bend back to pierce their own hearts—

yes, their bows will snap in two.

The righteous are better off with the little God blessed them with

than living under the curse of the wealth of the wicked.

Their time is short, their arms will be broken,

but the Eternal will hold His righteous children high.

All their days are measured and known by the Eternal;

their inheritance is kept safe forever.

When calamity comes, they will escape with their dignity.

When famine invades the nations, they will be fed to their fill.

But immoral ones will find their lives cut short;

they’ll vanish as quickly as wildflowers in the fields.

Yes, enemies of the Eternal will vanish

like smoke into the cool night air.

Evil people borrow and never repay their debts,

while the good give generously from their hearts.

For God’s blessed children will inherit the land,

but those cursed by Him stand to gain nothing.

If you are right with God, He strengthens you for the journey;

the Eternal will be pleased with your life.

And even though you trip up, you will not fall on your face

because He holds you by the hand.

Through my whole life (young and old),

I have never witnessed God forsaking those who do right,

nor have I seen their children begging for crumbs,

Because they are always giving and sharing;

truly, their children are a joyful blessing.

Walk away from evil. Do good

so you, too, will enjoy never-ending life

Because the Eternal cherishes justice

and will not abandon those loyal to Him.

He will guard and care for them forever,

but any child born of evil will be rooted out, cut down, and destroyed.

Those leading God-pleasing lives will inherit His land

and settle there forever.

Wisdom fills the mouth of the right-living;

justice and truth roll from their tongues.

The True God’s law is imprinted upon their hearts,

and they do not stumble.

The wicked stalk God’s good ones,

looking to kill them,

But the Eternal will never leave them to the dogs of evil,

nor will they be found guilty when the verdict is read.

Wait for the Eternal. Keep to His path. Mind His will.

He will come for you, exalt you; you will inherit the land.

Before your very eyes you will see the end of the wicked.

I passed by a wicked man with a cold-blooded nature;

I looked, and he seemed as large as a cedar of Lebanon.

But then again, I passed that same way and there was nothing left of him.

I went out looking for him, but he was nowhere to be found.

Keep your eye on the innocent. Model your life after the blameless.

Everyone who loves peace has a future.

But sinners will be doomed.

The forecast for the wicked: utter destruction.

There will be none left, not one child of darkness.

The Eternal saves His faithful;

He lends His strength in hard times;

The Eternal comes and frees them—

frees them from evildoers and saves them for eternity—

simply because they seek shelter in Him.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 37 (The Voice)

0 notes

dfroza · 4 years ago

Text

Today’s reading from the ancient books of Proverbs and Psalms

for Saturday, february 13 of 2021 with Proverbs 13 and Psalm 13, accompanied by Psalm 55 for the 55th day of Winter and Psalm 44 for day 44 of the year

[Psalm 13]

Prayer Turns Depression into Delight

For the Pure and Shining One, by King David

I’m hurting, Lord—will you forget me forever?

How much longer, Lord?

Will you look the other way when I’m in need?

How much longer must I cling to this constant grief?

I’ve endured this shaking of my soul.

So how much longer will my enemy have the upper hand?

It’s been long enough!

Take a good look at me, God, and answer me!

Breathe your life into my spirit.

Bring light to my eyes in this pitch-black darkness

or I will sleep the sleep of death.

Don’t let my enemy proclaim, “I’ve prevailed over him.”

For all my adversaries will celebrate when I fall.

Lord, I have always trusted in your kindness, so answer me.

I will yet celebrate with passion and joy

when your salvation lifts me up.

I will sing my song of joy to you, the Most High,

for in all of this you have strengthened my soul.

My enemies say that I have no Savior,

but I know that I have one in you!

The Book of Psalms, Poem 13 (The Passion Translation)

[Psalm 55]

For the worship leader. A contemplative song of David accompanied by strings.

Hear me, O God.

Tune Your ear to my plea,

and do not turn Your face from my prayer.

Give me Your attention.

Answer these sighs of sorrow;

my troubles have made me restless—I groan from anxiety

All because of my enemy! Because his voice speaks against me,

his wickedness torments me!

He casts down misfortune upon me;

his anger flares; his grudges grow against me.

My heart seizes within my chest; I am in anguish!

I am terrified my life could end on any breath.

I shiver and shudder in fear;

I can’t stop because this horror is just too much.

I said, “If only my arms were wings like the dove’s!

I would fly away from here and find rest—

Yes, I would venture far

and weave a nest in the wilderness.

[pause]

“I would rush to take refuge

away from the violent storm and pounding winds.”

Throw them off, O Lord. Confuse their speech, and frustrate their plans,

for violence and contention are building within the city.

I can see it with my own eyes.

They plot day and night, scurrying the city walls like rats,

trouble and evil lurking everywhere.

In the heart of the city, destruction awaits.

Oppression and lies swarm the streets,

and they will not take leave; no, they will not go.

If it were just an enemy sneering at me,

I could take it.

If it were just someone who has always hated me, treating me like dirt,

I’d simply hide away.

But it is you! A man like me,

my old friend, my companion.

We enjoyed sweet conversation,

walking together in the house of God among the pressing crowds.

Let death sneak up on them,

swallow them alive into the pit of death.

Why? Because evil stirs in their homes; evil is all around them.

But I, I shall call upon God,

and by His word, the Eternal shall save me.

Evening, morning, and noon I will plead;

I will grumble and moan before Him

until He hears my voice.

And He will rescue my soul, untouched,

plucked safely from the battle,

despite the many who are warring against me.

God, enthroned from ancient times through eternity,

will hear my prayers and strike them down.

[pause]

For they have refused change;

they supply their every need and have no fear of God.

My friend has become a foe, breaking faith, tearing down peace.

He’s betrayed our covenant.

Oh, how his pleasant voice is smoother than butter,

while his heart is enchanted by war.

Oh, how his words are smoother than oil,

and yet each is a sword drawn in his hand.

Cast your troubles upon the Eternal;

His care is unceasing!

He will not allow

His righteous to be shaken.

But You, O God, You will drive them

into the lowest pit—

Violent, lying people

won’t live beyond their middle years.

But I place my trust in You.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 55 (The Voice)

[Psalm 44]

Wake Up, Lord, We’re in Trouble

For the Pure and Shining One, by the prophetic singers of Korah’s clan

A contemplative poem for instruction

[The Past]

God, we’ve heard about all the glorious miracles

you’ve done for our ancestors in days gone by.

They told us about the ancient times, how by your power

you drove out the ungodly nations from this land,

crushing all their strongholds and giving the land to us.

Now the people of Israel cover the land

from one end to the other,

all because of your grace and power!

Our forefathers didn’t win these battles by their own strength

or their own skill or strategy.

But it was through the shining forth of your radiantpresence

and the display of your mighty power.

You loved to give them victory,

for you took great delight in them.

You are my God, my King!

It’s now time to decree majesties for Jacob!

Through your glorious name and your awesome power

we can push through to any victory and defeat every enemy.

For I will not trust in the weapons of the world;

I know they will never save me.

Only you will be our Savior from all our enemies.

All those who hate us you have brought to shame.

So now I constantly boast in you.

I can never thank you enough!

Pause in his presence

[The Present]

But you have turned your back on us; you walked off and left us!

You’ve rejected us, tossing us aside in humiliating shame.

You don’t go before us anymore in our battles.

We retreat before our enemies in defeat,

for you are no longer helping us.

Those who hate us have invaded our land

and plundered our people.

You have treated us like sheep in the slaughter pen,

ready to be butchered.

You’ve scattered us to the four winds.

You have sold us as slaves for nothing!

You have counted us, your precious ones, as worthless.

You have caused our neighbors to despise and scorn us.

All that are around us mock and curse us.

You have made us the butt of their jokes.

Disliked by all, we are the laughingstock of the people.

There’s no escape from this constant curse, this humiliation!

We are despised, jeered, overwhelmed by shame,

and overcome at every turn

by our hateful and heartless enemies.

Despite all of this, we have not forgotten you;

we have not broken covenant with you.

We have not betrayed you; our hearts are still yours.

Our steps have not strayed from your path.

Yet you have crushed us,

leaving us in this wilderness place of misery and desperation.

With nowhere else to turn,

death’s dark door seems to be the only way out.

If we had forsaken your holy name, wouldn’t you know it?

You’d be right in leaving us.

If we had worshiped before other gods,

no one would blame you for punishing us.

God, you know our every heart secret.

You know we still want you!

Because of you we face death threats every day.

Like martyrs we are dying daily.

We are seen as lambs lined up to be slaughtered as sacrifices.

[The Future]

So wake up, Lord God!

Why would you sleep when we’re in trouble?

Are you forsaking us forever?

You can’t hide your face any longer from us!

How could you forget our agonizing sorrow?

Now we lay facedown, sinking into the dust of death,

the quicksand of the grave.

Arise, awake, and come to help us, O Lord.

Let your unfailing love save us from this sorrow!

The Book of Psalms, Poem 44 (The Passion Translation)

[Proverbs 13]

A wise child is attentive to his parents’ instruction,

but the mocker is deaf to correction.

A person eats well when he speaks wisely,

but the treacherous crave violence.

Those who guard their speech insure they will take another breath,

but those who talk without thinking guarantee their demise.

Slackers crave but have their fill of nothing,

but the hardworking desire and are completely satisfied.

The right-living will not tolerate any lie,

but wrongdoers come to shame and embarrassment.

Doing right keeps the innocent on the path of life,

but doing wrong is the downfall of the wicked.

One pretends he is wealthy but has nothing,

while another seems to be poor but has great wealth.

The rich are targeted and must ransom their lives,

but no one bothers to threaten the poor.

The light of the right-living brings joy as it burns brightly;

the lamp of a wrongdoer will be snuffed out.

Arrogance only produces arguments,

but wisdom accompanies those well advised.

Money earned hastily is easily lost,

but hard-earned money continues to grow.

Hope postponed grieves the heart;

but when a dream comes true, life is full and sweet.

The one who hates good counsel will reap failure and ruin,

but the one who reveres God’s instruction will be rewarded.

Wise instruction is a spring yielding a satisfied life;

those who follow it avoid the traps that lead to death.

Good sense brings blessing,

but the road of the treacherous is long and rough.

A clever person acquires knowledge and then acts on it;

but a fool advertises his folly for all to see.

An untrustworthy messenger stirs up trouble,

but a faithful emissary is curative balm.

A person who turns from correction faces poverty and shame,

but one who regards constructive criticism is well respected.

A dream fulfilled is the sweetness of life,

but abandoning evil is repulsive to fools.

One who walks with the wise becomes wise,

but whoever keeps company with fools only hurts himself.

Trouble eagerly pursues the sinner,

but success rewards the right-living.

A good person leaves an inheritance for his grandchildren,

but the wealth of the sinner is eventually passed on to the right-living.

Though the fields of the poor yield a bumper crop

in a land without justice, it is stolen out from under them.

Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children,

but those who are quick to correct them show true love.

Those who do right have plenty to eat,

while those who do wrong go hungry.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 13 (The Voice)

0 notes

dfroza · 4 years ago

Text

Today’s reading from the ancient books of Proverbs and Psalms

for Thursday, february 11 of 2021 with Proverbs 11 and Psalm 11, accompanied by Psalm 53 for the 53rd day of Winter and Psalm 42 for day 42 of the year

[Psalm 11]

For the worship leader. A song of David.

I am already in the soft embrace of the Eternal,

so why do you beckon me to leave, saying,

“Fly like a bird to the mountains.

Look! The wicked approach with bows bent,

sneaking around in the shadows,

setting their arrows against their bowstrings to pierce everyone whose heart is pure.

If the foundations are crumbling,

is there hope for the righteous?”

But the Eternal has not moved; He remains in His holy temple.

He sits squarely on His heavenly throne.

He observes the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, examining us within and without,

exploring every fiber of our beings.

The Eternal searches the hearts of those who are good,

but He despises all those who can’t get enough of perversion and violence.

If you are evil, He will rain hot lava over your head,

will fill your cup with burning wind and liquid fire to scorch your insides.

The Eternal is right in all His ways;

He cherishes all that is upright.

Those who do what is right in His eyes will see His face.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 11 (The Voice)

[Psalm 53]

For the worship leader. A contemplative song of David. A song for the dance.

The foolish are convinced deep down that there is no God.

Their souls are polluted, and they commit gross injustice.

Not one of them does good.

From heaven the one True God examines the earth

to see if any understand the big picture,

if any seek to know the True God.

All have turned back to their wicked ways; they’ve become totally perverse.

Not one of them does good,

not even one.

Do the wicked relish their ignorance,

the wicked ones who consume My people as if they were bread

and fail to call upon the True God?

They trembled with great fear,

though they’d never been afraid before,

Because the True God ravaged the bones of those who rose against you.

You humiliated them because the True God spat them out.

Oh, that the liberation of Israel would come out of Zion!

When the True God reclaims His people,

let Jacob celebrate; let Israel rejoice.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 53 (The Voice)

Book Two

[Psalm 42]

For the worship leader. A contemplative song of the sons of Korah.

My soul is dry and thirsts for You, True God,

as a deer thirsts for water.

I long for the True God who lives.

When can I stand before Him and feel His comfort?

Right now I’m overwhelmed by my sorrow and pain;

I can’t stop feasting on my tears.

People crowd around me and say,

“Where is your True God whom you claim will save?”

With a broken heart,

I remember times before

When I was with Your people. Those were better days.

I used to lead them happily into the True God’s house,

Singing with joy, shouting thanksgivings with abandon,

joining the congregation in the celebration.

Why am I so overwrought?

Why am I so disturbed?

Why can’t I just hope in God?

Despite all my emotions, I will believe and praise the One

who saves me and is my life.

My God, my soul is so traumatized;

the only help is remembering You wherever I may be;

From the land of the Jordan to Hermon’s high place

to Mount Mizar.

In the roar of Your waterfalls,

ancient depths surge, calling out to the deep.

All Your waves break over me;

am I drowning?

Yet in the light of day, the Eternal shows me His love.

When night settles in and all is dark, He keeps me company—

His soothing song, a prayerful melody to the True God of my life.

Even still, I will say to the True God, my rock and strength:

“Why have You forgotten me?

Why must I live my life so depressed, crying endlessly

while my enemies have the upper hand?”

My enemies taunt me.

They shatter my soul the way a sword shatters a man’s bones.

They keep taunting all the day long,

“Where is He, your True God?”

Why am I so overwrought,

Why am I so disturbed?

Why can’t I just hope in God?

Despite all my emotions, I will believe and praise the One

who saves me, my God.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 42 (The Voice)

[Proverbs 11]

To set high standards for someone else,

and then not live up to them yourself,

is something that God truly hates.

But it pleases him when we apply the right standards

of measurement.

When you act with presumption,

convinced that you’re right,

don’t be surprised if you fall flat on your face!

But walking in humility helps you to make wise decisions.

Integrity will lead you to success and happiness,

but treachery will destroy your dreams.

When Judgment Day comes,

all the wealth of the world won’t help you one bit.

So you’d better be rich in righteousness,

for that’s the only thing that can save you in death.

Those with good character walk on a smooth path,

with no detour or deviation.

But the wicked keep falling because of their own wickedness.

Integrity will keep a good man from falling.

But the unbeliever is trapped,

held captive to his sinful desires.

When an evil man dies, all hope is lost,

for his misplaced confidence goes in the coffin

and gets buried along with him.

Lovers of God are snatched away from trouble,

and the wicked show up in their place.

The teachings of hypocrites can destroy you,

but revelation knowledge will rescue the righteous.

The blessing that rests on the righteous

releases strength and favor to the entire city,

but shouts of joy will be heard when the wicked one dies.

The blessing of favor resting upon the righteous

influences a city to lift it higher,

but wicked leaders tear it apart by their words.

To quarrel with a neighbor is senseless.

Bite your tongue; be wise and keep quiet!

You can’t trust gossipers with a secret;

they’ll just go blab it all.

Put your confidence instead in a trusted friend,

for he will be faithful to keep it in confidence.

People lose their way without wise leadership,

but a nation succeeds and stands in victory

when it has many good counselors to guide it.

The evil man will do harm when confronted by a righteous man,

because he hates those who await good news.

A gracious, generous woman

will be honored with a splendid reputation,

but the woman who hates the truth

lives surrounded with disgrace and by men

who are cutthroats, only greedy for money.

A man of kindness attracts favor,

while a cruel man attracts nothing but trouble.

Evil people may get a short-term gain,

but to sow seeds of righteousness

will bring a true and lasting reward.

A son of righteousness experiences the abundant life,

but the one who pursues evil hurries to his own death.

The Lord can’t stand the stubborn heart bent toward evil,

but he treasures those whose ways are pure.

Assault your neighbor and you will certainly be punished,

but God will rescue the children of the godly.

A beautiful woman who abandons good morals

is like a fine gold ring dangling from a pig’s snout.

True lovers of God are filled with longings

for what is pleasing and good,

but the wicked can only expect doom.

Generosity brings prosperity,

but withholding from charity brings poverty.

Those who live to bless others

will have blessings heaped upon them,

and the one who pours out his life to pour out blessings

will be saturated with favor.

People will curse the businessman with no ethics,

but the one with a social conscience receives praise from all.

Living your life seeking what is good for others brings untold favor,

but those who wish evil for others will find it coming back on them.

Keep trusting in your riches and down you’ll go!

But the lovers of God rise up like flowers in the spring.

The fool who brings trouble to his own family

will be cut out of the will,

and the family servant will do better than he.

But a life lived loving God bears lasting fruit,

for the one who is truly wise wins souls.

If the righteous are barely saved,

what’s in store for all the wicked?

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 11 (The Passion Translation)

0 notes

dfroza · 4 years ago

Text

Today’s reading from the ancient books of Proverbs and Psalms

for monday, january 11 of 2021 with Proverbs 11 and Psalm 11, accompanied by Psalm 22 for the 22nd day of Winter

[Psalm 11]

For the worship leader. A song of David.

I am already in the soft embrace of the Eternal,

so why do you beckon me to leave, saying,

“Fly like a bird to the mountains.

Look! The wicked approach with bows bent,

sneaking around in the shadows,

setting their arrows against their bowstrings to pierce everyone whose heart is pure.

If the foundations are crumbling,

is there hope for the righteous?”

But the Eternal has not moved; He remains in His holy temple.

He sits squarely on His heavenly throne.

He observes the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, examining us within and without,

exploring every fiber of our beings.

The Eternal searches the hearts of those who are good,

but He despises all those who can’t get enough of perversion and violence.

If you are evil, He will rain hot lava over your head,

will fill your cup with burning wind and liquid fire to scorch your insides.

The Eternal is right in all His ways;

He cherishes all that is upright.

Those who do what is right in His eyes will see His face.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 11 (The Voice)

[Proverbs 11]

To set high standards for someone else,

and then not live up to them yourself,

is something that God truly hates.

But it pleases him when we apply the right standards

of measurement.

When you act with presumption,

convinced that you’re right,

don’t be surprised if you fall flat on your face!

But walking in humility helps you to make wise decisions.

Integrity will lead you to success and happiness,

but treachery will destroy your dreams.

When Judgment Day comes,

all the wealth of the world won’t help you one bit.

So you’d better be rich in righteousness,

for that’s the only thing that can save you in death.

Those with good character walk on a smooth path,

with no detour or deviation.

But the wicked keep falling because of their own wickedness.

Integrity will keep a good man from falling.

But the unbeliever is trapped,

held captive to his sinful desires.

When an evil man dies, all hope is lost,

for his misplaced confidence goes in the coffin

and gets buried along with him.

Lovers of God are snatched away from trouble,

and the wicked show up in their place.

The teachings of hypocrites can destroy you,

but revelation knowledge will rescue the righteous.

The blessing that rests on the righteous

releases strength and favor to the entire city,

but shouts of joy will be heard when the wicked one dies.

The blessing of favor resting upon the righteous

influences a city to lift it higher,

but wicked leaders tear it apart by their words.

To quarrel with a neighbor is senseless.

Bite your tongue; be wise and keep quiet!

You can’t trust gossipers with a secret;

they’ll just go blab it all.

Put your confidence instead in a trusted friend,

for he will be faithful to keep it in confidence.

People lose their way without wise leadership,

but a nation succeeds and stands in victory

when it has many good counselors to guide it.

The evil man will do harm when confronted by a righteous man,

because he hates those who await good news.

A gracious, generous woman

will be honored with a splendid reputation,

but the woman who hates the truth

lives surrounded with disgrace and by men

who are cutthroats, only greedy for money.

A man of kindness attracts favor,

while a cruel man attracts nothing but trouble.

Evil people may get a short-term gain,

but to sow seeds of righteousness

will bring a true and lasting reward.

A son of righteousness experiences the abundant life,

but the one who pursues evil hurries to his own death.

The Lord can’t stand the stubborn heart bent toward evil,

but he treasures those whose ways are pure.

Assault your neighbor and you will certainly be punished,

but God will rescue the children of the godly.

A beautiful woman who abandons good morals

is like a fine gold ring dangling from a pig’s snout.

True lovers of God are filled with longings

for what is pleasing and good,

but the wicked can only expect doom.

Generosity brings prosperity,

but withholding from charity brings poverty.

Those who live to bless others

will have blessings heaped upon them,

and the one who pours out his life to pour out blessings

will be saturated with favor.

People will curse the businessman with no ethics,

but the one with a social conscience receives praise from all.

Living your life seeking what is good for others brings untold favor,

but those who wish evil for others will find it coming back on them.

Keep trusting in your riches and down you’ll go!

But the lovers of God rise up like flowers in the spring.

The fool who brings trouble to his own family

will be cut out of the will,

and the family servant will do better than he.

But a life lived loving God bears lasting fruit,

for the one who is truly wise wins souls.

If the righteous are barely saved,

what’s in store for all the wicked?

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 11 (The Passion Translation)

[Psalm 22]

A Prophetic Portrait of the Cross

For the Pure and Shining One

King David’s song of anguish

To the tune of “The Deer at the Dawning of the Day”

God, my God!

Why would you abandon me now?

Why do you remain distant,

refusing to answer my tearful cries in the day

and my desperate cries for your help in the night?

I can’t stop sobbing.

Where are you, my God?

Yet I know that you are most holy; it’s indisputable.

You are God-Enthroned, surrounded with songs,

living among the shouts of praise of your princely people.

Our fathers’ faith was in you—

through the generations they trusted and believed in you

and you came through.

Every time they cried out to you in their despair,

you were faithful to deliver them;

you didn’t disappoint them.

But look at me now; I am like a woeful worm,

crushed, and I’m bleeding crimson.

I don’t even look like a man anymore.

I’ve been abused, despised, and scorned by everyone!

Mocked by their jeers, despised with their sneers,

as all the people poke fun at me, spitting their insults,

saying, “Is this the one who trusted in God?

Is this the one who claims God is pleased with him?

Now let’s see if your God will come to your rescue!

We’ll just see how much he delights in you!”

Lord, you delivered me safely from my mother’s womb.

You are the one who cared for me ever since I was a baby.

Since the day I was born, I’ve been placed in your custody.

You’ve cradled me throughout my days.

I’ve trusted in you and you’ve always been my God.

So don’t leave me now; stay close to me!

For trouble is all around me and there’s no one else to help me.

I’m surrounded by many violent foes;

mighty forces of evil are swirling around me

who want to break me to bits and destroy me.

Curses pour from their mouths!

They’re like ravenous, roaring lions tearing their prey.

Now I’m completely exhausted; I’m spent.

Every joint of my body has been pulled apart.

My courage has vanished and

my inward parts have melted away.

I’m so thirsty and parched—dry as a bone.

My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.

And now you’ve left me in the dust for dead.

They have pierced my hands and my feet.

Like a pack of wild dogs they tear at me,

swirling around me with their hatred.

They gather around me like lions to pin my hands and feet.

All my bones stick out.

Look at how they all gloat over me and stare!

With a toss of the dice they divide my clothes among themselves,

gambling for my garments!

Lord, my God, please don’t stay far away.

For you are my only might and strength.

Won’t you come quickly to my rescue?

Give me back my life.

Save me from this violent death.

Save my precious one and only

from the power of these demons!

Save me from all the power of the enemy,

from this roaring lion raging against me

and the power of his dark horde.

I will praise your name before all my brothers;

as my people gather I will praise you in their midst.

Lovers of Yahweh, praise him!

Let all the true seed of Jacob glorify him with your praises.

Stand in awe of him, all you princely people,

the offspring of Israel!

For he has not despised my cries of deep despair.

He’s my first responder to my sufferings,

and he didn’t look the other way when I was in pain.

He was there all the time, listening to the song of the afflicted.

You’re the reason for my praise; it comes from you and goes to you.

I will keep my promise to praise you before all who fear you

among the congregation of your people.

I will invite the poor and broken,

and they will come and eat until satisfied.

Bring Yahweh praise and you will find him.

Your hearts will overflow with life forever!

From the four corners of the earth,

the peoples of the world will remember and return to the Lord.

Every nation will come and worship him.

For the Lord is King of all, who takes charge of all the nations.

There they are! They’re worshiping!

The wealthy of this world will feast in fellowship with him

right alongside the humble of heart,

bowing down to the dust, forsaking their own souls.

They will all come and worship this worthy King!

His spiritual seed shall serve him.

Future generations will hear from us

about the wonders of the Sovereign Lord.

His generation yet to be born will glorify him.

And they will all declare, “It is finished!”

The Book of Psalms, Poem 22 (The Passion Translation)

0 notes

dfroza · 4 years ago

Text

Today’s reading in the ancient book of Proverbs and Psalms

for Tuesday, August 25 of 2020 with Proverbs 25 and Psalm 25 accompanied by Psalm 67 for the 67th day of Summer and Psalm 88 for day 238 of the year

[Proverbs 25]

Solomon’s proverbs, published by the scribes of King Hezekiah:

God conceals the revelation of his word

in the hiding place of his glory.

But the honor of kings is revealed

by how they thoroughly search out

the deeper meaning of all that God says.

The heart of a king is full of understanding,

like the heavens are high and the ocean is deep.

If you burn away the impurities from silver,

a sterling vessel will emerge from the fire.

And if you purge corruption from the kingdom,

a king’s reign will be established in righteousness.

Don’t boast in the presence of a king

or promote yourself by taking a seat at the head table

and pretend that you’re someone important.

For it is better for the king to say to you,

“Come, you should sit at the head table,”

than for him to say in front of everyone,

“Please get up and move—

you’re sitting in the place of the prince.”

Don’t be hasty to file a lawsuit.

By starting something you wish you hadn’t,

you could be humiliated when you lose your case.

Don’t reveal another person’s secret

just to prove a point in an argument,

or you could be accused of being a gossip

and gain a reputation for being one

who betrays the confidence of a friend.

Winsome words spoken at just the right time

are as appealing as apples gilded in gold

and surrounded with silver.

To humbly receive wise correction

adorns your life with beauty

and makes you a better person.

A reliable, trustworthy messenger

refreshes the heart of his master,

like a gentle breeze blowing at harvest time—

cooling the sweat from his brow.

Clouds that carry no water

and a wind that brings no refreshing rain—

that’s what you’re like when you boast

of a gift that you don’t have.

[Wisdom Practices Self-Control]

Use patience and kindness when you want to persuade leaders

and watch them change their minds right in front of you.

For your gentle wisdom will quell the strongest resistance.

When you discover something sweet,

don’t overindulge and eat more than you need,

for excess in anything can make you sick of even a good thing.

Don’t wear out your welcome

by staying too long at the home of your friends,

or they may get fed up with always having you there

and wish you hadn’t come.

Lying about and slandering people

are as bad as hitting them with a club,

or wounding them with an arrow,

or stabbing them with a sword.

You can’t depend on an unreliable person

when you really need help.

It can be compared to biting down on an abscessed tooth

or walking with a sprained ankle.

When you sing a song of joy to someone suffering

in the deepest grief and heartache,

it can be compared to disrobing in the middle of a blizzard

or rubbing salt in a wound.

Is your enemy hungry? Buy him lunch.

Win him over with your kindness.

Your surprising generosity will awaken his conscience

and God will reward you with favor.

As the north wind brings a storm,

saying things you shouldn’t brings a storm to any relationship.

It’s better to live all alone in a rundown shack

than to share a castle with a crabby spouse!

Like a drink of cool water to a weary, thirsty soul,

so hearing good news revives the spirit.

When a lover of God gives in and compromises with wickedness,

it can be compared to contaminating a stream with sewage

or polluting a fountain.

It’s good to eat sweet things,

but you can take too much.

It’s good to be honored,

but to seek words of praise is not honor at all.

If you live without restraint

and are unable to control your temper,

you’re as helpless as a city with broken-down defenses,

open to attack.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 25 (The Passion Translation)

[Psalm 25]

A song of David.

ALWAYS I will lift up my soul to You, Eternal One,

BECAUSE You are my God and I put my trust in You.

Do not let me be humiliated.

Do not let my enemies celebrate at my expense.

CERTAINLY none of the people who rely on You will be shamed,

but those who are unfaithful, who intentionally deceive,

they are the ones who will be disgraced.

DEMONSTRATE Your ways, O Eternal One.

Teach me to understand so I can follow.

EASE me down the path of Your truth.

FEED me Your word

because You are the True God who has saved me.

I wait all day long, hoping, trusting in You.

GRACIOUS Eternal One, remember Your compassion; rekindle Your concern and love,

which have always been part of Your actions toward those who are Yours.

Do not HOLD against me the sins I committed when I was young;

instead, deal with me according to Your mercy and love.

Then Your goodness may be demonstrated in all the world, Eternal One.

IMMENSELY good and honorable is the Eternal;

that’s why He teaches sinners the way.

With JUSTICE, He directs the humble in all that is right,

and He shows them His way.

KIND and true are all the ways of the Eternal

to the people who keep His covenant and His words.

O LORD, the Eternal, bring glory to Your name,

and forgive my sins because they are beyond number.

MAY anyone who fears the Eternal

be shown the path he should choose.

His soul will NOT only live in goodness,

but his children will inherit the land.

ONLY those who stand in awe of the Eternal will have intimacy with Him,

and He will reveal His covenant to them.

PERPETUALLY my focus takes me to the Eternal

because He will set me free from the traps laid for me.

QUIETLY turn Your eyes to me and be compassionate toward me

because I am lonely and persecuted.

RAPIDLY my heart beats as troubles build on the horizon.

Come relieve me from these threats.

SEE my troubles and my misery,

and forgive all my sins.

TAKE notice of my enemies.

See how there are so many of them

who hate me and would seek my violent destruction.

Watch over my soul,

and let me face shame and defeat

UNASHAMED because You are my refuge.

May honor and strong character keep me safe.

VIGILANTLY I wait for You, hoping, trusting.

Save Israel from all its troubles,

O True God.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 25 (The Voice)

[Psalm 67]

For the worship leader. A song accompanied by strings.

May God pour His grace and blessings into us

and turn His face to shine His light on us.

[pause]

So all those on earth will learn to follow Your way

and see Your saving power come to redeem all nations.

May all people live to praise You, Our True God;

may all come to praise You.

May all nations celebrate together, singing joy-filled songs of praise to You

because You judge the people fairly

and give guidance to all the nations of the earth.

[pause]

May the people praise You with their whole hearts, O God;

may every man, woman, and child on the earth praise You.

The land has supplied a bountiful harvest,

and the True God, our God, has poured out His blessings to us all.

God is the source of our blessings;

may every corner of the earth respect and revere Him.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 67 (The Voice)

[Psalm 88]

Save Me from This Sorrow

To the Pure and Shining One

A prophetic song for the sons of Korah

To the tune of “Pierced,” for instruction by Heman the Ezrahite

Yahweh is the God who continually saves me.

I weep before you night and day.

Please bend down and listen to my sobbing,

for my life is riddled with troubles

and death is just around the corner!

Everyone sees my life ebbing out.

They consider me a hopeless case and see me as a dead man.

They’ve all left me here to die, helpless,

like one who is doomed for death.

They’re convinced you’ve forsaken me,

certain that you’ve forgotten me completely—

abandoned, pierced, with nothing to look forward to but death.

They have discarded me and thrown me down

into the deepest darkness as into a bottomless pit.

I feel your wrath and it’s a heavy weight upon me,

drowning me beneath a sea of sorrow.

Pause in his presence

Why did you turn all my friends against me?

You’ve made me like a cursed man in their eyes.

No one wants to be with me now.

You’ve caught me in a trap with no way out.

Every day I beg for your help. Can’t you see my tears?

My eyes are swollen with weeping.

My arms are wide, longing for mercy,

but you’re nowhere to be found.

How can those who are cut off from your care

even know that you are there?

How can I rise up to praise you if I’m dead and gone?

Pause in his presence

Who can give thanks for your love in the graveyard?

Who preaches your faithfulness in the place of destruction?

Does death’s darkness declare your miracles?

How can anyone who’s in the grave, where all is forgotten,

remember how you keep your promises?

Lord, you know my prayer before I even whisper it.

At each and every sunrise you will

continue to hear my cry until you answer.

O Lord, why have you thrown my life away?

Will you keep turning the other way every time I call out to you?

I’ve had to live in poverty and trouble all my life.

Now I’m humiliated, broken, and helpless before your terrors

and I can’t take it anymore.

I’m overwhelmed by your burning anger.

I’ve taken the worst you could give me

and I’m speechless before you.

I’m drowning beneath the waves of this sorrow,

cut off with no one to help.

All my loved ones and friends keep far away from me,

leaving me all alone with only darkness as my friend.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 88 (The Passion Translation)

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dfroza · 5 years ago

Text

Today’s reading in the ancient book of Psalms

for Saturday, june 20 of 2020 with Psalm 20 accompanied by Psalm 94 for the transition of Spring into the first day of Summer at the point of its solstice with Psalm 1, and then Psalm 22 for day 172 of the year

[Psalm 20]

For the worship leader. A song of David.

May the Eternal’s answer find you, come to rescue you,

when you desperately cling to the end of your rope.

May the name of the True God of Jacob be your shelter.

May He extend hope and help to you from His holy sanctuary

and support you from His sacred city of Zion.

May He remember all that you have offered Him;

may your burnt sacrifices serve as a prelude to His mercy.

[pause]

May He grant the dreams of your heart

and see your plans through to the end.

When you win, we will not be silent! We will shout

and raise high our banners in the great name of our God!

May the Eternal say yes to all your requests.

I don’t fear; I’m confident that help will come to the one anointed by the Eternal:

heaven will respond to his plea;

His mighty right hand will win the battle.

Many put their hope in chariots, others in horses,

but we place our trust in the name of the Eternal One, our True God.

Soon our enemies will collapse and fall, never to return home;

all the while, we will rise and stand firm.

Eternal One, grant victory to our king!

Answer our plea for help.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 20 (The Voice)

[Psalm 94]

God, put an end to evil;

avenging God, show your colors!

Judge of the earth, take your stand;

throw the book at the arrogant.

God, the wicked get away with murder—

how long will you let this go on?

They brag and boast

and crow about their crimes!

They walk all over your people, God,

exploit and abuse your precious people.

They take out anyone who gets in their way;

if they can’t use them, they kill them.

They think, “God isn’t looking,

Jacob’s God is out to lunch.”

Well, think again, you idiots,

fools—how long before you get smart?

Do you think Ear-Maker doesn’t hear,

Eye-Shaper doesn’t see?

Do you think the trainer of nations doesn’t correct,

the teacher of Adam doesn’t know?

God knows, all right—

knows your stupidity,

sees your shallowness.

How blessed the man you train, God,

the woman you instruct in your Word,

Providing a circle of quiet within the clamor of evil,

while a jail is being built for the wicked.

God will never walk away from his people,

never desert his precious people.

Rest assured that justice is on its way

and every good heart put right.

Who stood up for me against the wicked?

Who took my side against evil workers?

If God hadn’t been there for me,

I never would have made it.

The minute I said, “I’m slipping, I’m falling,”

your love, God, took hold and held me fast.

When I was upset and beside myself,

you calmed me down and cheered me up.

Can Misrule have anything in common with you?

Can Troublemaker pretend to be on your side?

They ganged up on good people,

plotted behind the backs of the innocent.

But God became my hideout,

God was my high mountain retreat,

Then boomeranged their evil back on them:

for their evil ways he wiped them out,

our God cleaned them out for good.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 94 (The Message)

[Psalm 1]

Book 1

The Genesis Psalms

Psalms of man and creation

The Tree of Life

What delight comes to the one who follows God’s ways!

He won’t walk in step with the wicked,

nor share the sinner’s way,

nor be found sitting in the scorner’s seat.

His pleasure and passion is remaining true to the Word of “I Am,”

meditating day and night in the true revelation of light.

He will be standing firm like a flourishing tree

planted by God’s design,

deeply rooted by the brooks of bliss,

bearing fruit in every season of his life.

He is never dry, never fainting,

ever blessed, ever prosperous.

But how different are the wicked.

All they are is dust in the wind—

driven away to destruction!

The wicked will not endure the day of judgment,

for God will not defend them.

Nothing they do will succeed or endure for long,

for they have no part with those who walk in truth.

But how different it is for the righteous!

The Lord embraces their paths as they move forward

while the way of the wicked leads only to doom.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 1 (The Passion Translation)

[Psalm 22]

A Prophetic Portrait of the Cross

For the Pure and Shining One

King David’s song of anguish

To the tune of “The Deer at the Dawning of the Day”

God, my God!

Why would you abandon me now?

Why do you remain distant,

refusing to answer my tearful cries in the day

and my desperate cries for your help in the night?

I can’t stop sobbing.

Where are you, my God?

Yet I know that you are most holy; it’s indisputable.

You are God-Enthroned, surrounded with songs,

living among the shouts of praise of your princely people.

Our fathers’ faith was in you—

through the generations they trusted and believed in you

and you came through.

Every time they cried out to you in their despair,

you were faithful to deliver them;

you didn’t disappoint them.

But look at me now; I am like a woeful worm,

crushed, and I’m bleeding crimson.

I don’t even look like a man anymore.

I’ve been abused, despised, and scorned by everyone!

Mocked by their jeers, despised with their sneers,

as all the people poke fun at me, spitting their insults,

saying, “Is this the one who trusted in God?

Is this the one who claims God is pleased with him?

Now let’s see if your God will come to your rescue!

We’ll just see how much he delights in you!”

Lord, you delivered me safely from my mother’s womb.

You are the one who cared for me ever since I was a baby.

Since the day I was born, I’ve been placed in your custody.

You’ve cradled me throughout my days.

I’ve trusted in you and you’ve always been my God.

So don’t leave me now; stay close to me!

For trouble is all around me and there’s no one else to help me.

I’m surrounded by many violent foes;

mighty forces of evil are swirling around me

who want to break me to bits and destroy me.

Curses pour from their mouths!

They’re like ravenous, roaring lions tearing their prey.

Now I’m completely exhausted; I’m spent.

Every joint of my body has been pulled apart.

My courage has vanished and

my inward parts have melted away.

I’m so thirsty and parched—dry as a bone.

My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.

And now you’ve left me in the dust for dead.

They have pierced my hands and my feet.

Like a pack of wild dogs they tear at me,

swirling around me with their hatred.

They gather around me like lions to pin my hands and feet.

All my bones stick out.

Look at how they all gloat over me and stare!

With a toss of the dice they divide my clothes among themselves,

gambling for my garments!

Lord, my God, please don’t stay far away.

For you are my only might and strength.

Won’t you come quickly to my rescue?

Give me back my life.

Save me from this violent death.

Save my precious one and only

from the power of these demons!

Save me from all the power of the enemy,

from this roaring lion raging against me

and the power of his dark horde.

I will praise your name before all my brothers;

as my people gather I will praise you in their midst.

Lovers of Yahweh, praise him!

Let all the true seed of Jacob glorify him with your praises.

Stand in awe of him, all you princely people,

the offspring of Israel!

For he has not despised my cries of deep despair.

He’s my first responder to my sufferings,

and he didn’t look the other way when I was in pain.

He was there all the time, listening to the song of the afflicted.

You’re the reason for my praise; it comes from you and goes to you.

I will keep my promise to praise you before all who fear you

among the congregation of your people.

I will invite the poor and broken,

and they will come and eat until satisfied.

Bring Yahweh praise and you will find him.

Your hearts will overflow with life forever!

From the four corners of the earth,

the peoples of the world will remember and return to the Lord.

Every nation will come and worship him.

For the Lord is King of all, who takes charge of all the nations.

There they are! They’re worshiping!

The wealthy of this world will feast in fellowship with him

right alongside the humble of heart,

bowing down to the dust, forsaking their own souls.

They will all come and worship this worthy King!

His spiritual seed shall serve him.

Future generations will hear from us

about the wonders of the Sovereign Lord.

His generation yet to be born will glorify him.

And they will all declare, “It is finished!”

The Book of Psalms, Poem 22 (The Passion Translation)

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dfroza · 5 years ago

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Today’s reading in the ancient book of Psalms and Proverbs

for february 11 of 2020 with Psalm 11 and Proverbs 11, accompanied by Psalm 53 for the 53rd day of Winter and Psalm 42 for day 42 of the year

[Psalm 11]

For the worship leader. A song of David.

I am already in the soft embrace of the Eternal,

so why do you beckon me to leave, saying,

“Fly like a bird to the mountains.

Look! The wicked approach with bows bent,

sneaking around in the shadows,

setting their arrows against their bowstrings to pierce everyone whose heart is pure.

If the foundations are crumbling,

is there hope for the righteous?”

But the Eternal has not moved; He remains in His holy temple.

He sits squarely on His heavenly throne.

He observes the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, examining us within and without,

exploring every fiber of our beings.

The Eternal searches the hearts of those who are good,

but He despises all those who can’t get enough of perversion and violence.

If you are evil, He will rain hot lava over your head,

will fill your cup with burning wind and liquid fire to scorch your insides.

The Eternal is right in all His ways;

He cherishes all that is upright.

Those who do what is right in His eyes will see His face.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 11 (The Voice)

[Psalm 53]

For the worship leader. A contemplative song of David. A song for the dance.

The foolish are convinced deep down that there is no God.

Their souls are polluted, and they commit gross injustice.

Not one of them does good.

From heaven the one True God examines the earth

to see if any understand the big picture,

if any seek to know the True God.

All have turned back to their wicked ways; they’ve become totally perverse.

Not one of them does good,

not even one.

Do the wicked relish their ignorance,

the wicked ones who consume My people as if they were bread

and fail to call upon the True God?

They trembled with great fear,

though they’d never been afraid before,

Because the True God ravaged the bones of those who rose against you.

You humiliated them because the True God spat them out.

Oh, that the liberation of Israel would come out of Zion!

When the True God reclaims His people,

let Jacob celebrate; let Israel rejoice.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 53 (The Voice)

Book Two

The Exodus Psalms

Psalms of suffering and redemption

[Psalm 42]

For the worship leader. A contemplative song of the sons of Korah.

My soul is dry and thirsts for You, True God,

as a deer thirsts for water.

I long for the True God who lives.

When can I stand before Him and feel His comfort?

Right now I’m overwhelmed by my sorrow and pain;

I can’t stop feasting on my tears.

People crowd around me and say,

“Where is your True God whom you claim will save?”

With a broken heart,

I remember times before

When I was with Your people. Those were better days.

I used to lead them happily into the True God’s house,

Singing with joy, shouting thanksgivings with abandon,

joining the congregation in the celebration.

Why am I so overwrought?

Why am I so disturbed?

Why can’t I just hope in God?

Despite all my emotions, I will believe and praise the One

who saves me and is my life.

My God, my soul is so traumatized;

the only help is remembering You wherever I may be;

From the land of the Jordan to Hermon’s high place

to Mount Mizar.

In the roar of Your waterfalls,

ancient depths surge, calling out to the deep.

All Your waves break over me;

am I drowning?

Yet in the light of day, the Eternal shows me His love.

When night settles in and all is dark, He keeps me company—

His soothing song, a prayerful melody to the True God of my life.

Even still, I will say to the True God, my rock and strength:

“Why have You forgotten me?

Why must I live my life so depressed, crying endlessly

while my enemies have the upper hand?”

My enemies taunt me.

They shatter my soul the way a sword shatters a man’s bones.

They keep taunting all the day long,

“Where is He, your True God?”

Why am I so overwrought,

Why am I so disturbed?

Why can’t I just hope in God?

Despite all my emotions, I will believe and praise the One

who saves me, my God.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 42 (The Voice)

[Proverbs 11]

To set high standards for someone else,

and then not live up to them yourself,

is something that God truly hates.

But it pleases him when we apply the right standards

of measurement.

When you act with presumption,

convinced that you’re right,

don’t be surprised if you fall flat on your face!

But walking in humility helps you to make wise decisions.

Integrity will lead you to success and happiness,

but treachery will destroy your dreams.

When Judgment Day comes,

all the wealth of the world won’t help you one bit.

So you’d better be rich in righteousness,

for that’s the only thing that can save you in death.

Those with good character walk on a smooth path,

with no detour or deviation.

But the wicked keep falling because of their own wickedness.

Integrity will keep a good man from falling.

But the unbeliever is trapped,

held captive to his sinful desires.

When an evil man dies, all hope is lost,

for his misplaced confidence goes in the coffin

and gets buried along with him.

Lovers of God are snatched away from trouble,

and the wicked show up in their place.

The teachings of hypocrites can destroy you,

but revelation knowledge will rescue the righteous.

The blessing that rests on the righteous

releases strength and favor to the entire city,

but shouts of joy will be heard when the wicked one dies.

The blessing of favor resting upon the righteous

influences a city to lift it higher,

but wicked leaders tear it apart by their words.

To quarrel with a neighbor is senseless.

Bite your tongue; be wise and keep quiet!

You can’t trust gossipers with a secret;

they’ll just go blab it all.

Put your confidence instead in a trusted friend,

for he will be faithful to keep it in confidence.

People lose their way without wise leadership,

but a nation succeeds and stands in victory

when it has many good counselors to guide it.

The evil man will do harm when confronted by a righteous man,

because he hates those who await good news.

A gracious, generous woman

will be honored with a splendid reputation,

but the woman who hates the truth

lives surrounded with disgrace and by men

who are cutthroats, only greedy for money.

A man of kindness attracts favor,

while a cruel man attracts nothing but trouble.

Evil people may get a short-term gain,

but to sow seeds of righteousness

will bring a true and lasting reward.

A son of righteousness experiences the abundant life,

but the one who pursues evil hurries to his own death.

The Lord can’t stand the stubborn heart bent toward evil,

but he treasures those whose ways are pure.

Assault your neighbor and you will certainly be punished,

but God will rescue the children of the godly.

A beautiful woman who abandons good morals

is like a fine gold ring dangling from a pig’s snout.

True lovers of God are filled with longings

for what is pleasing and good,

but the wicked can only expect doom.

Generosity brings prosperity,

but withholding from charity brings poverty.

Those who live to bless others

will have blessings heaped upon them,

and the one who pours out his life to pour out blessings

will be saturated with favor.

People will curse the businessman with no ethics,

but the one with a social conscience receives praise from all.

Living your life seeking what is good for others brings untold favor,

but those who wish evil for others will find it coming back on them.

Keep trusting in your riches and down you’ll go!

But the lovers of God rise up like flowers in the spring.

The fool who brings trouble to his own family

will be cut out of the will,

and the family servant will do better than he.

But a life lived loving God bears lasting fruit,

for the one who is truly wise wins souls.

If the righteous are barely saved,

what’s in store for all the wicked?

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 11 (The Passion Translation)

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