Burnt offerings XVIII

And surely your blood of your lives will I require;

at the hand of every beast will I require it, - and at the hand of man; - at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.

Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

***

And now, my daughter, fear not;

I will do to thee all that - thou requirest:

for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous workman.

And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.

**

If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, - sin lieth at the door.

And unto thee shall be his desire, - and thou shalt rule over him.

**

Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; - let him do the kinsman's part:

***

But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, - thou, and thy sons, - and thy wife, - and thy sons' wives with thee.

And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, - to keep them alive with thee;

they shall be male - and female.

***

but if he - will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then - will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, - as the Lord liveth:

lie down until the morning.

And she lay at his feet until the morning:

and she rose up before one could know another.

And he said,

Let it not be known that a workman came into the floor.

*****

And it was told Tamar,

saying,

Behold

thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.

And she put her widow's garments off from her,

and covered her with a veil,

and wrapped herself,

**

And God said,

Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life,

and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

**

and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath;

for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.

When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot;

***

Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, - and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

Who hath directed the spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him?

With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?

Behold,

the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance:

behold,

he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.

All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, - and vanity.

To whom then will ye liken God? - or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

***

And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, -an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.

***

The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.

He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.

Have ye not known?

have ye not heard?

hath it not been told you from the beginning? - have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

That bringeth the princes to nothing;

he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

       

Yea,

they shall not be planted;

yea,

they shall not be sown:

yea,

their stock shall not take root in the earth:

and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.

*****

Also he said,

Bring the veil that thou hast upon thee,

and hold it.

*****

He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.

And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,

And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.

***

And Lot said unto them,

Oh,

not so,

my Lord:

Behold now,

thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life;

and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me,

and I die:

Behold now,

this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one:

*

If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?

*

Oh,

let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.

And he said unto him,

See,

I have accepted thee concerning this thing also,

that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.

*****

And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city.

ISamuelyeaon

To a fallen brethren

In loving remembrance 

to

Emmett Till

Burnt offerings XVII

And he said,

Blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter:

for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not - young men, whether poor or rich.

*****

After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision,

saying,

Fear not, Abram:

I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

**

And God heard the voice of the lad;

and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven,

and said unto her,

What aileth thee, Hagar? - fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad - where he is.

***

And the Lord appeared unto him the same night,

and said,

I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, - for I am with thee, - and will bless thee, - and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.

***

And they journeyed from Bethel;

and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath:

Rachel travailed, - and she had hard labour.

And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour,

that the midwife said unto her,

Fear not;

thou shalt have this son also.

***

And he said,

Peace be to you,

fear not:

God,

and the God of your father,

hath given you treasure in your sacks:

I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them.

***

And God spake unto Israel

in the visions of the night,

and said,

Jacob,

Jacob.

And he said,

Here am I.

And he said,

I am God, the God of thy father:

fear not to go down into Egypt; - for I will there make of thee a great nation:

***

And Joseph said unto them,

Fear not:

for am I in the place of God?

But as for you, ye thought d-evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

*****

And now,

my daughter,

fear not;

I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous workman. And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman:

*****

None is so fierce that dare stir him up:

who then is able to stand before me?

Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven - is mine. 

I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion. 

Who can discover the face of his garment? or who can come to him with his double bridle? 

Who can open the doors of his face? - his teeth are terrible round about.  His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal. 

One is so near to another,

that no air can come between them. 

They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered.  By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. 

Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out.  Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron. 

His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.  In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him.  The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved. 

His heart is as firm as a stone;

yea,

as hard as a piece of the nether millstone.  When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves.  The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon. 

He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.  The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble.  Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear. 

Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire.  He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment. 

He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary. 

Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.  He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride. 

*****

howbeit there is a kinsman nearer - than I.

ISamuelYea