Isaiah 5:16-26; Genesis 4:16-26; Proverbs 5; Proverbs 6:1-3

Isaiah 5:16-26

16 But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness.

17 Then the lambs shall feed in their pasture, And in the waste places of the fat ones strangers shall eat.

18 Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, And sin as if with a cart rope;

19 That say, "Let Him make speed and hasten His work, That we may see it; And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, That we may know it."

20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!

22 Woe to men mighty at drinking wine, Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink,

23 Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away justice from the righteous man!

24 Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, And the flame consumes the chaff, So their root will be as rottenness, And their blossom will ascend like dust; Because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts, And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

25 Therefore the anger of the Lord is aroused against His people; He has stretched out His hand against them And stricken them, And the hills trembled. Their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.

26 He will lift up a banner to the nations from afar, And will whistle to them from the end of the earth; Surely they shall come with speed, swiftly.

Genesis 4:16-26

16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.

17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son--Enoch.

18 To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech.

19 Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah.

20 And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.

21 His brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute.

22 And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.

23 Then Lamech said to his wives: "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, Even a young man for hurting me.

24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold."

25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, "For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed."

26 And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.

Proverbs 5

1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom; Lend your ear to my understanding,

2 That you may preserve discretion, And your lips may keep knowledge.

3 For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil;

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

5 Her feet go down to death, Her steps lay hold of hell.

6 Lest you ponder her path of life-- Her ways are unstable; You do not know them.

7 Therefore hear me now, my children, And do not depart from the words of my mouth.

8 Remove your way far from her, And do not go near the door of her house,

9 Lest you give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one;

10 Lest aliens be filled with your wealth, And your labors go to the house of a foreigner;

11 And you mourn at last, When your flesh and your body are consumed,

12 And say: "How I have hated instruction, And my heart despised correction!

13 I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!

14 I was on the verge of total ruin, In the midst of the assembly and congregation."

15 Drink water from your own cistern, And running water from your own well.

16 Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets?

17 Let them be only your own, And not for strangers with you.

18 Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth.

19 As a loving deer and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; And always be enraptured with her love.

20 For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, And be embraced in the arms of a seductress?

21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, And He ponders all his paths.

22 His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, And he is caught in the cords of his sin.

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

Proverbs 6:1-3

1 My son, if you become surety for your friend, If you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,

2 You are snared by the words of your mouth; You are taken by the words of your mouth.

3 So do this, my son, and deliver yourself; For you have come into the hand of your friend: Go and humble yourself; Plead with your friend.