Spirit Force

But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
MAT.23:6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
MAT.23:7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
MAT.23:8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
MAT.23:9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
MAT.23:10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
MAT.23:11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
MAT.23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
MAT.23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
MAT.23:14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
MAT.23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
MAT.23:16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
MAT.23:17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
MAT.23:18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
MAT.23:19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
MAT.23:20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.
MAT.23:21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.
MAT.23:22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
MAT.23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
MAT.23:24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
MAT.23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
MAT.23:26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
MAT.23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
MAT.23:28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
MAT.23:29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
MAT.23:30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
MAT.23:31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.
MAT.23:32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
MAT.23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
MAT.23:34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
MAT.23:35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

My son, be attentive to my Wisdom [godly Wisdom learned by actual and costly experience], and incline your ear to my understanding [of what is becoming and prudent for you],
2 That you may exercise proper discrimination and discretion and your lips may guard and keep knowledge and the wise answer [to temptation].
3 For the lips of a loose woman drip honey as a honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil;
4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged and devouring sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold of Sheol (Hades, the place of the dead).
6 She loses sight of and walks not in the path of life; her ways wind about aimlessly, and you cannot know them.
7 Now therefore, my sons, listen to me, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
8 Let your way in life be far from her, and come not near the door of her house [avoid the very scenes of temptation],
9 Lest you give your honor to others and your years to those without mercy,
10 Lest strangers [and false teachings] take their fill of your strength and wealth and your labors go to the house of an alien [from God]—
11 And you groan and mourn when your end comes, when your flesh and body are consumed,
12 And you say, How I hated instruction and discipline, and my heart despised reproof!
13 I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers nor submitted and consented to those who instructed me.
14 [The extent and boldness of] my sin involved almost all evil [in the estimation] of the congregation and the community.
15 [a]Drink waters out of your own cistern [of a pure marriage relationship], and fresh running waters out of your own well.
16 Should your offspring be dispersed abroad as water brooks in the streets?
17 [Confine yourself to your own wife] let your children be for you alone, and not the children of strangers with you.
18 Let your fountain [of human life] be blessed [with the rewards of fidelity], and rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant doe [tender, gentle, attractive]—let her bosom satisfy you at all times, and always be transported with delight in her love.
20 Why should you, my son, be infatuated with a loose woman, embrace the bosom of an outsider, and go astray?
21 For the ways of man are directly before the eyes of the Lord, and He [Who would have us live soberly, chastely, and godly] carefully weighs all man’s goings.
22 His own iniquities shall ensnare the wicked man, and he shall be held with the cords of his sin.
23 He will die for lack of discipline and instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he will go astray and be lost.

The proverbs (truths obscurely expressed, maxims, and parables) of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
2 [a]That people may know skillful and godly [b]Wisdom and instruction, discern and comprehend the words of understanding and insight,
3 Receive instruction in wise dealing and the discipline of wise thoughtfulness, righteousness, justice, and integrity,
4 That prudence may be given to the simple, and knowledge, discretion, and discernment to the youth—
5 The wise also will hear and increase in learning, and the person of understanding will acquire skill and attain to sound counsel [so that he may be able to steer his course rightly]—
6 That people may understand a proverb and a figure of speech or an enigma with its interpretation, and the words of the wise and their dark sayings or riddles.
7 The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning and the principal and choice part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; but fools despise skillful and godly Wisdom, instruction, and discipline.
8 My son, hear the instruction of your father; reject not nor forsake the teaching of your mother.
9 For they are a [victor’s] chaplet (garland) of grace upon your head and chains and pendants [of gold worn by kings] for your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.
11 If they say, Come with us; let us lie in wait [to shed] blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause [and show that his piety is in vain];
12 Let us swallow them up alive as does Sheol (the place of the dead), and whole, as those who go down into the pit [of the dead];
13 We shall find and take all kinds of precious goods [when our victims are put out of the way], we shall fill our houses with plunder;
14 Throw in your lot with us [they insist] and be a sworn brother and comrade; let us all have one purse in common—
15 My son, do not walk in the way with them; restrain your foot from their path;
16 For their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
17 For in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird!
18 But [when these men set a trap for others] they are lying in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives.
19 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy of gain; such [greed for plunder] takes away the lives of its possessors.
20 [c]Wisdom cries aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the markets;
21 She cries at the head of the noisy intersections [in the chief gathering places]; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
22 How long, O simple ones [open to evil], will you love being simple? And the scoffers delight in scoffing and [self-confident] fools hate knowledge?
23 If you will turn (repent) and give heed to my reproof, behold, I [[d]Wisdom] will pour out my spirit upon you, I will make my words known to you.
24 Because I have called and you have refused [to answer], have stretched out my hand and no man has heeded it,
25 And you treated as nothing all my counsel and would accept none of my reproof,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when the thing comes that shall cause you terror and panic—
27 When your panic comes as a storm and desolation and your calamity comes on as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.
28 Then will they call upon me [Wisdom] but I will not answer; they will seek me early and diligently but they will not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord,
30 Would accept none of my counsel, and despised all my reproof,
31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be satiated with their own devices.
32 For the backsliding of the simple shall slay them, and the careless ease of [self-confident] fools shall destroy them.
33 But whoso hearkens to me [Wisdom] shall dwell securely and in confident trust and shall be quiet, without fear or dread of evil.

Whoever loves instruction and correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is like a brute beast, stupid and indiscriminating.
2 A good man obtains favor from the Lord, but a man of wicked devices He condemns.
3 A man shall not be established by wickedness, but the root of the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall never be moved.
4 A virtuous and worthy wife [earnest and strong in character] is a crowning joy to her husband, but she who makes him ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.
5 The thoughts and purposes of the [consistently] righteous are honest and reliable, but the counsels and designs of the wicked are treacherous.
6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them and the innocent ones [thus endangered].
7 The wicked are overthrown and are not, but the house of the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall stand.
8 A man shall be commended according to his Wisdom [godly Wisdom, which is comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God], but he who is of a perverse heart shall be despised.
9 Better is he who is lightly esteemed but works for his own support than he who assumes honor for himself and lacks bread.
10 A [consistently] righteous man regards the life of his beast, but even the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
11 He who tills his land shall be satisfied with bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits is lacking in sense and is without understanding.
12 The wicked desire the booty of evil men, but the root of the [uncompromisingly] righteous yields [richer fruitage].
13 The wicked is [dangerously] snared by the transgression of his lips, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall come out of trouble.
14 From the fruit of his words a man shall be satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hands shall come back to him [as a harvest].
15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who listens to counsel is wise.
16 A fool’s wrath is quickly and openly known, but a prudent man ignores an insult.
17 He who breathes out truth shows forth righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), but a false witness utters deceit.
18 There are those who speak rashly, like the piercing of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19 Truthful lips shall be established forever, but a lying tongue is [credited] but for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the hearts of those who devise evil, but for the counselors of peace there is joy.
21 No [actual] evil, misfortune, or calamity shall come upon the righteous, but the wicked shall be filled with evil, misfortune, and calamity.
22 Lying lips are extremely disgusting and hateful to the Lord, but they who deal faithfully are His delight.
23 A prudent man is reluctant to display his knowledge, but the heart of [self-confident] fools proclaims their folly.
24 The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slothful will be put to forced labor.
25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but an encouraging word makes it glad.
26 The [consistently] righteous man is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked causes others to go astray.
27 The slothful man does not catch his game or roast it once he kills it, but the diligent man gets precious possessions.
28 Life is in the way of righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation), and in its pathway there is no death but immortality (perpetual, eternal life).

Michael Basham.com