Fear

Passages

Every passage tagged with this emotion in the Vela corpus. Search the body text, narrow by source or register, click through to a book’s profile to see how the passage sits with the rest of the work.

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• From The Beautiful Room Is Empty (1988)

  I guess Lester must have been waiting for Tex to close shop. When I desired someone, especially a stranger, I poured myself into him (“Don’t stare,” my mother would tell me). Not that I found Lester so handsome; it was just that he was a chance, some sort of chance. My face burned and my hands were cold. I was terrified the other people, the normal people, in the bookstore would detect my desire, that it was steaming off me like a bad smell. Worse, Tex stole up behind me and rested his hand on my shoulder. I blushed. We were two men touching! Real men (athletes, soldiers, workers) could touch each other with impunity. They even flaunted those pats on the ass and playful punches. But the rest of us must keep our voices subdued, hands soldered to our sides lest a gleam of desire or a shriek or lisp or limp wrist betray us. That staring of mine, the complete absorption in another man, would incriminate me yet, I felt certain. Finally Tex closed the store at midnight, and he and Lester and I walked down windy Rush Street. When we came to the corner of Rush and Clark, Lester said to me, offhandedly, “Do you want to come up to my room for a moment? I’m staying here in the Ambassador East.” “No, thank you,” I said. We shook hands and he and Tex made plans to have lunch the next day. Then he was gone. “What got into you, chile?” Tex asked gently. “Lose your nerve?” “Oh, Tex,” I said, “I don’t know him. He doesn’t really want me. He likes girls. Can’t I go home with you, Tex?” “Hon, I’m bushed,” he said, but he smiled with weary kindness at me. “Just for a few minutes,” I said. We went up to his modest hotel room, devoid of personal touches aside from a half-empty bottle of bourbon and, pinned to the lampshade, a photo of the cop, a beefy guy with ears that stuck out. Tex’s body, pale and hairless, looked much younger than his face, which was large and endowed with too much humor and mobility to go with such a featureless torso. I worried about what he was going to spring on me, but he kissed me and massaged my shoulders and back with surprisingly strong hands, then he explained step-by-step what we were about to do. Always the good student, I responded competently, never guessing I was meant to feel any pleasure. The minute I came, a wave of sickening guilt rushed over me. The hotel room looked depressing. I noticed the stain on Tex’s underpants and the hole in his stocking. Down the hall someone was coughing. Tex’s obsession with the policeman had reduced him to this. Compared to my father’s solid if cheerless fortune, Tex’s poverty was too great an expense of spirit. I pecked him on the cheek, barely able to conceal my shame and disapproval. He yawned.

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  19 Saul was told, “David is at Naioth in Ramah.” 20 Then Saul sent messengers to take David; but when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing and presiding over them, the Spirit of God came on the messengers of Saul; and they also prophesied. 21 When Saul was informed, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. So Saul sent messengers again, the third time, and they prophesied as well. 22 Then Saul went to Ramah himself and came to the great well that is in Secu; and he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” And he was told, “They are at Naioth [with the prophets] in Ramah.” 23 So he went on to Naioth in Ramah; and the Spirit of God came upon him too, and he went along continually prophesying until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 He also took off his [royal] robes [and armor] and prophesied before Samuel and lay down naked all that day and night. So they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” [1 Sam 10:10 ] 1 Samuel 20 David and Jonathan’s Covenant 1 D AVID FLED from Naioth in Ramah and he came and said to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my a guilt? What is my sin before (against) your father, that he is seeking my life?” 2 Jonathan said to him, “Far from it! You shall not die. My father does nothing b important or insignificant without telling me. So why would he hide this thing from me? It is not so!” 3 But David vowed again, saying “Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your sight, and he has said, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, or he will be worried.’ But truly as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is hardly a step between me and death.” 4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.” 5 David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is the New Moon [observance], and I should sit at the table to eat [the sacrificial meal] with the king; but let me go, so that I may hide myself in the field until the third evening. 6 “If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked permission from me to go to Bethlehem, his city, because it is the yearly sacrifice there for the entire family.’ 7 “If he says, ‘All right,’ your servant will be safe; but if he is very angry, then be certain that he has decided on evil. 8 “Therefore show kindness to your servant, because you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. But if there is iniquity (guilt) in me, kill me yourself; for why should you bring me to your father [to be killed]?” 9 Jonathan said, “Far be it from [happening to] you!

• From The Beautiful Room Is Empty (1988)

  By the way, I’ve read of some interesting hormone treatments for your problem they’re experimenting with in England; they implant female hormones in your leg through a simple operation and—” “Female?” “Yes, because estrogens neutralize your sex drive altogether; they neuter you and soon you’re free to lead a normal life.” Her right hand made a small rounded motion in the air when she said the word normal . I could see the pure technology of the hormone pack appealed to her practical side. “Don’t be ridiculous,” I said, but a sudden chill grasped me, exactly as though my lungs were being squeezed by cold hands. My mother went on to ask if I thought I should be put in a psychiatric hospital—and the hands squeezed tighter. It occurred to me that this woman, who was as familiar and shameful to me as my own body, could take it into her head to lock me up. After all, I wasn’t disobliging her in a mild, acceptable way, choosing chemistry rather than physics. No, to her I was a sort of criminal; I’d chosen crime, sex crime. I wanted to be heterosexual, or so I told myself. As a budding writer, I knew I’d never be able to give a convincing account of marriage, birth, parental love, conjugal intimacy, the spicy anguish of adultery—none of the great occasions—until I’d rid myself of this malady which was so narrowing. O’Reilly had warned me that homosexuality would condemn me to an embalmed adolescence, that I’d never grow out of a stale narcissism. And yet something wild and free in me didn’t want to give in to them, the big baggy grown-ups. No, if I were perfectly honest (and I couldn’t be, I lacked the necessary confidence), I’d have to admit that there was a world run by women and feminized men (not effeminate but feminized men) that I wanted to escape, the world of mild suburban couples, his and her necks equally thick and creased, their white hair similarly cropped. The hard hot penis I grabbed for under the toilet-stall partition or the slow wink of a drag queen looking back at me over her ratty fox neckpiece just before she turned the corner—these glimpses piqued my craving for freedom, despite my yearning after respectability. I felt I owed nothing to anyone. My only job was to dodge out of the crossfire. Homosexuality did not constitute a society, just a malady, although unlike many other maladies it was a shameful one—a venereal disease. Could one be loyal to syphilis? And yet syphilis was not a desire one pursued; once contracted, it left nothing else to be done. But a homosexual could be condemned precisely because he persisted in practicing his vice. If I despised homosexuals, I distrusted everyone else. Of course heterosexuals had to be placated and amused. When I was with them, I memorized their reticences and enthusiasms, the subjects they would guffaw over and those they ignored, embarrassed.

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  5 And I said, “Please, O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 6 please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You, day and night, on behalf of Your servants, the d sons (descendants) of Israel (Jacob), confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have committed against You; I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 “We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. [Deut 6:1–9 ] 8 “Please remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful and violate your obligations to Me I will scatter you [abroad] among the peoples; [Lev 26:33 ] 9 but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered are in the most remote part of the e heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen for My f Name to dwell.’ [Deut 30:1–5 ] 10 “Now they are Your servants and Your people whom You have redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand. 11 “Please, O Lord, let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to [reverently] fear Your Name [Your essence, Your nature, Your attributes, with awe]; and make Your servant successful this day and grant him compassion in the sight of this man [the king].” F or I was g cupbearer to the king [of Persia]. Nehemiah 2 Nehemiah’s Prayer Answered 1 I N THE month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was placed before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not [previously] been sad in his presence. 2 So the king said to me, “Why do you look sad when you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.” Then I was very frightened, 3 and I said to the king, “Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?” 4 The king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.

• From Delta of Venus (1977)

  Martha had expressed sensuality even as a little girl, in wrestling with him, in caressing him. She liked to play hide-and-seek, and if he could not find her she would give away her hiding place so he would catch her, gripping her dress. Once they were playing together and had built a small tent. They found themselves huddled together, very close. Then he saw Martha’s face. She had closed her eyes to enjoy the warmth of their bodies together, and John had felt a tremendous fear. Why fear? All through his life he was haunted by this recoil from sensuality. He could not explain it to himself. But there it was. He had seriously thought of becoming a monk. Now, without thinking of his destination, he had reached the old farmhouse. He had not seen it for a long time. He walked softly over the moss and overgrown grass. Out of curiosity he entered it and began to explore. So he came quietly upon the bedroom where Pierre and Martha were. The door was open. He stopped, transfixed by the sight. It was as if his greatest fear had come alive. Pierre was lying back, eyes half-closed, and Martha, completely naked, was behaving like a demon, climbing over him, in a frenzy of hunger for his body. John stood paralyzed with the shock of the scene, and yet took it all in. Martha, smooth, voluptuous, was not only kissing Pierre’s sex, but crouching over his mouth, and then throwing herself against his body and rubbing her breasts against his, and he lay back, entranced, hypnotized by her caresses. After a moment John rushed off without being heard. He had seen the very worst of the infernal vices, confirming his fear that it was Martha who was the erotic one, and he believed that his adopted father was merely yielding to her passion. The more he sought to erase this scene from his mind, the more it penetrated into his whole being, stark, indelible, haunting. When they returned he looked at their faces and was amazed at how different people could look in daily life from the way they looked while they made love. The changes were obscene. Martha’s face now seemed closed, whereas before it was crying out her enjoyment, through her eyes, hair, mouth, tongue. And Pierre, the serious Pierre, a short time ago was not a father but a rather youthful body stretched on a bed, abandoned to the furious lust of an unleashed woman.

• From The Decameron (1353)

  On this wise, tossed about by the sea now hither and now thither, without eating, as one indeed who had not the wherewithal, but drinking more than he could have wished, he abode all that day and the ensuing night, unknowing where he was and descrying nought but sea; but, on the following day, whether it was God's pleasure or stress of wind that wrought it, he came, grown well nigh a sponge and clinging fast with both hands to the marges of the chest, even as we see those do who are like to drown, to the coast of the island of Corfu, where a poor woman chanced to be scouring her pots and pans and making them bright with sand and salt water. Seeing Landolfo draw near and discerning in him no [human] shape, she drew back, affrighted and crying out. He could not speak and scarce saw, wherefore he said nothing; but presently, the sea carrying him landward, the woman descried the shape of the chest and looking straitlier, perceived first the arms outspread upon it and then the face and guessed it for that which it was. Accordingly, moved with compassion, she entered somedele into the sea, which was now calm, and seizing Landolfo by the hair, dragged him ashore, chest and all. There having with difficulty unclasped his hands from the chest, she set the latter on the head of a young daughter of hers, who was with her, and carried him off, as he were a little child, to her hut, where she put him in a bagnio and so chafed and bathed him with warm water that the strayed heat returned to him, together with somewhat of his lost strength. Then, taking him up out of the bath, whenas it seemed good to her, she comforted him with somewhat of good wine and confections and tended him some days, as best she might, till he had recovered his strength and knew where he was, when she judged it time to restore him his chest, which she had kept safe for him, and to tell him that he might now prosecute his fortune.

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  Priests Removed 61 Of the sons of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, of Hakkoz, and of Barzillai, who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and he was known by their name. [2 Sam 17:27 , 28 ; 19:31–39 ] 62 These searched [for their names] among those registered in the genealogies, but they were not found; so they were excluded from the priesthood as [ceremonially] unclean. 63 The d governor told them that they should not eat of the most holy things [the priests’ food] until a priest stood up with Urim and Thummim [who by consulting these articles in his breastplate could e determine God’s will in the matter]. 64 The whole assembly totaled 42,360, 65 besides their male and female servants who numbered 7,337; and [among them] they had 200 male and female singers. 66 Their horses totaled 736; their mules, 245; 67 their camels totaled 435; their donkeys, 6,720. 68 Some of the f heads of the fathers’ households (extended families), when they arrived at the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, made voluntary contributions for the house of God to rebuild it on its [old] foundation. 69 They gave according to their ability to the treasury for the work, 61,000 drachmas of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priestly [linen] garments. 70 So the priests, the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants settled in their [own] cities, and all Israel [gradually settled] into their cities. Ezra 3 Altar and Sacrifices Restored 1 W HEN THE seventh month came and the sons of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. 2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brothers arose, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the a Law of Moses, the man of God. 3 So they set up the altar on its [old] foundation, b for they were terrified because of the peoples of the lands; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD , morning and evening. 4 They celebrated the Feast of c Booths, as it is written, and offered the fixed number of daily burnt offerings, in accordance with the ordinances, as each day required; 5 and afterward, there was the continual burnt offering, the offering at the New Moons, and at all the appointed festivals of the LORD that were consecrated, and the offerings of everyone who made a voluntary offering to the LORD . 6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD , but the foundation of the temple of the LORD had not been laid.

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  13 Have mercy on me and be gracious to me, O LORD ; See how I am afflicted by those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death, 14 That I may tell aloud all Your praises, That in the gates of the daughter of Zion (Jerusalem) I may rejoice in Your salvation and Your help. 15 The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made; In the net which they hid, their own foot has been caught. 16 The LORD has made Himself known; He executes judgment; The wicked are trapped by the work of their own hands. Higgaion (meditation) Selah. 17 The wicked will turn to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead), Even all the nations who forget God. 18 For the poor will not always be forgotten, Nor the hope of the burdened perish forever. 19 Arise, O LORD , do not let man prevail; Let the nations be judged before You. 20 Put them in [reverent] b fear of You, O LORD , So that the nations may know they are but [frail and mortal] men. Selah. Psalm 10 A Prayer for the Overthrow of the Wicked. 1 W hy do You stand far away, O LORD ? Why do You hide [Yourself, veiling Your eyes] in times of trouble? 2 In pride and arrogance the wicked hotly pursue and persecute the afflicted; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised. 3 For the wicked boasts and sings the praises of his heart’s desire, And the greedy man curses and spurns [and even despises] the LORD . 4 The wicked, in the haughtiness of his face, will not seek nor inquire for Him; All his thoughts are, “There is no God [so there is no accountability or punishment].” 5 His ways prosper at all times; Your judgments [LORD ] are on high, out of his sight [so he never thinks about them]; As for all his enemies, he sneers at them. 6 He says to himself, “I will not be moved; For throughout all generations I will not be in adversity [for nothing bad will happen to me].” 7 His mouth is full of curses and deceit (fraud) and oppression; Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness [injustice and sin]. 8 He lurks in ambush in the villages; In hiding places he kills the innocent; He lies in wait for the unfortunate [the unhappy, the poor, the helpless]. 9 He lurks in a hiding place like a lion in his lair; He lies in wait to catch the afflicted; He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net. 10 He crushes [his prey] and crouches; And the unfortunate fall by his mighty claws . 11 He says to himself, “God has [quite] forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see my deed.” 12 Arise, O LORD !

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  15 “Behold, God puts no trust in His holy ones (angels); Indeed, the heavens are not pure in His sight— 16 How much less [pure and clean is] the one who is repulsive and corrupt, Man, who drinks unrighteousness and injustice like water! What Eliphaz Has Seen of Life 17 “I will tell you, listen to me; And what I have seen I will also declare; 18 What wise men have [freely] told, And have not hidden [anything passed on to them] from their fathers, 19 To whom alone the land was given, And no stranger passed among them [corrupting the truth]. 20 “The wicked man writhes with pain all his days, And numbered are the years stored up for him, the ruthless one. 21 “A [dreadful] sound of terrors is in his ears; While at peace and in a time of prosperity the destroyer comes upon him [the tent of the robber is not at peace]. 22 “He does not believe that he will return out of the darkness [for fear of being murdered], And he is destined for the sword [of God’s vengeance]. 23 “He wanders about for food, saying, ‘Where is it?’ He knows that the day of darkness and destruction is already at hand. 24 “Distress and anxiety terrify him, They overpower him like a king ready for battle. 25 “Because he has stretched out his hand against God And behaves arrogantly against a the Almighty, 26 Running and charging headlong against Him With his ornamented and massive shield; 27 For he has covered his face with his fat, Adding layers of fat to his thighs [giving himself up to pleasures], 28 And he has lived in desolate [God-forsaken] cities, In houses which no one should inhabit, Which were destined to become heaps [of ruins]; 29 He will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure; And his grain will not bend to the earth nor his possessions be extended on the earth. 30 “He will not escape from darkness [fleeing disaster]; The flame [of God’s wrath] will wither his branch, And by the blast of His mouth he will go away. 31 “Let him not trust in vanity (emptiness, futility) and be led astray; For emptiness will be his b reward [for such living]. 32 “It will be fulfilled while he still lives, And his branch will not be green [but shall wither away]. 33 “He will fail to bring his grapes to maturity [leaving them to wither unnourished] on the vine, And will cast off blossoms [and fail to bring forth fruit] like the olive tree. 34 “For the company of the godless is barren, And fire consumes the tents of bribery (wrong and injustice). 35 “They conceive mischief and bring forth wickedness, And their inmost soul prepares deceit and fraud.” Job 16 Job Says Friends Are Sorry Comforters 1 T HEN JOB answered and said, 2 “I have heard many such things; Wearisome and miserable comforters are you all.

• From Vox (1992)

  57 "No." "You really missed something. It was originally in one of the tabloids, I think, but I heard about it on the radio. You know about spontaneous human combustion, right?" "I'm familiar with the general concept." "All right, well this kid apparently spontaneously hu man combusted, but the combustion was confined to his genitals. Boom! He was very uncomfortable. But see, I understand perfectly how that could happen. I fear for my own genitals sometimes. I get so fricking horny . . . now there's another inadequate word ... so porny, so gorny, so yorny . . . I get so yorny that I look down at my cock-and-balls unit, and it's like I could take the whole rigid assembly and start unscrewing it, around and around, and it would come off as one solid thing, like a cotterless crank on a bicycle, and I would hand it over to you to use as a dildo." "Okay then, hand it over. Although I've never cot toned to dildos particularly. I used one once, to oblige someone, and I got a yeast infection. I think it was called a 'Mighty Mini Brute.' " "That's a fair description of my . . . crank. " "I know what you mean, though. Sometimes I get the same way, so worked up. My clit gets hard and it feels like this discrete wedge item, like a piece of candy corn, and I feel as if I should put it in a little wooden box for safekeeping. I usually like to come in the shower."

• From Girls & Sex (2016)

  This is where she and I part ways. Most sexual interludes among high school or college students are, obviously, not violent: They are consensual and wanted, if not always reciprocal. That said, a sizable percentage is coerced; rather than “trivializing” rape, Yoffe risks “trivializing” the way such pressure is seen as a masculine right and how that shapes our understanding of consent—even of sex itself. Despite changing roles in other realms, boys continue to be seen as the proper initiators of sexual contact. (If you don’t believe me, listen to the outrage of mothers of teen boys when discussing today’s “aggressive” girls.) Boys’ sex drive is considered natural, and their pleasure a given. They are supposed to be sexually confident, secure, and knowledgeable. Young women, as I’ve said, remain the gatekeepers of sex, the inertia that stops the velocity of the male libido. Those dynamics create a haven for below-the-radar offenses that make a certain level of sexual manipulation, even violence, normal and acceptable. I don’t know that such acts deserve expulsion, but they are worthy of serious discussion. As Lorelei Simpson Rowe, a clinical psychologist at Southern Methodist University who works with girls on refusal skills, explains, “The vast majority of sexual violence and coercion occurs in situations that are not obviously dangerous . . . so if nine times you go out with a boy and engage in consensual activity, and it’s pleasant and you’re excited to be developing a relationship, that doesn’t prepare you for that one time when it switches.” While such transformations may be sudden, frequently, Simpson Rowe says, they’re not. “Guys will start saying, ‘Come on, let’s go further’ or ‘Why not?’ or ‘I really like you. Don’t you like me?’ There’s a lot of persuading and pleading and guilt-inducing tactics, along with a lot of complimenting and flattery. And because it’s subtle, you see a lot of self-questioning among girls. They wonder, ‘Am I reading this right?’ ‘Did he actually say that?’ ‘Did he actually mean that?’” Simpson Rowe and her colleagues have developed a training program that uses virtual reality simulations to help girls recognize and resist those cues. In pilot trials of high school and college students, incoming participants generally rated themselves as confident that they could rebuff unwanted advances or escape threatening situations. Yet, when role-playing a range of increasingly fraught scenarios—from a male avatar who badgers girls for their phone numbers to one who threatens violence if they don’t submit to sex—they would freeze. Simpson Rowe was quick to say that only perpetrators are responsible for assault, but assertiveness and self-advocacy are crucial defensive skills. “What we found is the importance of women being able to make quick, cognitive switches between normal sexual interaction and protecting their safety,” she said. “And part of that involves being able to notice when something has gone from being a normal interaction to pressure.”

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  13 “This [which I am about to explain] is the portion of a wicked man from God, And the inheritance which tyrants and oppressors receive from the Almighty: 14 “Though his children are many, they are destined for the sword; And his descendants will not have sufficient bread. 15 “Those who survive him will be buried because of the plague, And [their] widows will not be able to weep. 16 “Though he heaps up silver like dust And piles up clothing like clay, 17 He may prepare it, but the just will wear it And the innocent will divide the silver. 18 “He builds his house like a spider’s web, Like a (temporary) hut which a watchman makes. 19 “He lies down rich, but never will again; He opens his eyes, and it is gone. 20 “Terrors overtake him like a [suddenly rising] flood; A windstorm steals him away in the night. 21 “The east wind lifts him up, and he is gone; It sweeps him out of his place. 22 “For it will hurl [thunderbolts of God’s wrath] at him unsparingly and without compassion; He flees in haste from its power. 23 “People will clap their hands at him [to mock and ridicule him] And hiss him out of his place. Job 28 Job Tells of Earth’s Treasures 1 “S URELY THERE is a mine for silver, And a place where they refine gold. 2 “Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper is smelted from the stone ore. 3 “Man puts an end to darkness [by bringing in a light], And to the farthest bounds he searches out The rock buried in gloom and deep shadow. 4 “He breaks open (mine) shafts far away from where people live, [In places] forgotten by the [human] foot; They dangle [in the mines] and hang away from men. 5 “[As for] the earth, out of it comes food, But underneath [its surface, down deep] it is turned over as fire. 6 “Its stones are the bed of sapphires; It holds dust of gold. 7 “The path [deep within] no bird of prey knows, And the falcon’s eye has not caught sight of it. 8 “The proud beasts [and their young] have not walked on it, Nor has the fierce lion passed over it. 9 “Man puts his hand on [and tears apart] the flinty rock; He overturns the mountains at the base [looking for treasure]. 10 “He cuts out channels and passages among the rocks; And his eye sees every precious thing. 11 “Man dams up the streams from flowing [so that they do not trickle into the mine], And what is hidden he brings out to the light. The Search for Wisdom Is Harder 12 “But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? 13 “Man does not know the value of it; Nor is it found in the land of the living.

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  [Jer 31:4 , 28 ] 11 ‘Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear [as if he were deity]; do not be afraid of him,’ says the LORD , ‘for [he is a mere man, but I am the living, omniscient God and] I am with you [always] to protect you and to deliver you from his hand. 12 ‘And I will show you compassion, so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your own land. 13 ‘But if you are going to say, “We will not stay in this land,” and [in so doing] do not listen to the voice of the LORD your God, 14 saying, “No, but we will go to the land of Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the sound of the [warrior’s] trumpet or hunger for bread, and we will stay there,” 15 then in that case listen to the word of the LORD , O remnant of Judah. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “If you are really determined to go to Egypt and to reside there [temporarily], 16 then the sword, of which you are afraid, will overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine of which you are afraid will follow closely after you in Egypt, and you will die there. 17 ‘So all the men who set their mind to go to Egypt to reside there [temporarily] will die by the sword, by famine and by virulent disease; none of them will remain or survive the disaster that I am going to bring on them.” ’ ” 18 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “As My anger and My wrath have been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so My wrath will be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. You will become detested, an object of horror, a curse and a people scorned; and you will no longer see this place.” 19 The LORD has spoken to you, O remnant of Judah, “Do not go into Egypt!” Know with certainty that I [Jeremiah] have warned you and testified to you this day 20 that you have deceived yourselves; for you sent me to the LORD your God, saying, “Pray for us to the LORD our God; and whatever the LORD our God says, declare it to us and we will do it.” 21 And so I have told you today, but you have not listened to the voice of the LORD your God, in anything that He has sent me to tell you. 22 Now therefore know for certain that you will die by the sword, by famine, and by virulent disease in the land [of Egypt] where you wish to reside [temporarily].

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  12 Many [enemies like] bulls have surrounded me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me. [Ezek 39:18 ; Amos 4:1 ] 13 They open wide their mouths against me, Like a ravening and a roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax; It is melted [by anguish] within me. 15 My strength is dried up like a fragment of clay pottery; And my [dry] tongue clings to my jaws; And You have laid me in the dust of death. [John 19:28 ] 16 For [a pack of] dogs have surrounded me; A gang of evildoers has encircled me, They pierced my hands and my feet. [Is 53:7 ; John 19:37 ] 17 I can count all my bones; They look, they stare at me. [Luke 23:27 , 35 ] 18 They divide my clothing among them And cast lots for my b garment. [John 19:23 , 24 ] 19 But You, O LORD , do not be far from me; O You my help, come quickly to my assistance. 20 Rescue my life from the sword, My only life from the paw of the dog (the executioner). 21 Save me from the lion’s mouth; From the horns of the wild oxen You answer me. 22 I will tell of Your name to my countrymen; In the midst of the congregation I will praise You. [John 20:17 ; Rom 8:29 ; Heb 2:12 ] 23 You who fear the LORD [with awe-inspired reverence], praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor Him. Fear Him [with submissive wonder], all you descendants of Israel. 24 For He has not despised nor detested the suffering of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from him; But when he cried to Him for help, He listened. 25 My praise will be of You in the great assembly. I will pay my vows [made in the time of trouble] before those who [reverently] fear Him. 26 The afflicted will eat and be satisfied; Those who [diligently] seek Him and require Him [as their greatest need] will praise the LORD . May your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD , And all the families of the nations will bow down and worship before You, 28 For the kingship and the kingdom are the LORD ’s And He rules over the nations. 29 All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship; All those who go down to the dust (the dead) will bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep his soul alive. 30 Posterity will serve Him; They will tell of the Lord to the next generation. 31 They will come and declare His righteousness To a people yet to be born—that He has done it [and that it is finished]. [John 19:30 ] Psalm 23 The LORD , the Psalmist’s Shepherd. A Psalm of David.

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  Then, after opening their treasure chests, they presented to Him gifts [fit for a king, gifts] of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned [by God] in a dream not to go back to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way. The Flight to Egypt 13 Now when they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod intends to search for the Child in order to destroy Him.” 14 So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. 15 He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet [Hosea]: “OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON .” [Hos 11:1 ] Herod Slaughters the Babies 16 Then Herod, when he realized that he had been tricked by the magi, was extremely angry, and he sent [soldiers] and put to death all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that area who were two years old and under, according to the date which he had learned from the magi. 17 Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: 18 “A VOICE WAS HEARD IN f RAMAH , WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING , g RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN ; SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED , BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE .” [Jer 31:15 ] 19 But when h Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said, 20 “Get up! Take the Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.” 21 Then Joseph got up, and took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea i in place of his father Herod [the Great], he was afraid to go there. Then being warned by God in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee, 23 and went and settled in a city called Nazareth.

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  Isaiah 43 Israel Redeemed 1 B UT NOW , this is what the LORD , your Creator says, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you [from captivity]; I have called you by name; you are Mine! 2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. 3 “For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt [to the Babylonians] as your ransom, Cush (ancient Ethiopia) and Seba [its province] in exchange for you. 4 “Because you are precious in My sight, You are honored and I love you, I will give other men in return for you and other peoples in exchange for your life. 5 “Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east [where they are scattered], And gather you from the west. [Acts 18:10 ] 6 “I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring My sons from far way And My daughters from the ends of the earth, 7 Everyone who is called by My Name, Whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.” Israel Is God’s Witness 8 Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, And the deaf, even though they have ears. 9 All the nations have gathered together So that the peoples may be assembled. Who among them (the idolaters) can a predict this [that Judah would return from captivity] And proclaim to us the former events? Let them provide their witnesses so that they may be justified, Or let them hear and say [in acknowledgement], “It is the truth.” [Ps 123:3 , 4 ] 10 “You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD , “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me. 11 “I, [only] I, am the LORD , And there is no Savior besides Me. 12 “I have declared [the future] and saved [the nation] and proclaimed [that I am God], And there was no strange (alien) god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses [among the pagans],” declares the LORD , “That I am God.

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  8 “Behold, I go forward (to the east), but He is not there; I go backward (to the west), but I cannot perceive Him; 9 To the left (north) He turns, but I cannot behold Him; He turns to the right hand (south), but I cannot see Him. 10 “But He knows the way that I take [and He pays attention to it]. When He has tried me, I will come forth as [refined] gold [pure and luminous]. [Ps 17:3 ; 66:10 ; James 1:12 ] 11 “My feet have carefully followed His steps; I have kept His ways and not turned aside. 12 “I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have kept the words of His mouth more than my necessary food. 13 “But He is unique and unchangeable, and who can turn Him? And what His soul desires, that He does. 14 “For He performs what is planned (appointed) for me, And He is mindful of many such things. 15 “Therefore I would be terrified at His presence; When I consider [all of this], I tremble in dread of Him. 16 “For God has made my heart faint, And the Almighty has terrified me, 17 But I am not silenced by the darkness [of these woes that fell on me], Nor by the thick darkness which covers my face. Job 24 Job Says God Seems to Ignore Wrongs 1 “W HY DOES the Almighty not set seasons for judgment? Why do those who know Him not see His days [for punishment of the wicked]? [Acts 1:7 ] 2 “Some remove the landmarks; They [violently] seize and pasture flocks [appropriating land and flocks openly]. 3 “They drive away the donkeys of the orphans; They take the widow’s ox for a pledge. 4 “They crowd the needy off the road; The poor of the land all hide themselves. 5 “Behold, as wild donkeys in the desert, The poor go to their work, diligently seeking food; As bread for their children in the desert. 6 “They harvest their fodder in a field [that is not their own], And glean the vineyard of the wicked. 7 “They spend the night naked, without clothing, And have no covering against the cold. 8 “They are wet from the rain of the mountains And cling to the rock for lack of shelter. 9 “Others snatch the fatherless [infants] from the breast [to sell or make them slaves], And against the poor they take a pledge [of clothing]. 10 “They cause the poor to go about naked without clothing, And they take away the sheaves [of grain] from the hungry. 11 “Within the walls [of the wicked] the poor make [olive] oil; They tread [the grapes in] the wine presses, but thirst. 12 “From the [populous and crowded] city men groan, And the souls of the wounded cry out for help; Yet God [seemingly] does not pay attention to the wrong [done to them].

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  [Is 10:12 ] 3 The shields of his soldiers [of c Media and Babylon] are colored red; The warriors are dressed in scarlet. The chariots blaze with fire of [flashing] steel When he is prepared to march, And the cypress spears are brandished [for battle]. 4 The chariots race madly in the streets; They rush wildly in the broad plazas. Their appearance is like torches; They rush in various directions like forked lightning. 5 d He remembers and summons his nobles; They stumble in their march [terrified because of the attack]. They hurry to the city wall, And the e mantelet is prepared and firmly set up. 6 The gates of the rivers [surrounding Nineveh] are opened And the palace [of sun-dried brick] is dissolved [by the torrents]. 7 It is decreed: Nineveh is stripped, and she is carried away, And her handmaids are moaning like the sound of doves, Beating on their breasts [in sorrow]. 8 Though Nineveh was like a pool of water throughout her days, Now her inhabitants are fleeing; “Stop! Stop!” [a few cry,] But no one turns back. 9 Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! For there is no end to the treasure— Wealth from every precious object. 10 She is emptied! She is desolate and waste! Hearts melting [in fear] and knees knocking! Anguish is in the whole body, And the faces of all grow pale! [Is 13:7 , 8 ] 11 Where is the den of the lions (Assyria) And the feeding place of the young lions, Where the lion, lioness, and lion’s cub prowled With nothing to fear? 12 The lion [of Assyria] tore enough for his cubs (Assyrian citizens), Killed [enough prey] for his lionesses, And filled his lairs with prey And his dens with torn flesh. 13 “Behold, I am against you [Nineveh],” declares the LORD of hosts, “and I will burn your chariots in the smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the land, and the voice of your messengers will no longer be heard.” Nahum 3 Nineveh’s Complete Ruin 1 W OE (JUDGMENT is coming) to the city of blood [guilty of murder and mayhem], completely full of lies and pillage; Her prey never departs [alive]. [Ezek 24:6 , 9 , 10 ; Hab 2:12 ] 2 The noise of the [cracking of the] whip, The noise of the rattling of the wheel, Galloping horses And rumbling and bounding chariots [in the assault of Nineveh]! 3 Horsemen charging, Swords flashing, spears gleaming, Many slain, a mass of corpses, No end of corpses— The horsemen stumble over the corpses! 4 All because of the many acts of prostitution of [Nineveh] the prostitute, The charming and well-favored one, the mistress of sorceries, Who betrays nations by her acts of prostitution (idolatry) And families by her sorceries.

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  [Rev 4:3 ] Ezekiel 2 The Prophet’s Call 1 T HEN HE said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet and I will speak to you.” 2 Then as He spoke to me the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet; and I heard Him speaking to me. 3 And He said to me, “I am sending you, son of man, to the children of Israel, to a rebellious people [in both the north and the south] that have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have sinned and revolted against Me to this very day. 4 “I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord a GOD .’ 5 “As for them, whether they listen or refuse [to listen]—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know and be fully aware of the fact that there has been a prophet among them. 6 “And you, son of man, neither fear them nor fear their words; though briars and thorns are all around you and you sit among scorpions, neither fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, for they are a rebellious house. 7 “But you shall speak My words to them whether they will listen or refuse [to listen], for they are [most] rebellious. 8 “As for you, son of man, listen to what I say to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.” 9 Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out toward me; and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. 10 And He spread it before me, and it was written on the front and on the back, and written on it were [words of] lamentation (funeral songs) and mourning and woe. Ezekiel 3 Ezekiel’s Commission 1 H E SAID to me, “Son of man, eat what you find [in this book]; eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and He fed me the scroll. 3 He said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll that I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. 4 Then He said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak My words to them. 5 “For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel, 6 not to many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult language, whose words you cannot understand.

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  Psalm 7 The LORD Implored to Defend the Psalmist against the Wicked. An a Ode of David, [perhaps in a wild, irregular, enthusiastic strain,] which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite. 1 O LORD my God, in You I take refuge; Save me and rescue me from all those who pursue me, 2 So that my enemy will not tear me like a lion, Dragging me away while there is no one to rescue [me]. 3 O LORD my God, if I have done this, If there is injustice in my hands, 4 If I have done evil to him who was at peace with me, Or without cause robbed him who was my enemy, 5 Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me; And let him trample my life to the ground And lay my honor in the dust. Selah. 6 Arise, O LORD , in Your anger; Lift up Yourself against the rage of my enemies; Rise up for me; You have commanded judgment and vindication. 7 Let the assembly of the nations be gathered around You, And return on high over them. 8 The LORD judges the peoples; Judge me, O LORD , and grant me justice according to my righteousness and according to the integrity within me. 9 Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous [those in right standing with You]; For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds. [Rev 2:23 ] 10 My shield and my defense depend on God, Who saves the upright in heart. 11 God is a righteous judge, And a God who is indignant every day. 12 If a man does not repent, God will sharpen His sword; He has strung and bent His [mighty] bow and made it ready. 13 He has also prepared [other] deadly weapons for Himself; He makes His arrows fiery shafts [aimed at the unrepentant]. 14 Behold, the [wicked and irreverent] man is pregnant with sin, And he conceives mischief and gives birth to lies. 15 He has dug a pit and hollowed it out, And has fallen into the [very] pit which he made [as a trap]. 16 His mischief will return on his own head, And his violence will come down on the top of his head [like loose dirt]. 17 I will give thanks to the LORD according to His righteousness and justice, And I will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. Psalm 8 The LORD ’s Glory and Man’s Dignity. To the Chief Musician; set to a a Philistine lute [or perhaps to a particular Hittite tune]. A Psalm of David. 1 O LORD , our Lord, How majestic and glorious and excellent is Your name in all the earth! You have displayed Your splendor above the heavens.