Relief

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 Lady Chatterley's Lover (1928)

  Now she had more time to herself she could softly play the piano, up in her room, and sing: "Touch not the nettle ... for the bonds of love are ill to loose." She had not realised till lately how ill to loose they were, these bonds of love. But thank Heaven she had loosened them! She was so glad to be alone, not always to have to talk to him. When he was alone he tapped-tapped-tapped on a typewriter, to infinity. But when he was not "working," and she was there, he talked, always talked; infinite small analysis of people and motives, and results, characters and personalities, till now she had had enough. For years she had loved it, until she had enough, and then suddenly it was too much. She was thankful to be alone. It was as if thousands and thousands of little roots and threads of consciousness in him and her had grown together into a tangled mass, till they could crowd no more, and the plant was dying. Now quietly, subtly she was unravelling the tangle of his consciousness and hers, breaking the threads gently, one by one, with patience and impatience to get clear. But the bonds of such love are more ill to loose even than most bonds; though Mrs. Bolton's coming had been a great help. But he still wanted the old intimate evenings of talk with Connie; talk or reading aloud. But now she could arrange that Mrs. Bolton should come at ten to disturb them. At ten o'clock Connie could go upstairs and be alone. Clifford was in good hands with Mrs. Bolton. Mrs. Bolton ate with Mrs. Betts in the housekeeper's room, since they were all agreeable. And it was curious how much closer the servants' quarters seemed to have come; right up to the doors of Clifford's study, when before they were so remote. For Mrs. Betts would sometimes sit in Mrs. Bolton's room, and Connie heard their lowered voices, and felt somehow the strong, other vibration of the working people almost invading the sitting-room, when she and Clifford were alone. So changed was Wragby merely by Mrs. Bolton's coming. And Connie felt herself released, in another world, she felt she breathed differently. But still she was afraid of how many of her roots, perhaps mortal ones, were tangled with Clifford's. Yet still, she breathed freer, a new phase was going to begin in her life. CHAPTER VIII Mrs. Bolton also kept a cherishing eye on Connie, feeling she must extend to her her female and professional protection. She was always urging her ladyship to walk out, to drive to Uthwaite, to be in the air. For Connie had got into the habit of sitting still by the fire, pretending to read, or to sew feebly, and hardly going out at all.

• From The Decameron (1353)

  Gianni answered that he would well and accordingly they both arose and went softly to the door, without which Federigo, who now began to misdoubt him of somewhat, was yet in waiting. When they came thither, the lady said to Gianni, 'Do thou spit, whenas I shall bid thee.' And he answered, 'Good.' Then she began the conjuration and said, 'Phantom, phantom that goest by night, with tail upright[341] thou cam'st to us; now get thee gone with tail upright. Begone into the garden to the foot of the great peach tree; there shalt thou find an anointed twice-anointed one[342] and an hundred turds of my sitting hen;[343] set thy mouth to the flagon and get thee gone again and do thou no hurt to my Gianni nor to me.' Then to her husband, 'Spit, Gianni,' quoth she, and he spat. Federigo, who heard all this from without and was now quit of jealousy, had, for all his vexation, so great a mind to laugh that he was like to burst, and when Gianni spat, he said under his breath '[Would it were] thy teeth!' [Footnote 341: _i.e._ pene arrecto.] [Footnote 342: _i.e._ a fattened capon well larded.] [Footnote 343: _i.e._ eggs.]

• From Sketch for a Theory of the Emotions (1939)

  Janet has, in addition, no way of accounting for the organization of emotional phenomena, their distinctive internal coherence; the function of, as it were, signing off from rational conduct could be performed just as well by a diffuse, disorganized collapse of behavioural capacity. Sartre then turns to psychoanalysis, which he sees as supplying the basis for a major advance. Freud offers, not in his theory of affect, which is minimal and crudely mechanistic, but in his theory of symbolization – the process whereby a conscious phenomenon can come to bear an unconscious (repressed or sublimated) meaning – a model which when applied to emotion allows it to be grasped as bearing an appropriately deep, unitary significance. What principally limits Freud, Sartre argues, is the metapsychological formulation of his insight: psychoanalysis holds apart the symbol and the symbolized in different mental regions, rendering their essential unity unintelligible. The argument which Sartre picks here with Freud is resumed and pursued at a deeper level in Being and Nothingness, where the focus is shifted to psychoanalysis’ assumption of an unconscious mind. With the ground thus cleared, Sartre is able to present his central, radical thesis concerning emotion, which effectively breaks with two thousand years of philosophical psychology by disposing of the entrenched assumption that emotion is opposed to free choice. Emotion is, Sartre maintains, ‘a transformation of the world’ undertaken in the face of some requirement of action that the world imposes on us or the perceived difficulty which it presents in relation to some project of ours. By means of this transformation ‘we try to change the world; that is, to live in it as though the relations between things and their potentialities were governed not by deterministic processes but by magic’. The transformation, freely initiated at the pre-reflective level, is directed at the qualities and relations of objects, which are reconfigured in such a way as to eliminate dissonance from our relation to the world: in one way or another we are relieved of the burden of action, by dint of extinguishing the worldly source of the problematic practical demand. In the most basic case: the grapes that we cannot reach come to look ‘too green’. In the more complex case of melancholy: the oppressive world at large is reduced to an ‘affectively neutral reality, a system in total affective equilibrium’. Though our reconfiguration of the world bears only on the phenomenological qualities by virtue of which objects index possibilities and necessities of action, and does not touch the objective relations in which they stand, emotional transformation of the world nonetheless issues in belief: ‘The qualities conferred upon objects are taken as true qualities.’

• From The Decameron (1353)

  The maid, thinking she had fared well for the first venue, betook herself, as quickliest she might, to the prison, where Ruggieri lay and coaxed the gaoler to let her speak with the prisoner, whom after she had instructed what answers he should make to the prefect of police, an he would fain escape, she contrived to gain admission to the magistrate himself. The latter, for that she was young and buxom, would fain, ere he would hearken to her, cast his grapnel aboard the good wench, whereof she, to be the better heard, was no whit chary; then, having quitted herself of the grinding due,[259] 'Sir,' said she, 'you have here Ruggieri da Jeroli taken for a thief; but the truth is not so.' Then, beginning from the beginning, she told him the whole story; how she, being his mistress, had brought him into the physician's house and had given him the drugged water to drink, unknowing what it was, and how she had put him for dead into the chest; after which she told him the talk she had heard between the master carpenter and the owner of the chest, showing him thereby how Ruggieri had come into the money-lenders' house. [Footnote 259: Or "having risen from the grinding" (_levatasi dal macinio_).] The magistrate, seeing it an easy thing to come at the truth of the matter, first questioned the physician if it were true of the water and found that it was as she had said; whereupon he let summon the carpenter and him to whom the chest belonged and the two money-lenders and after much parley, found that the latter had stolen the chest overnight and put it in their house. Ultimately he sent for Ruggieri and questioned him where he had lain that night, whereto he replied that where he had lain he knew not; he remembered indeed having gone to pass the night with Master Mazzeo's maid, in whose chamber he had drunken water for a sore thirst he had; but what became of him after he knew not, save that, when he awoke, he found himself in the money-lenders' house in a chest. The prefect, hearing these things and taking great pleasure therein, caused the maid and Ruggieri and the carpenter and the money-lenders repeat their story again and again; and in the end, seeing Ruggieri to be innocent, he released him and amerced the money-lenders in half a score ounces for that they had stolen the chest. How welcome this was to Ruggieri, none need ask, and it was beyond measure pleasing to his mistress, who together with her lover and the precious maid, who had proposed to give him the slashes with the knife, many a time after laughed and made merry of the matter, still continuing their loves and their disport from good to better; the which I would well might so betide myself, save always the being put in the chest." * * * * *

• From The Story of My Experiments with Truth (An Autobiography) (1927)

  conscious of the fact that a person, holding, in the public life of India, a position such as I do, has to be most careful in setting an example. It is my firm belief that in the complex constitution under which we are living, the only safe and honourable course for a self- respecting man is, in the circumstances such as face me, to do what I have decided to do, that is, to submit without protest to the penalty of disobedience. ‘I venture to make this statement not in any way in extenuation of the penalty to be awarded against me, but to show that I have disregarded the order served upon me not for want of respect for lawful authority, but in obedience to the higher law of our being, the voice of conscience.’ There was now no occasion to postpone the hearing, but as both the Magistrate and the Government pleader had been taken by surprise, the Migistrate postponed judgment. Meanwhile I had wired full details to the Viceroy, to Patna friends, as also to Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya and others. Before I could appear before the Court to receive the sentence, the Magistrate sent a written message that the Lieutenant Governor had ordered the case against me to be withdrawn, and the Collector wrote to me saying that I was at liberty to conduct the proposed inquiry, and that I might at liberty to conduct the proposed inquiry, and that I might count on whatever help I needed from the officials. None of us was prepared for this prompt and happy issue. I called on the Collector Mr. Heycock. He seemed to be a good man, anxious to do justice. He told me that I might ask for whatever papers I desired to see, and that I was at liberty to see him whenever I liked. The country thus had its first direct object-lesson in Civil Disobedience. The

• From Macho Sluts (1988)

  I never did get a clear description of what “good” feminist sex would look like, by the way, and am still waiting for that information. The success of this pamphlet led us to believe that there was a market for a book. So we formed an editorial committee, which I was specifically told I could not be on, and members loaned the group small amounts of money, which eventually amounted to enough for a first printing. By that time, I was exhausted from trying to finish my bachelor’s degree while being an activist whose own community objected to virtually everything I did. So I was happy to have somebody else put the book together, but I did contribute one of my own short stories, and was quite surprised when it was accepted, but not at all surprised when large sections of it focusing on a bisexual female character were censored. Unfortunately, Samois fell apart a few months after Coming to Power hit the streets and rapidly sold out. Our book was a success, but we couldn’t seem to work with one another amicably enough to do a second printing. Being new to the business of publishing, we hadn’t even budgeted money for distribution, so there was no surplus cash to do a second printing once we paid back the loans. My eulogy for Samois was to make sure the book got a second life with Alyson Publications. I thought it was fittingly ironic that its champion was a gay man, Sasha Alyson, who was incensed about Coming to Power being censored by women’s and even gay bookstores. He took the project on for that reason alone, not expecting to make a dime, and was pleasantly surprised when the book became one of his bestsellers. Despite the anti-porn movement’s censorious rhetoric, women wanted erotica that accurately depicted their sexuality, challenged their imaginations, and made them think. They wanted sexy, sweaty, dirty lesbian fiction written by other lesbians. I would have been insane to stick around if horizontal hostility and backstabbing were the only things that went on in Samois. Anybody who was in a women’s group during that time has a similar story about that group’s dynamic. This may be hard to understand now, but it was very difficult for women to learn how to work with other women. We had been kept apart for so long, conditioned to compete with one another, to never trust one another, to put men ahead of the women in our lives. No matter how irksome collective process was, I give us credit for believing in equality and searching for just ways to relate to one another. The women’s movement made a big dent in those ingrained habits, but I think women are still learning how to bond with, mentor, and really help one another. The dykes in Samois had other challenges as well.

• From The Decameron (1353)

  As for the lady, as soon as she knew him gone forth of the chamber, she arose and locked the door from within, whilst Anichino, (who had had the greatest fright he had ever known and had enforced himself as most he might to escape from the lady's hands, cursing her and her love and himself who had trusted in her an hundred thousand times,) seeing this that she had done in the end, was the joyfullest man that was aye. Then, she having returned to bed, he, at her bidding, put off his clothes and coming to bed to her, they took delight and pleasure together a pretty while; after which, herseeming he should not abide longer, she caused him arise and dress himself and said to him, 'Sweetheart, do thou take a stout cudgel and get thee to the garden and there, feigning to have solicited me to try me, rate Egano, as he were I, and ring me a good peal of bells on his back with the cudgel, for that thereof will ensue to us marvellous pleasance and delight.' Anichino accordingly repaired to the garden, with a sallow-stick in his hand, and Egano, seeing him draw near the pine, rose up and came to meet him, as he would receive him with the utmost joy; whereupon quoth Anichino, 'Ah, wicked woman, art thou then come hither, and thinkest thou I would do my lord such a wrong? A thousand times ill come to thee!' Then, raising the cudgel, he began to lay on to him.

• From The Story of My Experiments with Truth (An Autobiography) (1927)

  finally decided to adhere to the experiment in so far as the motive behind was chiefly religious, and to yield to the doctor’s advice where the motive was mixed. Religious considerations had been predominant in the giving up of milk. I had before me a picture of the wicked processes the govals in Calcutta adopted to extract the last drop of milk from their cows and buffaloes. I also had the feeling that, just as meat was not man’s food, even so animal’s milk could not be man’s food. So I got up in the morning with the determination to adhere to my resolve to abstain from milk. This greatly relieved me. I dreaded to approach Gokhale, but I trusted him to respect my decision. In the evening Kallenbach and I called on Gokhale at the National Liberal Club. The first question he asked me was: ‘Well, have you decided to accept the doctor’s advice?’ I gently but firmly replied: ‘I am willing to yield on all points except one about which I beg you not to press me. I will not take milk, milk-products or meat. If not to take these things should mean my death, I feel I had better face it.’ ‘Is this your final decision?’ asked Gokhlae. ‘I am afraid I cannot decide otherwise,’ said I. ‘I know that my decision will pain you, but I beg your forgiveness.’ With a certain amount of pain but with deep affection, Gokhale said: ‘I do not approve of your decision. I do not see any religion in it. But I won’t press you any more.’ With these words he turned to Dr. Jivraj Mehta and said: ‘Please don’t worry him any more. Prescribe anything you like within the limit he has set for himself.’ The doctor expressed dissent, but was helpless. He advised me to take mung soup., with a dash of asafoetida in it. To this I agreed. I took it for a day or two, but it increased my pain. As I did not find it suitable, I went back to fruits and nuts. The doctor of course went on with his external treatment. The latter somewhat relieved my pain, but my restrictions were to him a sore handicap. Meanwhile Gokhale left for home, as he could not stand the October fogs of London. 121.

• From The Incendiaries (2018)

  It could have been nothing at all: a flock of black-pinioned birds, flicking mid-flight, like a ponytail. The feathers shredding trapezoids of blue into the trick lines of a girl’s dress. Less than a mile from the clinic, he’d have had the attacks in mind. I let Fitz persist, talking, until she admitted they’d failed to find the alleged suicide’s body. Based on evidence I can’t disclose, she said, the bureau has concluded the man did, in fact, see Phoebe fall from a bridge. She sent you a note we had to intercept: I can’t give it to you, but I’ll make sure its contents are passed along. I have to go, I said. I switched off my phone; I laughed until I couldn’t breathe. That evening, I received an email from Fitz, the note digitized, then attached. I watched from the roof while God’s hand flattened the killing mill. I thought I’d see the face of God and live. Will, I’ve since learned that it’s possible to love life without loving mine. – I left the house; I drove around. I returned to the church, then again to his house. But I found no sign of him. I passed the light-glossed billboards. In this hot, sun-blanched limbo, I circled back and forth between his house and church until I fell asleep in the front seat. The next morning, the church parking lot sparkled with cars, packed in lines, like sheaved fish. I’d arrived in the middle of a service. I found a stall in front of the church, with a woman sitting behind the table. She smiled as I walked up, but when I asked if Reverend Lin was preaching, she said no. Is he leading services this week? No. When will he be here? He is having break, she said. I went to the airport. The flight I’d scheduled would have taken me straight back to Noxhurst, so I changed the ticket, routing it through San Francisco. I waited to call until I was on my mother’s front stoop. The phone rang from behind the fence. When I said where I was, she rushed out, still in gloves. She wiped her eyes, brushing soil on pale skin. I tried to lighten the mood: I asked if she was in the habit of gardening with a phone in hand. Oh, this, she said. I can’t hear the phone ring from the yard, and I don’t like to miss it when you call. What a surprise. I’m so glad. Let’s go inside. – But do I have it wrong, Phoebe: did you act in faith, not doubt, the clinic bomb a tribute to the God you loved?

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  15 ‘[In the celebration of the Passover in future years,] seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove the d leaven from your houses [because it represents the spread of sin]; for whoever eats leavened bread on the first day through the seventh day, that person shall be cut off and excluded from [the atonement made for] Israel. 16 ‘On the first day [of the feast] you shall have a holy and solemn assembly, and on the seventh day there shall be another holy and solemn assembly; no work of any kind shall be done on those days, except for the preparation of food which every person must eat—only that may be done by you. 17 ‘You shall also observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because on this very day I brought your hosts [grouped according to tribal armies] out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an ordinance forever. 18 ‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, [and continue] until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 19 ‘Seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses; whoever eats what is leavened shall be cut off and excluded from [the atonement made for] the congregation of Israel, whether a stranger or native-born. [1 Cor 5:6–8 ] 20 ‘You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’ ” 21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take a lamb for yourselves according to [the size of] your families and slaughter the Passover lamb . 22 “You shall take a bunch of e hyssop, dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and touch some of the blood to the lintel [above the doorway] and to the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning. A Memorial of Redemption 23 “For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel [above the entry way] and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow f the destroyer to come into your houses to slay you. 24 “You shall observe this event [concerning Passover] as an ordinance for you and for your children forever. 25 “When you enter the land which the LORD will give you, as He has promised, you shall keep and observe this service. 26 “When your children say to you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’ 27 you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD ’s Passover, for He passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians, but spared our houses.’ ” And the people bowed [their heads] low and worshiped [God].

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  30 ‘The survivors who remain of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward. 31 ‘For a remnant will go forth from Jerusalem, and [a band of] survivors from Mount Zion. The zeal of the LORD of hosts shall perform this. 32 ‘Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: “He will not come to this city [Jerusalem] nor shoot an arrow there; nor will he come before it with a shield nor throw up a siege ramp against it. 33 “By the way that he came, by the same way he will return, and he will not come into this city,” ’ declares the LORD . 34 ‘For I will protect this city to save it, for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.’ ” 35 Then it came to pass that night, that the c angel of the LORD went forth and struck down 185,000 [men] in the camp of the Assyrians; when the survivors got up early in the morning, behold, all [185,000] of them were dead. 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria d left and returned home, and lived at e Nineveh. 37 It came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with a sword; and they escaped to the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son became king in his place. 2 Kings 20 Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery 1 I N THOSE days [when Sennacherib first invaded Judah] Hezekiah became deathly ill. The prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came and said to him, “Thus says the LORD , ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not recover.’ ” [2 Chr 32:24–26 ; Is 38:1–8 ] 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD , saying, 3 “Please, O LORD , remember now [with compassion] how I have walked before You in faithfulness and truth and with a whole heart [entirely devoted to You], and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 Before Isaiah had gone out of the middle courtyard, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the LORD , the God of David your father (ancestor): “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears. Behold, I am healing you; on the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD . 6 “I will add fifteen years to your life and save you and this city [Jerusalem] from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will protect this city for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.” ’ ” 7 Then Isaiah said, “Bring a cake of figs.

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  39 When day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, and they decided to run the ship ashore there if they could. 40 So they cut the cables and severed the anchors and left them in the sea while at the same time i unlashing the ropes of the rudders; and after hoisting the foresail to the wind, they headed steadily for the beach. 41 But striking a j reef with waves breaking in on either side, they ran the ship aground. The prow (forward point) stuck fast and remained immovable, while the stern began to break up under the [violent] force of the waves . 42 The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would dive overboard and swim [to land] and escape; 43 but the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from [carrying out] their plan. He commanded those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to the shore; 44 and [he commanded] the rest to follow , some on [floating] planks, and others on various things from the ship. And so it was that all of them were brought safely to land. Acts 28 Safe at Malta 1 A fter we were safe [on land], we found out that the island was called a Malta. 2 And the b natives showed us extraordinary kindness and hospitality; for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, since it had begun to rain and was cold. 3 But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a c viper crawled out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, “Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, Justice [the avenging goddess] has not permitted him to live.” 5 Then Paul [simply] shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 But they stood watching and expecting him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began saying that he was a god. 7 In the vicinity of that place there were estates belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed and entertained us hospitably for three days. 8 And it happened that the father of Publius was sick [in bed] with recurring attacks of fever and dysentery; and Paul went to him, and after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him. 9 After this occurred, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases were coming to him and being healed.

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  7 But b the Angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, on the road to [Egypt by way of] Shur. 8 And He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where did you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am running away from my mistress Sarai.” 9 The Angel of the LORD said to her, “Go back to your mistress, and submit c humbly to her authority.” 10 Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, “I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.” 11 The Angel of the LORD continued, “Behold, you are with child, And you will bear a son; And you shall name him Ishmael (God hears), Because the LORD has heard and paid attention to your persecution (suffering). 12 “He (Ishmael) will be a wild donkey of a man; His hand will be against every man [continually fighting] And every man’s hand against him; And he will dwell in defiance of all his brothers.” 13 Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are d God Who Sees”; for she said, “Have I not even here [in the wilderness] remained alive after e seeing Him [who sees me with understanding and compassion]?” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi (Well of the Living One Who Sees Me); it is f between Kadesh and Bered. 15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son; and Abram named his son, to whom Hagar gave birth, g Ishmael (God hears). 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael. Genesis 17 Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision 1 W HEN ABRAM was ninety-nine years old, the a LORD appeared to him and said, “I am b God Almighty; Walk [habitually] before Me [with integrity, knowing that you are always in My presence], and be blameless and complete [in obedience to Me]. 2 “I will establish My covenant (everlasting promise) between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly [through your descendants].” 3 Then Abram fell on his face [in worship], and God spoke with him, saying, 4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And [as a result] you shall be the father of many nations. 5 “No longer shall your name be Abram (exalted father), But your name shall be Abraham (father of a multitude); For I will make you the father of many nations. 6 “I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and c kings will come from you. 7 “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  13 Then a survivor who had escaped [from the invading forces on the other side of the Jordan] came and told Abram the b Hebrew. Now he was living by the terebinths (oaks) of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner—they were allies of Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his nephew [Lot] had been captured, he armed and led out his trained men, born in his own house, [numbering] three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far [north] as Dan. 15 He divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and attacked and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. 16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, and also the women, and the people. Abram and Melchizedek 17 Then after Abram’s return from the defeat (slaughter) of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). 18 c Melchizedek king of Salem (ancient Jerusalem) brought out bread and wine [for them]; he was the priest of d God Most High. 19 And Melchizedek blessed Abram and said, “Blessed (joyful, favored) be Abram by God Most High, Creator and Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 And blessed, praised, and glorified be God Most High, Who has given your enemies into your hand.” And Abram gave him a tenth of all [the treasure he had taken in battle].

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  [Prov 21:9 ] 25 Like cold water to a thirsty soul, So is good news from a distant land. 26 Like a muddied fountain and a polluted spring Is a righteous man who yields and compromises his integrity before the wicked. 27 It is not good to eat much honey, Nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory. 28 Like a city that is broken down and without walls [leaving it unprotected] Is a man who has no self-control over his spirit [and sets himself up for trouble]. [Prov 16:32 ] Proverbs 26 Similitudes, Instructions 1 L IKE SNOW in summer and like rain in harvest, So honor is not fitting for a [shortsighted] a fool. [Is 32:6 ] 2 Like the sparrow in her wandering, like the swallow in her flying, So the curse without cause does not come and alight [on the undeserving]. [Num 23:8 ] 3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, And a rod for the backs of fools [who refuse to learn]. 4 Do not answer [nor pretend to agree with the frivolous comments of] a [closed-minded] fool according to his folly, Otherwise you, even you, will be like him. 5 Answer [and correct the erroneous concepts of] a fool according to his folly, Otherwise he will be wise in his own eyes [if he thinks you agree with him]. [Matt 16:1–4 ; 21:24–27 ] 6 He who sends a message by the hand of a fool Cuts off his own feet (sabotages himself) and drinks the violence [it brings on himself as a consequence]. [Prov 13:17 ] 7 Like the legs which are useless to the lame, So is a proverb in the mouth of a fool [who cannot learn from its wisdom]. 8 Like one who [absurdly] binds a stone in a sling [making it impossible to throw], So is he who [absurdly] gives honor to a fool. 9 Like a thorn that goes [without being felt] into the hand of a drunken man, So is a proverb in the mouth of a fool [who remains unaffected by its wisdom]. 10 Like a [careless] archer who [shoots arrows wildly and] wounds everyone, So is he who hires a fool or those who [by chance just] pass by. 11 Like a dog that returns to his vomit Is a fool who repeats his foolishness. 12 Do you see a man [who is unteachable and] wise in his own eyes and full of self-conceit? There is more hope for a fool than for him. [Prov 29:20 ; Luke 18:11 ; Rom 12:16 ; Rev 3:17 ] 13 The lazy person [who is self-indulgent and relies on lame excuses] says, “There is a lion in the road! A lion is in the open square [and if I go outside to work I will be killed]!” [Prov 22:13 ] 14 As the door turns on its hinges, So does the lazy person on his bed [never getting out of it].

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  They had said to one another, “The king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come [and fight] against us.” 7 So the Arameans set out and fled during the twilight, and left their tents, horses, and donkeys, even left the camp just as it was, and fled for their lives. 8 When these lepers came to the edge of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried away from there silver, gold, and clothing, and went and hid them. Then they went back and entered another tent and carried [some valuable things] from there also , and went and hid them. 9 Then they said one to another, “We are not doing the right thing. This is a day of good news, yet we are keeping silent. If we wait until the morning light, some punishment [for not reporting this now] will come on us. So now come, let us go and tell the king’s household.” 10 So they came and called to the gatekeepers of the city. They told them, “We went to the camp of the Arameans (Syrians), and behold, there was no one there, nor the sound of man there—only the horses and donkeys tied up, and the tents [had been left] just as they were.” 11 Then the gatekeepers called out and it was reported to the king’s household inside [the city]. 12 Then the king got up in the night and said to his servants, “I will tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know that we are hungry; so they have left the camp to hide themselves in the open country, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we shall take them alive and get into the city.’ ” 13 One of his servants replied, “Please let some men take five of the horses which remain inside the city. Consider this: [if they are caught then at worst] they will be like all the people of Israel who are left in the city; [even if they are killed then] they will be like all the people of Israel who have already died. So let us send [them] and see [what happens].” 14 So they took two chariots with horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army, saying, “Go and see.” The Promise Fulfilled 15 They went after them to the Jordan, and all the road was entirely littered with clothing and equipment which the Arameans (Syrians) had thrown away when they hurriedly fled. And the messengers returned and told the king. 16 Then the people [of Israel] went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So [goods were so plentiful that] a measure of finely-milled flour [was sold] for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in accordance with the word of the LORD [as spoken through Elisha].

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  Were the gods of the nations of those lands able to rescue their lands from my hand at all? 14 ‘Who [was there] among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed who was able to rescue his people from my hand, that your God should be able to rescue you from my hand? 15 ‘So now, do not let Hezekiah deceive or mislead you like this, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to rescue his people from my hand or the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God rescue you from my hand!’ ” 16 And his servants said even more against the LORD God and against His servant Hezekiah. 17 The Assyrian king also wrote letters insulting and taunting the LORD God of Israel, and speaking against Him, saying, “As the gods of the nations of other lands have not rescued their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not rescue His people from my hand.” 18 They shouted it loudly in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, so that they might take the city [without a long siege]. 19 They spoke of the God of Jerusalem as [they spoke of] the gods of the peoples of the earth, [which are only] the work of the hands of men. Hezekiah’s Prayer Is Answered 20 But Hezekiah the king and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz prayed about this and cried out to heaven [for help]. 21 And the LORD sent an angel who destroyed every brave warrior, commander, and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. So the king returned to his own land in shame. And when he entered the house (temple) of his god, some of his own children killed him there with the sword. [2 Kin 19:35–37 ] 22 Thus the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and He gave them rest on every side. 23 And many brought gifts to the LORD at Jerusalem and valuable presents to Hezekiah king of Judah; so from then on he was exalted in the sight of all nations. 24 In those days Hezekiah became terminally ill; and he prayed to the LORD , and He answered him and gave him a [miraculous] sign. 25 But Hezekiah did nothing [for the LORD ] in return for the benefit bestowed on him, because his heart had become proud; therefore God’s wrath came on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. 26 However, Hezekiah humbled his proud heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD did not come on them during the days of Hezekiah.

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  And even we [as Jews] have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law. By observing the Law no one will ever be justified [declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty]. [Ps 143:2 ] 17 “But if, while we seek to be justified in Christ [by faith], we ourselves are found to be sinners, does that make Christ an advocate or promoter of our sin? Certainly not! 18 “For if I [or anyone else should] rebuild [through word or by practice] what I once tore down [the belief that observing the Law is essential for salvation], I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 “For through the Law I died to the Law and its demands on me [because salvation is provided through the death and resurrection of Christ], so that I might [from now on] live to God. 20 “I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. 21 “I do not ignore or nullify the [gracious gift of the] grace of God [His amazing, unmerited favor], for if righteousness comes through [observing] the Law, then Christ died needlessly. [His suffering and death would have had no purpose whatsoever.]” Galatians 3 Faith Brings Righteousness 1 O YOU foolish and thoughtless and superficial Galatians, who has bewitched you [that you would act like this], to whom—right before your very eyes—Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified [in the gospel message]? 2 This is all I want to ask of you: did you receive the [Holy] Spirit as the result of obeying [the requirements of] the Law, or was it the result of hearing [the message of salvation and] with faith [believing it]? 3 Are you so foolish and senseless? Having begun [your new life by faith] with the Spirit, are you now being perfected and reaching spiritual maturity by the flesh [that is, by your own works and efforts to keep the Law]? 4 Have you suffered so many things and experienced so much all for nothing—if indeed it was all for nothing? 5 So then, does He who supplies you with His [marvelous Holy] Spirit and works miracles among you, do it as a result of the works of the Law [which you perform], or because you [believe confidently in the message which you] heard with faith? 6 Just as Abraham BELIEVED GOD , AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS , [as conformity to God’s will and purpose—so it is with you also].

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  12 “So shall we come upon David in one of the places where he can be found, and we will fall on him as the dew falls [unseen and unheard] on the ground; and of him and of all the men who are with him, not even one will be left. 13 “If he retreats into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it into the ravine until not even a pebble [of it] is found there.” 14 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than that of Ahithophel.” For the LORD had ordained to thwart the good advice of Ahithophel, so that the LORD could bring disaster upon Absalom. Hushai’s Warning Saves David 15 Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “This is the advice that Ahithophel gave to Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this is the advice that I have given. 16 “Now then, send word quickly and tell David, ‘Do not spend the night at the g fords [on the west side of the Jordan] in the wilderness, but by all means cross over [to the east side of the river], or else the king and all the people with him will be destroyed [if Ahithophel is allowed by Absalom to lead an attack].’ ” 17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz [the priests’ sons] were staying at h En-rogel, and a maidservant [appearing to go for water] would go and tell them [what was happening], and they would go [secretly] and inform King David; for they could not [allow themselves to] be seen coming into the city [of Jerusalem]. 18 But a boy saw them and told Absalom; so the two of them left quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard, and [with his permission] they went down into it. 19 And the woman [of the house] took a covering and spread it over the mouth of the well and scattered grain on it; so nothing was discovered. 20 Then Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house and asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” And the woman said to them, “They have crossed over the brook.” When they searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. 21 After they left, Jonathan and Ahimaaz came up out of the well and went and informed King David, and said to David, “Arise and cross over the i Jordan River quickly, for Ahithophel has advised [an attack] against you.” 22 Then David and all the people who were with him departed and crossed over the Jordan. By daybreak, not even one was left who had not crossed the Jordan. 23 Now when Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out and went to his home, to his city.

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  10 He waited another seven days and again sent the dove out from the ark. 11 The dove came back to him in the evening, and there, in her beak, was a fresh olive leaf. So Noah knew that the water level had subsided from the earth. 12 Then he waited another seven days and sent out the dove, but she did not return to him again. 13 Now in the six hundred and first year [of Noah’s life], on the first day of the first month, the waters were drying up from the earth. Then Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and the surface of the ground was drying. 14 On the twenty-seventh day of the second month the land was [entirely] dry. 15 And God spoke to Noah, saying, 16 “Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives with you. 17 “Bring out with you every living thing from all flesh—birds and animals and every crawling thing that crawls on the earth—that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” 18 So Noah went out, and his wife and his sons and their wives with him [after being in the ark one year and ten days]. 19 Every animal, every crawling thing, every bird—and whatever moves on the land—went out by families (types, groupings) from the ark. 20 And Noah built an altar to the LORD , and took of every [ceremonially] clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma [a soothing, satisfying scent] and the LORD said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intent (strong inclination, desire) of man’s heart is wicked from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done. 22 “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.” Genesis 9 Covenant of the Rainbow 1 A ND GOD blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2 “The fear and the terror of you shall be [instinctive] in every animal of the land and in every bird of the air; and together with everything that moves on the ground, and with all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hand. 3 “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; I give you everything, as I gave you the green plants and vegetables. 4 “But you shall not eat meat along with its life, that is, its blood. [Lev 7:26 ; Acts 15:20 ; 21:25 ] 5 “For your lifeblood I will most certainly require an accounting; from every animal [that kills a person] I will require it.