Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.
The insolent utterly deride me, but I do not turn away from your law.
In the thought of one who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune; it is ready for those whose feet slip.
Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.”
when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.
And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.”
“Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel comes!
We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.
“Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed.
Tremble, you women who are at ease, shudder, you complacent ones; strip, and make yourselves bare, and tie sackcloth around your waist.
Rise up, you women who are at ease, hear my voice; you complacent daughters, give ear to my speech.
They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment. Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies. They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression. They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth.
I also could speak as you do, if you were in my place; I could join words together against you and shake my head at you.
But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.
Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head?
Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com.