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he makes nations strong,
then shatters their strength.
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Send your sharp arrows
through enemy hearts
and make all nations fall
at your feet.
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God brings wars to an end
all over the world.
He breaks the arrows,
shatters the spears,
and burns the shields.
Our God says, “Calm down,
and learn that I am God!
All nations on earth
will honor me.”
The Lord All-Powerful
is with us.
The God of Jacob
is our fortress.
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God will bring his people back,
and they will drink the water
he so freely gives.
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You created each nation,
and they will all bow down
to worship and honor you.
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God instructs the nations
and gives knowledge to us all.
Won't he also correct us?
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(A song by Solomon for worship.)
Only the Lord Can Bless a Home
Without the help of the Lord
it is useless to build a home
or to guard a city.
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You can't depend on anyone,
not even a great leader.
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Be sure you have sound advice
before making plans
or starting a war.
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The Lord Is In Charge
The Lord controls rulers,
just as he determines
the course of rivers.
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Even if your army has horses
ready for battle,
the Lord will always win.
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My children, you must respect
the Lord and the king,
and you must not make friends
with anyone
who rebels
against either of them.
Who knows what sudden disaster
the Lord or a ruler
might bring?
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God is praised
for being mysterious;
rulers are praised
for explaining mysteries.
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Who can fully understand
the thoughts of a ruler?
They reach beyond the sky
and go deep in the earth.
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Evil people must be removed
before anyone can rule
with justice.
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In time of civil war
there are many leaders,
but a sensible leader
restores law and order.
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When an honest person wins,
it's time to celebrate;
when crooks are in control,
it's best to hide.
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A ruler who mistreats the poor
is like a roaring lion
or a bear hunting for food.
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A heartless leader is a fool,
but anyone who refuses
to get rich by cheating others
will live a long time.
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An honest ruler
makes the nation strong;
a ruler who takes bribes
will bring it to ruin.
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Without guidance from God
law and order disappear,
but God blesses everyone
who obeys his Law.
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Many try to make friends
with a ruler,
but justice comes
from the Lord.
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Don't be surprised if the poor of your country are abused, and injustice takes the place of justice. After all, the lower officials must do what the higher ones order them to do.
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A country is in for trouble
when its ruler is childish,
and its leaders
party all day long.
But a nation will prosper
when its ruler is mature,
and its leaders
don't party too much.
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Don't even think
about cursing the king;
don't curse the rich,
not even in secret.
A little bird might hear
and tell everything.
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Though you are God's people,
you are ruled and abused
by women and children.
You are confused by leaders
who guide you
down the wrong path.
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But even if they roar
like a fearsome flood,
God will give the command
to turn them back.
They will be like dust,
or like a tumbleweed
blowing across the hills
in a windstorm.
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Throughout the night,
my heart searches for you,
because your decisions
show everyone on this earth
how to live right.
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To the Lord, all nations
are merely a drop in a bucket
or dust on balance scales;
all of the islands
are but a handful of sand.
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If I threaten to uproot and shatter an evil nation
and that nation turns from its evil, I will change my mind.
If I promise to make a nation strong,
but its people start disobeying me and doing evil, then I will change my mind and not help them at all.
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Pray for peace in Babylonia and work hard to make it prosperous. The more successful that nation is, the better off you will be.
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You control human events—
you give rulers their power
and take it away,
and you are the source
of wisdom and knowledge.
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His mind became like that of an animal, and he was forced to stay away from people and live with wild donkeys. Your father ate grass like an ox, and he slept outside where his body was soaked with dew. He was forced to do this until he learned that the Most High God rules all kingdoms on earth and chooses their kings.
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Isn't the whole city frightened
when the trumpet
signals an attack?
Isn't it the Lord who brings
disaster on a city?
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But the Lord All-Powerful
sends up in flames
what nations and people
work so hard to gain.
Just as water fills the sea,
the land will be filled
with people who know
and honor the Lord.
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