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33  The Lord turns rivers into wilderness ♦︎
   and water springs into thirsty ground;
34  A fruitful land he makes a salty waste, ♦︎
   because of the wickedness of those who dwell there.
35  He makes the wilderness a pool of water ♦︎
   and water springs out of a thirsty land.
36  There he settles the hungry ♦︎
   and they build a city to dwell in.
37  They sow fields and plant vineyards ♦︎
   and bring in a fruitful harvest.
38  He blesses them, so that they multiply greatly; ♦︎
   he does not let their herds of cattle decrease.
39  He pours contempt on princes ♦︎
   and makes them wander in trackless wastes.
40  They are diminished and brought low, ♦︎
   through stress of misfortune and sorrow,
41  But he raises the poor from their misery ♦︎
   and multiplies their families like flocks of sheep.
42  The upright will see this and rejoice, ♦︎
   but all wickedness will shut its mouth.
43  Whoever is wise will ponder these things ♦︎
   and consider the loving-kindness of the Lord.

The Call of Wisdom

²⁰ Wisdom cries out in the street;
   in the squares she raises her voice.
²¹ At the busiest corner she cries out;
   at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
²² ‘How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
   and fools hate knowledge?
²³ Give heed to my reproof;
I will pour out my thoughts to you;
   I will make my words known to you.
²⁴ Because I have called and you refused,
   have stretched out my hand and no one heeded,
²⁵ and because you have ignored all my counsel
   and would have none of my reproof,
²⁶ I also will laugh at your calamity;
   I will mock when panic strikes you,
²⁷ when panic strikes you like a storm,
   and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
   when distress and anguish come upon you.
²⁸ Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
   they will seek me diligently, but will not find me.
²⁹ Because they hated knowledge
   and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
³⁰ would have none of my counsel,
   and despised all my reproof,
³¹ therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way
   and be sated with their own devices.
³² For waywardness kills the simple,
   and the complacency of fools destroys them;
³³ but those who listen to me will be secure
   and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.’

18 Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. ¹⁹And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him ²⁰whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. ²¹Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; ²²and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.

23 And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. ²⁴All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.

Testing the Spirits

4Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. ²By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³and every spirit that does not confess Jesus^* is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming; and now it is already in the world. ⁴Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. ⁵They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and whoever is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.