Water
Now the earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep. God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.
God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.
God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear;” and it was so.
God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering together of the waters he called “seas.” God saw that it was good.
God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of sky.”
God created the large sea creatures, and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind. God saw that it was good.
God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
No plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for Yahweh God had not caused it to rain on the earth. There was not a man to till the ground,
but a mist went up from the earth, and watered the whole surface of the ground.
A river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it was parted, and became four heads.
The name of the first is Pishon: this is the one which flows through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
The name of the second river is Gihon: the same river that flows through the whole land of Cush.
The name of the third river is Hiddekel: this is the one which flows in front of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
The man said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “You shall cast every son who is born into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”
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“‘If they confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, in their trespass which they trespassed against me, and also that, because they walked contrary to me,
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I also walked contrary to them, and brought them into the land of their enemies: if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled, and they then accept the punishment of their iniquity;
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The land also will be left by them, and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them: and they will accept the punishment of their iniquity; because, even because they rejected my ordinances, and their soul abhorred my statutes.
Mahlon and Chilion both died, and the woman was bereaved of her two children and of her husband.
Yahweh grant you that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband.” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from having husbands? No, my daughters, for it grieves me much for your sakes, for the hand of Yahweh has gone out against me.”
They lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth joined with her.
She said to them, “Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
I went out full, and Yahweh has brought me home again empty; why do you call me Naomi, since Yahweh has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?”
Therefore wash yourself, anoint yourself, get dressed, and go down to the threshing floor, but don’t make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.
He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper.
Serve Yahweh with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness. Give me relief from my distress. Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
You became imitators of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit,
Woe to them! For they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in Korah’s rebellion.
These are hidden rocky reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you, shepherds who without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn leaves without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved forever.