Then ¹  would I speak and not fear him, but it is not so with me. ² 

Only in two things spare me, ¹  O God, ²  and then I will not hide from your face:

So I will pull your skirt up over your face and expose you to shame like a disgraced adulteress! ¹ 

For all the firstborn males among the Israelites are mine, both humans and animals; when I destroyed ¹  all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I set them apart for myself.

A song of ascents, ²  by David. O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor do I have a haughty look. ³  I do not have great aspirations, or concern myself with things that are beyond me. ⁴ 

“I have been inactive ¹  for a long time; I kept quiet and held back. Like a woman in labor I groan; I pant and gasp. ² 

I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as ¹  God Almighty, ²  but by ³  my name ‘the Lord’ ⁴  I was not known to them. ⁵ 

I will surely punish them for doing such things!” says the Lord. “I will surely bring retribution on such a nation as this!” ¹ 

I will certainly punish them for doing such things!” says the Lord. “I will certainly bring retribution on such a nation as this! ¹ 

I will certainly punish them for doing such things!” says the Lord. “I will certainly bring retribution on such a nation as this!” ¹ 

I ate no choice food; no meat or wine came to my lips, ¹  nor did I anoint myself with oil ²  until the end of those three weeks.

With what should I ¹  enter the Lord’s presence? With what ²  should I bow before the sovereign God? ³  Should I enter his presence with burnt offerings, with year-old calves?

And if I go and make ready ¹  a place for you, I will come again and take you ²  to be with me, ³  so that where I am you may be too.

I wish that everyone was as I am. But each has his own gift from God, one this way, another that.

– though mine too are significant. ¹  If someone thinks he has good reasons to put confidence in human credentials, ²  I have more:

For they are entirely given ¹  to me from among the Israelites. I have taken them for myself instead of ²  all who open the womb, the firstborn sons of all the Israelites.

The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and then enter ¹  into the battle; but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and then entered into the battle.

the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him: “I have answered ¹  your prayer and chosen this place to be my temple where sacrifices are to be made. ² 

The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and then enter ¹  the battle; but you wear your royal attire.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and they entered the battle.

So I thought to myself, “The fate of the fool will happen even to me! ¹  Then what did I gain by becoming so excessively ²  wise?” ³  So I lamented to myself, ⁴  “The benefits of wisdom ⁵  are ultimately ⁶  meaningless!”