A voice cries out, “In the wilderness clear a way for the Lord; construct in the desert a road for our God.

The righteousness of the blameless will make straight their way, ¹  but the wicked person will fall by his own wickedness. ² 

I, the Lord, affirm ¹  that I am opposed to those prophets who are using their own tongues to declare, ‘The Lord declares….’ ² 

Every valley must be elevated, and every mountain and hill leveled. The rough terrain will become a level plain, the rugged landscape a wide valley.

O Lord who rules over all, ¹  how blessed are those who trust in you! ² 

The one ¹  who flatters ²  his neighbor spreads a net ³  for his steps. ⁴ 

The leprosy left him at once, and he was clean.

For ¹  they do not speak the truth; ²  their stomachs are like the place of destruction, ³  their throats like an open grave, ⁴  their tongues like a steep slope leading into it. ⁵ 

His arms are like rods of gold set with chrysolite. His abdomen ¹  is like polished ivory inlaid with sapphires.

Then with smooth words he will defile ¹  those who have rejected ²  the covenant. But the people who are loyal to ³  their God will act valiantly. ⁴ 

will you, with him, spread out ¹  the clouds, solid as a mirror of molten metal?

People lie to one another; ¹  they flatter and deceive. ² 

May the Lord cut off ¹  all flattering lips, and the tongue that boasts! ² 

for he is too proud to recognize and give up his sin. ¹ 

A song of ascents. ²  How blessed is every one of the Lord’s loyal followers, ³  each one who keeps his commands! ⁴ 

Make the path for your feet ¹  level, ²  so that ³  all your ways may be established. ⁴ 

For the lips ¹  of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her seductive words ²  are smoother than olive oil,

The way of the sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, ¹  but the path of the upright is like ²  a highway. ³ 

A lying tongue ¹  hates those crushed by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin. ² 

The one who reproves ¹  another ²  will in the end ³  find more favor than the one who flatters ⁴  with the tongue.