The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. Mered’s wife Bithiah ¹  gave birth to Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah, the father of Eshtemoa.

In all hard work ¹  there is profit, but merely talking about it ²  only brings ³  poverty. ⁴ 

A servant ¹  cannot be corrected ²  by words, for although ³  he understands, there is no answer. ⁴ 

Those who were closest to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan. These men were the seven officials of Persia and Media who saw the king on a regular basis ¹  and had the most prominent offices ²  in the kingdom.

(His Judahite wife gave birth to Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.) These were the sons of Pharaoh’s daughter Bithiah, whom Mered married. ¹ 

But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves.

in God I trust, I am not afraid. What can mere men ¹  do to me? ² 

The Lord says, “I will put a curse on people who trust in mere human beings, who depend on mere flesh and blood for their strength, ²  and whose hearts ³  have turned away from the Lord.

You severely discipline people for their sins; ¹  like a moth you slowly devour their strength. ²  Surely all people are a mere vapor. (Selah)

Your claim to have a strategy and military strength is just empty talk. ¹  In whom are you trusting, that you would dare to rebel against me?

For whenever someone says, “I am with Paul,” or “I am with Apollos,” are you not merely human? ¹ 

For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous before God, but those who do the law will be declared righteous. ¹ 

Am I saying these things only on the basis of common sense, ¹  or does the law not say this as well?

For all the gods of the nations are worthless, ¹  but the Lord made the sky.

The nations’ idols are made of silver and gold, they are man-made. ¹ 

these are only ¹  the shadow of the things to come, but the reality ²  is Christ! ³ 

Indeed, these are but the outer fringes of his ways! ¹  How faint is the whisper ²  we hear of him! But who can understand the thunder of his power?”

In God – I boast in his promise ¹  – in God I trust, I am not afraid. What can mere men ²  do to me? ³ 

They ¹  utter empty words, ²  taking ³  false oaths and making empty ⁴  agreements. Therefore legal disputes sprout up like poisonous weeds ⁵  in the furrows of a plowed field.

for you are still influenced by the flesh. ¹  For since there is still jealousy and dissension among you, are you not influenced by the flesh and behaving like unregenerate people? ²