Your maxims ¹  are proverbs of ashes; ²  your defenses ³  are defenses of clay. ⁴ 

He has flung me into the mud, and I have come to resemble dust and ashes.

Therefore I despise myself, ¹  and I repent in dust and ashes!

For I eat ashes as if they were bread, ¹  and mix my drink with my tears, ² 

Then Abraham asked, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord ¹  (although I am but dust and ashes), ² 

Also, they must take away the ashes from the altar ¹  and spread a purple cloth over it.

Job took a shard of broken pottery to scrape ¹  himself ²  with while he was sitting ³  among the ashes. ⁴ 

He sends the snow that is white like wool; he spreads the frost that is white like ashes. ¹ 

Then he must take off his clothes and put on other clothes, and he must bring the fatty ashes outside the camp to a ceremonially ¹  clean place,

The nations will be burned to ashes; ¹  like thorn bushes that have been cut down, they will be set on fire.

They will lament loudly ¹  over you and cry bitterly. They will throw dust on their heads and roll in the ashes; ² 

So I turned my attention ¹  to the Lord God ²  to implore him by prayer and requests, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. ³ 

When the news ¹  reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth, and sat on ashes.

You are to make its pots for the ashes, ¹  its shovels, its tossing bowls, ²  its meat hooks, and its fire pans – you are to make all ³  its utensils of bronze.

Then the priest ¹  must remove its entrails by cutting off its tail feathers, ²  and throw them ³  to the east side of the altar into the place of fatty ashes,

The one who gathers the ashes of the heifer must wash his clothes and be ceremonially unclean until evening. This will be a permanent ordinance both for the Israelites and the resident foreigner who lives among them.

“‘For a ceremonially unclean person you must take ¹  some of the ashes of the heifer ²  burnt for purification from sin and pour ³  fresh running ⁴  water over them in a vessel.

Then Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long robe she was wearing. She put her hands on her head and went on her way, wailing as she went.

That day he also announced ¹  a sign, “This is the sign the Lord has predetermined: ²  The altar will be split open and the ashes ³  on it will fall to the ground.” ⁴ 

The altar split open and the ashes ¹  fell from the altar to the ground, ²  in fulfillment of the sign the prophet had announced with the Lord’s authority. ³