And Sarah
died
in Kirjatharba;
the same
is Hebron
in the land
of Canaan:
and Abraham
came
to mourn
for Sarah,
and
to weep
for her.
And Jacob
rent his clothes,
and put sackcloth
upon his loins,
and mourned
for his son many days.
And all
his sons
and all
his daughters
rose up to
comfort him;
but
he refused
to be comforted;
and he said,
For I
will go down
into the grave
unto my son mourning.
Thus his father
wept for him.
And Joseph
fell
upon his father's face,
and
wept upon him,
and kissed him.
And
when the days
of his mourning
were past,
Joseph spake unto the house
of Pharaoh,
saying,
If now
I have found
grace
in your eyes,
speak,
I pray you,
in the ears
of Pharaoh,
saying,
And it
came
to pass,
that at midnight
the LORD
smote all
the firstborn
in the land
of Egypt,
from the firstborn
of Pharaoh
that sat
on his throne
unto the firstborn
of the captive
that was in the dungeon;
and all
the firstborn
of cattle.
And Pharaoh
rose up
in the night,
he,
and all
his servants,
and all
the Egyptians;
and there was
a great cry
in Egypt;
for there was not a house
where there was not
one dead.
And Moses
said
unto Aaron,
and unto Eleazar
and unto Ithamar,
his sons,
Uncover
not your heads,
neither rend
your clothes;
lest
ye die,
and lest wrath
come upon all
the people:
but let
your brethren,
the whole house
of Israel,
bewail
the burning
which the LORD
hath kindled.
And Elimelech Naomi's husband died;
and she
was left,
and her two sons.
And Mahlon
and Chilion
died also both
of them;
and the woman
was left
of her two sons
and her husband.
And
she
said unto them,
Call me
not Naomi,
call me Mara:
for the Almighty
hath dealt very
bitterly with me.
I went out full
and the LORD
hath brought me
home
again empty:
why then
call
ye me Naomi,
seeing
the LORD
hath testified against me,
and the Almighty
hath afflicted me?
And Nathan
departed
unto his house.
And the LORD
struck
the child
that Uriah's wife
bare
unto David,
and it
was very sick.
David therefore besought God
for the child;
and David fasted,
and went in,
and lay all night
upon the earth.
And the elders
of his house arose,
and went to him,
to raise him up
from the earth:
but he
would not,
neither did
he eat bread
with them.
And it
came
to pass
on the seventh day,
that the child died.
And the servants
of David feared
to tell him
that the child
was dead:
for they said,
Behold,
while the child
was yet alive,
we spake unto him,
and
he would not hearken
unto our voice:
how will he
then vex himself,
if we
tell him
that the child
is dead?
But
when David
saw
that his servants whispered,
David
perceived
that the child
was dead:
therefore David
said
unto his servants,
Is the child dead?
And they said,
He is dead.
Then David
arose
from the earth,
and washed,
and anointed himself,
and changed
his apparel,
and came
into the house
of the LORD,
and worshipped:
then he
came
to his own house;
and
when he required,
they set bread
before him,
and he did eat.
Then said
his servants
unto him,
What thing
is this
that thou
hast done?
thou didst fast
and weep
for the child,
while it
was alive;
but
when the child
was dead,
thou didst rise
and eat bread.
And he said,
While the child
was yet alive,
I fasted
and wept:
for I said,
Who can tell
whether GOD
will be gracious to me,
that the child
may live?
But now
he is dead,
wherefore should
I fast?
can
I bring him
back again?
I shall go
to him,
but
he shall not return to me.
And the king
was much moved,
and went up to
the chamber
over the gate,
and wept:
and as he went,
thus
he said,
O my son Absalom,
my son,
my son Absalom!
would God I
had died
for thee,
O Absalom,
my son,
my son!
But the king covered
his face,
and the king
cried
with a loud voice,
O my son Absalom, O Absalom,
my son,
my son!
And,
behold,
there came
a great wind
from the wilderness,
and smote
the four
corners
of the house,
and it
fell
upon the young men,
and
they are dead;
and
I only am escaped alone
to tell thee.
Then Job arose,
and rent
his mantle,
and shaved
his head,
and fell down
upon the ground,
and worshipped,
And said,
Naked
came
I out of my mother's womb,
and naked
shall
I return thither:
the LORD gave,
and the LORD
hath taken away;
blessed
be the name
of the LORD.
A merry heart
maketh a cheerful countenance:
but by sorrow
of the heart
the spirit
is broken.
It is
better to go
to the house
of mourning,
than
to go
to the house
of feasting:
for that is the end
of all men;
and the living
will lay it
to his heart.
Sorrow
is
better
than laughter:
for by the sadness
of the countenance
the heart
is made better.
The heart
of the wise
is in the house
of mourning;
but the heart
of fools
is in the house
of mirth.
Son of man,
behold,
I take away
from thee
the desire
of thine
eyes
with a stroke:
yet neither
shalt
thou mourn
nor weep,
neither shall
thy tears
run down.
Forbear to cry,
make no
mourning
for the dead,
bind
the tire of thine
head
upon thee,
and put on
thy shoes
upon thy feet,
and cover not
thy lips,
and eat not
the bread
of men.
So I
spake unto the people
in the morning:
and
at even my wife died;
and I
did in the morning as I
was commanded.
Though they
bring up their children,
yet will
I bereave them,
that there shall not be
a man left:
yea,
woe also to them
when
I depart from them!
Blessed
be God,
even the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father
of mercies,
and the God
of all comfort;
Who comforteth us
in all
our tribulation,
that we
may be able
to comfort them
which are in any trouble,
by the comfort
wherewith
we ourselves
are comforted
of God.
But
I would not have you
to be ignorant,
brethren,
concerning them which
are asleep,
that ye
sorrow not,
even as others
which have
no hope.
For if
we believe
that Jesus
died
and rose again,
even so
them
also which sleep
in Jesus
will
God
bring with him.
For this
we say unto you
by the word
of the Lord,
that we which
are alive
and remain
unto the coming
of the Lord
shall not prevent them which
are asleep.
For the Lord himself
shall descend
from heaven
with a shout,
with the voice
of the archangel,
and
with the trump
of God:
and the dead
in Christ
shall rise first:
Then we which
are alive
and remain
shall be caught up together
with them
in the clouds,
to meet the Lord
in the air:
and so
shall
we ever be
with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one
another
with these words.