And Sarah
saw
the son
of Hagar
the Egyptian,
which she
had born
unto Abraham,
mocking.
And
he went up from
thence unto Bethel:
and as he
was going up
by the way,
there came
forth little children
out of the city,
and mocked him,
and
said unto him,
Go up,
thou bald head;
go up,
thou bald head.
So the posts
went with the letters
from the king
and his princes
throughout all Israel
and Judah,
and
according to
the commandment
of the king,
saying,
Ye children
of Israel,
turn
again
unto the LORD God
of Abraham, Isaac,
and Israel,
and
he will return
to the remnant
of you,
that are escaped
out of the hand
of the kings
of Assyria.
And be not
ye like
your fathers,
and like
your brethren,
which trespassed
against the LORD God
of their fathers,
who therefore gave them
up to desolation,
as ye see.
Now be
ye not stiffnecked,
as your fathers were,
but yield yourselves
unto the LORD,
and enter
into his sanctuary,
which he
hath sanctified
for ever:
and serve
the LORD your God,
that the fierceness
of his wrath
may turn away
from you.
For if
ye turn again
unto the LORD,
your brethren
and your children
shall find compassion
before them that lead
them captive,
so that
they shall come again
into this land:
for the LORD
your God
is gracious
and merciful,
and will not turn away
his face
from you,
if ye
return unto him.
So the posts
passed
from city to city
through the country
of Ephraim
and Manasseh
even unto Zebulun:
but
they laughed them
to scorn,
and mocked them.
But they
mocked
the messengers
of God,
and despised
his words,
and misused
his prophets,
until the wrath
of the LORD
arose
against his people,
till there was
no remedy.
But it
came
to pass,
that when Sanballat
heard
that we
builded the wall,
he was wroth,
and took great indignation,
and mocked
the Jews.
Therefore they
say
unto God,
Depart from us;
for we
desire not the knowledge
of thy ways.
What is the Almighty,
that we
should serve him?
and
what profit
should
we have,
if we
pray unto him?
But now
they
that are younger than
I have me
in derision,
whose fathers
I would have disdained
to have set
with the dogs
of my flock.
And now am
I their song,
yea,
I am their byword.
What man
is like Job,
who drinketh up scorning like water?
Blessed is the man
that walketh not in the counsel
of the ungodly,
nor standeth in the way
of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat
of the scornful.
But in mine adversity
they rejoiced,
and
gathered themselves together:
yea,
the abjects
gathered themselves
together against me,
and
I knew it not;
they did tear me,
and ceased not:
With hypocritical mockers
in feasts,
they gnashed
upon me
with their teeth.
My tears
have been my meat
day and night,
while they
continually say unto me,
Where is thy God?
And they say,
How doth
God know?
and is there knowledge
in the most High?
Yea,
they spake against God;
they said,
Can God
furnish a table
in the wilderness?
Behold,
he smote the rock,
that the waters
gushed out,
and the streams overflowed;
can
he give bread also?
can
he provide flesh
for his people?
Because
they rebelled
against the words
of God,
and contemned
the counsel
of the most High:
Therefore he
brought down
their heart
with labour;
they fell down,
and there was none
to help.
How long,
ye simple ones,
will
ye love
simplicity?
and the scorners
delight
in their scorning,
and fools
hate knowledge?
But ye
have set
at nought
all my counsel,
and would none of my reproof:
Surely
he scorneth the scorners:
but
he giveth
grace unto the lowly.
If thou
be wise,
thou shalt be wise
for thyself:
but
if thou scornest,
thou alone
shalt bear it.
A wise son heareth
his father's instruction:
but a scorner heareth
not rebuke.
A scorner
seeketh wisdom,
and findeth it not:
but knowledge
is easy
unto him that understandeth.
Fools make a
mock
at sin:
but among the righteous
there is favour.
Judgments
are prepared
for scorners,
and stripes
for the back
of fools.
When the scorner
is punished,
the simple
is made wise:
and
when the wise
is instructed,
he receiveth knowledge.
Proud
and haughty scorner
is his name,
who dealeth in proud wrath.
Cast
out the scorner,
and contention
shall go out;
yea,
strife
and reproach
shall cease.
The thought
of foolishness
is sin:
and the scorner
is an abomination
to men.
Woe unto them that draw iniquity
with cords
of vanity,
and sin as it
were with a cart rope:
That say,
Let him make speed,
and hasten
his work,
that we
may see it:
and let
the counsel
of the Holy One
of Israel
draw nigh
and come,
that we
may know it!
Therefore as the fire
devoureth the stubble,
and the flame
consumeth the chaff,
so their root
shall be
as rottenness,
and their blossom
shall go up
as dust:
because
they have cast away
the law
of the LORD
of hosts,
and despised
the word
of the Holy One
of Israel.
Therefore is
the anger
of the LORD
kindled
against his people,
and
he hath stretched
forth his hand
against them,
and hath smitten them:
and the hills
did tremble,
and their carcases
were torn
in the midst
of the streets.
For all
this his anger
is not turned away,
but his hand
is stretched out still.
Shall
the axe
boast itself
against him that
heweth therewith?
or shall
the saw
magnify itself
against him that
shaketh it?
as if the rod
should shake itself
against them that lift it up,
or as if the staff
should lift
up itself,
as if it
were no wood.
Wherefore hear the word
of the LORD,
ye scornful men,
that rule this people
which is in Jerusalem.
For the terrible one
is brought
to nought,
and the scorner
is consumed,
and all
that watch
for iniquity
are cut off:
Against whom do
ye sport
yourselves?
against whom make
ye a wide mouth,
and draw
out the tongue?
are
ye not children
of transgression,
a seed
of falsehood.
Behold,
they say unto me,
Where is the word
of the LORD?
let it come now.
Then spake Azariah
the son
of Hoshaiah,
and Johanan
the son
of Kareah,
and all
the proud men,
saying
unto Jeremiah,
Thou speakest falsely:
the LORD our God
hath not sent thee
to say,
Go not into Egypt
to sojourn there:
Jerusalem
remembered
in the days
of her affliction
and of her miseries all
her pleasant things
that she
had in the days
of old,
when her people
fell
into the hand
of the enemy,
and none
did help her:
the adversaries
saw her,
and did mock
at her sabbaths.
Then said
he unto me,
Son of man,
hast thou
seen
what the ancients
of the house
of Israel
do in the dark,
every man
in the chambers
of his imagery?
for they say,
the LORD
seeth us not;
the LORD
hath forsaken
the earth.
Then said
he unto me,
The iniquity
of the house
of Israel
and Judah
is exceeding great,
and the land
is full of blood,
and the city full of perverseness:
for they say,
The LORD
hath forsaken
the earth,
and the LORD
seeth not.
Then said
he unto me,
Son of man,
these are
the men that
devise mischief,
and give wicked counsel
in this city:
Which say,
It is not near;
let us
build houses:
this city
is the caldron,
and
we be
the flesh.
Son of man,
what is
that proverb that
ye have
in the land
of Israel,
saying,
The days
are prolonged,
and every vision faileth?
And say
unto the Ammonites,
Hear the word
of the Lord GOD;
Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Because
thou saidst,
Aha,
against my sanctuary,
when it
was profaned;
and
against the land
of Israel,
when it
was desolate;
and
against the house
of Judah,
when
they went into captivity;
Son of man,
because
that Tyrus
hath said
against Jerusalem, Aha,
she is broken
that was the gates
of the people:
she is turned unto me:
I shall be replenished,
now
she is laid waste:
Yet ye say,
The way
of the Lord is not equal.
O ye
house
of Israel,
I will judge
you every one
after his ways.
Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Because the enemy
hath said
against you,
Aha,
even
the ancient high places
are ours
in possession:
Therefore prophesy
and say,
Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Because
they have made
you desolate,
and swallowed
you up
on every side,
that ye
might be a possession
unto the residue
of the heathen,
and
ye are taken up
in the lips
of talkers,
and are an infamy
of the people:
In the day
of our king
the princes
have made him sick
with bottles
of wine;
he stretched out his hand
with scorners.
But
when the Pharisees
heard it,
they said,
This fellow
doth not cast
out devils,
but by Beelzebub
the prince
of the devils.
And
they stripped him,
and put on him
a scarlet robe.
And
when they
had
platted a crown
of thorns,
they put it
upon his head,
and a reed
in his right hand:
and they
bowed
the knee
before him,
and mocked him,
saying,
Hail,
King
of the Jews!
And
they
spit upon him,
and took the reed,
and smote him
on the head.
Likewise also
the chief priests
mocking him,
with the scribes
and elders,
said,
And
he said unto them,
Ye will surely say
unto me this proverb,
Physician,
heal thyself:
whatsoever
we have heard
done in Capernaum,
do also here
in thy country.
And the Pharisees also,
who were covetous,
heard all
these things:
and
they derided him.
And the men
that
held
Jesus mocked him,
and smote him.
And
when
they had blindfolded him,
they struck him
on the face,
and asked him,
saying,
Prophesy,
who is it
that smote thee?
And Herod
with his men
of war
set him
at nought,
and mocked him,
and arrayed him
in a gorgeous robe,
and sent him again
to Pilate.
And the people
stood beholding.
And the rulers
also with them derided him,
saying,
He saved others;
let him
save himself,
if he
be Christ,
the chosen
of God.
And the soldiers
also mocked him,
coming to him,
and offering him vinegar,
Others mocking said,
These men
are full of new wine.
But
when the Jews
saw the multitudes,
they were filled
with envy,
and spake against those things
which were spoken
by Paul,
contradicting and blaspheming.
Then certain philosophers
of the Epicureans,
and
of the Stoicks,
encountered him.
And some said,
What
will
this babbler say?
other some,
He seemeth to be
a setter forth
of strange gods:
because
he preached
unto them Jesus,
and the resurrection.
And
when they
heard
of the resurrection
of the dead,
some mocked:
and others said,
We will hear thee
again of this matter.
Of how much
sorer punishment,
suppose ye,
shall
he be thought worthy,
who hath trodden
under foot
the Son
of God,
and hath counted
the blood
of the covenant,
wherewith
he was sanctified,
an unholy thing,
and hath done despite
unto the Spirit
of grace?
Knowing this first,
that there shall come in
the last days scoffers,
walking
after their own lusts,
And saying,
Where is the promise
of his coming?
for since
the fathers fell asleep,
all things
continue
as they
were from the beginning
of the creation.