Proverbs 1: GENEVA BIBLE

Proverbs 1

1 The Parables of Solomon the son of David King of Israel,

2 To know wisdom, and instruction, to understand ye words of knowledge,

3 To receive instruction to do wisely, by justice and judgment and equity,

4 To give unto the simple, sharpness of wit, and to the child knowledge and discretion.

5 A wise man shall hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels,

6 To understand a parable, and the interpretation, the words of ye wise, and their dark sayings.

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

8 My son, hear thy father’s instruction, and forsake not thy mother’s teaching.

9 For they shall be a comely ornament unto thine head, and as chains for thy neck.

10 My son, if sinners do entice thee, consent thou not.

11 If they say, Come with us, we will lay wait for blood, and lie privily for the innocent without a cause:

12 We will swallow them up alive like a grave even whole, as those that go down into the pit:

13 We shall find all precious riches, and fill our houses with spoil:

14 Cast in thy lot among us: we will all have one purse:

15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them: refrain thy foot from their path.

16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.

17 Certainly as without cause the net is spread before the eyes of all that hath wing:

18 So they lay wait for blood and lie privily for their lives.

19 Such are the ways of everyone that is greedy of gain: he would take away the life of the owners thereof.

20 Wisdom crieth without: she uttereth her voice in the streets.

21 She calleth in the high street, among the prease in the enterings of the gates, and uttereth her words in the city, saying,

22 O ye foolish, how long will ye love foolishness? and the scornful take their pleasure in scorning, and the fools hate knowledge?

23 (Turn you at my correction: lo, I will pour out my mind unto you, and make you understand my words)

24 Because I have called, and ye refused: I have stretched out mine hand, and none would regard.

25 But ye have despised all my counsel, and would none of my correction.

26 I will also laugh at your destruction, and mock, when your fear cometh.

27 When your fear cometh like sudden desolation, and your destruction shall come like a whirlwind: when affliction and anguish shall come upon you,

28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer: they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me,

29 Because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord.

30 They would none of my counsel, but despised all my correction.

31 Therefore shall they eat of ye fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

32 For ease slayeth the foolish, and the prosperity of fools destroyeth them.

33 But he that obeyeth me, shall dwell safely, and be quiet from fear of evil.

Source:
http://www.genevabible.org/files/Geneva_Bible/Old_Testament/Proverbs.pdf

David Bruce: Politics Anecdotes

• A controversy arose in 2010 about a mosque being erected near Ground Zero—that is, near the site of the former World Trade Center, which was destroyed in the infamous September 11, 2001, terrorist attack. Actually, the “mosque” would have been a community center with a prayer room rather than a mosque, but most people railing against the “mosque” did not know that. In the United States, of course, the First Amendment guarantees the freedom of religion, but many people railing against the “mosque” seem not to know that. Two women who do understand that, and who understand something that Roger Ebert writes (“Where one religion can build a church, so can all religions”) are a couple of strippers near the 9-11 site. Cassandra is a stripper at New York Dolls. At first, she was concerned that the call to the five daily prayers of Islam would annoy the neighbors, but once she learned that no loudspeakers would be used, she said, “I don’t know what the big deal is. It’s freedom of religion, you know?” And Chris, a stripper at the Pussycat Lounge (and a Red Cross volunteer who helped 9-11 survivors, and a woman who lost eight firefighter friends and neighbors on 9-11) said, “They’re not building a mosque in the World Trade Center. It’s all good. You have your synagogues and your churches. And you have a mosque.” Mr. Ebert writes, “Cassandra and Chris reflect American values more instinctively and correctly on this issue, let it be said, than Sarah Palin, Howard Dean, Newt Gingrich, Harry Reid and Rudy Giuliani, who should know better.”

• Jello Biafra, the lead singer of the Dead Kennedys, once ran a satirical campaign for mayor of San Francisco, during which his platform included such planks as 1) making everyone who worked in the business section wear clown costumes during business hours, 2) hiring back 7,000 city employees who had been laid off and making their job panhandling in rich neighborhoods at a 50% commission, 3) making police officers run campaigns to be rehired in the neighborhoods they patrol (residents in those neighborhoods would cast votes) and 4) legalizing squatting in buildings that were vacant because of tax reasons. As is the case with satire, his humor had a point. For example, he says, “In San Francisco, land of the homeless, there are so many buildings left empty for tax write-off purposes—it’s obscene.”

• After Dan White, a former police officer and city supervisor, murdered San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and city supervisor Harvey Milk, he used the Twinkie defense (he claimed that eating junk food had diminished his ability to use his reason) to get only a 5-year sentence as punishment for committing the two murders. Jello Biafra, lead singer of the Dead Kennedys, regarded this as outrageous, and when he ran for Mayor of San Francisco, he ran on a platform one of whose planks advocated the erection of many Dan White statues in San Francisco—along with concession stands where people could buy eggs and tomatoes to throw at the statues.

• As a politician running for the office of President of the United States, John F. Kennedy shook many, many hands (sometimes using both of his hands), and his own hands were often sore. In addition, overeager fans reaching into his car sometimes tore off the buttons of his coat. Often, the cuffs of his shirts became shredded from his interactions with voters and fans, and so his aides carried around spare cuffs for him. By the way, Mr. Kennedy was not like some modern politicians who wished to avoid active service in the military. Mr. Kennedy tried to enlist twice in the United States armed forces during World War II, but he failed the physical examination both times. He used his family connections to get into the United States Navy, a branch of the armed forces in which he became a war hero.

• Gore Vidal tells this story about John “Jack” F. Kennedy: John’s father was Joseph Kennedy, a very wealthy man who spent large amounts of money getting John elected to public offices, including the Presidency. After John was elected President in 1960, Joe took all nine of his children, including John, to Palm Beach, where he told them, “All you read about the Kennedy fortune is untrue. It’s non-existent. We’ve spent so much getting Jack elected, and not one of you is living within your income.” Joe then turned to John and asked, “Mr. President, what’s the solution?” John answered, “The solution is simple. You all gotta work harder.”

•  In France (at least until recently), politicians and civil-service workers were expected to be well read. In 2006, French President Nicholas Sarkozy got book lovers angry at him when he suggested that civil service entrance exams should not include questions about such things as the 17^th-century French novel La Princesse de Clèvesby Madame de La Fayette. Lovers of the works of La Fayette immediately did such things as arrange public readings of La Princesse de Clèves. In addition, the writer Jacques Drillon suggested that since Mr. Sarkozy is not well read, citizens of France should perform the good deed of mailing him books.

• On December 1, 1854, a national referendum was held in Mexico to determine whether Antonio López de Santa Anna should continue in office as President of Mexico. Voters signed their names in one of two books: one book recorded votes favorable to Santa Anna, and the other recorded votes against Santa Anna. After the referendum, in which the citizens of Mexico overwhelming voted that he continue in office, Santa Anna arrested everyone who had signed the book that recorded votes against him.

• Even back when he was a stand-up comic, Minnesota Senator Al Franken was interested in politics. Henry Kissinger once personally telephoned the offices of Saturday Night Liveto request tickets to the show. Mr. Franken answered the phone and told him, “No.” When Mr. Kissinger asked why he couldn’t get the tickets, Mr. Franken told him, “Because of the bombing of Cambodia.”

• “Politics: the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each from the other.” — Oscar Ameringer

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Copyright by Bruce D. Bruce; All Rights Reserved

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