Self-Delusion

I will tell my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry.” ’

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow let’s go into this city, and spend a year there, trade, and make a profit.”

Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’

But he answered, ‘Most certainly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

“Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter in and will not be able.

Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.’

But if that evil servant should say in his heart, ‘My lord is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with the drunkards, the lord of that servant will come in a day when he doesn’t expect it, and in…

“But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared—whose will they be?’

For when they are saying, “Peace and safety,” then sudden destruction will come on them, like birth pains on a pregnant woman. Then they will in no way escape.

The children of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and went against them. The children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of young goats; but the Syrians filled the country.

Ben Hadad said to him, “The cities which my father took from your father I will restore. You shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria.” “I”, said Ahab, “will let you go with this covenant.” So he made a…

They answered him, “We are Abraham’s offspring, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How do you say, ‘You will be made free’?”

You do the works of your father.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father, God.”

Though while he lived he blessed his soul— and men praise you when you do well for yourself—

As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.”

Ephraim said, “Surely I have become rich, I have found myself wealth. In all my wealth they won’t find in me any iniquity that is sin.”

He reasoned within himself, saying, ‘What will I do, because I don’t have room to store my crops?’ He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. I will…

But my people didn’t listen to my voice. Israel desired none of me.

So I let them go after the stubbornness of their hearts, that they might walk in their own counsels.

Ephraim is joined to idols. Leave him alone!

and with all deception of wickedness for those who are being lost, because they didn’t receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

Because of this, God sends them a working of error, that they should believe a lie;

There is a way which seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

But we will certainly perform every word that has gone out of our mouth, to burn incense to the queen of the sky, and to pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of…