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kind
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[Lot said,] "You have already thought enough of your
servant to do me the great kindness of intervening to save my
life. But I cannot flee to the hills to keep the disaster from
overtaking me, and so I shall die. Look, this town ahead is near
enough to escape to. It's only a small place. Let me flee there -
it's a small place, isn't it? - that my life may be
saved." "Well, then," he replied, "I will also
grant you the favor you now ask. I will not overthrow the town you
speak of. Hurry, escape there! I cannot do anything until you
arrive there." That is why the town is called Zoar. [Taken from GEN
19:19-22]
The man then bowed down in worship to the LORD,
saying: "Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham,
who has not let his constant kindness toward my master fail. As
for myself also, the LORD has led me straight to the house of my
master's brother." [Taken from GEN 24:26-27]
Isaac asked them, "Why have you come to me,
seeing that you hate me and have driven me away from you?"
They answered: "We are convinced that the LORD is with you,
so we propose that there be a sworn agreement between our two
sides - between you and us. Let us make a pact with you: you shall
not act unkindly toward us, just as we have not molested you, but
have always acted kindly toward you and have let you depart in
peace. Henceforth, 'The LORD'S blessing be upon you!'" Isaac
then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. Early the next
morning they exchanged oaths. Then Isaac bade them farewell, and
they departed from him in peace. [GEN 26:27-31]
Then he prayed: "O God of my father Abraham
and God of my father Isaac! You told me, O LORD, 'Go back to the
land of your birth, and I will be good to you.' I am unworthy of
all the acts of kindness that you have loyally performed for your
servant: although I crossed the Jordan here with nothing but my
staff, I have now grown into two companies. Save me, I pray, from
the hand of my brother Esau! Otherwise I fear that when he comes
he will strike me down and slay the mothers and children. You
yourself said, 'I will be very good to you, and I will make your
descendants like the sands of the sea, which are too numerous to
count.'" [Taken from GEN 32:10-13]
Then Esau asked, "What did you intend with
all those droves that I encountered?" Jacob answered,
"It was to gain my lord's favor." "I have
plenty," replied Esau; "you should keep what is yours,
brother." "No, I beg you!" said Jacob. "If you
will do me the favor, please accept this gift from me, since to
come into your presence is for me like coming into the presence of
God, now that you have received me so kindly. Do accept the
present I have brought you; God has been generous toward me, and I
have an abundance." Since he so urged him, Esau accepted. [Taken from GEN
33:8-11]
He seized Joseph and threw him into the jail
where the royal prisoners were confined. But even while he was in
prison, the LORD remained with Joseph; he showed him kindness by
making the chief jailer well-disposed toward him. The chief jailer
put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners in the jail, and
everything that had to be done there was done under his
management. The chief jailer did not concern himself with anything
at all that was in Joseph's charge, since the LORD was with him
and brought success to all he did. [GEN 39:20-23]
Now that their father was dead, Joseph's
brothers became fearful and thought, "Suppose Joseph has been
nursing a grudge against us and now plans to pay us back in full
for all the wrong we did him!" So they approached Joseph and
said: "Before your father died, he gave us these
instructions: 'You shall say to Joseph, Jacob begs you to forgive
the criminal wrongdoing of your brothers, who treated you so
cruelly.' Please, therefore, forgive the crime that we, the
servants of your father's God, committed." When they spoke
these words to him, Joseph broke into tears. Then his brothers
proceeded to fling themselves down before him and said, "Let
us be your slaves!" But Joseph replied to them: "Have no
fear. Can I take the place of God? Even though you meant harm to
me, God meant it for good, to achieve his present end, the
survival of many people. Therefore have no fear. I will provide
for you and for your children." By thus speaking kindly to
them, he reassured them. Joseph remained in Egypt, together with
his father's family. He lived a hundred and ten years. [GEN 50:15-22]
Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out, "The LORD, the
LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in
kindness and fidelity, continuing his kindness for a thousand
generations, and forgiving wickedness and crime and sin; yet not
declaring the guilty guiltless, but punishing children and
grandchildren to the third and fourth generation for their
fathers' wickedness!" Moses at once bowed down to the ground
in worship. [EX 34:6-8]
The LORD said to Moses: "Speak to Aaron and
his sons and tell them: This is how you shall bless the
Israelites. Say to them: The LORD bless you and keep you! The LORD
let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The LORD look
upon you kindly and give you peace! So shall they invoke my name
upon the Israelites, and I will bless them." [NUM 6:22-27]
[Moses said,] "Now then, let the power of my Lord be displayed
in its greatness, even as you have said, 'The LORD is slow to
anger and rich in kindness, forgiving wickedness and crime; yet
not declaring the guilty guiltless, but punishing children to the
third and fourth generation for their fathers' wickedness.'
Pardon, then, the wickedness of this people in keeping with your
great kindness, even as you have forgiven them from Egypt until
now." The LORD answered: "I pardon them as you have
asked. Yet, by my life and the LORD'S glory that fills the whole
earth, of all the men who have seen my glory and the signs I
worked in Egypt and in the desert, and who nevertheless have put
me to the test ten times already and have failed to heed my voice,
not one shall see the land which I promised on oath to their
fathers." [Taken from NUM 14:17-23]
From Kadesh Moses sent men to the king of Edom
with the message: "Your brother Israel has this to say: You
know of all the hardships that have befallen us, how our fathers
went down to Egypt, where we stayed a long time, how the Egyptians
maltreated us and our fathers, and how, when we cried to the LORD,
he heard our cry and sent an angel who led us out of Egypt. Now
here we are at the town of Kadesh at the edge of your territory.
Kindly let us pass through your country. We will not cross any
fields or vineyards, nor drink any well water, but we will go
straight along the royal road without turning to the right or to
the left, until we have passed through your territory." But
Edom answered him, "You shall not pass through here; if you
do, I will advance against you with the sword." The
Israelites insisted, "We want only to go up along the
highway. If we or our livestock drink any of your water, we will
pay for it. Surely there is no harm in merely letting us march
through." But Edom still said, "No, you shall not pass
through," and advanced against them with a large and heavily
armed force. Therefore, since Edom refused to let them pass
through their territory, Israel detoured around them.
[NUM 20:14-21]
Before the spies fell asleep, Rahab came to them
on the roof and said: "I know that the LORD has given you the
land, that a dread of you has come upon us, and that all the
inhabitants of the land are overcome with fear of you. For we have
heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you
when you came out of Egypt, and how you dealt with Sihon and Og,
the two kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan, whom you doomed
to destruction. At these reports, we are disheartened; everyone is
discouraged because of you, since the LORD, your God, is God in
heaven above and on earth below. Now then, swear to me by the LORD
that, since I am showing kindness to you, you in turn will show
kindness to my family; and give me an unmistakable token that you
are to spare my father and mother, brothers and sisters, and all
their kin, and save us from death." "We pledge our lives
for yours," the men answered her. "If you do not betray
this errand of ours, we will be faithful in showing kindness to
you when the LORD gives us the land." Then she let them down
through the window with a rope; for she lived in a house built
into the city wall. "Go up into the hill country," she
suggested to them, "that your pursuers may not find you. Hide
there for three days, until they return; then you may proceed on
your way."
[JOSH 2:8-16]
Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go
back, each of you, to your mother's house! May the LORD be kind to
you as you were to the departed and to me! May the LORD grant each
of you a husband and a home in which you will find rest." She
kissed them good-bye, but they wept with loud sobs, and told her
they would return with her to her people. [Taken from RUTH 1:8-10]
Casting herself prostrate upon the ground,
[Ruth] said to him, "Why should I, a foreigner, be favored with your
notice?" Boaz answered her: "I have had a complete
account of what you have done for your mother-in-law after your
husband's death; you have left your father and your mother and the
land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not
know previously. May the LORD reward what you have done! May you
receive a full reward from the LORD, the God of Israel, under
whose wings you have come for refuge." She said, "May I
prove worthy of your kindness, my lord: you have comforted me,
your servant, with your consoling words; would indeed that I were
a servant of yours!" [Taken from RUTH 2:10-13]
As she remained long at prayer before the LORD,
Eli watched her mouth, for Hannah was praying silently; though her
lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. Eli, thinking her
drunk, said to her, "How long will you make a drunken show of
yourself? Sober up from your wine!" "It isn't that, my
lord," Hannah answered. "I am an unhappy woman. I have
had neither wine nor liquor; I was only pouring out my troubles to
the LORD. Do not think your handmaid a ne'er-do-well; my prayer
has been prompted by my deep sorrow and misery." Eli said,
"Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you
have asked of him." She replied, "Think kindly of your
maidservant," and left. She went to her quarters, ate and
drank with her husband, and no longer appeared downcast. Early the
next morning they worshiped before the LORD, and then
returned to their home in Ramah. When Elkanah had relations
with his wife Hannah, the LORD remembered her. She conceived, and
at the end of her term bore a son whom she called Samuel, since
she had asked the LORD for him. [Taken from 1SAM 1:12-20]
Saul went to the city of Amalek, and after setting an ambush in the
wadi, warned the Kenites: "Come! Leave Amalek and withdraw, that I may not have to destroy you with them, for you were kind to the Israelites when they came up from Egypt." [Taken from 1SAM
15:5-6]
Jonathan said to David: "As the LORD, the God of Israel,
lives, I will sound out my father about this time tomorrow.
Whether he is well disposed toward David or not, I will send you
the information. Should it please my father to bring any injury
upon you, may the LORD do thus and so to Jonathan if I do not
apprise you of it and send you on your way in peace. May the LORD
be with you even as he was with my father. Only this: if I am
still alive, may you show me the kindness of the LORD. But if I
die, never withdraw your kindness from my house. And when the LORD
exterminates all the enemies of David from the surface of the
earth, the name of Jonathan must never be allowed by the family of
David to die out from among you, or the LORD will make you answer
for it." And in his love for David, Jonathan renewed his oath
to him, because he loved him as his very self. [Taken from 1SAM 20:12-17]
Then the men of Judah came there and anointed
David king of the Judahites. A report reached David that the men of
Jabesh-gilead had buried Saul. So David sent messengers to the men
of Jabesh-gilead and said to them: "May you be blessed by the
LORD for having done this kindness to your lord Saul in burying
him. And now may the LORD be kind and faithful to you. I, too,
will be generous to you for having done this. Take courage,
therefore, and prove yourselves valiant men, for though your lord
Saul is dead, the Judahites have anointed me their king." [Taken from 2SAM
2:4-7]
David asked, "Is there any survivor of
Saul's house to whom I may show kindness for the sake of
Jonathan?" Now there was a servant of the family of Saul
named Ziba. He was summoned to David, and the king asked him,
"Are you Ziba?" He replied, "Your servant."
Then the king inquired, "Is there any survivor of Saul's
house to whom I may show God's kindness?" Ziba answered the
king, "There is still Jonathan's son, whose feet are
crippled." The king said to him, "Where is he?" and
Ziba answered, "He is in the house of Machir, son of Ammiel,
in Lodebar." So King David sent for him and had him brought
from the house of Machir, son of Ammiel, in Lodebar. When
Meribbaal, son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David, he fell
prostrate in homage. David said, "Meribbaal," and he
answered, "Your servant." "Fear not," David
said to him, "I will surely be kind to you for the sake of
your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the lands of your
grandfather Saul, and you shall always eat at my table." [Taken from 2SAM
9:1-7]
Some time later the king of the Ammonites died,
and his son Hanun succeeded him as king. David thought, "I
will be kind to Hanun, son of Nahash, as his father was kind to
me." So David sent his servants with condolences to Hanun for
the loss of his father. But when David's servants entered the
country of the Ammonites, the Ammonite princes said to their lord
Hanun: "Do you think that David is honoring your father by
sending men with condolences? Is it not rather to explore the
city, to spy on it, and to overthrow it, that David has sent his
messengers to you?" Hanun, therefore, seized David's servants
and, after shaving off half their beards and cutting away the
lower halves of their garments at the buttocks, sent them away. [Taken from 2SAM
10:1-4]
Joab was told that the king was weeping and
mourning for Absalom; and that day's victory was turned into
mourning for the whole army when they heard that the king was
grieving for his son. The soldiers stole into the city that day
like men shamed by flight in battle. Meanwhile the king covered
his face and cried out in a loud voice, "My son Absalom!
Absalom! My son, my son!" Then Joab went to his residence and
said: "Though they saved your life and your sons' and
daughters' lives, also the lives of your wives and those of your
concubines, you have put all your servants to shame today by
loving those who hate you and hating those who love you. For you
have shown today that officers and servants mean nothing to you.
Indeed I am now certain that if Absalom were alive today and all
of us dead, you would think that more suitable. Now then, get up!
Go out and speak kindly to your servants. I swear by the LORD that
if you do not go out, not a single man will remain with you
overnight, and this will be a far greater disaster for you than
any that has afflicted you from your youth until now." So the
king stepped out and sat at the gate. When all the people were
informed that the king was sitting at the gate, they came into his
presence. [Taken from 2SAM 19:2-9]
"The LORD live! And blessed be my
Rock! Extolled be my God, rock of my salvation. O God, who
granted me vengeance, who made peoples subject to me and
helped me escape from my enemies, above my adversaries you
exalt me and from the violent man you rescue me. Therefore
will I proclaim you, O LORD, among the nations, and I will
sing praise to your name, You who gave great victories to your
king and showed kindness to your anointed, to David and
his posterity forever." [2SAM 22:47-51]
"Be kind to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and have them eat at your table. For they received me kindly when I was fleeing your brother
Absalom." [Taken from 1KGS 2:7]
Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in
the presence of the whole community of Israel, and stretching
forth his hands toward heaven, he said, "LORD, God of Israel,
there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below; you
keep your covenant of kindness with your servants who are faithful
to you with their whole heart. You have kept the promise you made
to my father David, your servant. You who spoke that promise, have
this day, by your own power, brought it to fulfillment. Now,
therefore, LORD, God of Israel, keep the further promise you made
to my father David, your servant, saying, 'You shall always have
someone from your line to sit before me on the throne of Israel,
provided only that your descendants look to their conduct so that
they live in my presence, as you have lived in my presence.' Now,
LORD, God of Israel, may this promise which you made to my father
David, your servant, be confirmed. Can it indeed be that God
dwells among men on earth? If the heavens and the highest heavens
cannot contain you, how much less this temple which I have built!
Look kindly on the prayer and petition of your servant, O LORD, my
God, and listen to the cry of supplication which I, your servant,
utter before you this day. May your eyes watch night and day over
this temple, the place where you have decreed you shall be
honored; may you heed the prayer which I, your servant, offer in
this place."
[Taken from 1KGS 8:22-29]
In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of
Jehoiachin, king of Judah, on the twenty-seventh day of the
twelfth month, Evilmerodach, king of Babylon, in the inaugural
year of his own reign, raised up Jehoiachin, king of Judah, from
prison. He spoke kindly to him and gave him a throne higher than
that of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. Jehoiachin
took off his prison garb and ate at the king's table as long as he
lived. The allowance granted him by the king was a perpetual
allowance, in fixed daily amounts, for as long as he lived.
[2KGS 25:27-30]
Give to the LORD, you families of
nations, give to the LORD glory and praise; Give to the LORD
the glory due his name! Bring gifts, and enter his
presence; worship the LORD in holy attire. Tremble before
him, all the earth; he has made the world firm, not to be
moved. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let
them say among the nations: The LORD is king. Let the sea and what
fills it resound; let the plains rejoice and all that is in
them! Then shall all the trees of the forest exult before the
LORD, for he comes: he comes to rule the earth. Give thanks
to the LORD, for he is good, for his kindness endures
forever; And say, "Save us, O God, our savior, gather us and
deliver us from the nations, That we may give thanks to your
holy name and glory in praising you." [1CHRON 16:28-35]
With them were Heman and Jeduthun and the others who were chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the LORD, "because his kindness
endures forever," with trumpets and cymbals for accompaniment, and instruments for the sacred chant.
[Taken from 1CHRON 16:41-42]
Solomon then took his place before the altar of
the LORD in the presence of the whole community of Israel and
stretched forth his hands. He had made a bronze platform five
cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, which he had
placed in the middle of the courtyard. Having ascended it, Solomon
knelt in the presence of the whole of Israel and stretched forth
his hands toward heaven. Thus he prayed: "LORD, God of
Israel, there is no god like you in heaven or on earth; you keep
your covenant and show kindness to your servants who are
wholeheartedly faithful to you. You have kept the promise you made
to my father David, your servant. With your own mouth you spoke
it, and by your own hand you have brought it to fulfillment this
day. Now, therefore, LORD, God of Israel, keep the further promise
you made to my father David, your servant, when you said, 'You
shall always have someone from your line to sit before me on the
throne of Israel, provided only that your descendants look to
their conduct so as always to live according to my law, even as
you have lived in my presence.' Now, LORD, God of Israel, may this
promise which you made to your servant David be confirmed. Can it indeed be that God dwells with mankind on earth? If
the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you, how much
less this temple which I have built! Look kindly on the prayer and
petition of your servant, O LORD, my God, and listen to the cry of
supplication your servant makes before you. May your eyes watch
day and night over this temple, the place where you have decreed
you shall be honored; may you heed the prayer which I your servant
offer toward this place." [Taken from 2CHRON 6:12-20]
Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had
come to Shechem to proclaim him king. When Jeroboam, son of Nebat,
heard of this in Egypt where he had fled from King Solomon, he
returned from Egypt. Jeroboam was summoned to the assembly, and he
and all Israel said to Rehoboam: "Your father laid a heavy
yoke upon us. If you now lighten the harsh service and the heavy
yoke that your father imposed on us, we will serve you."
"In three days," he answered them, "come back to
me." When the people had departed, King Rehoboam consulted
the elders who had been in the service of his father during
Solomon's lifetime, asking, "What answer do you advise me to
give this people?" They replied, "If you will deal
kindly with this people and give in to them, acceding to their
request, they will be your servants forever." But he ignored
the advice the elders had given him and consulted the young men
who had grown up with him and were in his service. [Taken from 2CHRON
10:1-8]
When the builders had laid the foundation of the
LORD'S temple, the vested priests with the trumpets and the
Levites, sons of Asaph, were stationed there with the cymbals to
praise the LORD in the manner laid down by David, king of Israel.
They alternated in songs of praise and thanksgiving to the LORD,
"for he is good, for his kindness to Israel endures
forever"; and all the people raised a great shout of joy,
praising the LORD because the foundation of the LORD'S house had
been laid. [Taken from EZRA 3:10-11]
You bore witness against them, in order to bring
them back to your law. But they were insolent and would not obey
your commandments; they sinned against your ordinances, from which
men draw life when they practice them. They turned stubborn backs,
stiffened their necks, and would not obey. You were patient with
them for many years, bearing witness against them through your
spirit, by means of your prophets; still they would not listen.
Thus you delivered them over into the power of the peoples of the
lands. Yet in your great mercy you did not completely destroy them
and you did not forsake them, for you are a kind and merciful God.
[Taken from NEH 9:29-31]
She glowed with the perfection of her beauty and her countenance was as joyous as it was lovely, though her heart was shrunk with fear. She passed through all the portals till she stood face to face with the king, who was seated on his royal throne, clothed in full robes of state, and covered with gold and precious stones, so that he inspired great awe. As he looked up, his features ablaze with the height of majestic anger, the queen staggered, changed color, and leaned weakly against the head of the maid in front of her. But God changed the king's anger to gentleness. In great anxiety he sprang from his throne, held her in his arms until she recovered, and comforted
her with reassuring words. "What is it, Esther?" he said to her. "I am your brother. Take courage! You shall not die because of this general decree of ours. Come near!" Raising the golden scepter,
he touched her neck with it, embraced her, and said, "Speak to me." She replied: "I saw you, my lord, as an angel of God, and my heart was troubled with fear of your majesty. For you are awesome, my lord, though your glance is full of kindness." As she said this, she fainted. The king became troubled and all his attendants tried to revive her.
[ESTH D:5-16]
When the king heard this news, he was struck
with fear and very much shaken. Sick with grief because his
designs had failed, he took to his bed. There he remained many
days, overwhelmed with sorrow, for he knew he was going to die. So
he called in all his Friends and said to them: "Sleep has
departed from my eyes, for my heart is sinking with anxiety. I
said to myself: 'Into what tribulation have I come, and in what
floods of sorrow am I now! Yet I was kindly and beloved in my
rule.' But I now recall the evils I did in Jerusalem, when I
carried away all the vessels of gold and silver that were in it,
and for no cause gave orders that the inhabitants of Judah be
destroyed. I know that this is why these evils have overtaken me;
and now I am dying, in bitter grief, in a foreign land." Then
he summoned Philip, one of his Friends, and put him in charge of
his whole kingdom. He gave him his crown, his robe, and his signet
ring, so that he might guide the king's son Antiochus and bring
him up to be king. King Antiochus died in Persia in the year one
hundred and forty-nine. [1MACC 6:8-16]
Gather together our scattered people, free those who are the slaves of the Gentiles, look kindly on those who are despised and detested, and let the Gentiles know that you are our God. [Taken from 2MACC 1:27]
Now I beg those who read this book not to be
disheartened by these misfortunes, but to consider that these
chastisements were meant not for the ruin but for the correction
of our nation. It is, in fact, a sign of great kindness to punish
sinners promptly instead of letting them go for long. Thus, in
dealing with other nations, the Lord patiently waits until they
reach the full measure of their sins before he punishes them; but
with us he has decided to deal differently, in order that he may
not have to punish us more severely later, when our sins have
reached their fullness. He never withdraws his mercy from us.
Although he disciplines us with misfortunes, he does not abandon
his own people.
[2MACC 6:12-16]
But he made up his mind in a noble manner,
worthy of his years, the dignity of his advanced age, the merited
distinction of his gray hair, and of the admirable life he had
lived from childhood; and so he declared that above all he would
be loyal to the holy laws given by God. He told them to send him
at once to the abode of the dead, explaining: "At our age it
would be unbecoming to make such a pretense; many young men would
think the ninety-year-old Eleazar had gone over to an alien
religion. Should I thus dissimulate for the sake of a brief moment
of life, they would be led astray by me, while I would bring shame
and dishonor on my old age. Even if, for the time being, I avoid
the punishment of men, I shall never, whether alive or dead,
escape the hands of the Almighty. Therefore, by manfully giving up
my life now, I will prove myself worthy of my old age, and I will
leave to the young a noble example of how to die willingly and
generously for the revered and holy laws." He spoke thus, and
went immediately to the instrument of torture. Those who shortly
before had been kindly disposed, now became hostile toward him
because what he had said seemed to them utter madness. When he was
about to die under the blows, he groaned and said: "The Lord
in his holy knowledge knows full well that, although I could have
escaped death, I am not only enduring terrible pain in my body
from this scourging, but also suffering it with joy in my soul
because of my devotion to him." This is how he died, leaving
in his death a model of courage and an unforgettable example of
virtue not only for the young but for the whole nation. [2MACC 6:23-31]
Judas Maccabeus and his companions entered the
villages, secretly, summoned their kinsmen, and by also enlisting
others who remained faithful to Judaism, assembled about six
thousand men. They implored the Lord to look kindly upon his
people, who were being oppressed on all sides; to have pity on the
temple, which was profaned by godless men; to have mercy on the
city, which was being destroyed and about to be leveled to the
ground; to hearken to the blood that cried out to him; to remember
the criminal slaughter of innocent children and the blasphemies
uttered against his name; and to manifest his hatred of evil. Once
Maccabeus got his men organized, the Gentiles could not withstand
him, for the Lord's wrath had now changed to mercy. [2MACC 8:1-5]
On completing these exploits, they blessed, with hymns of grateful praise, the Lord who shows great kindness to Israel and grants them victory.
[Taken from 2MACC 10:38]
Then they set out from there and hastened on to
Scythopolis, seventy-five miles from Jerusalem. But when the Jews
who lived there testified to the good will shown by the
Scythopolitans and to their kind treatment even in times of
adversity, Judas and his men thanked them and exhorted them to be
well disposed to their race in the future also. Finally they
arrived in Jerusalem, shortly before the feast of Weeks. [2MACC
12:29-31]
Have I no helper, and has advice deserted
me? A friend owes kindness to one in despair, though he have
forsaken the fear of the Almighty. My brethren are undependable as
a brook, as watercourses that run dry in the wadies; Though
they may be black with ice, and with snow heaped upon them, yet once they flow, they cease to be; in the heat, they
disappear from their place. Caravans turn aside from their
routes; they go into the desert and perish. [Taken from JOB 6:13-18]
The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock! Exalted
be God, my savior! O God who granted me vindication, made
peoples subject to me, and preserved me from my
enemies, Truly you have exalted me above my
adversaries, from the violent you have rescued me. Thus I
will proclaim you, LORD, among the nations; I will sing the
praises of your name. You have given great victories to your
king, and shown kindness to your anointed, to David and
his posterity forever. [PS 18:47-51]
Be gracious to me, LORD, for I am in
distress; with grief my eyes are wasted, my soul and
body spent. My life is worn out by sorrow, my years by
sighing. My strength fails in affliction; my bones are
consumed. To all my foes I am a thing of scorn, to my
neighbors, a dreaded sight, a horror to my friends. When
they see me in the street, they quickly shy away. I am
forgotten, out of mind like the dead; I am like a shattered
dish. I hear the whispers of the crowd; terrors are all
around me. They conspire against me; they plot to take
my life. But I trust in you, LORD; I say, "You are my
God." My times are in your hands; rescue me from my
enemies, from the hands of my pursuers. Let your face shine
on your servant; save me in your kindness. Do not let me be
put to shame, for I have called to you, LORD. Put the
wicked to shame; reduce them to silence in Sheol. Strike dumb
their lying lips, proud lips that attack the just in
contempt and scorn.
[PS 31:10-19]
Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our
help and shield. For in God our hearts rejoice; in your holy
name we trust. May your kindness, LORD, be upon us; we have
put our hope in you. [PS 33:20-22]
Continue your kindness toward your
friends, your just defense of the honest heart. Do not let
the foot of the proud overtake me, nor the hand of the wicked
disturb me. [PS 36:11-12]
I announced your deed to a great
assembly; I did not restrain my lips; you, LORD, are my
witness. Your deed I did not hide within my heart; your loyal
deliverance I have proclaimed. I made no secret of your
enduring kindness to a great assembly. [PS 40:10-11]
LORD, do not withhold your compassion from
me; may your enduring kindness ever preserve me. For all
about me are evils beyond count; my sins so overcome me I
cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head; my
courage fails me. [PS 40:12-13]
One thing God has said; two things I have heard: Power
belongs to God; so too, Lord, does kindness, and you render
to each of us according to our deeds. [PS 62:12-13]
Come and hear, all you who fear God, while
I recount what has been done for me. I called to the Lord with my
mouth; praise was upon my tongue. Had I cherished evil in my
heart, the Lord would not have heard. But God did
hear and listened to my voice in prayer. Blessed be God, who
did not refuse me the kindness I sought in prayer. [PS 66:16-20]
But I pray to you, LORD, for the time of
your favor. God, in your great kindness answer me with
your constant help. Rescue me from the mire; do not let me
sink. Rescue me from my enemies and from the watery
depths. Do not let the floodwaters overwhelm me, nor the deep
swallow me, nor the mouth of the pit close over me. Answer
me, LORD, in your generous love; in your great mercy turn to
me. Do not hide your face from your servant; in my distress
hasten to answer me. Come and ransom my life; because of my
enemies redeem me. [PS 69:14-19]
O God, look kindly on our shield; look upon the
face of your anointed. [PS 84:10]
Lord, you are kind and forgiving, most loving to
all who call on you. [PS 86:5]
Merciful and
gracious is the LORD, slow to anger, abounding in kindness.
God does not always rebuke, nurses no lasting anger, has not
dealt with us as our sins merit, nor requited us as our deeds
deserve. [PS 103:8-10]
As the heavens tower over the earth, so
God's love towers over the faithful. As far as the east is from
the west, so far have our sins been removed from us. As a
father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has
compassion on the faithful. For he knows how we are
formed, remembers that we are dust. Our days are like the
grass; like flowers of the field we blossom. The wind sweeps
over us and we are gone; our place knows us no more. But the
LORD'S kindness is forever, toward the faithful from age to
age. He favors the children's children of those who keep his
covenant, who take care to fulfill its precepts. [PS 103:11-18]
Some had lost their way in a barren
desert; found no path toward a city to live in. They were
hungry and thirsty; their life was ebbing away. In their
distress they cried to the LORD, who rescued them in their
peril, Guided them by a direct path so they reached a city to
live in. Let them thank the LORD for such kindness, such
wondrous deeds for mere mortals. [PS 107:4-8]
Some lived in darkness and gloom, in
prison, bound with chains, because they rebelled against God's
word, scorned the counsel of the Most High, who humbled their
hearts through hardship; they stumbled with no one to help.
In their distress they cried to the LORD, who saved them in
their peril, led them forth from darkness and gloom and broke
their chains asunder. Let them thank the LORD for such
kindness, such wondrous deeds for mere mortals. For he broke
down the gates of bronze and snapped the bars of iron. [PS
107:10-16]
In their
distress they cried to the LORD, who saved them in their
peril, sent forth the word to heal them, snatched them from
the grave. Let them thank the LORD for such kindness, such
wondrous deeds for mere mortals. [Taken from PS 107:19-21]
In their distress they cried to the
LORD, who brought them out of their peril, hushed the storm
to a murmur; the waves of the sea were stilled. They rejoiced
that the sea grew calm, that God brought them to the harbor
they longed for. Let them thank the LORD for such
kindness, such wondrous deeds for mere mortals. [Taken from
PS 107:28-31]
But you,
LORD, my God, deal kindly with me for your name's
sake; in your great mercy rescue me. For I am sorely in
need; my heart is pierced within me. [Taken from PS 109:21-22]
My
knees totter from fasting; my flesh has wasted away. I have
become a mockery to them; when they see me, they shake their
heads. Help me, LORD, my God; save me in your kindness. Make
them know this is your hand, that you, LORD, have acted.
Though they curse, may you bless; shame my foes, that your
servant may rejoice. Clothe my accusers with disgrace; make
them wear shame like a mantle. I will give fervent thanks to the
LORD; before all I will praise my God. For God stands at the
right hand of the poor to defend them against unjust
accusers. [Taken from PS 109:24-31]
Be kind to your servant that I may live, that I
may keep your word. [PS 119:17]
In your kindness
give me life, to keep the decrees you have spoken. [PS
119:88]
Act with kindness toward your servant; teach me your laws.
[Taken from PS 119:124]
Look at my affliction and rescue me, for I
have not forgotten your teaching. Take up my cause and redeem
me; for the sake of your promise give me life. Salvation is
far from sinners because they do not cherish your laws. Your
compassion is great, O LORD; in accord with your edicts give
me life. Though my persecutors and foes are many I do not
turn from your decrees. I view the faithless with
loathing, because they do not heed your promise. See how I
love your precepts, LORD; in your kindness give me life. Your
every word is enduring; all your just edicts are forever. [PS
119:153-160]
I wait with longing for the LORD, my soul
waits for his word. My soul looks for the Lord more than
sentinels for daybreak. More than sentinels for daybreak, let
Israel look for the LORD, For with the LORD is
kindness, with him is full redemption, And God will redeem
Israel from all their sins. [PS 130:5-8]
Set a guard, LORD, before my mouth, a gatekeeper at my lips.
Do not let my heart incline to evil, or yield to any
sin. I will never feast upon the fine food of evildoers.
Let the just strike me; that is kindness; let them rebuke me;
that is oil for my head. All this I shall not
refuse, but will pray despite these trials. [Taken from PS
141:3-5]
Hasten to answer me, LORD; for my spirit
fails me. Do not hide your face from me, lest I become
like those descending to the pit. At dawn let me hear of your
kindness, for in you I trust. Show me the path I should
walk, for to you I entrust my life. Rescue me, LORD, from my
foes, for in you I hope. Teach me to do your will, for
you are my God. May your kind spirit guide me on ground
that is level. For your name's sake, LORD, give me life; in
your justice lead me out of distress. In your kindness put an end
to my foes; destroy all who attack me, for I am your
servant. [PS 143:7-12]
My son, forget not my teaching, keep in
mind my commands; For many days, and years of life, and
peace, will they bring you. Let not kindness and fidelity leave
you; bind them around your neck; Then will you win favor and
good esteem before God and man. [PROV 3:1-4]
The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, but the dwelling
of the just he blesses; When he is dealing with the arrogant, he is stern, but to the humble he shows kindness. [PROV
3:33-34]
A kindly man benefits himself, but a merciless
man harms himself. [PROV 11:17]
Anxiety in a man's heart depresses it, but a
kindly word makes it glad. [PROV 12:25]
He sins who despises the hungry; but happy is he
who is kind to the poor! [PROV 14:21]
Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those
intent on good gain kindness and constancy. [PROV 14:22]
He who oppresses the poor blasphemes his Maker,
but he who is kind to the needy glorifies him. [PROV 14:31]
By kindness and piety guilt is expiated, and by
the fear of the LORD man avoids evil. [PROV 16:6]
Kindness and piety safeguard the king, and he
upholds his throne by justice. [PROV 20:28]
He who pursues justice and kindness will find
life and honor. [PROV 21:21]
The kindly man will be blessed, for he gives of
his sustenance to the poor. [PROV 22:9]
He who increases his wealth by interest and
overcharge gathers it for him who is kind to the poor. [PROV 28:8]
When one finds a worthy wife, her value is
far beyond pearls. Her husband, entrusting his heart to
her, has an unfailing prize. She brings him good, and not
evil, all the days of her life... She opens her mouth in
wisdom, and on her tongue is kindly counsel. [Taken from PROV
31:10-12,26]
For wisdom is a kindly spirit, yet she acquits
not the blasphemer of his guilty lips; Because God is the witness
of his inmost self and the sure observer of his heart and the
listener to his tongue. [WISDOM 1:6]
Such things as are hidden I learned and such as
are plain; for Wisdom, the artificer of all, taught me. For
in her is a spirit intelligent, holy, unique, manifold,
subtle, agile, clear, unstained, certain, not baneful,
loving the good, keen, unhampered, beneficent,
kindly, firm, secure, tranquil, all-powerful,
all-seeing, and pervading all spirits, though they be
intelligent, pure and very subtle. For Wisdom is mobile beyond all
motion, and she penetrates and pervades all things by reason
of her purity. For she is an aura of the might of
God and a pure effusion of the glory of the
Almighty; therefore nought that is sullied enters into her.
For she is the refulgence of eternal light, the spotless
mirror of the power of God, the image of his goodness. And
she, who is one, can do all things, and renews everything
while herself perduring; And passing into holy souls from age
to age, she produces friends of God and prophets. For there
is nought God loves, be it not one who dwells with Wisdom.
For she is fairer than the sun and surpasses every
constellation of the stars. Compared to light, she takes
precedence; for that, indeed, night supplants, but wickedness
prevails not over Wisdom. [WISDOM 7:21-30]
But though you are master of might, you judge
with clemency, and with much lenience you govern us; for
power, whenever you will, attends you. And you taught your people,
by these deeds, that those who are just must be
kind; And you gave your sons good ground for hope that
you would permit repentance for their sins. [Taken from WISDOM
12:18-19]
My son, take care of your father when he is
old; grieve him not as long as he lives. Even if his mind
fail, be considerate with him; revile him not in the fullness
of your strength. For kindness to a father will not be
forgotten, it will serve as a sin offering - it will take
lasting root. In time of tribulation it will be recalled to your
advantage, like warmth upon frost it will melt away your
sins. A blasphemer is he who despises his father; accursed of
his Creator, he who angers his mother. [SIRACH 3:12-16]
He who does a kindness is remembered afterward;
when he falls, he finds a support. [SIRACH 3:30]
A kind mouth multiplies friends, and gracious
lips prompt friendly greetings. [SIRACH 6:5]
Be generous to all the
living, and withhold not your kindness from the dead. Avoid
not those who weep, but mourn with those who mourn [Taken
from SIRACH 7:33-34]
If you do good, know for whom you are doing it, and your kindness will have its effect. Do good to the just man and reward will be yours,
if not from him, from the LORD. No good comes to him who gives comfort to the wicked, nor is it an act of mercy that he does.
[Taken from SIRACH
12:1-3]
Sometimes the word means more than the gift;
both are offered by a kindly man. [SIRACH 18:16]
He does a kindness who lends to his neighbor,
and he fulfills the precepts who holds out a helping hand. [SIRACH
29:1]
A good man goes surety for his neighbor, and only the shameless would play him false; Forget not the kindness of your backer, for he offers his very life for you.
[SIRACH 29:14-15]
He who loves his son chastises him
often, that he may be his joy when he grows up. He who
disciplines his son will benefit from him, and boast of him
among his intimates. He who educates his son makes his enemy
jealous, and shows his delight in him among his friends. At
the father's death, he will seem not dead, since he leaves
after him one like himself, whom he looks upon through life with
joy, and even in death, without regret: The avenger he leaves
against his foes, and the one to repay his friends with
kindness. He who spoils his son will have wounds to
bandage, and will quake inwardly at every outcry. A colt
untamed turns out stubborn; a son left to himself grows up
unruly. Pamper your child and he will be a terror for
you, indulge him and he will bring you grief. Share not in
his frivolity lest you share in his sorrow, when finally your
teeth are clenched in remorse. [Taken from SIRACH 30:1-10]
A woman's beauty makes her husband's face light up, for it surpasses
all else that charms the eye; And if, besides, her speech is kindly, his lot is beyond that of mortal men. [SIRACH
36:22-23]
I turned every way, but there was no one to help
me, I looked for one to sustain me, but could find no one.
But then I remembered the mercies of the LORD, his kindness
through ages past; For he saves those who take refuge in
him, and rescues them from every evil. So I raised my voice
from the very earth, from the gates of the nether world, my
cry. I called out: O Lord, you are my father, you are my
champion and my savior; Do not abandon me in time of
trouble, in the midst of storms and dangers. I will ever
praise your name and be constant in my prayers to
you. Thereupon the LORD heard my voice, he listened to
my appeal; He saved me from evil of every kind and preserved
me in time of trouble. For this reason I thank him and I
praise him; I bless the name of the LORD. [Taken from SIRACH
51:7-12]
The favors of the LORD I will recall, the glorious deeds of the
LORD, because of all he has done for us; for he is good to the house of Israel, He has favored us according to his mercy and his great kindness. [Taken from ISA 63:7]
Thus says the LORD: Let not the wise man
glory in his wisdom, nor the strong man glory in his
strength, nor the rich man glory in his riches; But rather,
let him who glories, glory in this, that in his prudence he
knows me, knows that I, the LORD, bring about
kindness, justice and uprightness on the earth; For with
such am I pleased, says the LORD. [JER 9:22-23]
Go not into a house of mourning, the LORD continued: go not there to lament or offer sympathy. For I have withdrawn my friendship from this people, says the LORD, my kindness and my pity.
[Taken from JER 16:5]
Ah, Lord GOD, you have made heaven and earth by
your great might, with your outstretched arm; nothing is
impossible to you. You continue your kindness through a thousand
generations; and you repay the fathers' guilt, even into the lap
of their sons who follow them. O God, great and mighty, whose name
is LORD of hosts, great in counsel, mighty in deed, whose eyes are
open to all the ways of men, giving to each according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds
[Taken from JER 32:17-19]
In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of
Jehoiachin, king of Judah, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth
month, Evil-merodach, king of Babylon, in the inaugural year of
his reign, took up the case of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, and
released him from prison. He spoke kindly to him and gave him a
throne higher than that of the other kings who were with him in
Babylon. Jehoiachin took off his prison garb and ate at the king's
table as long as he lived. The allowance given him by the king of
Babylon was a perpetual allowance, in fixed daily amounts, all the
days of his life until the day of his death. [JER 52:31-34]
The LORD has spent his anger, poured out
his blazing wrath; He has kindled a fire in Zion that
has consumed her foundations. The kings of the earth did not
believe, nor any of the world's inhabitants, that enemy
or foe could enter the gates of Jerusalem. Because of the
sins of her prophets and the crimes of her priests, who
shed in her midst the blood of the just! - They staggered
blindly in the streets, soiled with blood, so that
people could not touch even their garments: "Away you
unclean!" they cried to them, "Away, away, do not
draw near!" If they left and wandered among the
nations, nowhere could they remain. The LORD himself has
dispersed them, he regards them no more; He does not
receive the priests with favor, nor show kindness to the
elders. [Taken from LAM 4:11-16]
"And now we follow you with our whole
heart, we fear you and we pray to you. Do not let us be put
to shame, but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy.
Deliver us by your wonders, and bring glory to your name, O
Lord: Let all those be routed who inflict evils on your
servants; Let them be shamed and powerless, and their
strength broken; Let them know that you are the Lord
God, glorious over the whole world." [Taken from DAN 3:41-45]
"Therefore, O king, take my advice; atone for
your sins by good deeds, and for your misdeeds by kindness to the
poor; then your prosperity will be long." [Taken from DAN 4:24]
The LORD raises his voice at the head of
his army; For immense indeed is his camp, yes, mighty,
and it does his bidding. For great is the day of the
LORD, and exceedingly terrible; who can bear it? Yet even
now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole
heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your
hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your
God. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger,
rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment. [Taken from
JOEL 2:11-13]
(This word of the LORD came to Zechariah: Thus
says the LORD of hosts:) Render true judgment, and show kindness
and compassion toward each other. Do not oppress the widow or the
orphan, the alien or the poor; do not plot evil against one
another in your hearts. But they refused to listen; they
stubbornly turned their backs and stopped their ears so as not to
hear. And they made their hearts diamondhard so as not to hear the
teaching and the message that the LORD of hosts had sent by his
spirit through the former prophets. Then the LORD of hosts in his
great anger said that, as they had not listened when he called, so
he would not listen when they called, but would scatter them with
a whirlwind among all the nations that they did not know. Thus the
land was left desolate after them with no one traveling to and
fro; they made the pleasant land into a desert. [ZECH 7:8-14]
"But to you who hear I say, love your
enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,
pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on
one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who
takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to
everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours
do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to
you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to
you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to
those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners
do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect
repayment, what credit (is) that to you? Even sinners lend to
sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your
enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then
your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most
High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be
merciful, just as (also) your Father is merciful." [LK 6:27-36]
On the following day we put in at Sidon where Julius was kind
enough to allow Paul to visit his friends who took care of him. [Taken
from ACTS 27:3]
Therefore, you are without excuse, every one of
you who passes judgment. For by the standard by which you judge
another you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the very
same things. We know that the judgment of God on those who do such
things is true. Do you suppose, then, you who judge those who
engage in such things and yet do them yourself, that you will
escape the judgment of God? Or do you hold his priceless kindness,
forbearance, and patience in low esteem, unaware that the kindness
of God would lead you to repentance? By your stubbornness and
impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself for the
day of wrath and revelation of the just judgment of God, who will
repay everyone according to his works: eternal life to those who
seek glory, honor, and immortality through perseverance in good
works, but wrath and fury to those who selfishly disobey the truth
and obey wickedness. Yes, affliction and distress will come upon
every human being who does evil, Jew first and then Greek. But
there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good,
Jew first and then Greek. There is no partiality with God. [ROM 2:1-11]
Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then
as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I glory in my ministry in
order to make my race jealous and thus save some of them. For if
their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will
their acceptance be but life from the dead? If the firstfruits are
holy, so is the whole batch of dough; and if the root is holy, so
are the branches. But if some of the branches were broken off, and
you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place and have come
to share in the rich root of the olive tree, do not boast against
the branches. If you do boast, consider that you do not support
the root; the root supports you. Indeed you will say,
"Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted
in." That is so. They were broken off because of unbelief,
but you are there because of faith. So do not become haughty, but
stand in awe. For if God did not spare the natural branches,
(perhaps) he will not spare you either. See, then, the kindness
and severity of God: severity toward those who fell, but God's
kindness to you, provided you remain in his kindness; otherwise
you too will be cut off. And they also, if they do not remain in
unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in
again. For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive
tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated one, how
much more will they who belong to it by nature be grafted back
into their own olive tree.
[ROM 11:13-24]
Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not
pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its
own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over
injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the
truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things. Love never fails. If there are prophecies,
they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if
knowledge, it will be brought to nothing. For we know partially
and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial
will pass away. When I was a child, I used to talk as a child,
think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put
aside childish things. At present we see indistinctly, as in a
mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I
shall know fully, as I am fully known. So faith, hope, love
remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love. [1COR 13:4-13]
We cause no one to stumble in anything, in order
that no fault may be found with our ministry; on the contrary, in
everything we commend ourselves as ministers of God, through much
endurance, in afflictions, hardships, constraints, beatings,
imprisonments, riots, labors, vigils, fasts; by purity, knowledge,
patience, kindness, in a holy spirit, in unfeigned love, in
truthful speech, in the power of God; with weapons of
righteousness at the right and at the left; through glory and
dishonor, insult and praise. We are treated as deceivers and yet
are truthful; as unrecognized and yet acknowledged; as dying and
behold we live; as chastised and yet not put to death; as
sorrowful yet always rejoicing; as poor yet enriching many; as
having nothing and yet possessing all things.
[2COR 6:3-10]
For you were called for freedom, brothers. But
do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather,
serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in
one statement, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as
yourself." But if you go on biting and devouring one another,
beware that you are not consumed by one another. I say, then: live
by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the
flesh. For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the
Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that
you may not do what you want. But if you are guided by the Spirit,
you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious:
immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds,
rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness,
dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies,
and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who
do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. In contrast,
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such
there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ (Jesus) have
crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in
the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit. Let us not be
conceited, provoking one another, envious of one another. [GAL 5:13-26]
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the
great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our
transgressions, brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have
been saved), raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the
heavens in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show
the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in
Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and
this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works,
so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ
Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we
should live in them. [EPH 2:4-10]
All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and
reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. (And) be
kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God
has forgiven you in Christ. [Taken from EPH 4:31-32]
Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it
again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is
near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then
the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your
hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. [PHIL 4:4-7]
I rejoice greatly in the Lord that now at last
you revived your concern for me. You were, of course, concerned
about me but lacked an opportunity. Not that I say this because of
need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I find myself, to
be self-sufficient. I know indeed how to live in humble
circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. In every
circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being
well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being
in need. I have the strength for everything through him who
empowers me. Still, it was kind of you to share in my distress.
[Taken from PHIL 4:10-14]
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and
beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and
patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if
one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you,
so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the
bond of perfection. [COL 3:12-14]
For even when we were among you, we used to warn
you in advance that we would undergo affliction, just as has
happened, as you know. For this reason, when I too could bear it
no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow
the tempter had put you to the test and our toil might come to
nothing. But just now Timothy has returned to us from you,
bringing us the good news of your faith and love, and that you
always think kindly of us and long to see us as we long to see
you. Because of this, we have been reassured about you, brothers,
in our every distress and affliction, through your faith. For we
now live, if you stand firm in the Lord. [Taken from 1THES 3:4-8]
Avoid foolish and ignorant debates, for you know
that they breed quarrels. A slave of the Lord should not quarrel,
but should be gentle with everyone, able to teach, tolerant,
correcting opponents with kindness. It may be that God will grant
them repentance that leads to knowledge of the truth, and that
they may return to their senses out of the devil's snare, where
they are entrapped by him, for his will. [Taken from 2TM 2:23-26]
Remind them to be under the control of
magistrates and authorities, to be obedient, to be open to every
good enterprise. They are to slander no one, to be peaceable,
considerate, exercising all graciousness toward everyone. For we
ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, deluded, slaves to
various desires and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful
ourselves and hating one another. But when the kindness and
generous love of God our savior appeared, not because of any
righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy, he
saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ
our savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and
become heirs in hope of eternal life. This saying is trustworthy.
I want you to insist on these points, that those who have believed
in God be careful to devote themselves to good works; these are
excellent and beneficial to others. Avoid foolish arguments,
genealogies, rivalries, and quarrels about the law, for they are
useless and futile. After a first and second warning, break off
contact with a heretic, realizing that such a person is perverted
and sinful and stands self-condemned. [Taken from TI 3:1-11]
Also try:
aid
/ assist / avail [H11a]
compassion
/ compassionate [P7]
generous
/ generosity [G]
almsgiving
[A]
good
/ goodness [G5a]
gracious
/ graciously [G7]
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