2461 verses about Righteousness

And the king made him sit with him, and said to his princes, Go forth with him into the midst of the city, and make proclamation, that no man complain against him of any matter, and let no man trouble him for any manner of cause.

and he encouraged them, and said to them, You⌃ yourselves know all the things that I, and my kindred, and my father’s house, have done for the laws and the sanctuary, and the battles and the distresses which we have seen:

And he put all uncleanness out of it, and placed in it such men as would keep the law, and made it stronger than it was before, and built therein a dwelling place for himself.

And they cried out to Simon, that he should give them his right hand; and he gave it to them: and he put them out from thence, and he cleansed the citadel from its pollutions.

And the land had rest all the days of Simon: and he sought the good of his nation; and and his authority and his glory was well-pleasing to them all his days.

And he strengthened all those of his people that were brought low: the law he searched out, and every lawless and wicked person he took away.

But as soon as they heard that his brother Simon was made high priest in his stead, and ruled the country, and the cities therein,

and the people saw the faith of Simon, and the glory which he thought to bring to his nation, and they made him their leader and high priest, because he had done all these things, and for the justice and the faith which he kept to his nation, and for that he sought by all means to exalt his people:

and that the Jews and the priests were well pleased that Simon should be their leader and high priest forever, until there should arise a faithful prophet;

All the people consented to ordain for Simon that he should do according to these words;

Now therefore deliver up the cities which you⌃ have taken, and the tributes of the places whereof you⌃ have gotten dominion without the borders of Judea:

And Simon answered, and said to him, We have neither taken other men’s land, nor have we possession of that which appertains to others, but of the inheritance of our fathers; howbeit, it was had in possession of our enemies wrongfully for a certain time.

But we, having opportunity, hold fast the inheritance of our fathers.

Blessed be our God in all things, who gave for a prey those who had committed impiety.

And the prayer was after this manner: O Lord, Lord God, the Creator of all things, who are terrible and strong and righteous and merciful, who alone are King and gracious,

who alone suppliest every need, who alone are righteous and almighty and eternal, you that save Israel out of all evil, who made the fathers your chosen, and did sanctify them:

Plant your people in your holy place, even as Moses said.

WHEN the holy city was inhabited with all peace, and the laws were kept very well, because of the godliness of Onias the high priest, and his hatred of wickedness,

And when Onias had sure knowledge of this, he sharply reproved him, having withdrawn himself into a sanctuary at Daphne, that lies by Antioch.

For the which cause not only Jews, but many also of the other nations, had indignation and displeasure at the unjust murder of the man.

For indeed that those who act impiously be not let alone any long time, but straightway meet with retribution, is a sign of great beneficence.

Eleazar, one of the principal scribes, a man already well stricken in years, and of a noble countenance, was compelled to open his mouth to eat swine’s flesh.

coming forward as men ought to come that are resolute to repel such things as not even for the natural love of life is it lawful to taste.

But he, having formed a high resolve, and one that became his years, and the dignity of old age, and the gray hairs which he had reached with honor, and his excellent education from a child, or rather that became the holy laws of God’s ordaining, declared his mind accordingly, bidding them quickly send him to Hades.

For it becomes not our years to dissemble, said he, that through this many of the young should suppose that Eleazar, the man of fourscore years and ten, had gone over to an alien religion;

Wherefore, by manfully parting with my life now, I will show myself worthy of my old age,

and when he was at the point to die with the stripes, he groaned aloud and said, To the Lord, that has the holy knowledge, it is manifest that, whereas I might have been delivered from death, I endure sore pains in my body by being scourged; but in soul I gladly suffer these things for my fear of him.

So this man also died after this manner, leaving his death for an ensample of nobleness and a memorial of virtue, not only to the young but also to the great body of his nation.

And next after him they brought the fifth, and shamefully handled him.

setting before their eyes the outrage that had been lawlessly perpetrated upon the holy place, and the shameful handling of the city that had been turned to mockery, and further the overthrow of the mode of life received from their ancestors.

But when his sufferings did in no wise cease, for the judgement of God had come upon him in righteousness, having given up all hope of himself, he wrote to the Jews the letter written below, having the nature of a supplication, to this effect:

and calling upon God the righteous Judge, he came against the murderers of his kindred, and set the haven on fire by night, and burned the boats, and put to the sword those that had fled there.

All therefore, blessing the works of the Lord, the righteous Judge, who makes manifest the things that are hid,

And when this message came to Nicanor, he was confounded, and was sore troubled at the thought of annulling the articles that had been agreed upon, the man having done no wrong;

choosing rather to die nobly than to fall into the hands of the wicked wretches, and suffer outrage unworthy of his own nobleness:

And when the Jews that were compelled to follow him said, O destroy not so savagely and barbarously, but give due glory to the day which he that sees all things has honored and hallowed above other days;

And the vision of that dream was this: He saw Onias, him that was high priest, a noble and good man, reverend in bearing, yet gentle in manner and well-spoken, and exercised from a child in all points of virtue, with outstretched hands invoking blessings on the whole body of the Jews:

And he that in all things was in body and soul the foremost champion of his fellow-citizens, he that kept through life the good will of his youth toward his countrymen, commanded to cut off Nicanor’s head, and his hand with the shoulder, and bring them to Jerusalem.

And when these things were done, the priests and Levites, having the unleavened bread, stood in comely order according to the kindred,

And the works of Josias were upright before his Lord with a heart full of godliness.

Now when Cyrus king of the Persians had brought them forth, he delivered them to Mithradates his treasurer,

and sat him down in the royal seat of judgment; and the writing was read before them.

All the earth calls upon truth, and the heaven blesses her: all works shake and tremble, but with her is no unrighteous thing.

Wine is unrighteous, the king is unrighteous, women are unrighteous, all the children of men are unrighteous, and unrighteous are all such their works; and there is no truth in them; in their unrighteousness also they shall perish.

With her there is no accepting of persons or rewards; but she does the things that are just, and refrains from all unrighteous and wicked things; and all men do well like of her works.

Neither in her judgment is any unrighteousness; and she is the strength, and the kingdom, and the power, and the majesty, of all ages. Blessed be the God of truth.

and that the holy vessels of the house of the Lord, both gold and silver, that Nabuchodonosor took out of the house at Jerusalem, and carried away to Babylon, should be restored to the house at Jerusalem, and be set in the place where they were before.

did very carefully oversee the holy works, assisting the elders of the Jews and rulers of the temple.

And the children of Israel that came out of the captivity did eat, even all those who had separated themselves from the abominations of the heathen of the land, and sought the Lord.

And you, Esdras, according to the wisdom of God ordain judges and justices, that they may judge in all Syria and Phoenicia all those that know the law of your God; and those that know it not you shall teach.

Then rising up from the fast with my clothes and my holy garment tore, and bowing my knees, and stretching forth my hands to the Lord,

and with them the rulers and judges of every place, till we turn away the wrath of the Lord from us for this matter.

O LORD Almighty, that are in heaven, you God of our fathers, of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and of their righteous seed;

Not the men only, but the very walls and floor seemed to sound forth; all things preferring dissolution rather than to see the place defiled.

It is you, the Creator of all, the Lord of the universe, who are a righteous Governor, and judge all who act with pride and insolence.

although, as they adorned their conversation with works of righteousness, they had established themselves in the good opinion of the world.

And Eleazar, an illustrious priest of the country, who had attained to length of days, and whose life had been adorned with virtue, caused the presbyters who were about him to cease to cry out to the holy God, and prayed thus:

Those who had marked them out as for death and for carrion, and had registered them with joy, howled aloud, and were clothed with shame, and had the fire of their rage ingloriously put out.

For know you⌃, that should we conceive any evil design, or in any way aggrieve them, we shall ever have as our opposite, not man, but the highest God, the ruler of all might. From Him there will be no escape, as the avenger of such deeds. Fare you⌃ well.

Woe to you, Assur, you that hide the unrighteous with you! O you wicked nation, remember what I did to Sodom and Gomorrah;

Do right to the widow, judge the fatherless, give to the poor, defend the orphan, clothe the naked,

Look upon your number, O Sion, and make up the reckoning of those of your that are clothed in white, which have fulfilled the law of the Lord.

Nevertheless one of them you left, Noah with his household, even all the righteous men that came of him.

And it came to pass, when they did wickedly before you, you did choose you one from among them, whose name was Abraham;

You shall find that men who may be reckoned by name have kept your precepts; but nations you shall not find.

Then answered he me, and said, You have given a right judgement, and why judge you not in your own case?

For it is not able to bear the things that are promised to the righteous in the times to come: for this world is full of sadness and infirmities.

Did not the souls of the righteous ask question of these things in their chambers, saying, How long are we here? when comes the fruit of the threshing time of our reward?

and for our sakes perhaps it is that the threshing time of the righteous is kept back, because of the sins of those who dwell upon the earth.

and it shall be sought of many, and shall not be found: and unrighteousness and incontinency shall be multiplied upon earth.

One land also shall ask another, and say, Is righteousness, is a man that does righteousness, gone through you? And it shall say, No.

and of all the depths of the sea you have filled you one river: and of all built cities you have hallowed Sion to yourself:

and among all the multitudes of peoples you have gotten you one people: and to this people, whom you loved, you gave a law that is approved of all.

For your voice has surely been heard before the Most High: for the Mighty has seen your righteous dealing, he has seen aforetime also your chastity, which you have had ever since your youth.

And I said, It is so, Lord. Then said he to me, Even so also is Israel’s portion.

Then answered I and said, O Lord that bear rule, behold, you have ordained in your law, that the righteous should inherit these things, but that the ungodly should perish.

The righteous therefore shall suffer strait things, and hope for wide: but those who have done wickedly have suffered the strait things, and yet shall not see the wide.

For whereas you have said that the just are not many, but few, and the ungodly abound, hear the answer thereto.

So also is the judgement which I have promised: for I will rejoice over the few that shall be saved, inasmuch as these are those who have made my glory now to prevail, and of whom my name is now named.

For you have a treasure of good works laid up with the Most High, but it shall not be showed you until the last times.

The third order, they see the witness which he that fashioned them bears concerning them, that while they lived they kept the law which was given them in trust.

And I answered and said, if I have found favor in your sight, show further to me your servant whether in the day of judgment the just will be able to intercede for the ungodly or to entreat the Most High for them,

so never shall anyone pray for another in that day, neither shall one lay a burden on another, for then shall all bear every one his own righteousness or unrighteousness.

and Hezekiah for the people in the days of Sennacherib: and many for many?

If therefore now, when corruption is grown up, and unrighteousness increased, the righteous have prayed for the ungodly, wherefore shall it not be so then also?

intemperance is at an end, infidelity is cut off, but righteousness is grown, and truth is sprung up.

And that the glory of the Most High shall defend them which have led a pure life, whereas we have walked in the most wicked ways of all?

Yes, you have brought it up in your righteousness, and nurtured it in your law, and corrected it with your judgement.

O look not upon the sins of your people; but on those who have served you in truth,

Regard not the doings of those who deal wickedly, but of those who have kept your covenants in affliction.

Think not upon those that have walked feignedly before you; but remember them which have willingly known your fear.

For if you have a desire to have mercy upon us, then shall you be called merciful, to us, namely, that have no works of righteousness.

For the just, which have many good works laid up with you, shall for their own deeds receive reward.

For in truth there is no man among those who are born, but he has dealt wickedly; and among them that have lived there is none which have not done amiss.

For in this, O Lord, your righteousness and your goodness shall be declared, if you be merciful to them which have no store of good works.

but I will rejoice over the framing of the righteous, their pilgrimage also, and the salvation, and the reward, that they shall have.

For you come far short that you should be able to love my creature more than I. But you have brought yourself full near to the unrighteous. Let this never be.

Yet in this shall you be admirable to the Most High;

in that you have humbled yourself, as it becomes you, and have not judged yourself worthy to be among the righteous, so as to be much glorified.

Moreover they have trodden down his righteous,