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ashes-writing · 1 year

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stranger things ● can't fight this feeling pt 7 ● s. harrington

warning

the smallest hint of bisexual Tommy and his unrequited crush on Steve causing him to be an asshole, rumors / bullying / other high school pettiness + an ex boyfriend from reader's old school that's an asshole popping up here and there, mentions of alcohol/smoking/weed -at some point this is a high school romance thing so there will be no parents parties/ underage drinking, etc.., the stress and tension of senior year, strong hints of virgin!reader who dresses a little provocatively, absentee parents, loooots of affection / kissing + body fluids in the form of saliva, eventual filth -we're getting there.

<- reader / you are female with female parts + a certain look (example) and personality (rich, kind of sweet/innocent, outspoken, very flirtatious with Steve, etc). this is self indulgent and therefore, more personalized to the things writer wanted to have in the fic. DLDR.

word count

1528 exactly. for any missing context, part 6 <- is there.

summary

Steve shoves Tommy. Tommy shoves him back and laughs. "It's just a question, Harrington, relax."

"Yeah, not happening." Steve shakes his head and his eyes harden as he looks at Tommy. The boy who used to be his best friend. All he sees now is a bitter asshole and it's bad, it really is because he sees the way he was not even a year ago. "Leave her alone, alright? She's my girl, Hagan. Mine."

Tommy laughs. "Yeah, well. You really can pick 'em."

taglist + shoutouts

-- taglist is here. if you'd like to be on my taglist (other fandoms incl.) please click the bolded to be taken directly to it. If you're here for Gareth/Eddie or other ST guys and you don't want to be tagged in this -or anything Steve, please tell me so I don't tag you in this.

@tbmunson babesss you're my inspiration and I love you sm. I really don't know what I'd do without you, tbh. you're amazing and I can't wait til you start sharing your writing again 😭🥰

@music4life42

@allelitesmut your tags, oh my god, you're the sweetest and I love you sm and I'm so glad you like this fic so much, it truly means the world to me. ❤️

@caravelofthesun

@chaoticcancer

@dylanwritesgood

@eddiemuns0nl0ver

@just-a-blue-nerd

@slyisbehindyou

other links

masterlist ● steve's masterlist ● about + rules

Billy’s glaring a hole through Steve as he spots you both make your way into the crowded hallway. Nicole nudges him and laughs. “He’s gotta be with her because she’s easy. I mean, that has to be it.”

“Did anybody ask you to talk, Nicole?” Billy gives her a calm warning glare. “You don’t even know her.”

“I know she looks easy. And she’s a bimbo. Total bimbo. Somebody asked her what the opposite to a dominant trait was in class the other day.. Do you know what her answer was, Billy?”

Billy rolls his eyes and Nicole smirks. “Submissive. It’s recessive, even I know that.”

“Aw, somebody’s just jealous her spot as Hawkins resident airhead is under attack.” Carol speaks up, laughing when Nicole pouts and flips her off. Carol rolls her eyes at the way you and Steve are in your own little world, his hands all over you in the middle of the hallway with no shame or care as to who might see. “She’s just gonna be another Nancy and I feel so bad for him, I really do.”

“But you’re gonna leave ‘em alone.” Tommy speaks up. “Let ‘em self-destruct because sooner or later, Harrington is gonna cling to her a little too much and she’ll be done. Dude is pathetic like that.”

Deep down, Tommy knows the actual reason he’s even bothered by Steve finding a new girlfriend but he’s not in a position to say it. So he keeps it buried deep down. Because nobody can ever find out his little secret. Why he misses his former best friend so much that it honestly hurts sometimes and has made him even angrier and much harder to be around as of late.

“You’re not wrong. He’s always been so needy.”

Nancy, who happens to be standing nearby, waiting on Jonathan at his locker, she’s heard enough. She’s sick and tired of hearing it, honestly. She clears her throat.

“You’re the one who broke him badly enough he had to resort to sluts.” Carol snaps at Nancy and Nancy rolls her eyes. “You’re such a bitch. You know that, right? If he’s really your friend, you’d be happy for him. Not demanding he give up someone who makes him happy because she doesn’t fit your uptight little aesthetic.”

“You’re really calling me uptight?”

“If the shoe fits, Carol.”

“He was our friend first. Not your boyfriend. You barely bothered to get to know him.”

Nancy throws up her hands,exasperated. “All I’m saying is if any of you try to mess this up for him, I’m going to make your life a living hell. I don’t know how, but I’ll find a way. He deserves something good, alright? He needs this.”

“How do you know? And why do you care, more importantly?” “Because unlike any of you, I do care about him. I just couldn’t love him the way he wanted me to. She seems to. He deserves that.”

“Are you done lecturing us yet, you mousy little priss?”

Billy’s tuned out the argument as it’s happening. Instead, he’s glaring at Steve angrily. Wondering what the hell Steve Harrington has that he doesn’t. Angry with himself because he wants you so bad he can taste it. Bitter because you couldn’t make it any more clearer that you couldn’t want him less if you tried.

“Sooner or later, they’ll break up. I’ll go for it.” Billy decides, smirking to himself.

–

" Nailed her yet, Harrington?"

Tommy's question has Steve stepping up into him and going for the front of Tommy's shirt. "What did you say about her, Hagan?"

Tommy chuckles, flashing a smirk. "You heard me."

Steve shoves Tommy. Tommy shoves him back and laughs. "It's just a question, Harrington, relax."

Tommy laughs. "Yeah, well. You really can pick 'em."

The coach blows his whistle and the two step away from each other, Steve is glaring at Tommy and Tommy laughs, "Pathetic, Harrington. You're pathetic."

Steve gives Tommy a little shove. "The only pathetic person I see right now is you."

–

By lunch, everyone is talking. Everyone has an opinion, like always. You're a little worried that being forced to hear everyone's opinion will make Steve change his mind. You're a little nervous as you make your way out into the hall.

Because it wouldn’t be the first time that every dumb thing anyone had to say about you got to a boy you’re interested in. Or people you wanted to be friends with. You’re just hoping to hell it doesn’t happen as fast as you’re afraid it will.

As you step into the hallway, strong arms circle your waist and you’re laughing the second you’re hauled up over Steve’s shoulder. “Hey! You’re gonna get in trouble, Steve.”

“Honestly, I don’t care.” Steve places you back on your own feet and you lean in against him. Breathing in the scent of his cologne. You feel the tension in your body melt away and you melt into him, gazing up. Biting your lip. Quiet and contemplative because there aren’t any words to describe what you’re feeling.

“I heard you get sent out into the hallway earlier, princess.” Steve’s gazing at you and he chuckles. “The walls in these classrooms are paper thin.”

You shrug. “Carol started it. What surprised me was that Nancy got involved?”

“What surprises me even more is Nancy Wheeler is taking Home Ec. She always used to say it was a waste of time.”

You shrug. “She’s not too bad, I guess. I’ve gotta work with her to establish a family budget and meal plan.”

Steve chuckles. “You do, huh?”

“Mhm. Told her to leave it to me, she could do the actual presentation of it.”

Steve pulls you into his side and drops a lazy kiss against the top of your head. The sugary scent of your favorite perfume fills his nose and he can just feel himself relaxing.

“Why’d you get sent out?”

“Well, when Carol told me you were only trying to find a rebound, I told her she was jealous she wasn’t it.. Among other things.”

Steve swears under his breath. “I’m sick of her shit.”

“It’s okay, Steve.. It’s.. Not really a big deal? I mean,” you point to your outfit of the day and laugh softly, “I don’t blame people for their own stupidity but I’m also not gonna change myself either. You learn to get a thicker skin, baby.”

“You shouldn’t have to though. She should learn t’ keep her mouth shut. Tommy too, for that matter.” Steve chuckles but you gaze at him in concern. “What’d he say?”

“Just that I’m clingy, pathetic and sooner or later, you’re going to get tired of it.” Steve shrugs as if it’s nothing and it doesn’t bother him but honestly, he’s been worried about that all morning. You’re glaring in Tommy and Billy’s direction. Billy licks his lips at you and you grimace even further into Steve’s side. “He’s so fucking disgusting, ugh.”

Steve locks eyes with Billy and Billy gives him a rude glare. Steve slips an arm around your body as the two of you walk past them in the hallway. But Tommy calls out his name.

“Steve..” you warn.

Steve looks back. “What, asshole? What now?”

Tommy shrugs and then laughs and Steve flips him off. “Keep it up, Hagan.”

“Steve, c’mon. Neither of them are even worth the energy. And I’m starvingggg.” you melt into him and throw your arms around his neck. “I want food.”

Steve chuckles. Focusing his attention back to you. “You are, huh?”

“Mhm.”

“Let’s go. You’re right, princess. They’re not worth the energy.”

As the two of you walk away, Billy speaks up, nodding to Steve’s retreating back. “He’ll fuck it up. Then she’s mine, man.”

“Oh you think so, Hargrove?” Tommy chuckles, dragging a hand through his hair.

“I know so, Hagan. I have a plan. All I need is patience. Then when the time is right.. I swoop in and save the day. But this year is endin with her on my arm.”

“But why though? You know what Landon said about her. Do you really wanna go from girls throwing their panties at you to dating one exclusively that doesn’t put out? What’s the point?”

Billy grabs Tommy’s collar. “I want what I want. Why I want it is none of your business. We clear, Hagan?”

Tommy glares at Billy and shoves him back. “Crystal, asshole. We’re crystal clear. So uh.. What’s this plan?”

“Just wait and let Steve’s doubts and shit get the best of him. It’ll happen, guy is that weak.”

“And then?” Tommy asks, a brow raised.

“Then I move in.. start playing her shoulder to cry on.. That sensitive nice guy bullshit. It’s worked before, Hagan.” Billy shrugs and laughs. “C’mon.”

#steve harrington #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington imagines #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x yn #steve harrington x you #<- my writing ● steve harrington #<- warnings | bullying rumors altercations ● teenagers and their drama ● slightest hint of bisexual tommy hagan and an unrequited love sitc #<- warning | female character with female parts ●hair/clothes ● personality ● nicknames/petnames #fandom ( stranger things ) ● season ( 2/3 and maybe 4 + total au ) ● character ( steve harrington )#-- this one is not over. i repeat. not over.

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wrestlezon · 2 years

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aew rampage 10/21/22 liveblog containment zone

laughing my ass off at excalibur's reference (the attempt of trademarking the word "edge" for video games) he is truly The Gamer's Commentator

the acclaimed vs varsity... guys. tony nese and josh(?) woods. i forgot their title

oh no! billy gunn is ousted from ringside by the ref. golly! im unfocused. sorry acclaimed im trying my best to pay attention to your match its been a while since ive seen daily's place wood's fireman's carry into knee move...? bowens on the offense! they win!

cock and ball destruction ........caster thats obscene. dont fuck the belt on live tv!

backstage with tony schiavone and jade cargill

oh no! penelope ford... injured and out... i heard them mention this earlier but still :( i wanted to watch her fight willow!! wahhhh man jade is super mad! golly i do hope she fights nyla rose i wanna see nyla rose !!!!

watching the show Actually Live for the first time in a while means i can actually keep up with liveblogging it lmao... i need these commercial breaks to put words together

backstage with eddie and ortiz and death triangle

omg lmao ortiz put together an intervention for eddie. "eddie youre out of control" the lucha bros are here with encouraging words and eddie is just like :/? omg pac setting up pac vs eddie??? lmao poor eddie tho ;o; hes so blindsided

hook vs ari devari

those are some crisp printed hundreds i wonder how much it is to get fake film prop money whoa hook's getting beaten up classic threatening chin grab. love to see it whoa another pin break. will they actually make hook lose (no, but theyre not making it look easy!) oh theres redrum lol

haha vsk trying to fan him awake with the money redrum 2!!!! nooo dont put the money in his mouth you dont know where those crisp bills have been

backstage with the firm! ethan page and stokely

theyre bullying matt hardy ............ is he trying to outcringe them "by the time im done, you wont want me on your team"

willow nightingale vs leila gray

yay willow i wish penelope were here but ok... fighting! tackle! big scoop! big slam! theyre giving willow a lot of lore on commentary. which is funny because i know so little about leila gray in comparison ringside shenanigans! this match seems slightly awkward in its flow and pacing...? maybe im just looking too hard. or maybe leila is new? i dont know much about her so thatd check out "she aint no baddie! im the baddie" is that what was said there lol weird... match... maybe that penelope ford thing was a real last minute development. did they do dark matches before this show

OH!!!!!! WILLOW HIRED!!! yay!!!! i just uh... wish it wasnt after such a... weird match... oh... jade hijacking willow's celebration... i mean.. i guess thats heel behavior omg nyla and crew stole her car lol jade cargill killing every security guard

video segment with 10 and rush (and orange cassidy!)

oh lol theyre playing this on tv? nice. it was really good. i do think its funny that all the good segments they put on social media that i end up watching they also play on tv. better not to waste good segments to be lost in the social media oh they cut out the tony khan part of it lol he made a promise he wouldnt become an onscreen character after all

backstage pre-match with 10 and rush and orange

orange why are you with mark henry-- lmao why ARE you getting between these two guys' conflict jose i recognize your threat to orange but. i think punk has the honor of the shortest title run. twice over (😭) lmao orange has his own branded microphone... please tell me this is going to be a recurring thing stealing mark henry's bit again!!

rush vs 10 vs orange cassidy

andrade seamlessly deleted from the storyline i have such bad memory i have to keep reminding myself. *touches the earth* there was a guy here, once. i do this for punk and the elite as well i hope the elite and omega come back soon... yay!!! the best friends are here too!!!!!! :)c i love getting glimpses of my favorite guys in the background. imagine if i got to saw them wrestle :OOOO (theres plenty of non-conspiracy reasons for them to not have bookings. i understand. also they DID just wrestle in a trios match) (but that wasnt about them! it was about oc and pac!) (ok enough of that, its time for the main event!!!) he kept those glasses on for longer than i thought aoughh!! rush throwing beverage around! sticky cable choking! hm. its ok. i like the lime color watching 10 and rush fight, it makes me think that maybe oc turning this into a threeway gives 10 an out to lose but not lose his mask to rush thats a very charitable interpretation of the situation though. he also could just be being a funny little rascal oof!! solid table... unbreaking... 10 is so beefy. beef guy. real ooo i love me a good spear oh! orange is back in the ring the old nelson into pockets bit wow what a smooth beach break lmao why is open in-ring meddling legal in a three way i seriously love danhausen's curse-into-dickpunch manuever very mp100 reigan hypnosis punch energy rush trying to mess with 10's mask! are they going to reveal 10's canonically pretty face no! it will not occur. orange wins!

10 standing in the ring looking at orange... 10 looking at rush... lmao orange looking at rush like hes a weirdo

aww sad in memoriam bit at the end :(

the fite feed kept going but is glitched frozen. im missing out on the best friends being in the ring "theyre probably hugging right now" my friend does nothing but directly wound me

#livezon

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thesecretheadteacher · 4 years

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Bullying

I make no apology for the length of this entry as the topic of bullying is a very emotive one. Where it occurs, it can be such a damaging and destructive set of actions, leaving the victims upset, hurt or, in a few cases, contemplating or going through with attempts at suicide. It is probably one of the biggest fears parents have for their child whilst at school and also something they feel unable to help with.

The scale of bullying: Once again, for those of us who were raised in the 70s and 80s, we are likely to have witnessed or experienced bullying on an industrial scale. These were the days before there was any awareness or acceptance of difference: the closest anyone got to neurodiversity back then would be if it was the name of a new wave pop group. Anyone with autism, ADHD or any other, fairly common, condition, was just seen as a ‘weirdo’, anyone who was slightly effeminate, or merely kind was ‘gay’ and anyone whose skin colour was darker than you would expect from a 2 week holiday in Skegness, was a N word or the Asian P word. These were just the verbal bullying, of course there was also the physical bullying, I think I was lucky to get through these years with both testicles intact, as they were treated like mosquitos – someone always looking to swat, flick, kick, stamp, punch or knee them, and the resulting excruciating pain provided the watching group with the highest form of hilarity. I guess it was probably different for girls. Fortunately, such sustained and ongoing bullying is very rare and, though parents should be vigilant, in the vast majority of cases, it is something that can be dealt with very easily and effectively by the school.

What is Bullying?: The key starting point for tackling bullying is knowing what bullying is. Most parents will be using their own experiences, possibly from school, but more likely form the media: whether that was watching Gripper Stebson with his 1950s teddy boy style, grabbing various Grange Hill characters by the throat as part of his dinner money pyramid scheme, through to Nelson Muntz giving Bart a wedgie on the Simpsons. Or maybe from stories or videos, some truly horrific, of young people being set upon and beaten up by groups of kids. None of these, however, help to clarify what bullying is.

There is no legal definition of bullying in the UK but, in a school context most would view it as ‘repeated behaviour which is intended to hurt someone either emotionally or physically, and is often aimed at certain people because of their race, religion, gender or sexual orientation or any other aspect such as appearance or disability.’

As well as knowing what it is, it is important to know what it isn’t, because there are many things that rather than having a negative impact upon our children, are actually valuable and important learning episodes (I can hear myself morphing into Oprah here):

- Falling out with each other – this happens and is an important part of their development into adulthood to deal with conflict with others. Unfortunately, far too many parents see this as bullying because their child might be upset as a result of it.

- Day to day rough and tumble – this particularly applies to boys as they grow up. There is some good science around the importance of ‘horseplay’ (Fry, D. P. (2005). Rough and tumble social play in humans / Pellis, S. M., & Pellis, V. C. (2012). Rough-and-tumble play: Training and using the social brain). Think of it like young animals that jump and climb and wrestle and fight. Having done thousands of break and lunch duties, I am very familiar with what is horse play and what is a bit more serious – the basic guide being are they all having fun, it is very easy to see if someone isn’t or if one individual is being targeted – that is where we step in.

- A one-off omission: for example not being invited to something outside of school.

- Not liking someone: we cannot make pupils like each other. This is another important learning point to help in growing up. I am sure we all have people in our own lives that we don’t like, but through our adolescent development, we have learned how to deal with that.

- Arguments: these happen all the time, as anyone who has been married will testify.

- A single act of telling a joke about someone. We have all been the butt of a joke at some point - usually funny for others, less so for us.

Of course if any of these things become repeated or several of them happen towards the same child, then yes this would then constitute bullying.

How to deal with bullying: this is what most parents want to know and is the point at which some parents go horribly wrong. So here is my step by step guide:

1. The most important thing is that the child tells someone. Staff in school are usually excellent at spotting things going on – I have lost count of the number of times I have been on duty and, amidst the mass of humanity that makes up lunch time, spotted a child looking a bit down, on their own or upset.

2. Watch out for changes in your child: mood swings, sudden aggression, withdrawal from family life (though take care as these are also the default setting for most teenagers.)

3. If your child can’t talk about it, get them to write it down.

4. If it involves social media, which increasingly it does, switch it off – delete the apps and don’t engage.

5. NOW CONTACT THE SCHOOL. I have put this in caps because this is the most important thing. Having discovered you think your child is being bullied, you will be feeling angry, shocked, protective, aggressive and maybe even feel you have failed your child. This heady concoction of feelings is not a good place from which to start to address the issue.

6. Work with the school: the vast majority of schools deal with these things on an almost daily basis. They know the other children, they see the interactions, they know the parents of the other child or children. They care deeply about your child and the other children and they will do what they feel is best.

7. If things don’t get any better, then escalate the matter within the school – schools are hierarchical and above a form tutor is a head of year, above them a member of the Senior Leadership Team and above them the headteacher.

How not to deal with bullying: the steps above should lead to the matter being resolved and your child returning to their usual happy, or at least apathetic, experience of school. However, I have had plenty of first-hand experience of parents who decide to handle the matter differently – none of these led to a better outcome than following my advice, and some led to far more serious outcomes for them.

- Don’t start the discussion off by being abusive or threatening the school for ‘failing your child’. Venting your anger on a poor receptionist won’t make the wheels move faster.

- Don’t start at the top. I have had many examples of parents contacting me directly, as headteacher, to deal with a falling out between two pupils. Though I have decades of pastoral experience, there are far more appropriate people to look into the matter. It isn’t that I don’t care, but the school and education system wouldn’t really be getting its money’s worth out of me if I spend 6 hours a day in ‘circle time’ with Year 7 girls who have fallen out.

- Don’t go above the top. On a number of occasions I have had parents decide that, rather than inform the school, they think the matter would be resolved quicker by going above the school to the Local Authority, Ofsted, The Diocese, local MP, Parish Priest, the press, the Pope or anyone else they could think of. Needless to say, none of these people are really in a good position to unravel the reasoning behind why Sally didn’t invite your Bethany to Cineworld last week.

- Don’t encourage your child to take matters into their own hands. “I’m sorry Sir but I have told him, if anyone says anything to you, you just punch them” or “You can’t tell me that you wouldn’t tell your son to hit them if they say anything.” Well-meaning as this advice from some parents is, it isn’t really great preparation for the world of work. For that day when little Billy grows up, gets his job in middle management and has a falling out with Steve from accounts and decides a good right hook might progress things. So unless you have grand plans for your child to move into the gangland underworld, it really isn’t good advice.

- Don’t take matters into your own hands with the parents. Often when parents raise a concern about another child bullying their own child, they will want to meet with the other parents. Nearly all schools will avoid doing this, not because we are being obstructive, but because a) the parents (usually) aren’t the people who have fallen out and b) both sets of parents will have only heard their own child’s version of events and will be overly protective. It doesn’t work. Likewise contacting the other parents by text, social media or be going round to the house – all of these are like trying to put a fire out armed with aerosols and petrol. I have witnessed parents going for each other outside the school gate, or picked up the pieces afterwards when one or more parents have been charged with assault.

- Don’t take matters into your own hands with the child. No matter what you have been told about the other child, they are still that, a child. I have known many occasions where a parent has approached a child directly to ‘warn them off’ like some sort of mafia enforcer. Now I don’t know how they have thought it would play out in real life, but the reality is usually that the child is with some friends, feels like they can’t lose face and so rather than say “Yes of course Mrs T, it was wring of me to behave like that towards your little Mickey, it won’t happen again, take care.” It ends up more “Who are you talking to? Get away you Pedo. I didn’t do anything. F*&k Off, I am going to get my dad on to you.” To be fair this approach does often end the initial bullying and is replaced by family warfare, police action and lawyer involvement.

Don’t arrange a ‘settler’. This is where both sets of parents arrange for the children to meet up and have a settler (a fight to resolve things). For many of you reading this, the very thought would be horrific, but for some of the communities I have worked in, this is the ‘honourable’ way to do things. I have known parents set up times / places for the fight, have rules around not jumping in and even drive their children to the event, like an evening at a Justin Bieber concert. This is not just for boys, I have known it happen with girls too and heard a child describe how her dad had watched her get knocked all over the place then afterwards suggest that the matter was no closed.

#bullying education self-help humour

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dfroza · 4 years

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Today’s reading in the ancient book of Proverbs and Psalms

for Saturday, may 30 of 2020 with Proverbs 30 and Psalm 30 accompanied by Psalm 73 for the 73rd day of Spring and Psalm 1 for day 151 of the year now with the book of 150 Psalms beginning its 2nd revolution in 2020

[Proverbs 30]

The Words of Agur Ben Yakeh

God? Who Needs Him?

The skeptic swore, “There is no God!

No God!—I can do anything I want!

I’m more animal than human;

so-called human intelligence escapes me.

“I flunked ‘wisdom.’

I see no evidence of a holy God.

Has anyone ever seen Anyone

climb into Heaven and take charge?

grab the winds and control them?

gather the rains in his bucket?

stake out the ends of the earth?

Just tell me his name, tell me the names of his sons.

Come on now—tell me!”

The believer replied, “Every promise of God proves true;

he protects everyone who runs to him for help.

So don’t second-guess him;

he might take you to task and show up your lies.”

And then he prayed, “God, I’m asking for two things

before I die; don’t refuse me—

Banish lies from my lips

and liars from my presence.

Give me enough food to live on,

neither too much nor too little.

If I’m too full, I might get independent,

saying, ‘God? Who needs him?’

If I’m poor, I might steal

and dishonor the name of my God.”

Don’t blow the whistle on your fellow workers

behind their backs;

They’ll accuse you of being underhanded,

and then you’ll be the guilty one!

Don’t curse your father

or fail to bless your mother.

Don’t imagine yourself to be quite presentable

when you haven’t had a bath in weeks.

Don’t be stuck-up

and think you’re better than everyone else.

Don’t be greedy,

merciless and cruel as wolves,

Tearing into the poor and feasting on them,

shredding the needy to pieces only to discard them.

A leech has twin daughters

named “Gimme” and “Gimme more.”

[Four Insatiables]

Three things are never satisfied,

no, there are four that never say, “That’s enough, thank you!”—

hell,

a barren womb,

a parched land,

a forest fire.

An eye that disdains a father

and despises a mother—

that eye will be plucked out by wild vultures

and consumed by young eagles.

[Four Mysteries]

Three things amaze me,

no, four things I’ll never understand—

how an eagle flies so high in the sky,

how a snake glides over a rock,

how a ship navigates the ocean,

why adolescents act the way they do.

Here’s how a prostitute operates:

she has sex with her client,

Takes a bath,

then asks, “Who’s next?”

[Four Intolerables]

Three things are too much for even the earth to bear,

yes, four things shake its foundations—

when the janitor becomes the boss,

when a fool gets rich,

when a whore is voted “woman of the year,”

when a “girlfriend” replaces a faithful wife.

[Four Small Wonders]

There are four small creatures,

wisest of the wise they are—

ants—frail as they are,

get plenty of food in for the winter;

marmots—vulnerable as they are,

manage to arrange for rock-solid homes;

locusts—leaderless insects,

yet they strip the field like an army regiment;

lizards—easy enough to catch,

but they sneak past vigilant palace guards.

[Four Dignitaries]

There are three solemn dignitaries,

four that are impressive in their bearing—

a lion, king of the beasts, deferring to none;

a rooster, proud and strutting;

a billy goat;

a head of state in stately procession.

If you’re dumb enough to call attention to yourself

by offending people and making rude gestures,

Don’t be surprised if someone bloodies your nose.

Churned milk turns into butter;

riled emotions turn into fist fights.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 30 (The Message)

[Psalm 30]

A song of David. For the dedication of the temple.

I praise You, Eternal One. You lifted me out of that deep, dark pit

and denied my opponents the pleasure of rubbing in their success.

Eternal One, my True God, I cried out to You for help;

You mended the shattered pieces of my life.

You lifted me from the grave with a mighty hand,

gave me another chance,

and saved me from joining those in that dreadful pit.

Sing, all you who remain faithful!

Pour out your hearts to the Eternal with praise and melodies;

let grateful music fill the air and bless His name.

His wrath, you see, is fleeting,

but His grace lasts a lifetime.

The deepest pains may linger through the night,

but joy greets the soul with the smile of morning.

When things were quiet and life was easy, I said in arrogance,

“Nothing can shake me.”

By Your grace, Eternal,

I thought I was as strong as a mountain;

But when You left my side and hid away,

I crumbled in fear.

O Eternal One, I called out to You;

I pleaded for Your compassion and forgiveness:

“I’m no good to You dead! What benefits come from my rotting corpse?

My body in the grave will not praise You.

No songs will rise up from the dust of my bones.

From dust comes no proclamation of Your faithfulness.

Hear me, Eternal Lord—please help me,

Eternal One—be merciful!”

You did it: You turned my deepest pains into joyful dancing;

You stripped off my dark clothing

and covered me with joyful light.

You have restored my honor. My heart is ready to explode, erupt in new songs!

It’s impossible to keep quiet!

Eternal One, my God, my Life-Giver, I will thank You forever.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 30 (The Voice)

[Psalm 73]

Book Three

A song of Asaph.

Truly God is good to His people, Israel,

to those with pure hearts.

Though I know this is true, I almost lost my footing;

yes, my steps were on slippery ground.

You see, there was a time when I envied arrogant men

and thought, “The wicked look pretty happy to me.”

For they seem to live carefree lives, free of suffering;

their bodies are strong and healthy.

They don’t know trouble as we do;

they are not plagued with problems as the rest of us are.

They’ve got pearls of pride strung around their necks;

they clothe their bodies with violence.

They have so much more than enough.

Their eyes bulge because they are so fat with possessions.

They have more than their hearts could have ever imagined.

There is nothing sacred, and no one is safe.

Vicious sarcasm drips from their lips;

they bully and threaten to crush their enemies.

They even mock God as if He were not above;

their arrogant tongues boast throughout the earth; they feel invincible.

Even God’s people turn and are carried away by them;

they watch and listen, yet find no fault in them.

You will hear them say, “How can the True God possibly know anyway? He’s not even here.

So how can the Most High have any knowledge of what happens here?”

Let me tell you what I know about the wicked:

they are comfortably at rest while their wealth is growing and growing.

Oh, let this not be me! It seems I have scrubbed my heart to keep it clean

and washed my hands in innocence.

And for what? Nothing.

For all day long, I am being punished,

each day awakening to stern chastisement.

If I had said to others these kinds of things about the plight of God’s good people,

then I know I would have betrayed the next generation.

Trying to solve this mystery on my own exhausted me;

I couldn’t bear to look at it any further.

So I took my questions to the True God,

and in His sanctuary I realized something so chilling and final: their lives have a deadly end.

Because You have certainly set the wicked upon a slippery slope,

You’ve set them up to slide to their destruction.

And they won’t see it coming. It will happen so fast:

first, a flash of terror, and then desolation.

It is like a dream from which someone awakes.

You will wake up, Lord, and loathe what has become of them.

You see, my heart overflowed with bitterness and cynicism;

I felt as if someone stabbed me in the back.

But I didn’t know the truth;

I have been acting like a stupid animal toward You.

But look at this: You are still holding my right hand;

You have been all along.

Even though I was angry and hard-hearted, You gave me good advice;

when it’s all over, You will receive me into Your glory.

For all my wanting, I don’t have anyone but You in heaven.

There is nothing on earth that I desire other than You.

I admit how broken I am in body and spirit,

but God is my strength, and He will be mine forever.

It will happen: whoever shuns You will be silenced forever;

You will bring an end to all who refuse to be true to You.

But the closer I am to You, my God, the better because life with You is good.

O Lord, the Eternal, You keep me safe—

I will tell everyone what You have done.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 73 (The Voice)

[Psalm 1]

Book 1

The Genesis Psalms

Psalms of man and creation

The Tree of Life:

God’s blessings follow you and await you at every turn:

when you don’t follow the advice of those who delight in wicked schemes,

When you avoid sin’s highway,

when judgment and sarcasm beckon you, but you refuse.

For you, the Eternal’s Word is your happiness.

It is your focus—from dusk to dawn.

You are like a tree,

planted by flowing, cool streams of water that never run dry.

Your fruit ripens in its time;

your leaves never fade or curl in the summer sun.

No matter what you do, you prosper.

For those who focus on sin, the story is different.

They are like the fallen husk of wheat, tossed by an open wind, left deserted and alone.

In the end, the wicked will fall in judgment;

the guilty will be separated from the innocent.

Their road suddenly will end in death,

yet the journey of the righteous has been charted by the Eternal.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 1 (The Voice)

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