The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“This is what decline is like. People on this side of the great divide like to think the end will be dramatic collapse or tanks in the streets, but that’s unlikely. Instead, it will be fits and starts down the uneven stairs of cultural decline. Trump is one of those steps with a long tread. The next few steps will have high risers and short treads. At some point, elections just stop happening either due to lack of interest or the inability of the political class to stage these made for television dramas.”

“At some point, a crisis will come and the public will have no confidence in the political class to address it. Some faction within the political class will use that to seize power and take control of the system. A temporary suspension of elections will slowly become permanent, as order is restored. America will no longer have the demographics or cultural will to operate the old system. The next step down is some form of authoritarian rule that manages the decline a bit better than the chaos of democracy.” – ZMan, in a The ZMan blog essay:  The Trip Down The Stairs

Ruger Precision .308 Rifle, by Pat Cascio

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I’m sure this will ruffle a lot of feathers, but here goes: Just about any rifle – and even some scoped handguns – can be used as “sniper guns”.

I spend far too much time in my local gun shop, checking out what is new and exciting, and what is used and priced right. Many times, when they are busy, I’ll step behind the counter to lend a hand with gun customers. And, I’ve heard this asked many, many times “do you have any sniper rifles?” and when that question is asked of me, I’ll point to all the long guns on the racks. This confuses people, until I explain what constitutes a so-called “sniper rifle” or “counter-sniper rifle.”

Not all sniping is done at 1,000-yards, some is done as close as 100-yards, and even the lowly .22 LR rifle, can accomplish the task of being a sniper rifle, with just a 4X scope on it – think about it. With very little training, you can sure make a head-shot on a human-sized target at 100-yards with this set-up. Is this an ideal sniper rifle? Surely not! However, it can get the job done. Any high-powered rifle, that is commonly used in deer hunting, can work as a sniper rifle – just takes some training and the use of the right ammo and you can become a sniper. Sniping is done from behind concealment (and hopefully cover, as well). Once in place, you set-up your sniper’s hide and very patiently wait for your target. Most sniping takes place at well under 500-yards. That’s easily accomplished with a high-powered rifle, with a decent scope that is properly on it. You don’t need a $2,500 scope to accomplish this task. A good 3-9×40 scope priced under a hundred bucks can suffice.

Of course, well-trained military snipers have been known to take out a target as far away as a mile, but those are not the usual distances. Rather, they are the extreme. And more often than not, shots at those distances – usually require more than one shot. In a survival situation, we have to look at a lot of different things, before we pull the trigger on someone, who is on our property – maybe they are just lost, and pose no real threat to us. If you drop them at several hundred yards away, you may face murder charges at some point, when law and order are restored – assuming it ever gets restored. On the other hand, a shot or two in the vicinity of someone on your property will more than likely send them running away. Let’s hope so – I don’t know anyone who wants to take another person’s life for no good reason.

So, back to what constitutes a sniper or counter-sniper rifle. It can be any long gun, that is capable of placing the shots where you want them to be. I’ve owned more than a few bolt-action hunting rifles, in various calibers, that could keep my three round groups right at an inch at 100 yards. Some gave me groups a little bigger, and some groups ever smaller – but not by much. A lot has to do with the ammunition, and all guns have their druthers – some shoot great with green/yellow box hunting ammo, and some don’t. It all about taking the time to do some quite deliberate tests. When you find a variety of ammo that shoots consistently in your bolt-action hunting rifle, then stock-up on it.Continue reading“Ruger Precision .308 Rifle, by Pat Cascio”

Letter: Advice on Oxygen and Moisture Absorbing Packets

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Reader C.A. wrote to ask:

I was wondering if you guys had an answer to this or could direct me to the answer: Those oxygen absorber packs that you get inside of food like beef jerky and medication / pill bottles. Can those be re-used for food storage, etc.?

Also, who would you recommend as suppliers for these?

Thanks.

JWR Replies:

There are two quite different types of packets. They usually have identifying markings. The two main types are:

1.) Most of the pill bottles and many electronics come packaged with a silica gel (moisture absorbing) packet and those CAN be gathered up and then re-dried in batches on a cookie sheet in a low oven (175 F) for 8 hours, and re-used. Once they are re-dried you should immediately seal them in Zip-Loc bags, or they will begin to absorb the ambient room moisture, if left out.

2.) The oxygen O2 absorbers found in some food packages use an iron oxide chemical reaction process that starts once they are exposed to oxygen. Those CANNOT be re-used. So just discard those.

O2 Absorbers are available in sealed bags from Readymade Resources. (One of our advertisers)

Silica gel is available in bulk, very inexpensively:  Simply look for unscented Fresh Step brand cat liter box CRYSTALS. Just pour them into socks with a tight weave and either sew them or tie them closed with a rubber band.

I hope this helps. – JWR

Recipe of the Week: One Meal Stew

This week’s recipe is for One Meal Stew — a beef stew recipe. It is a recipe excerpted from the scarce book Nine Hundred Successful Recipes, by Lulu Thompson Silvernail. This book, from my own book collection, was published in 1923. A recent change in U.S. copyright law now puts most pre-1925 books in the public domain.

Lulu Thompson Silvernail’s emphasis in this book was recipes that included hard red winter wheat flour. This entire recipe book will be just part of the more than 4,000 pages of bonus content that is being added to the SurvivalBlog archive waterproof USB stick that will be orderable, later this month.

Ingredients
    • 1-1/2 lbs. boneless lean beef
    • 3 tablespoons bacon grease [For modern diets, other oils could be substituted.]
    • 1 onion, slze of a door nob, or more
    • 4 medium sliced carrots
    • 1 large green pepper
    • 1 pint of tomatoes
    • 6 large sized potatoes
    • 1/4 cup barley
    • 2 tablespoons rlce
    • 3/4 tablespoon salt [For modern diets, probably less!]
    • Dash of cayenne pepper
Directions
  1. Cut meat in pieces the size of a walnut.
  2. Place meat and bacon grease in skillet for meat to simmer and brown, keeping skillet uncovered.
  3. When brown, remove the mixture from skillet and place in stew kettle with the barley, carrots and rice.
  4. Pour in enough water to have mixture well-covered.
  5. Set kettle back on stove and simmer slowly for one hour, keeping kettle covered at this time.
  6. At the end of hour, cut the onion in small pieces, chop the green pepper, mash the tomatoes and cut potatoes in medium sized pieces, and add all to the meat mixture.
  7. Return the kettle to fire and cook until vegetables are tender, if necessary adding additional water as needed.
SERVING

Serve hot.

Note: When using fireless cooker prepare meat in the same manner as given above. Place all ingredients together and let cook in fireless cooker for 3 hours. Add only enough water to mixture as it goes to eooker to keep vegetables partially covered..

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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column we place emphasis on recipes that use long term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven and slow cooker recipes, and any that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at natural gas production (and waste.) The photo at the top of this column is a satellite photo montage of the lights of North America, at night. The swarm of dots seen in western North Dakota are not city lights. That is actually light created by extensive natural gas flaring. (See the Commodities section.)

Precious Metals:

Germans Rush to Buy Gold as Draft Bill Threatens to Restrict Purchases

o  o  o

A fascinating piece by Lyn Alden, over at Gold-Eagle: Gold Price Forecast: A Weaker Dollar Is The Easiest Path To $2,000 Gold

o  o  o

Antonius Aquinas: The Ethics of a Gold Standard

Economy & Finance:

My wife (Avalanche Lily) suggested this: 2020 FINANCIAL CRISIS — Has it started? The $500 Billion Dollar Question

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At Zero Hedge: The New Colonization: China Is Building Enormous Self-Sustaining Chinese Cities All Over The African Continent

o  o  o

2020 FINANCIAL CRISIS — Has it started? The $500 Billion Dollar Question

o  o  o

Ed Yardeni Warns 20% Pullback Could Strike Early 2020

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — January 5, 2020

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Today is the birthday of actor Robert Duvall (born 1931.) His roles in Open Range and Apocalypse Now are unforgettable.

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January 5th is the birthday of the late John Pugsley (born 1934, died April 8, 2011), libertarian and economics author. Pugsley was well known in preparedness circles as the author of The Alpha Strategy. (The book is out of print, but a PDF is available for free download.)

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It is also the birthday of General Courtney Hodges (born 1887 – January 16, 1966). Kicked out of West Point for low math scores, he enlisted as a private but soon became a maverick officer and went on to a distinguished career.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 86 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3,000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from veteran-owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  2. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  3. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  4. A $300 purchase credit for any of the products from EMPShield.com
  5. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  6. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  7. An assortment of products along with a one hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Good2GoCo.com is providing a $400 purchase credit at regular prices for the prize winner’s choice of either Wise Foods or Augason long term storage foods, in stackable buckets.
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 86 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

 

Where Do We Go From Here?, by K.M.

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“May you live in interesting times” is the often-quoted ancient Chinese curse.

We certainly are living in interesting times. As I’m writing this, we are nearing the Winter Solstice in 2019. I wish to share some thoughts on where we are, how we got here, and where we might be going. (So, maybe the long-form?) I’m not trying to incite anything other than critical thought, not suggesting answers, rather asking questions. Where are we? How did we get here? Where is this all heading?

Where Are We?

When I was a Lad we had the Doomsday clock… Product of the nuclear era, when the US and USSR were on the trigger of nuclear war (or a few minutes to, depending). Our last great war (Vietnam) was ending and the US wasn’t all powerful, least some rice pickers didn’t think so. Lately, it is rural peasants that laugh in the face of the once great Empire. Or so the Centurion’s tell you, from their time ‘over there’. Today ‘over there’ is no further than next-door, have you seen the news? Yeah, well, that’s another subject altogether.

We’re in a mess. Handbasket has been loaded, train already left the station in my opinion. Is it possible to prevent us getting to the destination? Guess that’s what all the boogaloo is about, no? We are in a world of multiple dimensions, or universes; one person’s reality versus another’s is what we’re taught we should tolerate. It’s that human trait that’s being exploited and subverted (towards an agenda those with tinfoil hats would argue). You see, a person’s perception of the world isn’t just colored by, nay it’s created by their life experiences. Genetics and ‘the village’ all play a role, they are all part of that individual’s accumulation of experiences. Psychology 101-level stuff here folks, if I just lost a bunch of you, no matter. Please follow along.Continue reading“Where Do We Go From Here?, by K.M.”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we look at the newly-minted U.S. Space Force.

US Space Force to Take Over Florida Bases

Linked over at the great Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Patrick AFB, Canaveral fall under new US Space Force. Indeed, the Space Force is now officially the sixth military branch. JWR’s Comment:  This inevitably leads me to ask: What color or camouflage pattern will their uniforms be? Star Wars Black? My personal vote is for the Star Wars Endor camouflage pattern.  That would be stylin.  🙂

New Jersey Bill Would Allow Opt-Out for Smart Meters

Regular content contributor DSV mentioned this, over at WorldNetDaily: New program offers consumers opt-out for smart meters. An excerpt:

“According to Mike Maharrey at the Tenth Amendment Center, a bill has been proposed in the New Jersey Assembly to give utility customers in the state the ability to opt out.

‘Passage of this bill would enable New Jersey residents to protect their own privacy, and it would take a step toward blocking a federal program in effect,’ his report said.

Three members of the legislature have proposed Assembly Bill 5884.

‘Smart meters monitor home energy usage in minute detail in real-time. The devices transmit data to the utility company where it gets stored in databases. Anybody with access to the data can download it for analysts. Without specific criteria limiting access to the data, these devices create significant privacy issues. Smart meters can also be used to remotely limit power usage during peak hours,’ the report said.

‘A5884 would require utility companies to provide written notice to customers at least 90 days before installing a smart meter. Customers would have an option to decline the installation of a smart meter within 30 after receiving written notice with no fee or penalty. Customers declining installation after 30 days but not later than 90 days after the notice could be charged a fee of no more than $100…'”

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.

And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:

And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,

Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” – Revelation 14: 1-12 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — January 4, 2020

January 4th is the birthday of George Hyde. His surname at birth was “Heide”, but it was later anglicized. He was born in 1888, in Arpfingen, Germany. He was the chief gun designer for the Inland Division of General Motors (GM) in Dayton, Ohio during World War II. Hyde was best-known as the co-designer of the M3 “Grease gun” SMG and the Liberator pistol, but he also designed the Bendix-Hyde Carbine and the M2 Hyde submachinegun. He immigrated to the United States in 1927.

6.5 Creedmoor for Survival? by John McAdams

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Editor’s Introductory Note: The following is a guest article authored by John McAdams, the founder of The Big Game Hunting Blog and hosts The Big Game Hunting Podcast. He kindly wrote it for SurvivalBlog, at my request. I recommend bookmarking both his blog and his podcast. Great stuff.

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With the continued popularity of the 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge, it’s only natural that some people are considering equipping themselves with a rifle chambered in the cartridge for use in a When The Schumer Hits The Fan (WTSHTF) situation. Countless hunters and shooters have embraced the 6.5 Creedmoor in recent years, but many others are understandably skeptical about making the switch over to the relatively new cartridge.

The 6.5 Creedmoor is a well-designed cartridge that does indeed offer certain advantages to the user when compared to some of the other more popular and more well-established centerfire rifle cartridges. That said, it’s not perfect either. In this article, I’m going to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the 6.5 Creedmoor so you can make a well informed decision on whether or not you should be using it in a survival situation.

First, we’ll start off with a short history of the 6.5 Creedmoor as well as what it was originally designed for.

The venerable .308 Winchester was an incredibly popular choice among competitive shooters for many years. More recently, Dave Emary and Dennis DeMille of Hornady Manufacturing and Creedmoor Sports set about developing a new cartridge that would outperform the .308 Winchester in that application. Their goal was a mass-produced and extremely accurate cartridge that had less recoil, a flatter trajectory, more resistance to wind drift than the .308 Winchester.

Formally released in 2007, the new 6.5 Creedmoor used a .30 Thompson Center case necked down to 6.5mm (.264”). The new cartridge was specifically designed with a long neck and with a relatively large powder capacity that enables it to successfully use extremely aerodynamic bullets without intruding into the powder column. Additionally, even when using very long, high ballistic coefficient (BC) bullets, the cartridge also fits in a short action magazine just like the .308 Winchester.Continue reading“6.5 Creedmoor for Survival? by John McAdams”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

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To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. Note that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

Tomorrow, I’m heading home to the Rawles Ranch. Hopefully, the drive will take me only two days. But it could possibly be longer, depending on the road conditions. There is some snow in the weather forecasts for much of my route. I thank the Lord for studded snow tires and four wheel drive! Now, over to Lily…

Avalanche Lily Reports:

Dear Readers,
I want to thank many of your folks that commented on my recent article, A Cowgirl’s Night Out.  We appreciated all of the ideas and suggestions that you wrote in the comments section concerning clothing and light discipline for others to learn from.  For me, I mostly enjoyed my night out with the animals observing them and acclimating myself to being outside alone at night on our ranch.  It was also a fun article to write.  As the Lord God gives me more adventures, I will be sure to share them with you.

However, I feel like I need to clarify a few things in my article concerning clothes and Light Discipline.  It appears that I there was a little bit of flak/misunderstanding from a few folks who seem to think, that if I am the wife of James Wesley, Rawles that I should have all of the same wisdom, knowledge and experience as he has.

But, I don’t. I wasn’t ever in the military…Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.

A good man obtaineth favour of the Lord: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn.

A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved.

A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels of the wicked are deceit.

The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood: but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them.

The wicked are overthrown, and are not: but the house of the righteous shall stand.

A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: but he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised.

He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.

A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.

The wicked desireth the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit.

The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble.

A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompence of a man’s hands shall be rendered unto him.

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

A fool’s wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame.

He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit.

There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.

The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.

Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace is joy.

There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief.

Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight.

A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.

The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.

Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.

The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them.

The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.

In the way of righteousness is life: and in the pathway thereof there is no death.” – Proverbs 12  (KJV)