children are a blessing

⁶Sons of sons are the crown of old age. And the glory of sons is their fathers.

³Behold, the inheritance of the Lord is sons, the reward is the fruit of the womb. ⁴Like arrows in the hand of the powerful, so are the sons of those who have been cast out. ⁵Blessed is the man who has filled his desire from these things. He will not be confounded when he speaks to his enemies at the gate.

³Behold, the inheritance of the Lord is sons, the reward is the fruit of the womb.

¹³For you have possessed my temperament. You have supported me from the womb of my mother. ¹⁴I will confess to you, for you have been magnified terribly. Your works are miraculous, as my soul knows exceedingly well. ¹⁵My bone, which you have made in secret, has not been hidden from you, and my substance is in accord with the lower parts of the earth. ¹⁶Your eyes saw my imperfection, and all this shall be written in your book. Days will be formed, and no one shall be in them.

¹⁰See to it that you do not despise even one of these little ones. For I say to you, that their Angels in heaven continually look upon the face of my Father, who is in heaven.

²⁸And God blessed them, and he said, “Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and the flying creatures of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”

⁹He causes a barren woman to live in a house, as the joyful mother of sons.

⁶The proverb is: A youth is close to his way; even when he is old, he will not withdraw from it.

⁴I have no greater grace than this, when I hear that my sons are walking in the truth.

¹A Canticle in steps: of Solomon. Unless the Lord has built the house, those who build it have labored in vain. Unless the Lord has guarded the city, he who guards it watches in vain. ²It is in vain that you rise before daylight, that you rise up after you have sat down, you who chew the bread of sorrow. Whereas, to his beloved, he will give sleep. ³Behold, the inheritance of the Lord is sons, the reward is the fruit of the womb. ⁴Like arrows in the hand of the powerful, so are the sons of those who have been cast out. ⁵Blessed is the man who has filled his desire from these things. He will not be confounded when he speaks to his enemies at the gate.

¹⁴Yet truly, Jesus said to them: “Allow the little children to come to me, and do not choose to prohibit them. For the kingdom of heaven is among such as these.”

⁴And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but educate them with the discipline and correction of the Lord.

¹A Canticle in steps. Blessed are all those who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways. ²For you will eat by the labors of your hands. Blessed are you, and it will be well with you. ³Your wife is like an abundant vine on the sides of your house. Your sons are like young olive trees surrounding your table. ⁴Behold, so will the man be blessed who fears the Lord. ⁵May the Lord bless you from Zion, and may you see the good things of Jerusalem, all the days of your life. ⁶And may you see the sons of your sons. Peace be upon Israel.

⁵“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. And before you went forth from the womb, I sanctified you. And I made you a prophet to the nations.”

¹³All your children will be taught by the Lord. And great will be the peace of your children.

⁵And lifting up his eyes, he saw the women and their little ones, and he said: “What do these want for themselves?” and “Are they related to you?” He responded, “These are the little ones that God has given as a gift to me, your servant.”

²¹A woman, when she is giving birth, has sorrow, because her hour has arrived. But when she has given birth to the child, then she no longer remembers the difficulties, because of the joy: for a man has been born into the world.