Abraham fell face down; he laughed and said to himself, ‘Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?’

Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”

So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, ‘After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?’

So Sarah laughed to herself, saying “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”

Then the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh and say, “Will I really have a child, now that I am old?”

The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’

Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, ‘I did not laugh.’

But he said, ‘Yes, you did laugh.’

But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, ‘Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city!’ But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.

Sarah said, ‘God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.’

And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.”

But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking,

But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing.

When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.

When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac laughing with Rebekah his wife.

Then Judah said, ‘Let her keep what she has, or we will become a laughing-stock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn’t find her.’

And Judah replied, “Let her keep the things as her own, or we shall be laughed at. You see, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her.”

she called her household servants. ‘Look,’ she said to them, ‘this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed.

she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.

Then she told him this story: ‘That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me.

and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me.

So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterwards they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.

And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.

While they were in high spirits, they shouted, ‘Bring out Samson to entertain us.’ So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them.

When they stood him among the pillars,

And when their hearts were merry, they said, “Call Samson, that he may entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars.

Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform.

Now the house was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained.

As they danced, they sang:

‘Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his tens of thousands.’

And the women sang to one another as they celebrated,

“Saul has struck down his thousands,
and David his ten thousands.”

Then Abner said to Joab, ‘Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us.’

‘All right, let them do it,’ Joab said.

And Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men arise and compete before us.” And Joab said, “Let them arise.”

David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, lyres, tambourines, rattles and cymbals.

And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.

David said to Michal, ‘It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel – I will celebrate before the Lord.

And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord.

This is the word that the Lord has spoken against him:

‘“Virgin Daughter Zion
despises you and mocks you.
Daughter Jerusalem
tosses her head as you flee.

This is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning him:

“She despises you, she scorns you—
the virgin daughter of Zion;
she wags her head behind you—
the daughter of Jerusalem.

David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, cymbals and trumpets.

And David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, with song and lyres and harps and tambourines and cymbals and trumpets.

As the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her heart.

And as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David dancing and celebrating, and she despised him in her heart.

The couriers went from town to town in Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun, but people scorned and ridiculed them.

So the couriers went from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them.

But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. ‘What is this you are doing?’ they asked. ‘Are you rebelling against the king?’

But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”

When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews,

Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews.

You will laugh at destruction and famine,
and need not fear the wild animals.

At destruction and famine you shall laugh,
and shall not fear the beasts of the earth.

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter
and your lips with shouts of joy.

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter,
and your lips with shouting.

When a scourge brings sudden death,
he mocks the despair of the innocent.

When disaster brings sudden death,
he mocks at the calamity of the innocent.

Will your idle talk reduce others to silence?
Will no one rebuke you when you mock?

Should your babble silence men,
and when you mock, shall no one shame you?

‘I have become a laughing-stock to my friends,
though I called on God and he answered –
a mere laughing-stock, though righteous and blameless!

I am a laughingstock to my friends;
I, who called to God and he answered me,
a just and blameless man, am a laughingstock.

Those who are at ease have contempt for misfortune
as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.

In the thought of one who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune;
it is ready for those whose feet slip.

He pours contempt on nobles
and disarms the mighty.

He pours contempt on princes
and loosens the belt of the strong.

Bear with me while I speak,
and after I have spoken, mock on.

Bear with me, and I will speak,
and after I have spoken mock on.

The righteous see their ruin and rejoice;
the innocent mock them, saying,

The righteous see it and are glad;
the innocent one mocks at them,

When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;
the light of my face was precious to them.

I smiled on them when they had no confidence,
and the light of my face they did not cast down.

‘But now they mock me,
men younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
to put with my sheep dogs.

“But now they laugh at me,
men who are younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
to set with the dogs of my flock.

because I so feared the crowd
and so dreaded the contempt of the clans
that I kept silent and would not go outside –

because I stood in great fear of the multitude,
and the contempt of families terrified me,
so that I kept silence, and did not go out of doors—

It laughs at the commotion in the town;
it does not hear a driver’s shout.

He scorns the tumult of the city;
he hears not the shouts of the driver.

Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,
she laughs at horse and rider.

When she rouses herself to flee
she laughs at the horse and his rider.

It laughs at fear, afraid of nothing;
it does not shy away from the sword.

He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
he does not turn back from the sword.

The hills bring it their produce,
and all the wild animals play nearby.

For the mountains yield food for him
where all the wild beasts play.

Can you make a pet of it like a bird
or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?

Will you play with him as with a bird,
or will you put him on a leash for your girls?

A club seems to it but a piece of straw;
it laughs at the rattling of the lance.

Clubs are counted as stubble;
he laughs at the rattle of javelins.

The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.

He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.

All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads.

All who see me mock me;
they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;

Let their lying lips be silenced,
for with pride and contempt
they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

Let the lying lips be mute,
which speak insolently against the righteous
in pride and contempt.

but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.

but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his day is coming.

The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh at you, saying,

The righteous shall see and fear,
and shall laugh at him, saying,

But you laugh at them, Lord;
you scoff at all those nations.

But you, O Lord, laugh at them;
you hold all the nations in derision.

You have made us an object of derision to our neighbours,
and our enemies mock us.

You make us an object of contention for our neighbors,
and our enemies laugh among themselves.

There the ships go to and fro,
and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

There go the ships,
and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.

he who pours contempt on nobles
made them wander in a trackless waste.

he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes;

Remove from me scorn and contempt,
for I keep your statutes.

Take away from me scorn and contempt,
for I have kept your testimonies.

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us,
for we have endured no end of contempt.

Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.

We have endured no end
of ridicule from the arrogant,
of contempt from the proud.

Our soul has had more than enough
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.

Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
‘The Lord has done great things for them.’

Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”

I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you;
I will mock when calamity overtakes you –

I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when terror strikes you,

Then I was constantly at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in his presence,

then I was beside him, like a master workman,
and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing before him always,

rejoicing in his whole world
and delighting in the human race.

rejoicing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the children of man.

A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes,
but a person of understanding delights in wisdom.

Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool,
but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.

A person is praised according to their prudence,
and one with a warped mind is despised.

A man is commended according to his good sense,
but one of twisted mind is despised.