Proverbs 25-27

New American Standard Bible

Similitudes and Instructions

25 These also are ^(A)proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed.

²It is the glory of God to ^(B)conceal a matter,
But the glory of ^(C)kings is to search out a matter.
³As the heavens for height and the earth for depth,
So the heart of kings is unsearchable.
⁴Take away the ^[a]^(D)impurities from the silver,
And there comes out a vessel for the ^(E)smith;
⁵Take away the ^(F)wicked before the king,
And his ^(G)throne will be established in righteousness.
⁶Do not boast in the presence of the king,
And do not stand in the same place ^[b]as great people;
⁷For ^(H)it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,”
Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince,
Whom your eyes have seen.

⁸Do not go out ^(I)hastily to ^[c]argue your case;
^[d]Otherwise, what will you do in ^[e]the end,
When your neighbor humiliates you?
⁹^[f]^(J)Argue your case with your neighbor,
And ^(K)do not reveal the secret of another,
¹⁰Or one who hears it will put you to shame,
And the evil report about you will not ^[g]pass away.

¹¹Like apples of gold in settings of silver,
Is a ^(L)word spoken at ^[h]the proper time.
¹²Like ^[i]an ^(M)earring of gold and a ^(N)jewelry piece of ^(O)fine gold,
Is a wise person who offers rebukes to a ^(P)listening ear.
¹³Like the cold of snow in the ^[j]time of harvest
Is a ^(Q)faithful messenger to those who send him,
For he refreshes the soul of his masters.
¹⁴Like ^(R)clouds and ^(S)wind without rain
Is a person who boasts ^[k]of his gifts falsely.
¹⁵Through ^[l]^(T)patience a ruler may be persuaded,
And a gentle tongue breaks bone.
¹⁶Have you ^(U)found honey? Eat only ^[m]what you need,
So that you do not have it in excess and vomit it.
¹⁷Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor’s house,
Or he will become ^[n]weary of you and hate you.
¹⁸Like a club, a ^(V)sword, and a sharp ^(W)arrow
Is a person who gives ^(X)false testimony against his neighbor.
¹⁹Like a bad tooth and ^[o]an unsteady foot
Is confidence in a ^(Y)treacherous person in time of trouble.
²⁰Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on ^[p]soda,
Is one who sings songs to ^[q]a troubled heart.
²¹^(Z)If ^[r]your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
²²For you will ^[s]heap burning coals on his head,
And ^(AA)the Lord will reward you.
²³The north wind brings rain,
And a ^[t]^(AB)gossiping tongue brings an angry face.
²⁴It is ^(AC)better to live on a corner of the roof,
Than ^[u]in a house shared with a contentious woman.
²⁵Like cold water to a weary soul,
So is ^(AD)good news from a distant land.
²⁶Like a ^(AE)trampled spring and a ^[v]polluted well,
So is a righteous person who gives way before the wicked.
²⁷It is not good to eat much honey,
Nor is it glory to ^(AF)search out ^[w]one’s own glory.
²⁸Like a ^(AG)city that is broken into and without walls
So is a person ^(AH)who has no self-control over his spirit.

Similitudes and Instructions

26 Like snow in summer and like ^(AI)rain in harvest,
So honor is not ^(AJ)fitting for a fool.
²Like a ^(AK)sparrow in its ^[x]flitting, like a swallow in its flying,
So a ^(AL)curse without cause does not come to rest.
³A ^(AM)whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
And a ^(AN)rod for the back of fools.
⁴^(AO)Do not answer a fool ^[y]according to his foolishness,
Or you will also be like him.
⁵^(AP)Answer a fool as his foolishness deserves,
So that he will not be ^(AQ)wise in his own eyes.
⁶One who sends a message by the hand of a fool
Chops off his own feet and drinks violence.
⁷Like ^[z]useless legs to one who cannot walk,
So is a proverb in the mouths of fools.
⁸Like ^[aa]one who binds a stone in a sling,
So is one who gives honor to a fool.
⁹Like a thorn that ^[ab]sticks in the hand of a heavy drinker,
So is a proverb in the mouths of fools.
¹⁰^[ac]Like an archer who wounds everyone,
So is one who hires a fool or hires those who pass by.
¹¹Like ^(AR)a dog that returns to its vomit,
So is a fool who ^(AS)repeats ^[ad]his foolishness.
¹²Do you see a person ^(AT)wise in his own eyes?
^(AU)There is more hope for a fool than for him.
¹³^[ae]A ^(AV)lazy one says, “There is a lion on the road!
A lion is ^[af]in the public square!”
¹⁴As the door turns on its hinges,
So does a ^(AW)lazy one on his bed.
¹⁵A ^(AX)lazy one buries his hand in the dish;
He is weary of bringing it to his mouth again.
¹⁶A lazy one is ^(AY)wiser in his own eyes
Than seven people who can ^[ag]give a discreet answer.
¹⁷Like one who takes a dog by the ears,
So is one who passes by and ^[ah]meddles with ^(AZ)strife not belonging to him.
¹⁸Like a maniac who shoots
^(BA)Flaming arrows, arrows, and death,
¹⁹So is a person who ^(BB)deceives his neighbor,
And says, “^(BC)Was I not joking?”
²⁰For lack of wood the fire goes out,
And where there is no ^(BD)gossiper, ^(BE)quarreling quiets down.
²¹Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
So is a ^(BF)contentious person to kindle strife.
²²The ^(BG)words of a gossiper are like dainty morsels,
And they go down into the ^[ai]innermost parts of the body.
²³Like an earthenware ^(BH)vessel overlaid with silver ^[aj]^(BI)impurities
Are burning lips and a wicked heart.
²⁴One who ^(BJ)hates disguises it with his lips,
But he harbors ^(BK)deceit in his ^[ak]heart.
²⁵When ^[al]he ^(BL)speaks graciously, do not believe him,
Because there are seven abominations in his heart.
²⁶Though his hatred ^(BM)covers itself with deception,
His wickedness will be ^(BN)revealed in the assembly.
²⁷One who ^(BO)digs a pit will fall into it,
And one who rolls a stone, it will come back on him.
²⁸A lying tongue hates ^[am]those it crushes,
And a ^(BP)flattering mouth works ruin.

Warnings and Instructions

27 ^(BQ)Do not boast about tomorrow,
For you ^(BR)do not know what a day may bring.
²Let ^(BS)another praise you, and not your own mouth;
A stranger, and not your own lips.
³A stone is heavy and the sand weighty,
But the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them.
⁴Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood,
But ^(BT)who can stand before jealousy?
⁵Better is ^(BU)open rebuke
Than love that is concealed.
⁶Faithful are the ^(BV)wounds of a friend,
But ^[an]deceitful are the ^(BW)kisses of an enemy.
⁷A satisfied ^[ao]person ^[ap]despises honey,
But to a hungry ^[aq]person any bitter thing is sweet.
⁸Like a ^(BX)bird that wanders from its nest,
So is a person who ^(BY)wanders from his ^[ar]home.
⁹^(BZ)Oil and perfume make the heart glad,
And a ^[as]person’s advice is sweet to his friend.
¹⁰Do not abandon your ^(CA)friend or ^(CB)your father’s friend,
And do not go to your brother’s house on the day of your disaster;
Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away.
¹¹^(CC)Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad,
So that I may ^(CD)reply to one who taunts me.
¹²A prudent person sees evil and hides himself;
But the naive proceed, and pay the penalty.
¹³^(CE)Take his garment when he becomes a guarantor for a stranger;
And for a foreign woman seize a pledge from him.
¹⁴^(CF)One who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning,
It will be considered a curse to him.
¹⁵A ^(CG)constant dripping on a day of steady rain
And a contentious woman are alike;
¹⁶He who would ^[at]restrain her ^[au]restrains the wind,
And ^[av]grasps oil with his right hand.
¹⁷As iron sharpens iron,
So one person sharpens another.
¹⁸One who tends the ^(CH)fig tree will eat its fruit,
And one who ^(CI)cares for his master will be honored.
¹⁹As in water a face reflects the face,
So the heart of a person reflects the person.
²⁰^[aw]^(CJ)Sheol and ^[ax]Abaddon are ^(CK)never satisfied,
Nor are the ^(CL)eyes of a person ever satisfied.
²¹The ^(CM)crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold,
And each ^(CN)is tested by the praise accorded him.
²²Though you ^(CO)pound the fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain,
His foolishness still will not leave him.

²³^(CP)Know well the ^[ay]condition of your flocks,
And pay attention to your herds;
²⁴For riches are not forever,
Nor does a ^(CQ)crown endure to all generations.
²⁵When the grass disappears, the new growth is seen,
And the herbs of the mountains are ^(CR)gathered in,
²⁶The lambs will be for your clothing,
And the goats will bring the price of a field,
²⁷And there will be enough goats’ milk for your food,
For the food of your household,
And sustenance for your attendants.

Footnotes

Proverbs 25:4 Lit dross
Proverbs 25:6 Lit of
Proverbs 25:8 Lit contend
Proverbs 25:8 Lit Lest
Proverbs 25:8 Lit its
Proverbs 25:9 Lit Contend
Proverbs 25:10 Lit return
Proverbs 25:11 Lit its time
Proverbs 25:12 Or a nose ring
Proverbs 25:13 Lit day
Proverbs 25:14 Lit in a gift of falsehood
Proverbs 25:15 Lit length of anger
Proverbs 25:16 Lit your sufficiency
Proverbs 25:17 Lit surfeited with
Proverbs 25:19 Lit a slipping foot
Proverbs 25:20 I.e., natron
Proverbs 25:20 Lit an evil
Proverbs 25:21 Lit one who hates you
Proverbs 25:22 Lit snatch up
Proverbs 25:23 Lit tongue of secrecy
Proverbs 25:24 Lit with a woman of contentions and a house of association
Proverbs 25:26 Lit ruined
Proverbs 25:27 Lit their
Proverbs 26:2 Lit wandering
Proverbs 26:4 I.e., taking his question or argument seriously
Proverbs 26:7 Lit legs that dangle from one paralyzed
Proverbs 26:8 Lit the binding of
Proverbs 26:9 Lit goes up
Proverbs 26:10 Or A master workman produces all things, But one who hires a fool is like one who hires those who pass by
Proverbs 26:11 Lit with his
Proverbs 26:13 Lit an idle, and so throughout the ch
Proverbs 26:13 Lit within
Proverbs 26:16 Lit return discreetly
Proverbs 26:17 Lit infuriates himself
Proverbs 26:22 Lit chambers of the belly
Proverbs 26:23 Lit dross
Proverbs 26:24 Lit inward part
Proverbs 26:25 Lit his voice is gracious
Proverbs 26:28 Lit its crushed ones
Proverbs 27:6 Or excessive
Proverbs 27:7 Lit soul
Proverbs 27:7 Lit tramples on
Proverbs 27:7 Lit soul
Proverbs 27:8 Lit place
Proverbs 27:9 Lit soul’s
Proverbs 27:16 Lit hide(s)
Proverbs 27:16 Lit hide(s)
Proverbs 27:16 Lit encounters
Proverbs 27:20 I.e., The netherworld
Proverbs 27:20 I.e., the place of destruction
Proverbs 27:23 Lit face

Romans 15

New American Standard Bible

Self-denial in behalf of Others

15 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of ^(A)those without strength, and not just please ourselves. ²Each of us is to ^(B)please his neighbor ^[a]for his good, to his ^(C)edification. ³For even ^(D)Christ did not please Himself, but as it is written: “^(E)The taunts of those who taunt You have fallen on Me.” ⁴For ^(F)whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. ⁵Now may the ^(G)God ^[b]who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you ^(H)to be of the same mind with one another, according to Christ Jesus, ⁶so that with one purpose and one ^[c]voice you may glorify ^(I)the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁷Therefore, ^[d]^(J)accept one another, just as Christ also accepted ^[e]us, for the glory of God. ⁸For I say that Christ has become a servant to ^(K)the circumcision in behalf of the truth of God, to confirm ^(L)the promises given to the fathers, ⁹and for ^(M)the Gentiles to ^(N)glorify God for His mercy; as it is written:

“^(O)Therefore I will ^[f]give praise to You among the Gentiles,
And I will sing praises to Your name.”

¹⁰Again he says,

“^(P)Rejoice, you Gentiles, with His people.”

¹¹And again,

“^(Q)Praise the Lord all you Gentiles,
And let all the peoples praise Him.”

¹²Again Isaiah says,

“^(R)There shall come ^(S)the root of Jesse,
And He who arises to rule over the Gentiles,
^(T)In Him will the Gentiles hope.”

¹³Now may the God of hope fill you with all ^(U)joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope ^(V)by the power of the Holy Spirit.

¹⁴And concerning you, my brothers and sisters, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of ^(W)goodness, filled with ^(X)all knowledge and able also to admonish one another. ¹⁵But I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again, because of ^(Y)the grace that was given to me ^[g]from God, ¹⁶to be ^(Z)a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the ^(AA)gospel of God, so that my ^(AB)offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁷Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found ^(AC)reason for boasting in ^(AD)things pertaining to God. ¹⁸^(AE)For I will not presume to speak of anything ^[h]except what ^(AF)Christ has accomplished through me, ^[i]resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, ¹⁹in the power of ^[j]^(AG)signs and wonders, ^(AH)in the power of the Spirit; so that ^(AI)from Jerusalem and all around as ^(AJ)far as Illyricum I have ^[k]fully preached the gospel of Christ. ²⁰And in this way I aspired to ^(AK)preach the gospel, not where Christ was already known by name, ^(AL)so that I would not build on another person’s foundation; ²¹but just as it is written:

“^(AM)They who have not been told about Him will see,
And they who have not heard will understand.”

²²For this reason ^(AN)I have often been prevented from coming to you; ²³but now, with no further place for me in these regions, and since I ^(AO)have had for many years a longing to come to you ²⁴whenever I ^(AP)go to Spain—for I hope to see you in passing, and to be ^(AQ)helped on my way there by you, when I have first ^(AR)enjoyed your company ^[l]for a while— ²⁵but now, ^(AS)I am going to Jerusalem, ^(AT)serving the ^[m]saints. ²⁶For ^(AU)Macedonia and ^(AV)Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the ^[n]saints in Jerusalem. ²⁷For they were pleased to do so, and they are indebted to them. For ^(AW)if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to do them a service also in material things. ²⁸Therefore, when I have finished this, and ^(AX)have ^[o]put my seal on this fruit of theirs, I will ^(AY)go on by way of you to Spain. ²⁹I know that when ^(AZ)I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

³⁰Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by ^(BA)the love of the Spirit, to ^(BB)strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, ³¹that I may be ^(BC)rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my ^(BD)service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the ^[p]^(BE)saints; ³²so that ^(BF)I may come to you in joy by ^(BG)the will of God and relax in your company. ³³Now ^(BH)the God of peace be with you all. Amen.