Proverbs 22-23
New American Standard Bible
On Life and Conduct
22 A (A)good name is to be more desired than great wealth;
Favor is better than silver and gold.
2 The rich and the poor [a]have a common bond,
The Lord is the (B)Maker of them all.
3 A (C)prudent person sees evil and hides himself,
But the naive proceed, and pay the penalty.
4 The reward of humility and [b]the fear of the Lord
Are riches, honor, and life.
5 (D)Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
One who guards himself will be far from them.
6 (E)Train up a child [c]in the way he should go,
Even when he grows older he will not abandon it.
7 The (F)rich rules over the poor,
And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.
8 One who (G)sows injustice will reap disaster,
And the (H)rod of his fury will perish.
9 One who [d]is (I)generous will be blessed,
Because he (J)gives some of his food to the poor.
10 (K)Drive out the scoffer, and strife will leave,
Even quarreling and dishonor will cease.
11 One who loves (L)purity of heart
And [e]whose speech is (M)gracious, the king is his friend.
12 The eyes of the Lord protect knowledge,
But He overthrows the words of the treacherous person.
13 The [f](N)lazy one says, “There is a lion outside;
I will be killed in the streets!”
14 The mouth of [g](O)an adulteress is a deep pit;
He who is (P)cursed of the Lord will fall [h]into it.
15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
The (Q)rod of discipline will remove it far from him.
16 One (R)who oppresses the poor to make [i]more for himself,
Or gives to the rich, (S)will only come to poverty.
17 (T)Extend your ear and hear the words of the wise,
And apply your mind to my knowledge;
18 For it will be (U)pleasant if you keep them within you,
[j]So that they may be ready on your lips.
19 So that your (V)trust may be in the Lord,
I have [k]taught you today, you indeed.
20 Have I not written to you [l](W)excellent things
Of counsels and knowledge,
21 To make you (X)know the [m]certainty of the words of truth,
So that you may [n](Y)correctly answer him who sent you?
22 (Z)Do not rob the poor because he is poor,
Nor (AA)crush the needy at the gate;
23 For the Lord will (AB)plead their case
And [o]take the life of those who rob them.
24 Do not make friends with a person given to anger,
Or go with a (AC)hot-tempered person,
25 Or you will (AD)learn his ways
And [p]find a snare for yourself.
26 Do not be among those who (AE)shake hands,
Among those who become guarantors for debts.
27 If you have nothing with which to repay,
Why should he (AF)take your bed from under you?
28 (AG)Do not move the ancient boundary
Which your fathers have set.
29 Do you see a person skilled in his work?
He will (AH)stand before kings;
He will not stand before obscure people.
On Life and Conduct
23 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
Consider carefully [q]what is before you,
2 And put a knife to your throat
If you are a (AI)person of great appetite.
3 Do not (AJ)desire his delicacies,
For it is deceptive food.
4 (AK)Do not weary yourself to gain wealth;
[r](AL)Stop dwelling on it.
5 [s]When you set your eyes on it, it is gone.
For (AM)wealth certainly makes itself wings
Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.
6 (AN)Do not eat the bread of [t]a (AO)selfish person;
Or desire his delicacies;
7 For as he [u]thinks within himself, so he is.
He says to you, “Eat and drink!”
But (AP)his heart is not with you.
8 You will (AQ)vomit up [v]the morsel you have eaten
And waste your [w]compliments.
10 Do not move the ancient boundary
Or (AT)go into the fields of the fatherless,
11 For their (AU)Redeemer is strong;
(AV)He will plead their case against you.
12 Apply your heart to discipline,
And your ears to words of knowledge.
13 (AW)Do not withhold discipline from a child;
Though you strike him with the rod, he will not die.
14 You shall strike him with the rod
And (AX)rescue his soul from Sheol.
15 My son, if your heart is (AY)wise,
My own heart also will be glad,
16 And my [y]innermost being will rejoice
When your lips speak (AZ)what is right.
17 (BA)Do not let your heart envy sinners,
But live in [z]the (BB)fear of the Lord [aa]always.
18 Certainly there is a [ab](BC)future,
And your (BD)hope will not be cut off.
19 Listen, my son, and (BE)be wise,
And (BF)direct your heart in the way.
20 Do not be with (BG)heavy drinkers of wine,
Or with (BH)gluttonous eaters of meat;
21 For the (BI)heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty,
And (BJ)drowsiness will clothe one with rags.
22 (BK)Listen to your father, who fathered you,
And (BL)do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 (BM)Buy truth, and do not sell it,
Get wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,
And (BN)he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.
25 Let your (BO)father and your mother be glad,
And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.
26 (BP)Give me your heart, my son,
And let your eyes [ac](BQ)delight in my ways.
27 For a prostitute is a (BR)deep pit,
And a [ad](BS)strange woman is a narrow well.
28 Certainly she (BT)lurks as a robber,
And increases the treacherous among mankind.
29 Who has (BU)woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has contentions? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has red eyes?
30 Those who (BV)linger long over wine,
Those who go to [ae]taste (BW)mixed wine.
31 Do not look at wine when it is red,
When it [af]sparkles in the cup,
When it (BX)goes down smoothly;
32 In the end it (BY)bites like a snake
And stings like a (BZ)viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things
And your [ag]mind will (CA)say perverse things.
34 And you will be like one who lies down in the [ah]middle of the sea,
Or like one who lies down on the top of a [ai]mast.
35 “They (CB)struck me, but I did not become [aj]ill;
They beat me, but I did not know it.
When will I awake?
I will (CC)seek [ak]another drink.”
Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:2 Lit meet together
- Proverbs 22:4 Or reverence for
- Proverbs 22:6 Lit according to his way
- Proverbs 22:9 Lit has a good eye
- Proverbs 22:11 Lit has grace on his lips
- Proverbs 22:13 Lit idle
- Proverbs 22:14 Lit strange woman
- Proverbs 22:14 Lit there
- Proverbs 22:16 Lit much
- Proverbs 22:18 Lit They together
- Proverbs 22:19 Lit made you know
- Proverbs 22:20 Or previous
- Proverbs 22:21 Lit truth
- Proverbs 22:21 Lit return words of truth
- Proverbs 22:23 Lit rob the soul
- Proverbs 22:25 Lit take
- Proverbs 23:1 Or who
- Proverbs 23:4 Lit Refrain from your understanding of it
- Proverbs 23:5 Lit Will your eyes fly upon it and it is not?
- Proverbs 23:6 Lit an evil eye
- Proverbs 23:7 Lit reckons in his soul
- Proverbs 23:8 Lit your
- Proverbs 23:8 Lit pleasant words
- Proverbs 23:9 Lit in the ears of a
- Proverbs 23:16 Lit kidneys
- Proverbs 23:17 Or reverence for
- Proverbs 23:17 Lit all the day
- Proverbs 23:18 Lit latter end
- Proverbs 23:26 Another reading is observe
- Proverbs 23:27 Lit foreign
- Proverbs 23:30 Or search out
- Proverbs 23:31 Lit gives its eye
- Proverbs 23:33 Lit heart
- Proverbs 23:34 Lit heart
- Proverbs 23:34 Or lookout
- Proverbs 23:35 I.e., from the effect of wounds
- Proverbs 23:35 Lit it yet again
Proverbs 22-23
New King James Version
The Value of a Good Name
22 A (A)good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
Loving favor rather than silver and gold.
3 A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself,
But the simple pass on and are (D)punished.
4 By humility and the fear of the Lord
Are riches and honor and life.
5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
He who guards his soul will be far from them.
7 The (F)rich rules over the poor,
And the borrower is servant to the lender.
10 (J)Cast out the scoffer, and contention will leave;
Yes, strife and reproach will cease.
11 (K)He who loves purity of heart
And has grace on his lips,
The king will be his friend.
12 The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge,
But He overthrows the words of the faithless.
13 (L)The lazy man says, “There is a lion outside!
I shall be slain in the streets!”
14 (M)The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit;
(N)He who is abhorred by the Lord will fall there.
15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
(O)The rod of correction will drive it far from him.
16 He who oppresses the poor to increase his riches,
And he who gives to the rich, will surely come to poverty.
Sayings of the Wise
17 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise,
And apply your heart to my knowledge;
18 For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you;
Let them all be fixed upon your lips,
19 So that your trust may be in the Lord;
I have instructed you today, even you.
20 Have I not written to you excellent things
Of counsels and knowledge,
21 (P)That I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth,
(Q)That you may answer words of truth
To those who [d]send to you?
22 Do not rob the (R)poor because he is poor,
Nor oppress the afflicted at the gate;
23 (S)For the Lord will plead their cause,
And plunder the soul of those who plunder them.
24 Make no friendship with an angry man,
And with a (T)furious man do not go,
25 Lest you learn his ways
And set a snare for your soul.
26 (U)Do not be one of those who [e]shakes hands in a pledge,
One of those who is [f]surety for debts;
27 If you have nothing with which to pay,
Why should he take away your bed from under you?
29 Do you see a man who [h]excels in his work?
He will stand before kings;
He will not stand before [i]unknown men.
Listen to Your Father
23 When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
Consider carefully what is before you;
2 And put a knife to your throat
If you are a man given to appetite.
3 Do not desire his delicacies,
For they are deceptive food.
4 (W)Do not overwork to be rich;
(X)Because of your own understanding, cease!
5 [j]Will you set your eyes on that which is not?
For riches certainly make themselves wings;
They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.
6 Do not eat the bread of (Y)a[k] miser,
Nor desire his delicacies;
7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
“Eat and drink!” (Z)he says to you,
But his heart is not with you.
8 The morsel you have eaten, you will vomit up,
And waste your pleasant words.
9 (AA)Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
For he will despise the wisdom of your words.
10 Do not remove the ancient [l]landmark,
Nor enter the fields of the fatherless;
11 (AB)For their Redeemer is mighty;
He will plead their cause against you.
12 Apply your heart to instruction,
And your ears to words of knowledge.
13 (AC)Do not withhold correction from a child,
For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.
14 You shall beat him with a rod,
And deliver his soul from [m]hell.
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
My heart will rejoice—indeed, I myself;
16 Yes, my [n]inmost being will rejoice
When your lips speak right things.
17 (AD)Do not let your heart envy sinners,
But (AE)be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day;
18 (AF)For surely there is a [o]hereafter,
And your hope will not be cut off.
19 Hear, my son, and be wise;
And guide your heart in the way.
20 (AG)Do not mix with winebibbers,
Or with gluttonous eaters of meat;
21 For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,
And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.
22 (AH)Listen to your father who begot you,
And do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 (AI)Buy the truth, and do not sell it,
Also wisdom and instruction and understanding.
24 (AJ)The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,
And he who begets a wise child will delight in him.
25 Let your father and your mother be glad,
And let her who bore you rejoice.
26 My son, give me your heart,
And let your eyes observe my ways.
27 (AK)For a harlot is a deep pit,
And a seductress is a narrow well.
28 (AL)She also lies in wait as for a victim,
And increases the unfaithful among men.
29 (AM)Who has woe?
Who has sorrow?
Who has contentions?
Who has complaints?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who (AN)has redness of eyes?
30 (AO)Those who linger long at the wine,
Those who go in search of (AP)mixed wine.
31 Do not look on the wine when it is red,
When it sparkles in the cup,
When it [p]swirls around smoothly;
32 At the last it bites like a serpent,
And stings like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things,
And your heart will utter perverse things.
34 Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the [q]midst of the sea,
Or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying:
35 “They(AQ) have struck me, but I was not hurt;
They have beaten me, but I did not feel it.
When shall (AR)I awake, that I may seek another drink?”
Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:6 Even
- Proverbs 22:8 trouble
- Proverbs 22:9 Lit. good
- Proverbs 22:21 Or send you
- Proverbs 22:26 Lit. strikes
- Proverbs 22:26 guaranty
- Proverbs 22:28 boundary
- Proverbs 22:29 is prompt in his business
- Proverbs 22:29 obscure
- Proverbs 23:5 Lit. Will you cause your eyes to fly upon it and it is not?
- Proverbs 23:6 Lit. one who has an evil eye
- Proverbs 23:10 boundary
- Proverbs 23:14 Or Sheol
- Proverbs 23:16 Lit. kidneys
- Proverbs 23:18 Future, lit. latter end
- Proverbs 23:31 goes around
- Proverbs 23:34 Lit. heart
1 Thessalonians 1
New American Standard Bible
Giving Thanks for These Believers
1 (A)Paul, (B)Silvanus, and (C)Timothy,
To the (D)church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: (E)Grace to you and peace.
2 (F)We always give thanks to God for all of you, (G)making mention of you in our prayers; 3 constantly keeping in mind your (H)work of faith and labor of (I)love and [a](J)perseverance of hope [b]in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of (K)our God and Father, 4 knowing, (L)brothers and sisters, beloved by God, (M)His choice of you; 5 for our (N)gospel did not come to you in word only, but also (O)in power and in the Holy Spirit and with (P)full conviction; just as you know (Q)what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sakes. 6 You also became (R)imitators of us and of the Lord, (S)having received (T)the word during great affliction with the (U)joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in (V)Macedonia and (W)Achaia. 8 For (X)the word of the Lord has (Y)sounded forth from you, not only in (Z)Macedonia and (AA)Achaia, but (AB)in every place the news of your faith toward God has gone out, so that we have no need to say anything. 9 For they themselves report about us [c]as to the kind of (AC)reception we had with you, and how you (AD)turned to God (AE)from [d]idols to serve [e](AF)a living and true God, 10 and to (AG)wait for His Son from [f]heaven, whom He (AH)raised from the dead, that is, Jesus who (AI)rescues us from (AJ)the wrath to come.
Footnotes
- 1 Thessalonians 1:3 Or steadfastness
- 1 Thessalonians 1:3 Lit of
- 1 Thessalonians 1:9 Lit what kind of
- 1 Thessalonians 1:9 Or the idols
- 1 Thessalonians 1:9 Or the
- 1 Thessalonians 1:10 Lit the heavens
1 Thessalonians 1
New King James Version
Greeting
1 Paul, (A)Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the (B)Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace [a]from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Their Good Example
2 (C)We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing (D)your work of faith, (E)labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, 4 knowing, beloved brethren, (F)your election by God. 5 For (G)our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, (H)and in the Holy Spirit (I)and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.
6 And (J)you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, (K)with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 8 For from you the word of the Lord (L)has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also (M)in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. 9 For they themselves declare concerning us (N)what manner of entry we had to you, (O)and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and (P)to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us (Q)from the wrath to come.
Footnotes
- 1 Thessalonians 1:1 NU omits from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
Psalm 117
New American Standard Bible
A Psalm of Praise.
117 (A)Praise the Lord, all nations;
Sing His praises, all peoples!
2 For His (B)mercy toward us is [a]great,
And the [b](C)truth of the Lord is everlasting.
[c]Praise [d]the Lord!
Footnotes
- Psalm 117:2 Lit superior to us
- Psalm 117:2 Or faithfulness
- Psalm 117:2 Or Hallelujah!
- Psalm 117:2 Heb Yah
Psalm 117
New King James Version
Let All Peoples Praise the Lord
117 Praise (A)the Lord, all you Gentiles!
[a]Laud Him, all you peoples!
2 For His merciful kindness is great toward us,
And (B)the truth of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!
Footnotes
- Psalm 117:1 Praise
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
