On another Sabbath(A) he entered the synagogue and was teaching. A man was there whose right hand was shriveled. The scribes and Pharisees were watching him closely,(B) to see if he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they could find a charge against him.(C) But he knew their thoughts(D) and told the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand here.”[a] So he got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you: Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”(E) 10 After looking around at them all,(F) he told him, “Stretch out your hand.”(G) He did, and his hand was restored.[b] 11 They, however, were filled with rage and started discussing with one another what they might do to Jesus.

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Footnotes

  1. 6:8 Lit stand in the middle
  2. 6:10 Other mss add as sound as the other

Sound Teaching and Christian Living

But you are to proclaim things consistent with sound teaching.(A) Older men(B) are to be self-controlled, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love,(C) and endurance. In the same way, older women(D) are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not slaves to excessive drinking. They are to teach what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands and to love their children, to be self-controlled, pure, workers at home, kind, and in submission(E) to their husbands, so that God’s word(F) will not be slandered.

In the same way, encourage the young men(G) to be self-controlled in everything. Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity[a] in your teaching. Your message is to be sound beyond reproach,(H) so that any opponent will be ashamed, because he doesn’t have anything bad to say about us.

Slaves are to submit to their masters(I) in everything, and to be well-pleasing,(J) not talking back 10 or stealing, but demonstrating utter faithfulness, so that they may adorn the teaching of God our Savior(K) in everything.

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation[b] for all people,(L) 12 instructing us to deny godlessness(M) and worldly lusts(N) and to live in a sensible, righteous,(O) and godly(P) way in the present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope,(Q) the appearing of the glory(R) of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 14 He gave himself for us(S) to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession,(T) eager to do good works.

15 Proclaim these things; encourage and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard[c] you.

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Footnotes

  1. 2:7 Other mss add and incorruptibility
  2. 2:11 Or appeared with saving power
  3. 2:15 Or despise

Wise Sayings

A good name is better than fine perfume,(A)
and the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.(B)
It is better to go to a house of mourning
than to go to a house of feasting,
since that is the end of all mankind,
and the living should take it to heart.(C)
Grief is better than laughter,
for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad.(D)
The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure.
It is better to listen to rebuke from a wise person
than to listen to the song of fools,(E)
for like the crackling of burning thorns under the pot,(F)
so is the laughter of the fool.
This too is futile.
Surely, the practice of extortion turns a wise person into a fool,(G)
and a bribe corrupts the mind.(H)
The end of a matter is better than its beginning;
a patient spirit is better than a proud spirit.(I)
Don’t let your spirit rush to be angry,
for anger abides in the heart of fools.(J)
10 Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?”(K)
since it is not wise of you to ask this.
11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance
and an advantage to those who see the sun,
12 because wisdom is protection as silver is protection;
but the advantage of knowledge
is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.(L)
13 Consider the work of God,(M)
for who can straighten out
what he has made crooked?(N)

14 In the day of prosperity be joyful,(O) but in the day of adversity, consider: God has made the one as well as the other,(P) so that no one can discover anything that will come after him.

Avoiding Extremes

15 In my futile life[a] I have seen everything:(Q) someone righteous perishes in spite of his righteousness,(R) and someone wicked lives long in spite of his evil.(S) 16 Don’t be excessively righteous, and don’t be overly wise.(T) Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Don’t be excessively wicked, and don’t be foolish. Why should you die before your time?(U) 18 It is good that you grasp the one and do not let the other slip from your hand. For the one who fears God will end up with both of them.

19 Wisdom makes the wise person stronger
than ten rulers of a city.(V)
20 There is certainly no one righteous on the earth
who does good and never sins.(W)

21 Don’t pay attention[b] to everything people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you,(X) 22 for in your heart you know that many times you yourself have cursed others.

What the Teacher Found

23 I have tested all this by wisdom. I resolved, “I will be wise,” but it was beyond me. 24 What exists is beyond reach and very deep.(Y) Who can discover it? 25 I turned my thoughts to know, explore, and examine wisdom(Z) and an explanation for things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity and folly is madness. 26 And I find more bitter than death(AA) the woman who is a trap:(AB) her heart a net and her hands chains. The one who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner will be captured by her. 27 “Look,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find out the explanation, 28 which my soul continually searches for but does not find: I found one person in a thousand, but none of those was a woman.(AC) 29 Only see this: I have discovered that God made people upright,(AD) but they pursued many schemes.”

Footnotes

  1. 7:15 Lit days
  2. 7:21 Lit Don’t give your heart

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