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25 Worry weighs a person down;
    an encouraging word cheers a person up.

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25 Anxiety weighs down the heart,(A)
    but a kind word cheers it up.

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24 Kind words are like honey—
    sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.

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24 Gracious words are a honeycomb,(A)
    sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.(B)

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13 A glad heart makes a happy face;
    a broken heart crushes the spirit.

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13 A happy heart makes the face cheerful,(A)
    but heartache crushes the spirit.(B)

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22 A cheerful heart is good medicine,
    but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.

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22 A cheerful heart is good medicine,
    but a crushed(A) spirit dries up the bones.(B)

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The Lord’s Obedient Servant

The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom,
    so that I know how to comfort the weary.
Morning by morning he wakens me
    and opens my understanding to his will.

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The Sovereign Lord(A) has given me a well-instructed tongue,(B)
    to know the word that sustains the weary.(C)
He wakens me morning by morning,(D)
    wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.(E)

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23 Everyone enjoys a fitting reply;
    it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!

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23 A person finds joy in giving an apt reply(A)
    and how good is a timely word!(B)

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18 Some people make cutting remarks,
    but the words of the wise bring healing.

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18 The words of the reckless pierce like swords,(A)
    but the tongue of the wise brings healing.(B)

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13 And the Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.

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13 So the Lord spoke(A) kind and comforting words(B) to the angel who talked with me.(C)

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The heartfelt counsel of a friend
    is as sweet as perfume and incense.

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Perfume(A) and incense bring joy to the heart,
    and the pleasantness of a friend
    springs from their heartfelt advice.

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11 Why am I discouraged?
    Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
    I will praise him again—
    my Savior and my God!

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11 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God.(A)

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14 The human spirit can endure a sick body,
    but who can bear a crushed spirit?

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14 The human spirit can endure in sickness,
    but a crushed spirit who can bear?(A)

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11 Timely advice is lovely,
    like golden apples in a silver basket.

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11 Like apples[a] of gold in settings of silver(A)
    is a ruling rightly given.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 25:11 Or possibly apricots

15 For the despondent, every day brings trouble;
    for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.

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15 All the days of the oppressed are wretched,
    but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.(A)

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