Proverbs 24:23-34

English Standard Version

More Sayings of the Wise

²³These also are sayings of ^(A)the wise.

^(B)Partiality in judging is not good.
²⁴Whoever ^(C)says to the wicked, “You are in the right,”
    ^(D)will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations,
²⁵but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,
    and a good blessing will come upon them.
²⁶Whoever gives an honest answer
    kisses the lips.

²⁷^(E)Prepare your work outside;
get everything ready for yourself in the field,
and after that build your house.

²⁸^(F)Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause,
and do not deceive with your lips.
²⁹Do not say, ^(G)“I will do to him as he has done to me;
I will pay the man back for what he has done.”

³⁰^(H)I passed by the field of a sluggard,
    by the vineyard of a man ^(I)lacking sense,
³¹and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;
    the ground was covered with nettles,
    and its stone ^(J)wall was broken down.
³²Then I saw and ^(K)considered it;
    I looked and received instruction.
³³^(L)A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest,
³⁴and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
    and want like an armed man.

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Romans 3

English Standard Version

God's Righteousness Upheld

3 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? ²Much in every way. To begin with, ^(A)the Jews were entrusted with ^(B)the oracles of God. ³^(C)What if some were unfaithful? ^(D)Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? ⁴By no means! ^(E)Let God be true though ^(F)every one were a liar, as it is written,

^(G)“That you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when you ^(H)are judged.”

⁵But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict ^(I)wrath on us? (^(J)I speak in a human way.) ⁶By no means! For then how could ^(K)God judge the world? ⁷But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, ^(L)why am I still being condemned as a sinner? ⁸And why not ^(M)do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.

No One Is Righteous

⁹What then? Are we Jews^[a] any better off?^[b] No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both ^(N)Jews and ^(O)Greeks, are ^(P)under sin, ¹⁰as it is written:

^(Q)“None is righteous, no, not one;
¹¹    no one understands;
    no one seeks for God.
¹²All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
    no one does good,
    not even one.”
¹³^(R)“Their throat is ^(S)an open grave;
    they use their tongues to deceive.”
^(T)“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
¹⁴    ^(U)“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
¹⁵^(V)“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
¹⁶    in their paths are ruin and misery,
¹⁷and ^(W)the way of peace they have not known.”
¹⁸    ^(X)“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

¹⁹Now we know that whatever ^(Y)the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, ^(Z)so that every mouth may be stopped, and ^(AA)the whole world may be held accountable to God. ²⁰For ^(AB)by works of the law no human being^[c] will be justified in his sight, since ^(AC)through the law comes knowledge of sin.

The Righteousness of God Through Faith

²¹But now ^(AD)the righteousness of God ^(AE)has been manifested apart from the law, although ^(AF)the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— ²²the righteousness of God ^(AG)through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. ^(AH)For there is no distinction: ²³for ^(AI)all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴^(AJ)and are justified ^(AK)by his grace as a gift, ^(AL)through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵whom God ^(AM)put forward as ^(AN)a propitiation ^(AO)by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in ^(AP)his divine forbearance he had passed over ^(AQ)former sins. ²⁶It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

²⁷^(AR)Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. ²⁸For we hold that one is justified by faith ^(AS)apart from works of the law. ²⁹Or ^(AT)is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, ³⁰since ^(AU)God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and ^(AV)the uncircumcised through faith. ³¹Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

Footnotes

Romans 3:9 Greek Are we
Romans 3:9 Or at any disadvantage?
Romans 3:20 Greek flesh

Proverbs 25

English Standard Version

More Proverbs of Solomon

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

²It is the glory of God to ^(B)conceal things,
    but the glory of kings is to ^(C)search things out.
³As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth,
    so the heart of kings is ^(D)unsearchable.
⁴Take away ^(E)the dross from the silver,
    and ^(F)the smith has material for a vessel;
⁵take away ^(G)the wicked from the presence of the king,
    and his ^(H)throne will be established in righteousness.
⁶Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence
    or stand in the place of the great,
⁷for ^(I)it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
    than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.

What your eyes have seen
⁸    ^(J)do not hastily bring into court,^[a]
for^[b] what will you do in the end,
    when your neighbor puts you to shame?
⁹^(K)Argue your case with your neighbor himself,
    and do not reveal another's secret,
¹⁰lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,
    and your ill repute have no end.

¹¹^(L)A word fitly spoken
    is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
¹²Like ^(M)a gold ring or an ornament of gold
    is a wise reprover to ^(N)a listening ear.
¹³Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
    is ^(O)a faithful messenger to those who send him;
    he refreshes the soul of his masters.
¹⁴Like ^(P)clouds and wind without rain
    is a man who ^(Q)boasts of a gift he does not give.

¹⁵With ^(R)patience a ruler may be persuaded,
    and a soft tongue will break a bone.
¹⁶If you have ^(S)found honey, eat ^(T)only enough for you,
    lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.
¹⁷Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house,
    lest he have his fill of you and hate you.
¹⁸A man who ^(U)bears false witness against his neighbor
    is like a war club, or ^(V)a sword, or a sharp arrow.
¹⁹Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble
    is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.
²⁰Whoever ^(W)sings songs to a heavy heart
    is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,
    and like vinegar on soda.
²¹^(X)If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,
    and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,
²²for you will heap ^(Y)burning coals on his head,
    and the Lord will reward you.
²³The north wind brings forth rain,
    and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
²⁴^(Z)It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
    than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
²⁵Like cold water to ^(AA)a thirsty soul,
    so is ^(AB)good news from a far country.
²⁶Like ^(AC)a muddied spring or a polluted fountain
    is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
²⁷It is ^(AD)not good to eat much honey,
    nor is it glorious to ^(AE)seek one's own glory.^[c]
²⁸A man ^(AF)without self-control
    is like ^(AG)a city broken into and left without walls.

Footnotes

Proverbs 25:8 Or presence of a noble, as your eyes have seen. ⁸Do not go hastily out to court
Proverbs 25:8 Hebrew or else
Proverbs 25:27 The meaning of the Hebrew line is uncertain

Luke 1:1-23

English Standard Version

Dedication to Theophilus

1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that ^(A)have been accomplished among us, ²^(B)just as those who ^(C)from the beginning were ^(D)eyewitnesses and ^(E)ministers of ^(F)the word ^(G)have delivered them to us, ³it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write ^(H)an orderly account for you, ^(I)most excellent ^(J)Theophilus, ⁴that you may have ^(K)certainty concerning the things ^(L)you have been taught.

Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

⁵^(M)In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah,^[a] ^(N)of ^(O)the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶And they were both ^(P)righteous before God, walking ^(Q)blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. ⁷But they had no child, because ^(R)Elizabeth was barren, and ^(S)both were advanced in years.

⁸Now ^(T)while he was serving as priest before God when ^(U)his division was on duty, ⁹according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot ^(V)to enter ^(W)the temple of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰And the whole multitude of the people ^(X)were praying ^(Y)outside at the hour of incense. ¹¹And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of ^(Z)the altar of incense. ¹²And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and ^(AA)fear fell upon him. ¹³But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for ^(AB)your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and ^(AC)you shall call his name John. ¹⁴And you will have joy and gladness, and many will ^(AD)rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵for he will be ^(AE)great before the Lord. And ^(AF)he must not drink wine or strong ^(AG)drink, and ^(AH)he will be ^(AI)filled with the Holy Spirit, ^(AJ)even from his mother's womb. ¹⁶And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, ¹⁷and ^(AK)he will go before him ^(AL)in the spirit and power of Elijah, ^(AM)to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and ^(AN)the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, ^(AO)to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

¹⁸And Zechariah said to the angel, ^(AP)“How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” ¹⁹And the angel answered him, “I am ^(AQ)Gabriel. ^(AR)I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. ²⁰And behold, ^(AS)you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” ²¹And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in ^(AT)the temple. ²²And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in ^(AU)the temple. And ^(AV)he kept making signs to them and remained mute. ²³And ^(AW)when his time of ^(AX)service was ended, he went to his home.