Proverbs 30:1-16
English Standard Version
The Words of Agur
30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.[a]
The man declares, I am weary, O God;
I am weary, O God, and worn out.[b]
2 Surely I am too (A)stupid to be a man.
I have not the understanding of a man.
3 I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of (B)the Holy One.
4 Who has (C)ascended to heaven and come down?
Who has (D)gathered the wind in his fists?
Who has (E)wrapped up the waters in a garment?
Who has established all (F)the ends of the earth?
(G)What is his name, and what is his son's name?
Surely you know!
5 (H)Every word of God proves true;
he is (I)a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 (J)Do not add to his words,
lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.
7 Two things I ask of you;
deny them not to me (K)before I die:
8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is (L)needful for me,
9 lest I be (M)full and (N)deny you
and say, (O)“Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal
(P)and profane the name of my God.
11 There are those[c] who (S)curse their fathers
and do not bless their mothers.
12 There are those who are (T)clean in their own eyes
but are not washed of their filth.
13 There are those—how (U)lofty are their eyes,
how high their eyelids lift!
14 There are those whose teeth are (V)swords,
whose (W)fangs are knives,
to (X)devour the poor from off the earth,
the needy from among mankind.
15 The leech has two daughters:
Give and Give.[d]
(Y)Three things are never satisfied;
(Z)four never say, “Enough”:
16 (AA)Sheol, (AB)the barren womb,
the land never satisfied with water,
and the fire that never says, “Enough.”
Footnotes
- Proverbs 30:1 Or Jakeh, the man of Massa
- Proverbs 30:1 Revocalization; Hebrew The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal
- Proverbs 30:11 Hebrew There is a generation; also verses 12, 13, 14
- Proverbs 30:15 Or “Give, give,” they cry
Romans 5
English Standard Version
Peace with God Through Faith
5 (A)Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, (B)we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also (C)obtained access by faith[b] into this grace (D)in which we stand, and (E)we[c] rejoice[d] in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we (F)rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering (G)produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and (H)hope does not put us to shame, because God's love (I)has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
6 For (J)while we were still weak, at the right time (K)Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but (L)God shows his love for us in that (M)while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, (N)we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from (O)the wrath of God. 10 For if (P)while we were enemies (Q)we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by (R)his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received (S)reconciliation.
Death in Adam, Life in Christ
12 Therefore, just as (T)sin came into the world through one man, and (U)death through sin, and (V)so death spread to all men[e] because (W)all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but (X)sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not (Y)like the transgression of Adam, (Z)who was a type of (AA)the one who was to come.
15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for (AB)many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For (AC)the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought (AD)justification. 17 For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness (AE)reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
18 Therefore, as one trespass[f] led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness[g] leads to justification and life for (AF)all men. 19 For as by the one man's (AG)disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's (AH)obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now (AI)the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, (AJ)grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, (AK)as sin reigned in death, (AL)grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Footnotes
- Romans 5:1 Some manuscripts let us
- Romans 5:2 Some manuscripts omit by faith
- Romans 5:2 Or let us; also verse 3
- Romans 5:2 Or boast; also verses 3, 11
- Romans 5:12 The Greek word anthropoi refers here to both men and women; also twice in verse 18
- Romans 5:18 Or the trespass of one
- Romans 5:18 Or the act of righteousness of one
Proverbs 31:10-31
English Standard Version
The Woman Who Fears the Lord
10 [a] (A)An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than (B)jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She (C)seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
15 She (D)rises while it is yet night
and (E)provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She (F)dresses herself[b] with strength
and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She (G)opens her hand to (H)the poor
and reaches out her hands to (I)the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in (J)scarlet.[c]
22 She makes (K)bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is (L)fine linen and (M)purple.
23 Her husband is known in (N)the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes (O)linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 (P)Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many (Q)women have done (R)excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
30 (S)Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 31:10 Verses 10–31 are an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet
- Proverbs 31:17 Hebrew She girds her loins
- Proverbs 31:21 Or in double thickness
Luke 1:57-80
English Standard Version
The Birth of John the Baptist
57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord (A)had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And (B)on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother answered, “No; (C)he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62 And (D)they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for (E)a writing tablet and wrote, (F)“His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64 (G)And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue (H)loosed, and he spoke, (I)blessing God. 65 And (J)fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all (K)the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them (L)laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For (M)the hand of the Lord was with him.
Zechariah's Prophecy
67 And his father Zechariah (N)was filled with the Holy Spirit and (O)prophesied, saying,
68 (P)“Blessed be the Lord (Q)God of Israel,
for he has (R)visited and (S)redeemed his people
69 and (T)has raised up (U)a horn of salvation for us
(V)in the house of his servant David,
70 (W)as (X)he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71 (Y)that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 (Z)to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and (AA)to remember his holy (AB)covenant,
73 (AC)the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him (AD)without fear,
75 (AE)in holiness and righteousness before him (AF)all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called (AG)the prophet of (AH)the Most High;
for (AI)you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
(AJ)in the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the (AK)tender mercy of our God,
whereby (AL)the sunrise shall (AM)visit us[a] (AN)from on high
79 to (AO)give light to (AP)those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into (AQ)the way of (AR)peace.”
80 (AS)And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was (AT)in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Luke 1:78 Or when the sunrise shall dawn upon us; some manuscripts since the sunrise has visited us
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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