Proverbs 4-24
New King James Version
Security in Wisdom
4 Hear, (A)my children, the instruction of a father,
And give attention to know understanding;
2 For I give you good doctrine:
Do not forsake my law.
3 When I was my father’s son,
(B)Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother,
4 (C)He also taught me, and said to me:
“Let your heart retain my words;
(D)Keep my commands, and live.
5 (E)Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;
(F)Love her, and she will keep you.
7 (G)Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding.
8 (H)Exalt her, and she will promote you;
She will bring you honor, when you embrace her.
9 She will place on your head (I)an ornament of grace;
A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”
10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings,
(J)And the years of your life will be many.
11 I have (K)taught you in the way of wisdom;
I have led you in right paths.
12 When you walk, (L)your steps will not be hindered,
(M)And when you run, you will not stumble.
13 Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go;
Keep her, for she is your life.
14 (N)Do not enter the path of the wicked,
And do not walk in the way of evil.
15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;
Turn away from it and pass on.
16 (O)For they do not sleep unless they have done evil;
And their sleep is [a]taken away unless they make someone fall.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness,
And drink the wine of violence.
18 (P)But the path of the just (Q)is like the shining [b]sun,
That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.
19 (R)The way of the wicked is like darkness;
They do not know what makes them stumble.
20 My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them,
And health to all their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of (S)life.
24 Put away from you a [c]deceitful mouth,
And put perverse lips far from you.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead,
And your eyelids look right before you.
26 Ponder the path of your (T)feet,
And let all your ways be established.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left;
Remove your foot from evil.
The Peril of Adultery
5 My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
[d]Lend your ear to my understanding,
2 That you may [e]preserve discretion,
And your lips (U)may keep knowledge.
3 (V)For the lips of [f]an immoral woman drip honey,
And her mouth is (W)smoother than oil;
4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death,
(X)Her steps lay hold of [g]hell.
6 Lest you ponder her path of life—
Her ways are unstable;
You do not know them.
7 Therefore hear me now, my children,
And do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove your way far from her,
And do not go near the door of her house,
9 Lest you give your [h]honor to others,
And your years to the cruel one;
10 Lest aliens be filled with your [i]wealth,
And your labors go to the house of a foreigner;
11 And you mourn at last,
When your flesh and your body are consumed,
12 And say:
“How I have hated instruction,
And my heart despised correction!
13 I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers,
Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!
14 I was on the verge of total ruin,
In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
And running water from your own well.
16 Should your fountains be dispersed abroad,
[j]Streams of water in the streets?
17 Let them be only your own,
And not for strangers with you.
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
And rejoice with (Y)the wife of your youth.
19 (Z)As a loving deer and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
And always be [k]enraptured with her love.
20 For why should you, my son, be enraptured by (AA)an immoral woman,
And be embraced in the arms of a seductress?
21 (AB)For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord,
And He [l]ponders all his paths.
22 (AC)His own iniquities entrap the wicked man,
And he is caught in the cords of his sin.
23 (AD)He shall die for lack of instruction,
And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
Dangerous Promises
6 My son, (AE)if you become [m]surety for your friend,
If you have [n]shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,
2 You are snared by the words of your mouth;
You are taken by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my son, and deliver yourself;
For you have come into the hand of your friend:
Go and humble yourself;
Plead with your friend.
4 (AF)Give no sleep to your eyes,
Nor slumber to your eyelids.
5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
And like a bird from the hand of the [o]fowler.
The Folly of Indolence
6 (AG)Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
7 Which, having no [p]captain,
Overseer or ruler,
8 Provides her [q]supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.
9 (AH)How long will you [r]slumber, O sluggard?
When will you rise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep—
11 (AI)So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.
The Wicked Man
12 A worthless person, a wicked man,
Walks with a perverse mouth;
13 (AJ)He winks with his eyes,
He [s]shuffles his feet,
He points with his fingers;
14 Perversity is in his heart,
(AK)He devises evil continually,
(AL)He sows discord.
15 Therefore his calamity shall come (AM)suddenly;
Suddenly he shall (AN)be broken (AO)without remedy.
16 These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to [t]Him:
17 (AP)A[u] proud look,
(AQ)A lying tongue,
(AR)Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 (AS)A heart that devises wicked plans,
(AT)Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 (AU)A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who (AV)sows discord among brethren.
Beware of Adultery
20 (AW)My son, keep your father’s command,
And do not forsake the law of your mother.
21 (AX)Bind them continually upon your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
22 (AY)When you roam, [v]they will lead you;
When you sleep, (AZ)they will keep you;
And when you awake, they will speak with you.
23 (BA)For the commandment is a lamp,
And the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
24 (BB)To keep you from the evil woman,
From the flattering tongue of a seductress.
25 (BC)Do not lust after her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her allure you with her eyelids.
26 For (BD)by means of a harlot
A man is reduced to a crust of bread;
(BE)And [w]an adulteress will (BF)prey upon his precious life.
27 Can a man take fire to his bosom,
And his clothes not be burned?
28 Can one walk on hot coals,
And his feet not be seared?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her shall not be innocent.
30 People do not despise a thief
If he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving.
31 Yet when he is found, (BG)he must restore sevenfold;
He may have to give up all the substance of his house.
32 Whoever commits adultery with a woman (BH)lacks understanding;
He who does so destroys his own soul.
33 Wounds and dishonor he will get,
And his reproach will not be wiped away.
34 For (BI)jealousy is a husband’s fury;
Therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will [x]accept no recompense,
Nor will he be appeased though you give many gifts.
The Wiles of a Harlot
7 My son, keep my words,
And (BJ)treasure my commands within you.
2 (BK)Keep my commands and live,
(BL)And my law as the apple of your eye.
3 (BM)Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your nearest kin,
5 (BN)That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words.
The Crafty Harlot
6 For at the window of my house
I looked through my lattice,
7 And saw among the simple,
I perceived among the [y]youths,
A young man (BO)devoid[z] of understanding,
8 Passing along the street near her corner;
And he took the path to her house
9 (BP)In the twilight, in the evening,
In the black and dark night.
10 And there a woman met him,
With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart.
11 (BQ)She was loud and rebellious,
(BR)Her feet would not stay at home.
12 At times she was outside, at times in the open square,
Lurking at every corner.
13 So she caught him and kissed him;
With an [aa]impudent face she said to him:
14 “I have peace offerings with me;
Today I have paid my vows.
15 So I came out to meet you,
Diligently to seek your face,
And I have found you.
16 I have spread my bed with tapestry,
Colored coverings of (BS)Egyptian linen.
17 I have perfumed my bed
With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until morning;
Let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For [ab]my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey;
20 He has taken a bag of money [ac]with him,
And will come home [ad]on the appointed day.”
21 [ae]With (BT)her enticing speech she caused him to yield,
(BU)With her flattering lips she [af]seduced him.
22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or [ag]as a fool to the correction of the [ah]stocks,
23 Till an arrow struck his liver.
(BV)As a bird hastens to the snare,
He did not know it [ai]would cost his life.
24 Now therefore, listen to me, my children;
Pay attention to the words of my mouth:
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths;
26 For she has cast down many wounded,
And (BW)all who were slain by her were strong men.
27 (BX)Her house is the way to [aj]hell,
Descending to the chambers of death.
The Excellence of Wisdom
8 Does not (BY)wisdom cry out,
And understanding lift up her voice?
2 She takes her stand on the top of the [ak]high hill,
Beside the way, where the paths meet.
3 She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city,
At the entrance of the doors:
4 “To you, O men, I call,
And my voice is to the sons of men.
5 O you [al]simple ones, understand prudence,
And you fools, be of an understanding heart.
6 Listen, for I will speak of (BZ)excellent things,
And from the opening of my lips will come right things;
7 For my mouth will speak truth;
Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are with righteousness;
Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.
9 They are all plain to him who understands,
And right to those who find knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction, and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choice gold;
11 (CA)For wisdom is better than rubies,
And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.
12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
And find out knowledge and discretion.
13 (CB)The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
(CC)Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And (CD)the perverse mouth I hate.
14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom;
I am understanding, (CE)I have strength.
15 (CF)By me kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles,
All the judges of [am]the earth.
17 (CG)I love those who love me,
And (CH)those who seek me diligently will find me.
18 (CI)Riches and honor are with me,
Enduring riches and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold,
And my revenue than choice silver.
20 I [an]traverse the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice,
21 That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth,
That I may fill their treasuries.
22 “The(CJ) Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works of old.
23 (CK)I have been established from everlasting,
From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.
24 When there were no depths I was brought forth,
When there were no fountains abounding with water.
25 (CL)Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills, I was brought forth;
26 While as yet He had not made the earth or the [ao]fields,
Or the [ap]primal dust of the world.
27 When He prepared the heavens, I was there,
When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28 When He established the clouds above,
When He strengthened the fountains of the deep,
29 (CM)When He assigned to the sea its limit,
So that the waters would not transgress His command,
When (CN)He marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 (CO)Then I was beside Him as [aq]a master craftsman;
(CP)And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,
31 Rejoicing in His inhabited world,
And (CQ)my delight was with the sons of men.
32 “Now therefore, listen to me, my children,
For (CR)blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Hear instruction and be wise,
And do not disdain it.
34 (CS)Blessed is the man who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at the posts of my doors.
35 For whoever finds me finds life,
And (CT)obtains favor from the Lord;
36 But he who sins against me (CU)wrongs his own soul;
All those who hate me love death.”
The Way of Wisdom
9 Wisdom has (CV)built her house,
She has hewn out her seven pillars;
2 (CW)She has slaughtered her meat,
(CX)She has mixed her wine,
She has also [ar]furnished her table.
3 She has sent out her maidens,
She cries out from the highest places of the city,
4 “Whoever(CY) is simple, let him turn in here!”
As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
5 “Come,(CZ) eat of my bread
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 Forsake foolishness and live,
And go in the way of understanding.
7 “He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself,
And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.
8 (DA)Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
(DB)Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
Teach a just man, (DC)and he will increase in learning.
10 “The(DD) fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 (DE)For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
12 (DF)If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you will bear it alone.”
The Way of Folly
13 (DG)A foolish woman is [as]clamorous;
She is simple, and knows nothing.
14 For she sits at the door of her house,
On a seat (DH)by the highest places of the city,
15 To call to those who pass by,
Who go straight on their way:
16 “Whoever(DI) is [at]simple, let him turn in here”;
And as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
17 “Stolen(DJ) water is sweet,
And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But he does not know that (DK)the dead are there,
That her guests are in the depths of [au]hell.
Wise Sayings of Solomon
10 The proverbs of (DL)Solomon:
(DM)A wise son makes a glad father,
But a foolish son is the grief of his mother.
2 (DN)Treasures of wickedness profit nothing,
(DO)But righteousness delivers from death.
3 (DP)The Lord will not allow the righteous soul to famish,
But He casts away the desire of the wicked.
4 (DQ)He who has a slack hand becomes poor,
But (DR)the hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 He who gathers in (DS)summer is a wise son;
He who sleeps in harvest is (DT)a son who causes shame.
6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
7 (DU)The memory of the righteous is blessed,
But the name of the wicked will rot.
9 (DW)He who walks with integrity walks securely,
But he who perverts his ways will become known.
10 He who winks with the eye causes trouble,
But a prating fool will fall.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a well of life,
But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
But (DX)love covers all sins.
13 Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding,
But (DY)a rod is for the back of him who [ax]is devoid of understanding.
14 Wise people store up knowledge,
But (DZ)the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
15 The (EA)rich man’s wealth is his strong city;
The destruction of the poor is their poverty.
16 The labor of the righteous leads to (EB)life,
The wages of the wicked to sin.
17 He who keeps instruction is in the way of life,
But he who refuses correction [ay]goes astray.
19 (EE)In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,
But (EF)he who restrains his lips is wise.
20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
The heart of the wicked is worth little.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools die for lack of [az]wisdom.
22 (EG)The blessing of the Lord makes one rich,
And He adds no sorrow with it.
23 (EH)To do evil is like sport to a fool,
But a man of understanding has wisdom.
24 (EI)The fear of the wicked will come upon him,
And (EJ)the desire of the righteous will be granted.
25 When the whirlwind passes by, (EK)the wicked is no more,
But (EL)the righteous has an everlasting foundation.
26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the lazy man to those who send him.
27 (EM)The fear of the Lord prolongs days,
But (EN)the years of the wicked will be shortened.
28 The hope of the righteous will be gladness,
But the (EO)expectation of the wicked will perish.
29 The way of the Lord is strength for the upright,
But (EP)destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.
30 (EQ)The righteous will never be removed,
But the wicked will not inhabit the [ba]earth.
31 (ER)The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
But the perverse tongue will be cut out.
32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,
But the mouth of the wicked what is perverse.
The Folly of Wickedness
2 When pride comes, then comes (ET)shame;
But with the humble is wisdom.
3 The integrity of the upright will guide (EU)them,
But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.
4 (EV)Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
But (EW)righteousness delivers from death.
5 The righteousness of the blameless will [bd]direct his way aright,
But the wicked will fall by his own (EX)wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,
But the unfaithful will be caught by their lust.
7 When a wicked man dies, his expectation will (EY)perish,
And the hope of the unjust perishes.
8 (EZ)The righteous is delivered from trouble,
And it comes to the wicked instead.
9 The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor,
But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.
10 (FA)When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices;
And when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.
11 By the blessing of the upright the city is (FB)exalted,
But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
12 He who [be]is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor,
But a man of understanding holds his peace.
14 (FE)Where there is no counsel, the people fall;
But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
15 He who is (FF)surety[bf] for a stranger will suffer,
But one who hates [bg]being surety is secure.
16 A gracious woman retains honor,
But ruthless men retain riches.
17 (FG)The merciful man does good for his own soul,
But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.
18 The wicked man does deceptive work,
But (FH)he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward.
19 As righteousness leads to (FI)life,
So he who pursues evil pursues it to his own (FJ)death.
20 Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the Lord,
But the blameless in their ways are His delight.
21 (FK)Though they join [bh]forces, the wicked will not go unpunished;
But (FL)the posterity of the righteous will be delivered.
22 As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout,
So is a lovely woman who lacks [bi]discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous is only good,
But the expectation of the wicked (FM)is wrath.
24 There is one who (FN)scatters, yet increases more;
And there is one who withholds more than is right,
But it leads to poverty.
25 (FO)The generous soul will be made rich,
(FP)And he who waters will also be watered himself.
26 The people will curse (FQ)him who withholds grain,
But (FR)blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.
29 He who troubles his own house (FV)will inherit the wind,
And the fool will be (FW)servant to the wise of heart.
31 (FY)If the righteous will be [bl]recompensed on the earth,
How much more the ungodly and the sinner.
The House of the Righteous Shall Stand
12 Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge,
But he who hates correction is stupid.
2 A good man obtains favor from the Lord,
But a man of wicked intentions He will condemn.
3 A man is not established by wickedness,
But the (FZ)root of the righteous cannot be moved.
4 (GA)An[bm] excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
But she who causes shame is (GB)like rottenness in his bones.
5 The thoughts of the righteous are right,
But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
6 (GC)The words of the wicked are, “Lie in wait for blood,”
(GD)But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.
7 (GE)The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
But the house of the righteous will stand.
8 A man will be commended according to his wisdom,
(GF)But he who is of a perverse heart will be despised.
9 (GG)Better is the one who is [bn]slighted but has a servant,
Than he who honors himself but lacks bread.
10 (GH)A righteous man regards the life of his animal,
But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
11 (GI)He who [bo]tills his land will be satisfied with (GJ)bread,
But he who follows [bp]frivolity (GK)is devoid of [bq]understanding.
12 The wicked covet the catch of evil men,
But the root of the righteous yields fruit.
13 (GL)The wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
(GM)But the righteous will come through trouble.
14 (GN)A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth,
(GO)And the recompense of a man’s hands will be rendered to him.
15 (GP)The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
But he who heeds counsel is wise.
16 (GQ)A fool’s wrath is known at once,
But a prudent man covers shame.
17 (GR)He who speaks truth declares righteousness,
But a false witness, deceit.
18 (GS)There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise promotes health.
19 The truthful lip shall be established forever,
(GT)But a lying tongue is but for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
But counselors of peace have joy.
21 (GU)No grave [br]trouble will overtake the righteous,
But the wicked shall be filled with evil.
22 (GV)Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
But those who deal truthfully are His delight.
23 (GW)A prudent man conceals knowledge,
But the heart of fools proclaims foolishness.
24 (GX)The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the lazy man will be put to forced labor.
26 The righteous should choose his friends carefully,
For the way of the wicked leads them astray.
27 The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting,
But diligence is man’s precious possession.
28 In the way of righteousness is life,
And in its pathway there is no death.
Wisdom Loves Righteousness
13 A wise son heeds his father’s instruction,
(HA)But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
2 (HB)A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth,
But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.
3 (HC)He who guards his mouth preserves his life,
But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.
4 (HD)The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.
5 A righteous man hates lying,
But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame.
6 (HE)Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,
But wickedness overthrows the sinner.
7 (HF)There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing;
And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.
8 The ransom of a man’s life is his riches,
But the poor does not hear rebuke.
9 The light of the righteous rejoices,
(HG)But the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
10 By pride comes nothing but (HH)strife,
But with the well-advised is wisdom.
11 (HI)Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But (HJ)when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.
13 He who (HK)despises the word will be destroyed,
But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.
14 (HL)The law of the wise is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from (HM)the snares of death.
15 Good understanding [bs]gains (HN)favor,
But the way of the unfaithful is hard.
16 (HO)Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool lays open his folly.
17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
But (HP)a faithful ambassador brings health.
18 Poverty and shame will come to him who [bt]disdains correction,
But (HQ)he who regards a rebuke will be honored.
19 A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul,
But it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.
20 He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will be destroyed.
21 (HR)Evil pursues sinners,
But to the righteous, good shall be repaid.
22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
But (HS)the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
23 (HT)Much food is in the [bu]fallow ground of the poor,
And for lack of justice there is [bv]waste.
25 (HV)The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul,
But the stomach of the wicked shall be in want.
The Ways of Life and Death
14 The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.
2 He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
(HW)But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.
3 In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride,
(HX)But the lips of the wise will preserve them.
4 Where no oxen are, the [bx]trough is clean;
But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.
6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it,
But (IA)knowledge is easy to him who understands.
7 Go from the presence of a foolish man,
When you do not perceive in him the lips of (IB)knowledge.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,
But the folly of fools is deceit.
10 The heart knows its own bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.
11 (ID)The house of the wicked will be overthrown,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.
13 Even in laughter the heart may sorrow,
And (IH)the end of mirth may be grief.
14 The backslider in heart will be (II)filled with his own ways,
But a good man will be satisfied [bz]from (IJ)above.
15 The simple believes every word,
But the prudent considers well his steps.
16 (IK)A wise man fears and departs from evil,
But a fool rages and is self-confident.
17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,
And a man of wicked intentions is hated.
18 The simple inherit folly,
But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19 The evil will bow before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 (IL)The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor,
But [ca]the rich has many (IM)friends.
21 He who despises his neighbor sins;
(IN)But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.
22 Do they not go astray who devise evil?
But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.
23 In all labor there is profit,
But [cb]idle chatter leads only to poverty.
24 The crown of the wise is their riches,
But the foolishness of fools is folly.
26 In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And His children will have a place of refuge.
27 (IP)The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.
28 In a multitude of people is a king’s honor,
But in the lack of people is the downfall of a prince.
31 (IT)He who oppresses the poor reproaches (IU)his Maker,
But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.
32 The wicked is banished in his wickedness,
But (IV)the righteous has a refuge in his death.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding,
But (IW)what is in the heart of fools is made known.
35 (IY)The king’s favor is toward a wise servant,
But his wrath is against him who causes shame.
A Soft Answer Turns Away Wrath
15 A (IZ)soft answer turns away wrath,
But (JA)a harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,
(JB)But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.
3 (JC)The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
Keeping watch on the evil and the good.
4 A [cf]wholesome tongue is a tree of life,
But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
6 In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.
7 The lips of the wise [ch]disperse knowledge,
But the heart of the fool does not do so.
8 (JF)The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But He loves him who (JG)follows righteousness.
11 (JJ)Hell[ci] and [cj]Destruction are before the Lord;
So how much more (JK)the hearts of the sons of men.
12 (JL)A scoffer does not love one who corrects him,
Nor will he go to the wise.
13 (JM)A merry heart makes a cheerful [ck]countenance,
But (JN)by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
15 All the days of the afflicted are evil,
(JO)But he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.
16 (JP)Better is a little with the fear of the Lord,
Than great treasure with trouble.
17 (JQ)Better is a dinner of [cl]herbs where love is,
Than a fatted calf with hatred.
18 (JR)A wrathful man stirs up strife,
But he who is slow to anger allays contention.
19 (JS)The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns,
But the way of the upright is a highway.
20 (JT)A wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish man despises his mother.
21 (JU)Folly is joy to him who is destitute of [cm]discernment,
(JV)But a man of understanding walks uprightly.
22 (JW)Without counsel, plans go awry,
But in the multitude of counselors they are established.
23 A man has joy by the answer of his mouth,
And (JX)a word spoken [cn]in due season, how good it is!
25 (KA)The Lord will destroy the house of the proud,
But (KB)He will establish the boundary of the widow.
26 (KC)The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,
(KD)But the words of the pure are pleasant.
27 (KE)He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house,
But he who hates bribes will live.
28 The heart of the righteous (KF)studies how to answer,
But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.
30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
And a good report makes the bones [cp]healthy.
31 The ear that hears the rebukes of life
Will abide among the wise.
32 He who disdains instruction despises his own soul,
But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.
33 (KI)The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom,
And (KJ)before honor is humility.
Wisdom Is Better Than Gold
16 The (KK)preparations[cq] of the heart belong to man,
(KL)But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own (KM)eyes,
But the Lord weighs the spirits.
5 (KQ)Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
Though they join [ct]forces, none will go unpunished.
6 (KR)In mercy and truth
Atonement is provided for iniquity;
And (KS)by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.
7 When a man’s ways please the Lord,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
8 (KT)Better is a little with righteousness,
Than vast revenues without justice.
10 Divination is on the lips of the king;
His mouth must not transgress in judgment.
11 (KW)Honest weights and scales are the Lord’s;
All the weights in the bag are His [cu]work.
12 It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness,
For (KX)a throne is established by righteousness.
13 (KY)Righteous lips are the delight of kings,
And they love him who speaks what is right.
14 As messengers of death is the king’s wrath,
But a wise man will (KZ)appease it.
15 In the light of the king’s face is life,
And his favor is like a (LA)cloud of the latter rain.
16 (LB)How much better to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil;
He who keeps his way preserves his soul.
18 Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before [cv]a fall.
19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly,
Than to divide the [cw]spoil with the proud.
20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good,
And whoever (LC)trusts in the Lord, happy is he.
21 The wise in heart will be called prudent,
And sweetness of the lips increases learning.
22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it.
But the correction of fools is folly.
23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth,
And adds learning to his lips.
24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,
Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.
25 There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of (LD)death.
26 The person who labors, labors for himself,
For his hungry mouth drives (LE)him on.
27 [cx]An ungodly man digs up evil,
And it is on his lips like a burning (LF)fire.
28 A perverse man sows strife,
And (LG)a whisperer separates the best of friends.
29 A violent man entices his neighbor,
And leads him in a way that is not good.
30 He winks his eye to devise perverse things;
He [cy]purses his lips and brings about evil.
31 (LH)The silver-haired head is a crown of glory,
If it is found in the way of righteousness.
32 (LI)He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
33 The lot is cast into the lap,
But its every decision is from the Lord.
The Lord Tests Hearts
2 A wise servant will rule over (LK)a son who causes shame,
And will share an inheritance among the brothers.
3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
(LL)But the Lord tests the hearts.
4 An evildoer gives heed to false lips;
A liar listens eagerly to a [da]spiteful tongue.
5 (LM)He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker;
(LN)He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
6 (LO)Children’s children are the crown of old men,
And the glory of children is their father.
7 Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool,
Much less lying lips to a prince.
8 A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.
10 (LR)Rebuke is more effective for a wise man
Than a hundred blows on a fool.
11 An evil man seeks only rebellion;
Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 Let a man meet (LS)a bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his folly.
13 Whoever (LT)rewards evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.
14 The beginning of strife is like releasing water;
Therefore (LU)stop contention before a quarrel starts.
15 (LV)He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.
16 Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom,
Since he has no heart for it?
17 (LW)A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.
18 (LX)A man devoid of [db]understanding [dc]shakes hands in a pledge,
And becomes [dd]surety for his friend.
19 He who loves transgression loves strife,
And (LY)he who exalts his gate seeks destruction.
20 He who has a [de]deceitful heart finds no good,
And he who has (LZ)a perverse tongue falls into evil.
21 He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.
23 A wicked man accepts a bribe [dg]behind the back
To pervert the ways of justice.
24 (MB)Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding,
But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
25 A (MC)foolish son is a grief to his father,
And bitterness to her who bore him.
26 Also, to punish the righteous is not good,
Nor to strike princes for their uprightness.
27 (MD)He who has knowledge spares his words,
And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.
28 (ME)Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace;
When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.
The Name of the Lord Is a Strong Tower
18 A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire;
He rages against all [dh]wise judgment.
2 A fool has no delight in understanding,
But in expressing his (MF)own heart.
3 When the wicked comes, contempt comes also;
And with dishonor comes reproach.
5 It is not good to show partiality to the wicked,
Or to overthrow the righteous in (MI)judgment.
6 A fool’s lips enter into contention,
And his mouth calls for blows.
7 (MJ)A fool’s mouth is his destruction,
And his lips are the snare of his (MK)soul.
8 (ML)The words of a [di]talebearer are like [dj]tasty trifles,
And they go down into the [dk]inmost body.
9 He who is slothful in his work
Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.
10 The name of the Lord is a strong (MM)tower;
The righteous run to it and are [dl]safe.
11 The rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own esteem.
12 (MN)Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty,
And before honor is humility.
13 He who answers a matter before he hears it,
It is folly and shame to him.
14 The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness,
But who can bear a broken spirit?
15 The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge,
And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16 (MO)A man’s gift makes room for him,
And brings him before great men.
17 The first one to plead his cause seems right,
Until his neighbor comes and examines him.
18 Casting (MP)lots causes contentions to cease,
And keeps the mighty apart.
19 A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city,
And contentions are like the bars of a castle.
20 (MQ)A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth;
From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.
21 (MR)Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.
22 (MS)He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
And obtains favor from the Lord.
23 The poor man uses entreaties,
But the rich answers (MT)roughly.
24 A man who has friends [dm]must himself be friendly,
(MU)But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
The Fear of the Lord Leads to Life
19 Better (MV)is the poor who walks in his integrity
Than one who is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.
2 Also it is not good for a soul to be without knowledge,
And he sins who hastens with his feet.
3 The foolishness of a man twists his way,
And his heart frets against the Lord.
4 (MW)Wealth makes many friends,
But the poor is separated from his friend.
5 A (MX)false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who speaks lies will not escape.
6 Many entreat the favor of the nobility,
And every man is a friend to one who gives gifts.
7 (MY)All the brothers of the poor hate him;
How much more do his friends go (MZ)far from him!
He may pursue them with words, yet they [dn]abandon him.
9 A false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who speaks lies shall perish.
10 Luxury is not fitting for a fool,
Much less (NB)for a servant to rule over princes.
11 (NC)The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger,
(ND)And his glory is to overlook a transgression.
13 (NG)A foolish son is the ruin of his father,
(NH)And the contentions of a wife are a continual [dp]dripping.
17 (NN)He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord,
And He will pay back what he has given.
19 A man of great wrath will suffer punishment;
For if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.
20 Listen to counsel and receive instruction,
That you may be wise (NP)in your latter days.
21 There are many plans in a man’s heart,
(NQ)Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.
22 What is desired in a man is [ds]kindness,
And a poor man is better than a liar.
23 (NR)The fear of the Lord leads to life,
And he who has it will abide in satisfaction;
He will not be visited with evil.
24 (NS)A lazy man buries his hand in the [dt]bowl,
And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
25 Strike a scoffer, and the simple (NT)will become wary;
(NU)Rebuke one who has understanding, and he will discern knowledge.
26 He who mistreats his father and chases away his mother
Is (NV)a son who causes shame and brings reproach.
27 Cease listening to instruction, my son,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge.
29 Judgments are prepared for scoffers,
(NX)And beatings for the backs of fools.
Wine Is a Mocker
20 Wine (NY)is a mocker,
Strong drink is a brawler,
And whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
2 The [dv]wrath of a king is like the roaring of a lion;
Whoever provokes him to anger sins against his own life.
3 (NZ)It is honorable for a man to stop striving,
Since any fool can start a quarrel.
5 Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water,
But a man of understanding will draw it out.
6 Most men will proclaim each his own [dw]goodness,
But who can find a faithful man?
8 A king who sits on the throne of judgment
Scatters all evil with his eyes.
9 (OE)Who can say, “I have made my heart clean,
I am pure from my sin”?
10 (OF)Diverse weights and diverse measures,
They are both alike, an abomination to the Lord.
11 Even a child is (OG)known by his deeds,
Whether what he does is pure and right.
12 (OH)The hearing ear and the seeing eye,
The Lord has made them both.
13 (OI)Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty;
Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread.
14 “It is [dx]good for nothing,” cries the buyer;
But when he has gone his way, then he boasts.
15 There is gold and a multitude of rubies,
But (OJ)the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.
16 (OK)Take the garment of one who is surety for a stranger,
And hold it as a pledge when it is for a seductress.
17 (OL)Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.
19 (OO)He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets;
Therefore do not associate with one (OP)who flatters with his lips.
23 Diverse weights are an abomination to the Lord,
And dishonest scales are not good.
24 A man’s steps are of the Lord;
How then can a man understand his own way?
25 It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something as holy,
And afterward to reconsider his vows.
26 (OW)A wise king sifts out the wicked,
And brings the threshing wheel over them.
29 The glory of young men is their strength,
And (OZ)the splendor of old men is their gray head.
30 Blows that hurt cleanse away evil,
As do stripes the [eb]inner depths of the heart.
The Lord Considers the Heart
21 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord,
Like the [ec]rivers of water;
He turns it wherever He wishes.
3 (PC)To do righteousness and justice
Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
5 (PE)The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty,
But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.
7 The violence of the wicked will [ef]destroy them,
Because they refuse to do justice.
8 The way of [eg]a guilty man is perverse;
But as for the pure, his work is right.
9 Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop,
Than in a house shared with (PG)a contentious woman.
10 (PH)The soul of the wicked desires evil;
His neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.
11 When the scoffer is punished, the simple is made wise;
But when the (PI)wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.
12 The righteous God wisely considers the house of the wicked,
Overthrowing the wicked for their wickedness.
13 (PJ)Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor
Will also cry himself and not be heard.
14 A gift in secret pacifies anger,
And a bribe [eh]behind the back, strong wrath.
15 It is a joy for the just to do justice,
But destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.
16 A man who wanders from the way of understanding
Will rest in the assembly of the (PK)dead.
17 He who loves pleasure will be a poor man;
He who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
18 The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous,
And the unfaithful for the upright.
19 Better to dwell [ei]in the wilderness,
Than with a contentious and angry woman.
20 (PL)There is desirable treasure,
And oil in the dwelling of the wise,
But a foolish man squanders it.
21 (PM)He who follows righteousness and mercy
Finds life, righteousness, and honor.
23 (PO)Whoever guards his mouth and tongue
Keeps his soul from troubles.
24 A proud and haughty man—“Scoffer” is his name;
He acts with arrogant pride.
25 The (PP)desire of the lazy man kills him,
For his hands refuse to labor.
26 He covets greedily all day long,
But the righteous (PQ)gives and does not spare.
27 (PR)The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
How much more when he brings it with wicked intent!
28 A false witness shall perish,
But the man who hears him will speak endlessly.
29 A wicked man hardens his face,
But as for the upright, he [ek]establishes his way.
30 (PS)There is no wisdom or understanding
Or counsel against the Lord.
31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle,
But (PT)deliverance is of the Lord.
The Value of a Good Name
22 A (PU)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 (PX)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 (PZ)rich rules over the poor,
And the borrower is servant to the lender.
10 (QD)Cast out the scoffer, and contention will leave;
Yes, strife and reproach will cease.
11 (QE)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 (QF)The lazy man says, “There is a lion outside!
I shall be slain in the streets!”
14 (QG)The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit;
(QH)He who is abhorred by the Lord will fall there.
15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
(QI)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 (QJ)That I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth,
(QK)That you may answer words of truth
To those who [eo]send to you?
22 Do not rob the (QL)poor because he is poor,
Nor oppress the afflicted at the gate;
23 (QM)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 (QN)furious man do not go,
25 Lest you learn his ways
And set a snare for your soul.
26 (QO)Do not be one of those who [ep]shakes hands in a pledge,
One of those who is [eq]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 [es]excels in his work?
He will stand before kings;
He will not stand before [et]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 (QQ)Do not overwork to be rich;
(QR)Because of your own understanding, cease!
5 [eu]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 (QS)a[ev] miser,
Nor desire his delicacies;
7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
“Eat and drink!” (QT)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 (QU)Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
For he will despise the wisdom of your words.
10 Do not remove the ancient [ew]landmark,
Nor enter the fields of the fatherless;
11 (QV)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 (QW)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 [ex]hell.
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
My heart will rejoice—indeed, I myself;
16 Yes, my [ey]inmost being will rejoice
When your lips speak right things.
17 (QX)Do not let your heart envy sinners,
But (QY)be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day;
18 (QZ)For surely there is a [ez]hereafter,
And your hope will not be cut off.
19 Hear, my son, and be wise;
And guide your heart in the way.
20 (RA)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 (RB)Listen to your father who begot you,
And do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 (RC)Buy the truth, and do not sell it,
Also wisdom and instruction and understanding.
24 (RD)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 (RE)For a harlot is a deep pit,
And a seductress is a narrow well.
28 (RF)She also lies in wait as for a victim,
And increases the unfaithful among men.
29 (RG)Who has woe?
Who has sorrow?
Who has contentions?
Who has complaints?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who (RH)has redness of eyes?
30 (RI)Those who linger long at the wine,
Those who go in search of (RJ)mixed wine.
31 Do not look on the wine when it is red,
When it sparkles in the cup,
When it [fa]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 [fb]midst of the sea,
Or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying:
35 “They(RK) have struck me, but I was not hurt;
They have beaten me, but I did not feel it.
When shall (RL)I awake, that I may seek another drink?”
Do Not Envy Evil Men
24 Do not be (RM)envious of evil men,
Nor desire to be with them;
2 For their heart devises violence,
And their lips talk of troublemaking.
3 Through wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established;
4 By knowledge the rooms are filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.
5 (RN)A wise man is strong,
Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength;
6 (RO)For by wise counsel you will wage your own war,
And in a multitude of counselors there is safety.
7 (RP)Wisdom is too lofty for a fool;
He does not open his mouth in the gate.
8 He who (RQ)plots to do evil
Will be called a [fc]schemer.
9 The devising of foolishness is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to men.
10 If you (RR)faint in the day of adversity,
Your strength is small.
11 (RS)Deliver those who are drawn toward death,
And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.
12 If you say, “Surely we did not know this,”
Does not (RT)He who weighs the hearts consider it?
He who keeps your soul, does He not know it?
And will He not render to each man (RU)according to his deeds?
13 My son, (RV)eat honey because it is good,
And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste;
14 (RW)So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul;
If you have found it, there is a [fd]prospect,
And your hope will not be cut off.
15 Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
Do not plunder his resting place;
16 (RX)For a righteous man may fall seven times
And rise again,
(RY)But the wicked shall fall by calamity.
17 (RZ)Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
18 Lest the Lord see it, and [fe]it displease Him,
And He turn away His wrath from him.
19 (SA)Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the wicked;
20 For there will be no prospect for the evil man;
The lamp of the wicked will be put out.
21 My son, (SB)fear the Lord and the king;
Do not associate with those given to change;
22 For their calamity will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin those two can bring?
Further Sayings of the Wise
23 These things also belong to the wise:
(SC)It is not good to [ff]show partiality in judgment.
24 (SD)He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
Him the people will curse;
Nations will abhor him.
25 But those who rebuke the wicked will have (SE)delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
26 He who gives a right answer kisses the lips.
27 (SF)Prepare your outside work,
Make it fit for yourself in the field;
And afterward build your house.
28 (SG)Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,
[fg]For would you deceive with your lips?
29 (SH)Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me;
I will render to the man according to his work.”
30 I went by the field of the lazy man,
And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;
31 And there it was, (SI)all overgrown with thorns;
Its surface was covered with nettles;
Its stone wall was broken down.
32 When I saw it, I considered it well;
I looked on it and received instruction:
33 (SJ)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest;
34 (SK)So shall your poverty come like [fh]a prowler,
And your need like [fi]an armed man.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 4:16 Lit. robbed
- Proverbs 4:18 Lit. light
- Proverbs 4:24 devious
- Proverbs 5:1 Lit. Bow
- Proverbs 5:2 appreciate good judgment
- Proverbs 5:3 Lit. a strange
- Proverbs 5:5 Or Sheol
- Proverbs 5:9 vigor
- Proverbs 5:10 Lit. strength
- Proverbs 5:16 Channels
- Proverbs 5:19 Lit. intoxicated
- Proverbs 5:21 observes, lit. weighs
- Proverbs 6:1 guaranty or collateral
- Proverbs 6:1 Lit. struck
- Proverbs 6:5 One who catches birds in a trap or snare
- Proverbs 6:7 Lit. leader
- Proverbs 6:8 Lit. bread
- Proverbs 6:9 Lit. lie down
- Proverbs 6:13 gives signals, lit. scrapes
- Proverbs 6:16 Lit. His soul
- Proverbs 6:17 Lit. Haughty eyes
- Proverbs 6:22 Lit. it
- Proverbs 6:26 Wife of another, lit. a man’s wife
- Proverbs 6:35 Lit. lift up the face of any
- Proverbs 7:7 Lit. sons
- Proverbs 7:7 lacking
- Proverbs 7:13 shameless
- Proverbs 7:19 Lit. the man
- Proverbs 7:20 Lit. in his hand
- Proverbs 7:20 at the full moon
- Proverbs 7:21 By the greatness of her words
- Proverbs 7:21 compelled
- Proverbs 7:22 LXX, Syr., Tg. as a dog to bonds; Vg. as a lamb . . . to bonds
- Proverbs 7:22 shackles
- Proverbs 7:23 Lit. is for
- Proverbs 7:27 Or Sheol
- Proverbs 8:2 Lit. heights
- Proverbs 8:5 naive
- Proverbs 8:16 MT, Syr., Tg., Vg. righteousness; LXX, Bg., some mss. and editions earth
- Proverbs 8:20 walk about on
- Proverbs 8:26 outer places
- Proverbs 8:26 Lit. beginning of the dust
- Proverbs 8:30 A Jewish tradition one brought up
- Proverbs 9:2 arranged
- Proverbs 9:13 boisterous
- Proverbs 9:16 naive
- Proverbs 9:18 Or Sheol
- Proverbs 10:8 Lit. the foolish of lips
- Proverbs 10:8 be thrust down or ruined
- Proverbs 10:13 Lit. lacks heart
- Proverbs 10:17 leads
- Proverbs 10:21 Lit. heart
- Proverbs 10:30 land
- Proverbs 11:1 deceptive
- Proverbs 11:1 Lit. perfect stone
- Proverbs 11:5 Or make smooth or straight
- Proverbs 11:12 Lit. lacks heart
- Proverbs 11:15 guaranty
- Proverbs 11:15 those pledging guaranty, lit. those who strike hands
- Proverbs 11:21 Lit. hand to hand
- Proverbs 11:22 taste
- Proverbs 11:27 Lit. seeks
- Proverbs 11:30 Lit. takes, in the sense of brings, cf. 1 Sam. 16:11
- Proverbs 11:31 rewarded
- Proverbs 12:4 Lit. A wife of valor
- Proverbs 12:9 lightly esteemed
- Proverbs 12:11 works or cultivates
- Proverbs 12:11 Lit. vain things
- Proverbs 12:11 Lit. heart
- Proverbs 12:21 harm
- Proverbs 13:15 gives
- Proverbs 13:18 Lit. ignores
- Proverbs 13:23 uncultivated
- Proverbs 13:23 Lit. what is swept away
- Proverbs 13:24 early
- Proverbs 14:4 manger or feed trough
- Proverbs 14:9 Lit. guilt
- Proverbs 14:14 Lit. from above himself
- Proverbs 14:20 Lit. many are the lovers of the rich
- Proverbs 14:23 Lit. talk of the lips
- Proverbs 14:25 saves lives
- Proverbs 14:29 Lit. short of spirit
- Proverbs 14:34 shame or disgrace
- Proverbs 15:4 Lit. healing
- Proverbs 15:5 Lit. keeps
- Proverbs 15:7 spread
- Proverbs 15:11 Or Sheol
- Proverbs 15:11 Heb. Abaddon
- Proverbs 15:13 face
- Proverbs 15:17 Or vegetables
- Proverbs 15:21 Lit. heart
- Proverbs 15:23 Lit. in its time
- Proverbs 15:24 Or Sheol
- Proverbs 15:30 Lit. fat
- Proverbs 16:1 plans
- Proverbs 16:3 Lit. Roll
- Proverbs 16:4 Lit. evil
- Proverbs 16:5 Lit. hand to hand
- Proverbs 16:11 concern
- Proverbs 16:18 stumbling
- Proverbs 16:19 plunder
- Proverbs 16:27 Lit. A man of Belial
- Proverbs 16:30 Lit. compresses
- Proverbs 17:1 Or sacrificial meals
- Proverbs 17:4 Lit. destructive
- Proverbs 17:18 Lit. heart
- Proverbs 17:18 Lit. strikes the hands
- Proverbs 17:18 guaranty or collateral
- Proverbs 17:20 crooked
- Proverbs 17:22 Or makes medicine even better
- Proverbs 17:23 Under cover, lit. from the bosom
- Proverbs 18:1 sound wisdom
- Proverbs 18:8 gossip or slanderer
- Proverbs 18:8 A Jewish tradition wounds
- Proverbs 18:8 Lit. rooms of the belly
- Proverbs 18:10 secure, lit. set on high
- Proverbs 18:24 So with Gr. mss., Syr., Tg., Vg.; MT may come to ruin
- Proverbs 19:7 Lit. are not
- Proverbs 19:8 Lit. heart
- Proverbs 19:13 Irritation
- Proverbs 19:16 Is reckless, lit. despises
- Proverbs 19:18 Lit. to put him to death; a Jewish tradition on his crying
- Proverbs 19:22 Lit. lovingkindness
- Proverbs 19:24 LXX, Syr. bosom; Tg., Vg. armpit
- Proverbs 19:28 Lit. witness of Belial, worthless witness
- Proverbs 20:2 Lit. fear or terror, produced by the king’s wrath
- Proverbs 20:6 Lit. mercy
- Proverbs 20:14 Lit. evil, evil
- Proverbs 20:22 repay
- Proverbs 20:27 Lit. rooms of the belly
- Proverbs 20:28 mercy
- Proverbs 20:30 Lit. rooms of the belly
- Proverbs 21:1 channels
- Proverbs 21:4 Or lamp
- Proverbs 21:6 LXX Pursue vanity on the snares of death; Vg. Is vain and foolish, and shall stumble on the snares of death; Tg. They shall be destroyed, and they shall fall who seek death
- Proverbs 21:7 Lit. drag them away
- Proverbs 21:8 Or The way of a man is perverse and strange;
- Proverbs 21:14 Under cover, lit. in the bosom
- Proverbs 21:19 Lit. in the land of the desert
- Proverbs 21:22 Climbs over the walls of
- Proverbs 21:29 Qr., LXX understands
- 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
- Proverbs 24:8 Lit. master of evil plots
- Proverbs 24:14 Lit. latter end
- Proverbs 24:18 Lit. it be evil in His eyes
- Proverbs 24:23 Lit. recognize faces
- Proverbs 24:28 LXX, Vg. Do not deceive
- Proverbs 24:34 Lit. one who walks about
- Proverbs 24:34 Lit. a man with a shield
Romans 7-14
New King James Version
Freed from the Law
7 Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law [a]has dominion over a man as long as he lives? 2 For (A)the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. 3 So then (B)if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. 4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become (C)dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should (D)bear fruit to God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law (E)were at work in our members (F)to bear fruit to death. 6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve (G)in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.
Sin’s Advantage in the Law
7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, (H)I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, (I)“You shall not covet.” 8 But (J)sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For (K)apart from the law sin was dead. 9 I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. 10 And the commandment, (L)which was to bring life, I found to bring death. 11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. 12 Therefore (M)the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
Law Cannot Save from Sin
13 Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, (N)sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. (O)For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that (P)in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I (Q)delight in the law of God according to (R)the inward man. 23 But (S)I see another law in (T)my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me (U)from this body of death? 25 (V)I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
Free from Indwelling Sin
8 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, (W)who[b] do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For (X)the law of (Y)the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from (Z)the law of sin and death. 3 For (AA)what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, (AB)God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who (AC)do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For (AD)those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, (AE)the things of the Spirit. 6 For (AF)to be [c]carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because (AG)the [d]carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, (AH)nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of (AI)Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, (AJ)He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies [e]through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Sonship Through the Spirit
12 (AK)Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For (AL)if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you (AM)put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For (AN)as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For (AO)you did not receive the spirit of bondage again (AP)to fear, but you received the (AQ)Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, (AR)“Abba,[f] Father.” 16 (AS)The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then (AT)heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, (AU)if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
From Suffering to Glory
18 For I consider that (AV)the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For (AW)the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For (AX)the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of [g]corruption into the glorious (AY)liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation (AZ)groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have (BA)the firstfruits of the Spirit, (BB)even we ourselves groan (BC)within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the (BD)redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but (BE)hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For (BF)we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but (BG)the Spirit Himself makes intercession [h]for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now (BH)He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints (BI)according to the will of God.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those (BJ)who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom (BK)He foreknew, (BL)He also predestined (BM)to be conformed to the image of His Son, (BN)that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also (BO)called; whom He called, these He also (BP)justified; and whom He justified, these He also (BQ)glorified.
God’s Everlasting Love
31 What then shall we say to these things? (BR)If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 (BS)He who did not spare His own Son, but (BT)delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? (BU)It is God who justifies. 34 (BV)Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, (BW)who is even at the right hand of God, (BX)who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:
(BY)“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
37 (BZ)Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor (CA)principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Israel’s Rejection of Christ
9 I (CB)tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, 2 (CC)that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. 3 For (CD)I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my [i]countrymen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, (CE)to whom pertain the adoption, (CF)the glory, (CG)the covenants, (CH)the giving of the law, (CI)the service of God, and (CJ)the promises; 5 (CK)of whom are the fathers and from (CL)whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, (CM)who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
Israel’s Rejection and God’s Purpose(CN)
6 (CO)But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For (CP)they are not all Israel who are of Israel, 7 (CQ)nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, (CR)“In Isaac your seed shall be called.” 8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but (CS)the children of the promise are counted as the seed. 9 For this is the word of promise: (CT)“At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.”
10 And not only this, but when (CU)Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac 11 (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of (CV)Him who calls), 12 it was said to her, (CW)“The older shall serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, (CX)“Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”
Israel’s Rejection and God’s Justice
14 What shall we say then? (CY)Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! 15 For He says to Moses, (CZ)“I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” 16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. 17 For (DA)the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, (DB)“For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” 18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He (DC)hardens.
19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For (DD)who has resisted His will?” 20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? (DE)Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Does not the (DF)potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make (DG)one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?
22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering (DH)the vessels of wrath (DI)prepared for destruction, 23 and that He might make known (DJ)the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had (DK)prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us whom He (DL)called, (DM)not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
25 As He says also in Hosea:
(DN)“I will call them My people, who were not My people,
And her beloved, who was not beloved.”
26 “And(DO) it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them,
‘You are not My people,’
There they shall be called sons of the living God.”
27 Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel:
(DP)“Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea,
(DQ)The remnant will be saved.
28 For [j]He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness,
(DR)Because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.”
29 And as Isaiah said before:
(DS)“Unless the Lord of [k]Sabaoth had left us a seed,
(DT)We would have become like Sodom,
And we would have been made like Gomorrah.”
Present Condition of Israel
30 What shall we say then? (DU)That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, (DV)even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, (DW)pursuing the law of righteousness, (DX)has not attained to the law [l]of righteousness. 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, [m]by the works of the law. For (DY)they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:
(DZ)“Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense,
And (EA)whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
Israel Needs the Gospel
10 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for [n]Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness (EB)that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of (EC)God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own (ED)righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For (EE)Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, (EF)“The man who does those things shall live by them.” 6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, (EG)“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7 or, (EH)“ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? (EI)“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that (EJ)if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, (EK)“Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For (EL)there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for (EM)the same Lord over all (EN)is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For (EO)“whoever calls (EP)on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Israel Rejects the Gospel
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear (EQ)without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
(ER)“How beautiful are the feet of those who [o]preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, (ES)“Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed:
(ET)“Their sound has gone out to all the earth,
And their words to the ends of the world.”
19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says:
(EU)“I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation,
I will move you to anger by a (EV)foolish nation.”
20 But Isaiah is very bold and says:
(EW)“I was found by those who did not seek Me;
I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”
21 But to Israel he says:
(EX)“All day long I have stretched out My hands
To a disobedient and contrary people.”
Israel’s Rejection Not Total
11 I say then, (EY)has God cast away His people? (EZ)Certainly not! For (FA)I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not cast away His people whom (FB)He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, 3 (FC)“Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”? 4 But what does the divine response say to him? (FD)“I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 (FE)Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And (FF)if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. [p]But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
7 What then? (FG)Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were (FH)blinded. 8 Just as it is written:
(FI)“God has given them a spirit of stupor,
(FJ)Eyes that they should not see
And ears that they should not hear,
To this very day.”
9 And David says:
(FK)“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
A stumbling block and a recompense to them.
10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see,
And bow down their back always.”
Israel’s Rejection Not Final
11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But (FL)through their [q]fall, to provoke them to (FM)jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. 12 Now if their [r]fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!
13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as (FN)I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and (FO)save some of them. 15 For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be (FP)but life from the dead?
16 For if (FQ)the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 And if (FR)some of the branches were broken off, (FS)and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and [s]fatness of the olive tree, 18 (FT)do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.
19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” 20 Well said. Because of (FU)unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, [t]goodness, (FV)if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise (FW)you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, (FX)if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be (FY)wise in your own [u]opinion, that (FZ)blindness in part has happened to Israel (GA)until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be [v]saved, as it is written:
(GB)“The Deliverer will come out of Zion,
And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
27 For (GC)this is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”
28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are (GD)beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are (GE)irrevocable. 30 For as you (GF)were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has [w]committed them (GG)all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
34 “For who has known the (GH)mind of the Lord?
Or (GI)who has become His counselor?”
35 “Or(GJ) who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?”
36 For (GK)of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, (GL)to whom be glory forever. Amen.
Living Sacrifices to God
12 I (GM)beseech[x] you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies (GN)a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your [y]reasonable service. 2 And (GO)do not be conformed to this world, but (GP)be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may (GQ)prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Serve God with Spiritual Gifts
3 For I say, (GR)through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, (GS)not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt (GT)to each one a measure of faith. 4 For (GU)as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so (GV)we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is (GW)given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us (GX)prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; (GY)he who teaches, in teaching; 8 (GZ)he who exhorts, in exhortation; (HA)he who gives, with liberality; (HB)he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, (HC)with cheerfulness.
Behave Like a Christian
9 (HD)Let love be without hypocrisy. (HE)Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 (HF)Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, (HG)in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 (HH)rejoicing in hope, (HI)patient[z] in tribulation, (HJ)continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 (HK)distributing to the needs of the saints, (HL)given[aa] to hospitality.
14 (HM)Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 (HN)Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 (HO)Be of the same mind toward one another. (HP)Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
17 (HQ)Repay no one evil for evil. (HR)Have[ab] regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, (HS)live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, (HT)do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, (HU)“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore
(HV)“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but (HW)overcome evil with good.
Submit to Government
13 Let every soul be (HX)subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists (HY)the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will [ac]bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? (HZ)Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore (IA)you must be subject, not only because of wrath (IB)but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 (IC)Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
Love Your Neighbor(ID)
8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for (IE)he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, (IF)“You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” [ad]“You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, (IG)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore (IH)love is the fulfillment of the law.
Put on Christ
11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time (II)to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. (IJ)Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and (IK)let us put on the armor of light. 13 (IL)Let us walk [ae]properly, as in the day, (IM)not in revelry and drunkenness, (IN)not in lewdness and lust, (IO)not in strife and envy. 14 But (IP)put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and (IQ)make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
The Law of Liberty
14 Receive(IR) one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2 For one believes he (IS)may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and (IT)let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4 (IU)Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
5 (IV)One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who (IW)observes the day, observes it to the Lord; [af]and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for (IX)he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. 7 For (IY)none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 8 For if we (IZ)live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For (JA)to this end Christ died [ag]and rose and lived again, that He might be (JB)Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For (JC)we shall all stand before the judgment seat of [ah]Christ. 11 For it is written:
(JD)“As I live, says the Lord,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God.”
12 So then (JE)each of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another [ai]anymore, but rather resolve this, (JF)not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.
The Law of Love
14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus (JG)that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. (JH)Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. 16 (JI)Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; 17 (JJ)for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and (JK)peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who serves Christ in [aj]these things (JL)is acceptable to God and approved by men.
19 (JM)Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which (JN)one may [ak]edify another. 20 (JO)Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. (JP)All things indeed are pure, (JQ)but it is evil for the man who eats with [al]offense. 21 It is good neither to eat (JR)meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles [am]or is offended or is made weak. 22 [an]Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. (JS)Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for (JT)whatever is not from faith is [ao]sin.
Footnotes
- Romans 7:1 rules
- Romans 8:1 NU omits the rest of v. 1.
- Romans 8:6 fleshly
- Romans 8:7 fleshly
- Romans 8:11 Or because of
- Romans 8:15 Lit., in Aram., Father
- Romans 8:21 decay
- Romans 8:26 NU omits for us
- Romans 9:3 Or relatives
- Romans 9:28 NU the Lord will finish the work and cut it short upon the earth
- Romans 9:29 Lit., in Heb., Hosts
- Romans 9:31 NU omits of righteousness
- Romans 9:32 NU by works, omitting of the law
- Romans 10:1 NU them
- Romans 10:15 NU omits preach the gospel of peace, Who
- Romans 11:6 NU omits the rest of v. 6.
- Romans 11:11 trespass
- Romans 11:12 trespass
- Romans 11:17 richness
- Romans 11:22 NU adds of God
- Romans 11:25 estimation
- Romans 11:26 Or delivered
- Romans 11:32 shut them all up in
- Romans 12:1 urge
- Romans 12:1 rational
- Romans 12:12 persevering
- Romans 12:13 Lit. pursuing
- Romans 12:17 Or Provide good
- Romans 13:2 Lit. receive
- Romans 13:9 NU omits “You shall not bear false witness,”
- Romans 13:13 decently
- Romans 14:6 NU omits the rest of this sentence.
- Romans 14:9 NU omits and rose
- Romans 14:10 NU God
- Romans 14:13 any longer
- Romans 14:18 NU this thing
- Romans 14:19 build up
- Romans 14:20 A feeling of giving offense
- Romans 14:21 NU omits the rest of v. 21.
- Romans 14:22 NU The faith which you have—have
- Romans 14:23 M puts Rom. 16:25–27 here.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Bible Gateway Recommends
