Proverbs 11

New King James Version

The Folly of Wickedness

11 ^(A)Dishonest^[a] scales are an abomination to the Lord,
But a ^[b]just weight is His delight.

²When pride comes, then comes ^(B)shame;
But with the humble is wisdom.

³The integrity of the upright will guide ^(C)them,
But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.
⁴^(D)Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
But ^(E)righteousness delivers from death.
⁵The righteousness of the blameless will ^[c]direct his way aright,
But the wicked will fall by his own ^(F)wickedness.
⁶The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,
But the unfaithful will be caught by their lust.

⁷When a wicked man dies, his expectation will ^(G)perish,
And the hope of the unjust perishes.
⁸^(H)The righteous is delivered from trouble,
And it comes to the wicked instead.
⁹The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor,
But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.
¹⁰^(I)When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices;
And when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.
¹¹By the blessing of the upright the city is ^(J)exalted,
But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.

¹²He who ^[d]is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor,
But a man of understanding holds his peace.

¹³^(K)A talebearer reveals secrets,
But he who is of a faithful spirit ^(L)conceals a matter.

¹⁴^(M)Where there is no counsel, the people fall;
But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

¹⁵He who is ^(N)surety^[e] for a stranger will suffer,
But one who hates ^[f]being surety is secure.

¹⁶A gracious woman retains honor,
But ruthless men retain riches.
¹⁷^(O)The merciful man does good for his own soul,
But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.
¹⁸The wicked man does deceptive work,
But ^(P)he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward.
¹⁹As righteousness leads to ^(Q)life,
So he who pursues evil pursues it to his own ^(R)death.
²⁰Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the Lord,
But the blameless in their ways are His delight.
²¹^(S)Though they join ^[g]forces, the wicked will not go unpunished;
But ^(T)the posterity of the righteous will be delivered.

²²As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout,
So is a lovely woman who lacks ^[h]discretion.

²³The desire of the righteous is only good,
But the expectation of the wicked ^(U)is wrath.

²⁴There is one who ^(V)scatters, yet increases more;
And there is one who withholds more than is right,
But it leads to poverty.
²⁵^(W)The generous soul will be made rich,
^(X)And he who waters will also be watered himself.
²⁶The people will curse ^(Y)him who withholds grain,
But ^(Z)blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.

²⁷He who earnestly seeks good ^[i]finds favor,
^(AA)But trouble will come to him who seeks evil.

²⁸^(AB)He who trusts in his riches will fall,
But ^(AC)the righteous will flourish like foliage.

²⁹He who troubles his own house ^(AD)will inherit the wind,
And the fool will be ^(AE)servant to the wise of heart.

³⁰The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
And ^(AF)he who ^[j]wins souls is wise.

³¹^(AG)If the righteous will be ^[k]recompensed on the earth,
How much more the ungodly and the sinner.

Footnotes

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

1 John 4-5

New King James Version

Love for God and One Another

4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but ^(A)test the spirits, whether they are of God; because ^(B)many false prophets have gone out into the world. ²By this you know the Spirit of God: ^(C)Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, ³and every spirit that does not confess ^[a]that Jesus ^[b]Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

⁴You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than ^(D)he who is in the world. ⁵^(E)They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and ^(F)the world hears them. ⁶We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. ^(G)By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Knowing God Through Love^(H)

⁷^(I)Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who ^(J)loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹^(K)In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten ^(L)Son into the world, that we might live through Him. ¹⁰In this is love, ^(M)not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son ^(N)to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹Beloved, ^(O)if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Seeing God Through Love

¹²^(P)No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. ¹³^(Q)By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. ¹⁴And ^(R)we have seen and testify that ^(S)the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. ¹⁵^(T)Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. ¹⁶And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and ^(U)he who abides in love abides in God, and God ^(V)in him.

The Consummation of Love

¹⁷Love has been perfected among us in this: that ^(W)we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. ¹⁸There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. ¹⁹^(X)We love ^[c]Him because He first loved us.

Obedience by Faith

²⁰^(Y)If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, ^[d]how can he love God ^(Z)whom he has not seen? ²¹And ^(AA)this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

Obedience by Faith

5 Whoever believes that ^(AB)Jesus is the Christ is ^(AC)born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. ²By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and ^(AD)keep His commandments. ³^(AE)For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And ^(AF)His commandments are not burdensome. ⁴For ^(AG)whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that ^(AH)has overcome the world—^[e]our faith. ⁵Who is he who overcomes the world, but ^(AI)he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

The Certainty of God’s Witness

⁶This is He who came ^(AJ)by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. ^(AK)And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. ⁷For there are three that bear witness ^[f]in heaven: the Father, ^(AL)the Word, and the Holy Spirit; ^(AM)and these three are one. ⁸And there are three that bear witness on earth: ^(AN)the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.

⁹If we receive ^(AO)the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; ^(AP)for this is the witness of ^[g]God which He has testified of His Son. ¹⁰He who believes in the Son of God ^(AQ)has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God ^(AR)has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. ¹¹And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. ¹²^(AS)He who has the Son has ^[h]life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. ¹³These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, ^[i]and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

Confidence and Compassion in Prayer

¹⁴Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that ^(AT)if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. ¹⁵And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

¹⁶If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and ^(AU)He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. ^(AV)There is sin leading to death. ^(AW)I do not say that he should pray about that. ¹⁷^(AX)All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.

Knowing the True—Rejecting the False

¹⁸We know that ^(AY)whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God ^(AZ)keeps^[j] ^[k]himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.

¹⁹We know that we are of God, and ^(BA)the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.

²⁰And we know that the ^(BB)Son of God has come and ^(BC)has given us an understanding, ^(BD)that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. ^(BE)This is the true God ^(BF)and eternal life.

²¹Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Footnotes

1 John 4:3 NU omits that
1 John 4:3 NU omits Christ has come in the flesh
1 John 4:19 NU omits Him
1 John 4:20 NU he cannot
1 John 5:4 M your
1 John 5:7 NU, M omit the words from in heaven (v. 7) through on earth (v. 8). Only 4 or 5 very late mss. contain these words in Greek.
1 John 5:9 NU God, that
1 John 5:12 Or the life
1 John 5:13 NU omits the rest of v. 13.
1 John 5:18 guards
1 John 5:18 NU him