Proverbs 15

English Standard Version

15 ^(A)A soft answer turns away wrath,
    but ^(B)a harsh word stirs up anger.
²The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
    but ^(C)the mouths of fools pour out folly.
³^(D)The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
    keeping watch on the evil and the good.
⁴^(E)A gentle^[a] tongue is ^(F)a tree of life,
    but ^(G)perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
⁵^(H)A fool ^(I)despises his father's instruction,
    but ^(J)whoever heeds reproof is prudent.
⁶In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
    but trouble befalls the income of the wicked.
⁷^(K)The lips of the wise spread knowledge;
    ^(L)not so the hearts of fools.^[b]
⁸^(M)The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
    but ^(N)the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him.
⁹The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
    but he loves him ^(O)who pursues righteousness.
¹⁰There is ^(P)severe discipline for him who forsakes the way;
    ^(Q)whoever hates reproof will die.
¹¹Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord;
    how much more ^(R)the hearts of the children of man!
¹²^(S)A scoffer ^(T)does not like to be reproved;
    he will not go to the wise.
¹³^(U)A glad heart makes a cheerful face,
    but by ^(V)sorrow of heart the spirit is ^(W)crushed.
¹⁴^(X)The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
    but the mouths of fools feed on folly.
¹⁵All the days of the afflicted are evil,
    but ^(Y)the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.
¹⁶^(Z)Better is a little with the fear of the Lord
    than great treasure and trouble with it.
¹⁷^(AA)Better is a dinner of herbs where love is
    than ^(AB)a fattened ox and hatred with it.
¹⁸^(AC)A hot-tempered man ^(AD)stirs up strife,
    but he who is ^(AE)slow to anger quiets contention.
¹⁹The way of ^(AF)a sluggard is like a hedge of ^(AG)thorns,
    but the path of the upright is ^(AH)a level highway.
²⁰^(AI)A wise son makes a glad father,
    but a foolish man despises his mother.
²¹^(AJ)Folly is a joy to him who lacks sense,
    but a man of understanding ^(AK)walks straight ahead.
²²^(AL)Without counsel plans fail,
    but with many advisers they succeed.
²³To make an apt answer is a joy to a man,
    and ^(AM)a word in season, how good it is!
²⁴The path of life leads upward ^(AN)for the prudent,
    that he may turn away from Sheol beneath.
²⁵The Lord tears down the house of ^(AO)the proud
    but ^(AP)maintains ^(AQ)the widow's boundaries.
²⁶^(AR)The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,
    but ^(AS)gracious words are pure.
²⁷Whoever is ^(AT)greedy for unjust gain ^(AU)troubles his own household,
    but he who hates ^(AV)bribes will live.
²⁸The heart of the righteous ^(AW)ponders how to answer,
    but ^(AX)the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
²⁹The Lord is ^(AY)far from the wicked,
    but he ^(AZ)hears the prayer of the righteous.
³⁰^(BA)The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
    and ^(BB)good news refreshes^[c] the bones.
³¹^(BC)The ear that listens to ^(BD)life-giving reproof
    will dwell among the wise.
³²Whoever ^(BE)ignores instruction ^(BF)despises himself,
    but he who listens to reproof ^(BG)gains intelligence.
³³^(BH)The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,
    and ^(BI)humility comes before honor.

Footnotes

Proverbs 15:4 Or healing
Proverbs 15:7 Or the hearts of fools are not steadfast
Proverbs 15:30 Hebrew makes fat

Isaiah 31

English Standard Version

Woe to Those Who Go Down to Egypt

31 Woe^[a] to ^(A)those who go down to Egypt for help
    and rely on horses,
who ^(B)trust in chariots because they are many
    and in horsemen because they are very strong,
but ^(C)do not look to the Holy One of Israel
    or consult the Lord!
²And ^(D)yet he is wise and brings disaster;
    ^(E)he does not call back his words,
but ^(F)will arise against the house of the evildoers
    and against the helpers of ^(G)those who work iniquity.
³The Egyptians are man, and not God,
    and their horses ^(H)are flesh, and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out his hand,
    the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall,
    and they will all perish together.

⁴For thus the Lord said to me,
^(I)“As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey,
    and when a band of shepherds is called out against him
he is not terrified by their shouting
    or daunted at their noise,
^(J)so the Lord of hosts will come down
    to fight^[b] on Mount Zion and on its hill.
⁵^(K)Like birds hovering, so the Lord of hosts
    will protect Jerusalem;
he will protect and deliver it;
    he will spare and rescue it.”

⁶^(L)Turn to him from whom people^[c] have ^(M)deeply revolted, O children of Israel. ⁷For in that day ^(N)everyone shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your hands have sinfully made for you.

⁸^(O)“And the Assyrian shall fall by a sword, not of man;
    and a sword, not of man, shall devour him;
and he shall flee from the sword,
    and his young men shall be ^(P)put to forced labor.
⁹^(Q)His rock shall pass away in terror,
    and his officers desert the standard in panic,”
declares the Lord, whose ^(R)fire is in Zion,
    and whose ^(S)furnace is in Jerusalem.

Footnotes

Isaiah 31:1 Or Ah,
Isaiah 31:4 The Hebrew words for hosts and to fight sound alike
Isaiah 31:6 Hebrew they

Ezekiel 25

English Standard Version

Prophecy Against Ammon

25 The word of the Lord came to me: ²^(A)“Son of man, ^(B)set your face toward ^(C)the Ammonites and prophesy against them. ³Say to the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord God: ^(D)Thus says the Lord God, Because you said, ^(E)‘Aha!’ over my ^(F)sanctuary when it was profaned, and over the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and over the house of Judah when they went into exile, ⁴therefore behold, I am handing you over to ^(G)the people of the East for a possession, and they shall set their encampments among you and make their dwellings in your midst. They shall eat your fruit, and they shall drink your milk. ⁵I will make ^(H)Rabbah a ^(I)pasture for camels and Ammon^[a] ^(J)a fold for flocks. ^(K)Then you will know that I am the Lord. ⁶For thus says the Lord God: Because ^(L)you have clapped your hands ^(M)and stamped your feet and ^(N)rejoiced with all the ^(O)malice within your soul against the land of Israel, ⁷therefore, behold, ^(P)I have stretched out my hand against you, and ^(Q)will hand you over as plunder to the nations. And I will cut you off from the peoples and will make you perish out of the countries; I will destroy you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

Prophecy Against Moab and Seir

⁸“Thus says the Lord God: Because ^(R)Moab and ^(S)Seir^[b] said, ‘Behold, the ^(T)house of Judah is like all the other nations,’ ⁹therefore ^(U)I will lay open the flank of Moab from the cities, from its cities on its frontier, the glory of the country, ^(V)Beth-jeshimoth, ^(W)Baal-meon, and ^(X)Kiriathaim. ¹⁰I will give it ^(Y)along with the Ammonites ^(Z)to the people of the East as a possession, ^(AA)that the Ammonites may be remembered no more among the nations, ¹¹^(AB)and I will execute judgments upon Moab. ^(AC)Then they will know that I am the Lord.

Prophecy Against Edom

¹²“Thus says the Lord God: Because ^(AD)Edom acted revengefully against the house of Judah and has grievously offended ^(AE)in taking vengeance on them, ¹³therefore thus says the Lord God, ^(AF)I will stretch out my hand against Edom and cut off from it man and beast. And I will make it desolate; from ^(AG)Teman even to ^(AH)Dedan they shall fall by the sword. ¹⁴And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom ^(AI)by the hand of my people Israel, and they shall do in Edom according to my anger and according to my wrath, and ^(AJ)they shall know my vengeance, declares the Lord God.

Prophecy Against Philistia

¹⁵“Thus says the Lord God: Because ^(AK)the Philistines ^(AL)acted revengefully and took vengeance ^(AM)with malice of soul to destroy in never-ending enmity, ¹⁶therefore thus says the Lord God, ^(AN)Behold, I will stretch out my hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off ^(AO)the Cherethites and destroy the rest of the seacoast. ¹⁷I will execute great vengeance on them ^(AP)with wrathful rebukes. ^(AQ)Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon them.”