15 (A)A soft answer turns away wrath,
    but (B)a harsh word stirs up anger.
The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
    but (C)the mouths of fools pour out folly.
(D)The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
    keeping watch on the evil and the good.
(E)A gentle[a] tongue is (F)a tree of life,
    but (G)perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
(H)A fool (I)despises his father's instruction,
    but (J)whoever heeds reproof is prudent.
In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
    but trouble befalls the income of the wicked.
(K)The lips of the wise spread knowledge;
    (L)not so the hearts of fools.[b]
(M)The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
    but (N)the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him.
The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
    but he loves him (O)who pursues righteousness.
10 There is (P)severe discipline for him who forsakes the way;
    (Q)whoever hates reproof will die.
11 Sheol 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.
15 All 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.
19 The 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.
23 To make an apt answer is a joy to a man,
    and (AM)a word in season, how good it is!
24 The path of life leads upward (AN)for the prudent,
    that he may turn away from Sheol beneath.
25 The 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.
27 Whoever is (AT)greedy for unjust gain (AU)troubles his own household,
    but he who hates (AV)bribes will live.
28 The heart of the righteous (AW)ponders how to answer,
    but (AX)the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
29 The 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.
32 Whoever (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

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

Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses

12 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? (A)Has he not spoken through us also?” And (B)the Lord heard it. Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. And suddenly the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” And the three of them came out. And (C)the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him (D)in a vision; I speak with him (E)in a dream. Not so with (F)my servant Moses. (G)He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak (H)mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in (I)riddles, and he beholds (J)the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed.

10 When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, (K)Miriam was (L)leprous,[a] like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. 11 And Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, (M)do not punish us[b] because we have done foolishly and have sinned. 12 Let her not be as one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother's womb.” 13 And Moses cried to the Lord, “O God, please heal her—please.” 14 But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but (N)spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be (O)shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again.” 15 So Miriam (P)was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again. 16 After that the people set out from (Q)Hazeroth, and camped in (R)the wilderness of Paran.

Spies Sent into Canaan

13 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, (S)“Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them.” So Moses sent them from (T)the wilderness of Paran, according to the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the people of Israel. And these were their names: From the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur; from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; (U)from the tribe of Judah, (V)Caleb the son of Jephunneh; from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph; from the tribe of Ephraim, (W)Hoshea the son of Nun; from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; 10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; 11 from the tribe of Joseph (that is, from the tribe of Manasseh), Gaddi the son of Susi; 12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; 13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael; 14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi; 15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. 16 These were the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called (X)Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua.

17 Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan and said to them, “Go up into (Y)the Negeb and go up into (Z)the hill country, 18 and see what the land is, and whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many, 19 and whether the land that they dwell in is good or bad, and whether the cities that they dwell in are camps or strongholds, 20 and whether the land is (AA)rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not. (AB)Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.

21 So they went up and spied out the land (AC)from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, (AD)near Lebo-hamath. 22 They went up into (AE)the Negeb and came to (AF)Hebron. (AG)Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the (AH)descendants of Anak, were there. ((AI)Hebron was built seven years before (AJ)Zoan in Egypt.) 23 And (AK)they came to the Valley of Eshcol and cut down from there a branch with a single cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a pole between two of them; they also brought some pomegranates and figs. 24 That place was called the Valley of Eshcol,[c] because of the cluster that the people of Israel cut down from there.

Report of the Spies

25 At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land. 26 And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at (AL)Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It (AM)flows with milk and honey, (AN)and this is its fruit. 28 (AO)However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 (AP)The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. (AQ)And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.”

30 But (AR)Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” 31 (AS)Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” 32 So (AT)they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and (AU)all the people that we saw in it are of great height. 33 And there we saw the (AV)Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the (AW)Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves (AX)like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 12:10 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13
  2. Numbers 12:11 Hebrew do not lay sin upon us
  3. Numbers 13:24 Eshcol means cluster

Dead to Sin, Alive to God

What shall we say then? (A)Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can (B)we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us (C)who have been baptized (D)into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were (E)buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as (F)Christ was raised from the dead by (G)the glory of the Father, we too might walk in (H)newness of life.

For (I)if we have been united with him in (J)a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that (K)our old self[a] (L)was crucified with him in order that (M)the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For (N)one who has died (O)has been set free[b] from sin. Now (P)if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that (Q)Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; (R)death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, (S)once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves (T)dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Let not (U)sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 (V)Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but (W)present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For (X)sin (Y)will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Slaves to Righteousness

15 What then? (Z)Are we to sin (AA)because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves (AB)to anyone as obedient slaves,[c] you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But (AC)thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the (AD)standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, (AE)having been set free from sin, (AF)have become slaves of righteousness. 19 (AG)I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For (AH)just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members (AI)as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

20 (AJ)For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 (AK)But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things (AL)of which you are now ashamed? (AM)For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you (AN)have been set free from sin and (AO)have become slaves of God, (AP)the fruit you get leads to sanctification and (AQ)its end, eternal life. 23 (AR)For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Romans 6:6 Greek man
  2. Romans 6:7 Greek has been justified
  3. Romans 6:16 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; twice in this verse; also verses 17, 19 (twice), 20

Bible Gateway Recommends

ESV Journaling Bible--buffalo leather over board, deep brown
ESV Journaling Bible--buffalo leather over board, deep brown
Retail: $79.99
Our Price: $22.99
Save: $57.00 (71%)
ESV Church Bible (Value Pew Bible) Case of 24
ESV Church Bible (Value Pew Bible) Case of 24
Retail: $311.76
Our Price: $155.76
Save: $156.00 (50%)
ESV Church Bible (Value Pew Bible) Black
ESV Church Bible (Value Pew Bible) Black
Retail: $12.99
Our Price: $7.49
Save: $5.50 (42%)
5.0 of 5.0 stars
ESV Student Study Bible, Trutone, Turquoise
ESV Student Study Bible, Trutone, Turquoise
Retail: $44.99
Our Price: $28.99
Save: $16.00 (36%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars
ESV Study Bible, Large Print, Genuine Leather, Black
ESV Study Bible, Large Print, Genuine Leather, Black
Retail: $129.99
Our Price: $79.49
Save: $50.50 (39%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars