Proverbs 24-25

New American Standard Bible

Precepts and Warnings

24 Do not be ^(A)envious of evil people,
Nor desire to ^(B)be with them;
²For their ^[a]minds plot ^(C)violence,
And their lips ^(D)talk of trouble.

³^(E)By wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established;
⁴And by knowledge the rooms are ^(F)filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.

⁵A ^(G)wise man is ^[b]strong,
And a person of knowledge ^[c]increases power.
⁶For ^(H)by wise guidance you will ^[d]wage war,
And ^(I)in an abundance of counselors there is victory.

⁷Wisdom is ^(J)too exalted for a fool,
He does not open his mouth ^(K)at the gate.

⁸One who ^(L)plans to do evil,
People will call a ^[e]schemer.
⁹The ^(M)devising of foolishness is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to humanity.

¹⁰If you ^(N)show yourself lacking courage on the day of distress,
Your strength is meager.

¹¹^(O)Rescue those who are being taken away to death,
And those who are staggering to the slaughter, Oh hold them back!
¹²If you say, “See, we did not know this,”
Does He ^(P)who weighs the hearts not ^(Q)consider it?
And ^(R)does He who ^(S)watches over your soul not know it?
And will He not ^[f]^(T)repay a person according to his work?

¹³My son, eat ^(U)honey, for it is good;
Yes, the ^(V)honey from the comb is sweet to your taste;
¹⁴Know that ^(W)wisdom is the same for your soul;
If you find it, then there will be a ^[g]^(X)future,
And your hope will not be cut off.

¹⁵^(Y)Do not lie in ambush, you wicked person, against the home of the righteous;
Do not destroy his resting place;
¹⁶For a ^(Z)righteous person falls seven times and rises again,
But the ^(AA)wicked stumble in time of disaster.

¹⁷^(AB)Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,
¹⁸Otherwise, the Lord will see and ^[h]be displeased,
And turn His anger away from him.

¹⁹^(AC)Do not get upset because of evildoers
Or be ^(AD)envious of the wicked;
²⁰For ^(AE)there will be no ^[i]^(AF)future for the evil person;
The ^(AG)lamp of the wicked will be put out.

²¹My son, ^[j]^(AH)fear the Lord and the king;
Do not get involved with those ^[k]of high rank,
²²For their ^(AI)disaster will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin that can come from both of them?

²³These also are ^(AJ)sayings of the wise:
To ^[l]^(AK)show partiality in judgment is not good.
²⁴One ^(AL)who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
^(AM)Peoples will curse him, nations will scold him;
²⁵But ^(AN)for those who rebuke the wicked there will be delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
²⁶One who gives ^[m]a right answer
Kisses the lips.

²⁷Prepare your work outside,
And ^(AO)make it ready for yourself in the field;
Afterward, then, build your house.

²⁸Do not be a ^(AP)witness against your neighbor for no reason,
And ^(AQ)do not deceive with your lips.
²⁹^(AR)Do not say, “I shall do the same to him as he has done to me;
I will ^[n]repay the person according to his work.”

³⁰I passed by the field of ^[o]a lazy one,
And by the vineyard of a person ^(AS)lacking ^[p]sense,
³¹And behold, it was completely ^(AT)overgrown with weeds;
Its surface was covered with ^(AU)weeds,
And its stone ^(AV)wall was broken down.
³²When I saw, I ^[q]reflected upon it;
I looked, and received instruction.
³³“^(AW)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest,”
³⁴Then your poverty will come like ^[r]a drifter,
And your need like ^[s]an armed man.

Similitudes and Instructions

25 These also are ^(AX)proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed.

²It is the glory of God to ^(AY)conceal a matter,
But the glory of ^(AZ)kings is to search out a matter.
³As the heavens for height and the earth for depth,
So the heart of kings is unsearchable.
⁴Take away the ^[t]^(BA)impurities from the silver,
And there comes out a vessel for the ^(BB)smith;
⁵Take away the ^(BC)wicked before the king,
And his ^(BD)throne will be established in righteousness.
⁶Do not boast in the presence of the king,
And do not stand in the same place ^[u]as great people;
⁷For ^(BE)it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,”
Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince,
Whom your eyes have seen.

⁸Do not go out ^(BF)hastily to ^[v]argue your case;
^[w]Otherwise, what will you do in ^[x]the end,
When your neighbor humiliates you?
⁹^[y]^(BG)Argue your case with your neighbor,
And ^(BH)do not reveal the secret of another,
¹⁰Or one who hears it will put you to shame,
And the evil report about you will not ^[z]pass away.

¹¹Like apples of gold in settings of silver,
Is a ^(BI)word spoken at ^[aa]the proper time.
¹²Like ^[ab]an ^(BJ)earring of gold and a ^(BK)jewelry piece of ^(BL)fine gold,
Is a wise person who offers rebukes to a ^(BM)listening ear.
¹³Like the cold of snow in the ^[ac]time of harvest
Is a ^(BN)faithful messenger to those who send him,
For he refreshes the soul of his masters.
¹⁴Like ^(BO)clouds and ^(BP)wind without rain
Is a person who boasts ^[ad]of his gifts falsely.
¹⁵Through ^[ae]^(BQ)patience a ruler may be persuaded,
And a gentle tongue breaks bone.
¹⁶Have you ^(BR)found honey? Eat only ^[af]what you need,
So that you do not have it in excess and vomit it.
¹⁷Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor’s house,
Or he will become ^[ag]weary of you and hate you.
¹⁸Like a club, a ^(BS)sword, and a sharp ^(BT)arrow
Is a person who gives ^(BU)false testimony against his neighbor.
¹⁹Like a bad tooth and ^[ah]an unsteady foot
Is confidence in a ^(BV)treacherous person in time of trouble.
²⁰Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on ^[ai]soda,
Is one who sings songs to ^[aj]a troubled heart.
²¹^(BW)If ^[ak]your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
²²For you will ^[al]heap burning coals on his head,
And ^(BX)the Lord will reward you.
²³The north wind brings rain,
And a ^[am]^(BY)gossiping tongue brings an angry face.
²⁴It is ^(BZ)better to live on a corner of the roof,
Than ^[an]in a house shared with a contentious woman.
²⁵Like cold water to a weary soul,
So is ^(CA)good news from a distant land.
²⁶Like a ^(CB)trampled spring and a ^[ao]polluted well,
So is a righteous person who gives way before the wicked.
²⁷It is not good to eat much honey,
Nor is it glory to ^(CC)search out ^[ap]one’s own glory.
²⁸Like a ^(CD)city that is broken into and without walls
So is a person ^(CE)who has no self-control over his spirit.

Footnotes

Proverbs 24:2 Lit hearts
Proverbs 24:5 Lit in strength
Proverbs 24:5 Lit strengthens power
Proverbs 24:6 Lit make battle for yourself
Proverbs 24:8 Or deviser of evil
Proverbs 24:12 Lit bring back to
Proverbs 24:14 Lit latter end
Proverbs 24:18 Lit it is evil in His eyes
Proverbs 24:20 Lit latter end
Proverbs 24:21 Or revere
Proverbs 24:21 Or who change
Proverbs 24:23 Lit regard the face
Proverbs 24:26 Or an honest
Proverbs 24:29 Lit bring back
Proverbs 24:30 Lit an idle
Proverbs 24:30 Lit heart
Proverbs 24:32 Lit set my heart
Proverbs 24:34 Lit one who moves about
Proverbs 24:34 Lit a man with a shield
Proverbs 25:4 Lit dross
Proverbs 25:6 Lit of
Proverbs 25:8 Lit contend
Proverbs 25:8 Lit Lest
Proverbs 25:8 Lit its
Proverbs 25:9 Lit Contend
Proverbs 25:10 Lit return
Proverbs 25:11 Lit its time
Proverbs 25:12 Or a nose ring
Proverbs 25:13 Lit day
Proverbs 25:14 Lit in a gift of falsehood
Proverbs 25:15 Lit length of anger
Proverbs 25:16 Lit your sufficiency
Proverbs 25:17 Lit surfeited with
Proverbs 25:19 Lit a slipping foot
Proverbs 25:20 I.e., natron
Proverbs 25:20 Lit an evil
Proverbs 25:21 Lit one who hates you
Proverbs 25:22 Lit snatch up
Proverbs 25:23 Lit tongue of secrecy
Proverbs 25:24 Lit with a woman of contentions and a house of association
Proverbs 25:26 Lit ruined
Proverbs 25:27 Lit their

Psalm 41

New American Standard Bible

The Psalmist in Sickness Complains of Enemies and False Friends.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

41 Blessed is one who ^(A)considers the ^[a]helpless;
The Lord will save him ^(B)on a day of ^[b]trouble.
²The Lord will ^(C)protect him and keep him alive,
And he will be called ^[c]^(D)blessed upon the earth;
And ^(E)do not turn him over to the desire of his enemies.
³The Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed;
In his illness, You ^[d]restore him to health.

⁴As for me, I said, “Lord, be gracious to me;
^(F)Heal my soul, for ^(G)I have sinned against You.”
⁵My enemies ^(H)speak evil against me,
“When will he die, and his name perish?”
⁶And ^[e]when he comes to see me, he ^(I)speaks ^[f]empty words;
His heart gathers wickedness to itself;
When he goes outside, he tells it.
⁷All who hate me whisper together against me;
They ^(J)plot my harm against me, saying,
⁸“A wicked thing is poured out ^[g]upon him,
So that when he lies down, he will ^(K)not get up again.”
⁹Even my ^[h]^(L)close friend in whom I trusted,
Who ate my bread,
Has lifted up his heel against me.

¹⁰But You, Lord, be gracious to me and ^(M)raise me up,
That I may repay them.
¹¹By this I know that ^(N)You are pleased with me,
Because ^(O)my enemy does not shout in triumph over me.
¹²As for me, ^(P)You uphold me in my integrity,
And You place me ^(Q)in Your presence forever.

¹³^(R)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
From everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.

Footnotes

Psalm 41:1 Or poor
Psalm 41:1 Or evil
Psalm 41:2 Or happy
Psalm 41:3 Lit turn all his bed
Psalm 41:6 Or if he
Psalm 41:6 Lit worthlessness
Psalm 41:8 Or within
Psalm 41:9 Lit man of peace

1 Thessalonians 2

New American Standard Bible

Paul’s Ministry

2 For you yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our ^[a]^(A)reception among you ^(B)was not in vain, ²but after we had already suffered and been ^(C)treated abusively in ^(D)Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God ^(E)to speak to you the ^(F)gospel of God ^[b]amid much ^[c]^(G)opposition. ³For our ^(H)exhortation does not come from ^(I)error or ^(J)impurity or ^[d]by way of ^(K)deceit; ⁴^(L)but just as we have been approved by God to be ^(M)entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, ^(N)not intending to please people, but to please God, who ^[e]^(O)examines our hearts. ⁵For we never came ^[f]with flattering speech, as you know, nor with ^(P)a pretext ^[g]for greed—^(Q)God is our witness— ⁶nor did we ^(R)seek honor from people, either from you or from others, though ^[h]we could have ^[i]asserted our authority as ^(S)apostles of Christ. ⁷But we ^[j]proved to be ^[k]^(T)gentle ^[l]among you. ^(U)As a nursing mother ^[m]tenderly cares for her own children, ⁸in the same way we had a fond affection for you and were delighted to ^(V)share with you not only the ^(W)gospel of God, but also our own ^[n]lives, because you had become ^[o]very dear to us.

⁹For you recall, brothers and sisters, our ^(X)labor and hardship: it was by ^(Y)working night and day so as not to be a ^(Z)burden to any of you, that we proclaimed to you the ^(AA)gospel of God. ¹⁰You are witnesses, and so is ^(AB)God, of ^(AC)how devoutly and rightly and blamelessly we ^[p]behaved toward you ^[q]believers; ¹¹just as you know how we were ^(AD)exhorting and encouraging and ^(AE)imploring each one of you as ^(AF)a father would his own children, ¹²so that you would ^(AG)walk in a manner worthy of the God who ^(AH)calls you into His own kingdom and ^(AI)glory.

¹³For this reason we also constantly ^(AJ)thank God that when you received the ^(AK)word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it ^(AL)not as the word of mere men, but as what it really is, the word of God, ^(AM)which also is at work in you who believe. ¹⁴For you, brothers and sisters, became ^(AN)imitators of ^(AO)the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are ^(AP)in Judea, for ^(AQ)you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, ^(AR)even as they did from the Jews, ¹⁵^(AS)who both killed the Lord Jesus and ^(AT)the prophets, and ^[r]drove us out. ^[s]They are not pleasing to God, ^[t]but hostile to all people, ¹⁶^(AU)hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles ^(AV)so that they may be saved; with the result that they always ^[u]^(AW)reach the limit of their sins. But ^(AX)wrath has come upon them ^[v]fully.

¹⁷But we, brothers and sisters, having been orphaned from you by absence for a ^[w]short while—^(AY)in ^[x]person, not in ^[y]spirit—were all the more eager with great desire ^(AZ)to see your face. ¹⁸^[z]For ^(BA)we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, ^[aa]^(BB)more than once—and ^(BC)Satan ^(BD)hindered us. ¹⁹For who is our hope, or ^(BE)joy or crown of pride, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His ^[ab]^(BF)coming? Or is it not indeed you? ²⁰For you are ^(BG)our glory and joy.