27 ^(A)Never boast about tomorrow. You don't know what will happen between now and then.

² Let other people praise you—even strangers; never do it yourself.

³ The weight of stone and sand is nothing compared to the trouble that stupidity can cause.

⁴ Anger is cruel and destructive, but it is nothing compared to jealousy.

⁵ Better to correct someone openly than to let him think you don't care for him at all.

⁶ Friends mean well, even when they hurt you. But when an enemy puts his arm around your shoulder—watch out!

⁷ When you are full, you will refuse honey, but when you are hungry, even bitter food tastes sweet.

⁸ Anyone away from home is like a bird away from its nest.

⁹ Perfume and fragrant oils make you feel happier, but trouble shatters your peace of mind.^[a]

¹⁰ Do not forget your friends or your father's friends. If you are in trouble, don't ask a relative for help; a nearby neighbor can help you more than relatives who are far away.

¹¹ Be wise, my child, and I will be happy; I will have an answer for anyone who criticizes me.

¹² Sensible people will see trouble coming and avoid it, but an unthinking person will walk right into it and regret it later.

¹³ Any people stupid enough to promise to be responsible for a stranger's debts^[b] deserve to have their own property held to guarantee payment.

¹⁴ You might as well curse your friends as wake them up early in the morning with a loud greeting.

¹⁵ A nagging wife is like water going drip-drip-drip on a rainy day. ¹⁶ How can you keep her quiet? Have you ever tried to stop the wind or ever tried to hold a handful of oil?^[c]

¹⁷ People learn from one another, just as iron sharpens iron.

¹⁸ Take care of a fig tree and you will have figs to eat. Servants who take care of their master will be honored.

¹⁹ It is your own face that you see reflected in the water and it is your own self that you see in your heart.

²⁰ Human desires are like the world of the dead—there is always room for more.

²¹ Fire tests gold and silver; a person's reputation can also be tested.

²² Even if you beat fools half to death, you still can't beat their foolishness out of them.

²³ Look after your sheep and cattle as carefully as you can, ²⁴ because wealth is not permanent. Not even nations last forever. ²⁵ You cut the hay and then cut the grass on the hillsides while the next crop of hay is growing. ²⁶ You can make clothes from the wool of your sheep and buy land with the money you get from selling some of your goats. ²⁷ The rest of the goats will provide milk for you and your family, and for your servant women as well.

28 The wicked run when no one is chasing them, but an honest person is as brave as a lion.

² When a nation sins, it will have one ruler after another. But a nation will be strong and endure when it has intelligent, sensible leaders.

³ Someone in authority who oppresses poor people is like a driving rain that destroys the crops.

⁴ If you have no regard for the law, you are on the side of the wicked; but if you obey it, you are against them.

⁵ Evil people do not know what justice is, but those who worship the Lord understand it well.

⁶ Better to be poor and honest than rich and dishonest.

⁷ Young people who obey the law are intelligent. Those who make friends with good-for-nothings are a disgrace to their parents.

⁸ If you get rich by charging interest and taking advantage of people, your wealth will go to someone who is kind to the poor.

⁹ If you do not obey the law, God will find your prayers too hateful to hear.

¹⁰ If you trick an honest person into doing evil, you will fall into your own trap.

The innocent will be well rewarded.

¹¹ Rich people always think they are wise, but a poor person who has insight into character knows better.

¹² When good people come to power, everybody celebrates, but when bad people rule, people stay in hiding.

¹³ You will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins. Confess them and give them up; then God will show mercy to you.

¹⁴ Always obey the Lord and you will be happy. If you are stubborn, you will be ruined.

¹⁵ Poor people are helpless against a wicked ruler; he is as dangerous as a growling lion or a prowling bear.

¹⁶ A ruler without good sense will be a cruel tyrant. One who hates dishonesty will rule a long time.

¹⁷ Someone guilty of murder is digging his own grave as fast as he can. Don't try to stop him.

¹⁸ Be honest and you will be safe. If you are dishonest, you will suddenly fall.

¹⁹ A hard-working farmer has plenty to eat. People who waste time will always be poor.

²⁰ Honest people will lead a full, happy life. But if you are in a hurry to get rich, you are going to be punished.

²¹ Prejudice is wrong. But some judges will do wrong to get even the smallest bribe.

²² Selfish people are in such a hurry to get rich that they do not know when poverty is about to strike.

²³ Correct someone, and afterward he will appreciate it more than flattery.

²⁴ Anyone who thinks it isn't wrong to steal from his parents is no better than a common thief.

²⁵ Selfishness only causes trouble. You are much better off to trust the Lord.

²⁶ It is foolish to follow your own opinions. Be safe, and follow the teachings of wiser people.

²⁷ Give to the poor and you will never be in need. If you close your eyes to the poor, many people will curse you.

²⁸ People stay in hiding when the wicked come to power. But when they fall from power, the righteous will rule again.

29 If you get more stubborn every time you are corrected, one day you will be crushed and never recover.

² Show me a righteous ruler and I will show you a happy people. Show me a wicked ruler and I will show you a miserable people.

³ If you appreciate wisdom, your parents will be proud of you.

It is a foolish waste to spend money on prostitutes.

⁴ When the king is concerned with justice, the nation will be strong, but when he is only concerned with money, he will ruin his country.

⁵ If you flatter your friends, you set a trap for yourself.^[d]

⁶ Evil people are trapped in their own sins, while honest people are happy and free.

⁷ A good person knows the rights of the poor, but wicked people cannot understand such things.

⁸ People with no regard for others can throw whole cities into turmoil. Those who are wise keep things calm.

⁹ When an intelligent person brings a lawsuit against a fool, the fool only laughs and becomes loud and abusive.

¹⁰ Bloodthirsty people hate anyone who's honest, but righteous people will protect^[e] the life of such a person.

¹¹ Stupid people express their anger openly, but sensible people are patient and hold it back.

¹² If a ruler pays attention to false information, all his officials will be liars.

¹³ A poor person and his oppressor have this in common—the Lord gave eyes to both of them.

¹⁴ If a king defends the rights of the poor, he will rule for a long time.

¹⁵ Correction and discipline are good for children. If they have their own way, they will make their mothers ashamed of them.

¹⁶ When evil people are in power, crime increases. But the righteous will live to see the downfall of such people.

¹⁷ Discipline your children and you can always be proud of them. They will never give you reason to be ashamed.

¹⁸ A nation without God's guidance is a nation without order. Happy are those who keep God's law!

^19 (B)You cannot correct servants just by talking to them. They may understand you, but they will pay no attention.

²⁰ There is more hope for a stupid fool than for someone who speaks without thinking.

²¹ If you give your servants everything they want from childhood on, some day they will take over everything you own.^[f]

²² People with quick tempers cause a lot of quarreling and trouble.

²³ Arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.

²⁴ A thief's partner is his own worst enemy. He will be punished if he tells the truth in court, and God will curse him if he doesn't.

²⁵ It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you, but if you trust the Lord, you are safe.

²⁶ Everybody wants the good will of the ruler, but only from the Lord can you get justice.

²⁷ The righteous hate the wicked, and the wicked hate the righteous.

4 Now, God has offered us the promise that we may receive that rest he spoke about. Let us take care, then, that none of you will be found to have failed to receive that promised rest. ² For we have heard the Good News, just as they did. They heard the message, but it did them no good, because when they heard it, they did not accept it with faith. ^3 (A)We who believe, then, do receive that rest which God promised. It is just as he said,

^4 (B)For somewhere in the Scriptures this is said about the seventh day: “God rested on the seventh day from all his work.” ^5 (C)This same matter is spoken of again: “They will never enter that land where I would have given them rest.” ⁶ Those who first heard the Good News did not receive that rest, because they did not believe. There are, then, others who are allowed to receive it. ^7 (D)This is shown by the fact that God sets another day, which is called “Today.” Many years later he spoke of it through David in the scripture already quoted:

^8 (E)If Joshua had given the people the rest that God had promised, God would not have spoken later about another day. ⁹ As it is, however, there still remains for God's people a rest like God's resting on the seventh day. ^10 (F)For those who receive that rest which God promised will rest from their own work, just as God rested from his. ¹¹ Let us, then, do our best to receive that rest, so that no one of us will fail as they did because of their lack of faith.

¹² The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart. ^13 (G)There is nothing that can be hid from God; everything in all creation is exposed and lies open before his eyes. And it is to him that we must all give an account of ourselves.

Jesus the Great High Priest

¹⁴ Let us, then, hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we have a great High Priest who has gone into the very presence of God—Jesus, the Son of God. ¹⁵ Our High Priest is not one who cannot feel sympathy for our weaknesses. On the contrary, we have a High Priest who was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us have confidence, then, and approach God's throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.