Psalm 25:11-20
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
11 For the sake of your name, Lord,
pardon my guilt, though it is great.
12 Who is the one who fears the Lord?
God shows him the way he should choose.(A)
13 He will abide in prosperity,
and his descendants will inherit the land.(B)
14 The counsel of the Lord belongs to those who fear him;
and his covenant instructs them.
15 My eyes are ever upon the Lord,
who frees my feet from the snare.(C)
III
16 Look upon me, have pity on me,
for I am alone and afflicted.(D)
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart;
bring me out of my distress.
18 Look upon my affliction and suffering;
take away all my sins.
19 See how many are my enemies,
see how fiercely they hate me.
20 Preserve my soul and rescue me;
do not let me be disgraced, for in you I seek refuge.
Proverbs 19:1-17
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 19
1 Better to be poor and walk in integrity
than rich and crooked in one’s ways.(A)
2 Desire without knowledge is not good;
and whoever acts hastily, blunders.[a]
3 Their own folly leads people astray;
in their hearts they rage against the Lord.[b]
4 Wealth adds many friends,
but the poor are left friendless.(B)
5 The false witness will not go unpunished,
and whoever utters lies will not escape.[c](C)
6 Many curry favor with a noble;
everybody is a friend of a gift giver.
7 All the kin of the poor despise them;
how much more do their friends shun them![d]
8 Those who gain sense truly love themselves;
those who preserve understanding will find success.[e]
9 The false witness will not go unpunished,
and whoever utters lies will perish.
10 Luxury is not befitting a fool;
much less should a slave rule over princes.
11 It is good sense to be slow to anger,
and an honor to overlook an offense.[f]
12 The king’s wrath is like the roar of a lion,
but his favor, like dew on the grass.[g](D)
13 The foolish son is ruin to his father,(E)
and a quarrelsome wife is water constantly dripping.[h]
14 Home and possessions are an inheritance from parents,
but a prudent wife is from the Lord.(F)
15 Laziness brings on deep sleep,
and the sluggard goes hungry.(G)
16 Those who keep commands keep their lives,
but those who despise these ways will die.(H)
17 Whoever cares for the poor lends to the Lord,(I)
who will pay back the sum in full.
Footnotes
- 19:2 When not guided by wisdom, appetite—or desire—is not good. “Running feet” (so the Hebrew) miss the mark, i.e., do not reach their destination.
- 19:3 One’s own folly destroys one’s life. It is an indication of that folly that one blames God rather than oneself.
- 19:5 The punishment fits the crime: those who abuse the legal system will be punished by the same system. They will not be acquitted.
- 19:7 Closely related to vv. 4 and 6. An observation, not without sympathy, on the social isolation of poor people.
- 19:8 Wisdom benefits the one who practices it.
- 19:11 The paradox is that one obtains one thing by giving up another.
- 19:12 An observation on the exercise of royal power. Both images suggest royal attitudes are beyond human control. Colon A is a variant of 20:2a and colon B of 16:15b.
- 19:13 One of many sayings about domestic happiness. The perspective is male; the two greatest pains to a father is a malicious son and an unsuitable wife. The immediately following saying is on the noble wife, perhaps to make a positive statement about women.
1 John 3:11-17
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
III. Love for One Another
11 [a]For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: we should love one another,(A) 12 unlike Cain who belonged to the evil one and slaughtered his brother. Why did he slaughter him? Because his own works were evil, and those of his brother righteous.(B) 13 Do not be amazed, [then,] brothers, if the world hates you.(C) 14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. Whoever does not love remains in death.(D) 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.(E) 16 The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.(F) 17 If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him?(G)
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 3:11–18 Love, even to the point of self-sacrifice, is the point of the commandment. The story of Cain and Abel (1 Jn 3:12–15; Gn 4:1–16) presents the rivalry of two brothers, in a contrast of evil and righteousness, where envy led to murder. For Christians, proof of deliverance is love toward others, after the example of Christ. This includes concrete acts of charity, out of our material abundance.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.