
Proverbs 19 The Message (MSG)If You Quit Listening19 Better to be poor and honest 2 Ignorant zeal is worthless; 3 People ruin their lives by their own stupidity, 4 Wealth attracts friends as honey draws flies, 5 Perjury won’t go unpunished. 6 Lots of people flock around a generous person; 7 When you’re down on your luck, even your family avoids you— 8 Grow a wise heart—you’ll do yourself a favor; 9 The person who tells lies gets caught; 10 Blockheads shouldn’t live on easy street 11 Smart people know how to hold their tongue; 12 Mean-tempered leaders are like mad dogs; 13 A parent is worn to a frazzle by a stupid child; 14 House and land are handed down from parents, 15 Life collapses on loafers; 16 Keep the rules and keep your life; 17 Mercy to the needy is a loan to God, 18 Discipline your children while you still have the chance; 19 Let angry people endure the backlash of their own anger; 20 Take good counsel and accept correction— 21 We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, 22 It’s only human to want to make a buck, 23 Fear-of-God is life itself, 24 Some people dig a fork into the pie 25 Punish the insolent—make an example of them. 26 Kids who lash out against their parents 27 If you quit listening, dear child, and strike off on your own, 28 An unprincipled witness desecrates justice; 29 The irreverent have to learn reverence the hard way;
The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson |
Proverbs 20 The Message (MSG)Deep Water in the Heart20 Wine makes you mean, beer makes you quarrelsome— 2 Quick-tempered leaders are like mad dogs— 3 It’s a mark of good character to avert quarrels, 4 A farmer too lazy to plant in the spring 5 Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart; 6 Lots of people claim to be loyal and loving, 7 God-loyal people, living honest lives, 8-9 Leaders who know their business and care 10 Switching price tags and padding the expense account 11 Young people eventually reveal by their actions Drinking from the Chalice of Knowledge12 Ears that hear and eyes that see— 13 Don’t be too fond of sleep; you’ll end up in the poorhouse. 14 The shopper says, “That’s junk—I’ll take it off your hands,” 15 Drinking from the beautiful chalice of knowledge 16 Hold tight to collateral on any loan to a stranger; 17 Stolen bread tastes sweet, 18 Form your purpose by asking for counsel, 19 Gossips can’t keep secrets, 20 Anyone who curses father and mother The Very Steps We Take21 A bonanza at the beginning 22 Don’t ever say, “I’ll get you for that!” 23 God hates cheating in the marketplace; 24 The very steps we take come from God; 25 An impulsive vow is a trap; 26 After careful scrutiny, a wise leader 27 God is in charge of human life, 28 Love and truth form a good leader; 29 Youth may be admired for vigor, 30 A good thrashing purges evil;
The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson |
Proverbs 21 The Message (MSG)God Examines Our Motives21 Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God; 2 We justify our actions by appearances; 3 Clean living before God and justice with our neighbors 4 Arrogance and pride—distinguishing marks in the wicked— 5 Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; 6 Make it to the top by lying and cheating; 7 The wicked get buried alive by their loot 8 Mixed motives twist life into tangles; Do Your Best, Prepare for the Worst9 Better to live alone in a tumbledown shack 10 Wicked souls love to make trouble; 11 Simpletons only learn the hard way, 12 A God-loyal person will see right through the wicked 13 If you stop your ears to the cries of the poor, 14 A quietly given gift soothes an irritable person; 15 Good people celebrate when justice triumphs, 16 Whoever wanders off the straight and narrow 17 You’re addicted to thrills? What an empty life! 18 What a bad person plots against the good, boomerangs; 19 Better to live in a tent in the wild 20 Valuables are safe in a wise person’s home; 21 Whoever goes hunting for what is right and kind 22 One sage entered a whole city of armed soldiers— 23 Watch your words and hold your tongue; 24 You know their names—Brash, Impudent, Blasphemer— 25 Lazy people finally die of hunger 26 Sinners are always wanting what they don’t have; 27 Religious performance by the wicked stinks; 28 A lying witness is unconvincing; 29 Unscrupulous people fake it a lot; 30 Nothing clever, nothing conceived, nothing contrived, 31 Do your best, prepare for the worst—
The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson |
Romans 13 The Message (MSG)To Be a Responsible Citizen13 1-3 Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it’s God’s order. So live responsibly as a citizen. If you’re irresponsible to the state, then you’re irresponsible with God, and God will hold you responsible. Duly constituted authorities are only a threat if you’re trying to get by with something. Decent citizens should have nothing to fear. 3-5 Do you want to be on good terms with the government? Be a responsible citizen and you’ll get on just fine, the government working to your advantage. But if you’re breaking the rules right and left, watch out. The police aren’t there just to be admired in their uniforms. God also has an interest in keeping order, and he uses them to do it. That’s why you must live responsibly—not just to avoid punishment but also because it’s the right way to live. 6-7 That’s also why you pay taxes—so that an orderly way of life can be maintained. Fulfill your obligations as a citizen. Pay your taxes, pay your bills, respect your leaders. 8-10 Don’t run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along. The law code—don’t sleep with another person’s spouse, don’t take someone’s life, don’t take what isn’t yours, don’t always be wanting what you don’t have, and any other “don’t” you can think of—finally adds up to this: Love other people as well as you do yourself. You can’t go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love. 11-14 But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!
The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson |