Bible in 90 Days
Psalm 135
Praise for God’s Goodness and Might
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord;
give praise, O servants of the Lord,
2 you who stand in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.(A)
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing to his name, for he is gracious.(B)
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his own possession.(C)
5 For I know that the Lord is great;
our Lord is above all gods.(D)
6 Whatever the Lord pleases he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.(E)
7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth;
he makes lightnings for the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.(F)
8 He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
both humans and animals;(G)
9 he sent signs and wonders
into your midst, O Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.(H)
10 He struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings—(I)
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan—(J)
12 and gave their land as a heritage,
a heritage to his people Israel.(K)
13 Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages.(L)
14 For the Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.(M)
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.(N)
16 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
they have eyes, but they do not see;
17 they have ears, but they do not hear,
a nose, but there is no breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them
and all who trust them
shall become like them.
19 O house of Israel, bless the Lord!
O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!(O)
20 O house of Levi, bless the Lord!
You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!(P)
21 Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
he who resides in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!(Q)
Psalm 136
God’s Work in Creation and in History
1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.(R)
2 O give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.(S)
3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
4 who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(T)
5 who by understanding made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(U)
6 who spread out the earth on the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(V)
7 who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(W)
8 the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(X)
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
10 who struck Egypt through their firstborn,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(Y)
11 and brought Israel out from among them,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(Z)
12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(AA)
13 who divided the Red Sea[a] in two,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(AB)
14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(AC)
15 but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea,[b]
for his steadfast love endures forever;(AD)
16 who led his people through the wilderness,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(AE)
who made water flow from the rock,
for his steadfast love endures forever;[c]
17 who struck down great kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(AF)
18 and killed famous kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
20 and Og, king of Bashan,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
21 and gave their land as a heritage,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(AG)
22 a heritage to his servant Israel,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(AH)
24 and rescued us from our foes,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(AI)
25 who gives food to all flesh,
for his steadfast love endures forever.(AJ)
26 O give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Psalm 137
Lament over the Destruction of Jerusalem
1 By the rivers of Babylon—
there we sat down, and there we wept
when we remembered Zion.(AK)
2 On the willows[d] there
we hung up our harps.
3 For there our captors
asked us for songs,
and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”(AL)
4 How could we sing the Lord’s song
in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand wither!
6 Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
above my highest joy.(AM)
7 Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites
the day of Jerusalem’s fall,
how they said, “Tear it down! Tear it down!
Down to its foundations!”(AN)
8 O daughter Babylon, you devastator![e]
Happy shall they be who pay you back
what you have done to us!(AO)
9 Happy shall they be who take your little ones
and dash them against the rock!(AP)
Psalm 138
Thanksgiving and Praise
Of David.
1 I give you thanks, O Lord,[f] with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;(AQ)
2 I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted your name and your word
above everything.[g](AR)
3 On the day I called, you answered me;
you increased my strength of soul.[h](AS)
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth.(AT)
5 They shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he perceives from far away.(AU)
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
and your right hand delivers me.(AV)
8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.(AW)
Psalm 139
The Inescapable God
To the leader. Of David. A Psalm.
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me.(AX)
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.(AY)
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.(AZ)
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
O Lord, you know it completely.(BA)
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.(BB)
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it.(BC)
7 Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?(BD)
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.(BE)
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.(BF)
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and night wraps itself around me,”[i](BG)
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.(BH)
13 For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.(BI)
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.(BJ)
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.(BK)
16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed.[j]
17 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!(BL)
18 I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
I come to the end[k]—I am still with you.
19 O that you would kill the wicked, O God,
and that the bloodthirsty would depart from me—(BM)
20 those who speak of you maliciously
and lift themselves up against you for evil
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?(BO)
22 I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my thoughts.(BP)
24 See if there is any wicked[m] way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.[n](BQ)
Psalm 140
Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies
To the leader. A Psalm of David.
1 Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers;
protect me from those who are violent,(BR)
2 who plan evil things in their minds
and stir up wars continually.(BS)
3 They make their tongue sharp as a snake’s,
and under their lips is the venom of vipers. Selah(BT)
4 Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
protect me from the violent
who have planned my downfall.(BU)
5 The arrogant have hidden a trap for me,
and with cords they have spread a net,[o]
along the road they have set snares for me. Selah(BV)
6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God;
give ear, O Lord, to the voice of my supplications.”(BW)
7 O Lord, my Lord, my strong deliverer,
you have covered my head in the day of battle.(BX)
8 Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
do not further their evil plot.[p] Selah(BY)
9 Those who surround me lift up their heads;[q]
let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!(BZ)
10 Let burning coals fall on them!
Let them be flung into pits, no more to rise!(CA)
11 Do not let the slanderer be established in the land;
let evil speedily hunt down the violent!(CB)
12 I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy
and executes justice for the poor.(CC)
13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
the upright shall live in your presence.(CD)
Psalm 141
Prayer for Preservation from Evil
A Psalm of David.
1 I call upon you, O Lord; come quickly to me;
give ear to my voice when I call to you.(CE)
2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you
and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.(CF)
3 Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Do not turn my heart to any evil,
to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with those who work iniquity;
do not let me eat of their delicacies.(CG)
5 Let the righteous strike me;
let the faithful correct me.
Never let the oil of the wicked anoint my head,[r]
for my prayer is continually[s] against their wicked deeds.(CH)
6 When they are given over to those who shall condemn them,
then they shall learn that my words were pleasant.
7 Like a rock that one breaks apart and shatters on the land,
so shall their bones be strewn at the mouth of Sheol.[t](CI)
8 But my eyes are turned toward you, O God, my Lord;
in you I seek refuge; do not leave me defenseless.(CJ)
9 Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me
and from the snares of evildoers.(CK)
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I alone escape.(CL)
Psalm 142
Prayer for Deliverance from Persecutors
A Maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A Prayer.
1 With my voice I cry to the Lord;
with my voice I make supplication to the Lord.(CM)
2 I pour out my complaint before him;
I tell my trouble before him.(CN)
3 When my spirit is faint,
you know my way.
In the path where I walk,
they have hidden a trap for me.(CO)
4 Look on my right hand and see:
there is no one who takes notice of me;
no refuge remains to me;
no one cares for me.(CP)
5 I cry to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”(CQ)
6 Listen to my cry,
for I am brought very low.
Save me from my persecutors,
for they are too strong for me.(CR)
7 Bring me out of prison,
so that I may give thanks to your name.
The righteous will surround me,
for you will deal bountifully with me.(CS)
Psalm 143
Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies
A Psalm of David.
1 Hear my prayer, O Lord;
give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness;
answer me in your righteousness.(CT)
2 Do not enter into judgment with your servant,
for no one living is righteous before you.(CU)
3 For the enemy has pursued me,
crushing my life to the ground,
making me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit faints within me;
my heart within me is appalled.(CV)
5 I remember the days of old;
I think about all your deeds;
I meditate on the works of your hands.(CW)
6 I stretch out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah(CX)
7 Answer me quickly, O Lord;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me,
or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.(CY)
8 Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning,
for in you I put my trust.
Teach me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.(CZ)
9 Save me, O Lord, from my enemies;
I have fled to you for refuge.[u](DA)
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
Let your good spirit lead me
on a level path.(DB)
11 For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life.
In your righteousness bring me out of trouble.(DC)
12 In your steadfast love cut off my enemies,
and destroy all my adversaries,
for I am your servant.(DD)
Psalm 144
Prayer for National Deliverance and Security
Of David.
1 Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle,(DE)
2 my rock[v] and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
who subdues the peoples[w] under me.(DF)
3 O Lord, what are humans that you regard them,
or mortals that you think of them?(DG)
4 They are like a breath;
their days are like a passing shadow.(DH)
5 Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down;
touch the mountains so that they smoke.(DI)
6 Make the lightning flash and scatter them;
send out your arrows and rout them.(DJ)
7 Stretch out your hand from on high;
set me free and rescue me from the mighty waters,
from the hand of foreigners,(DK)
8 whose mouths speak lies
and whose right hands are false.(DL)
9 I will sing a new song to you, O God;
upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,(DM)
10 the one who gives victory to kings,
who rescues his servant David.(DN)
11 Rescue me from the cruel sword,
and deliver me from the hand of aliens,
whose mouths speak lies,
and whose right hands are false.(DO)
12 May our sons in their youth
be like plants full grown,
our daughters like corner pillars,
cut for the building of a palace.(DP)
13 May our barns be filled
with produce of every kind;
may our sheep increase by thousands,
by tens of thousands in our fields,
14 and may our cattle be heavy with young.
May there be no breach in the walls,[x] no exile,
and no cry of distress in our streets.
15 Happy are the people to whom such blessings fall;
happy are the people whose God is the Lord.(DQ)
Psalm 145
The Greatness and the Goodness of God
Praise. Of David.
1 I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.(DR)
3 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.(DS)
4 One generation shall extol your works to another
and shall declare your mighty acts.(DT)
5 They will recount the glorious[y] splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works I will meditate.(DU)
6 They will proclaim the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.(DV)
7 They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.(DW)
8 The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.(DX)
9 The Lord is good to all,
and his compassion is over all that he has made.(DY)
10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your faithful shall bless you.(DZ)
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
12 to make known to all people your[z] mighty deeds
and the glorious splendor of your[aa] kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and gracious in all his deeds.[ab](EA)
14 The Lord upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.(EB)
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.(EC)
16 You open your hand,
satisfying the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is just in all his ways
and kind in all his doings.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.(ED)
19 He fulfills the desire of all who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.(EE)
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.(EF)
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.
Psalm 146
Praise for God’s Help
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!(EG)
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.(EH)
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortals, in whom there is no help.(EI)
4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
on that very day their plans perish.(EJ)
5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God,(EK)
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;(EL)
7 who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;(EM)
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.(EN)
9 The Lord watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.(EO)
10 The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!(EP)
Psalm 147
Praise for God’s Care for Jerusalem
1 Praise the Lord!
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.(EQ)
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.(ER)
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.(ES)
4 He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.(ET)
5 Great is our Lord and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.(EU)
6 The Lord lifts up the downtrodden;
he casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre.
8 He covers the heavens with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
makes grass grow on the hills.(EV)
9 He gives to the animals their food
and to the young ravens when they cry.(EW)
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse
nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner,[ac](EX)
11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
12 Extol the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you.
14 He grants peace[ad] within your borders;
he fills you with the finest of wheat.(EY)
15 He sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.(EZ)
16 He gives snow like wool;
he scatters frost like ashes.(FA)
17 He hurls down hail like crumbs—
who can stand before his cold?
18 He sends out his word and melts them;
he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.(FB)
19 He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and ordinances to Israel.(FC)
20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his ordinances.
Praise the Lord!(FD)
Psalm 148
Praise for God’s Universal Glory
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his host!(FE)
3 Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the heavens!(FF)
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he commanded and they were created.(FG)
6 He established them forever and ever;
he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.[ae](FH)
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea monsters and all deeps,(FI)
8 fire and hail, snow and frost,
stormy wind fulfilling his command!(FJ)
9 Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!(FK)
10 Wild animals and all cattle,
creeping things and flying birds!
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and women alike,
old and young together!
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above earth and heaven.(FL)
14 He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his faithful,
for the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the Lord!(FM)
Psalm 149
Praise for God’s Goodness to Israel
1 Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.(FN)
2 Let Israel be glad in its Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.(FO)
3 Let them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.(FP)
4 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with victory.(FQ)
5 Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy on their couches.(FR)
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats
and two-edged swords in their hands,(FS)
7 to execute vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with fetters
and their nobles with chains of iron,
9 to execute on them the judgment decreed.
This is glory for all his faithful ones.
Praise the Lord!(FT)
Psalm 150
Praise for God’s Surpassing Greatness
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty firmament
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his surpassing greatness!(FV)
3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!(FW)
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!(FX)
5 Praise him with clanging cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!(FY)
6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:(FZ)
Prologue
2 For learning about wisdom and instruction,
for understanding words of insight,
3 for gaining instruction in wise dealing,
righteousness, justice, and equity;(GA)
4 to teach shrewdness to the simple,
knowledge and prudence to the young—(GB)
5 let the wise, too, hear and gain in learning
and the discerning acquire skill,(GC)
6 to understand a proverb and a figure,
the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.(GD)
Warnings against Evil Companions
8 Hear, my child, your father’s instruction,
and do not reject your mother’s teaching,(GE)
9 for they are a fair garland for your head
and pendants for your neck.(GF)
10 My child, if sinners entice you,
do not consent.(GG)
11 If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood;
let us wantonly ambush the innocent;(GH)
12 like Sheol let us swallow them alive
and whole, like those who go down to the Pit.(GI)
13 We shall find all kinds of costly things;
we shall fill our houses with spoil.
14 Throw in your lot among us;
we will all have one purse”—
15 my child, do not walk in their way;
keep your foot from their paths,(GJ)
16 for their feet run to evil,
and they hurry to shed blood.(GK)
17 For in vain is the net baited
while the bird is looking on;
18 yet they lie in wait—to kill themselves!
and set an ambush—for their own lives!
19 Such is the end[ag] of all who are greedy for gain;
it takes away the life of its possessors.(GL)
The Call of Wisdom
20 Wisdom cries out in the street;
in the squares she raises her voice.(GM)
21 At the busiest corner she cries out;
at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
and fools hate knowledge?(GN)
23 Give heed to my reproof;
I will pour out my thoughts to you;
I will make my words known to you.(GO)
24 Because I have called and you refused,
have stretched out my hand and no one heeded,(GP)
25 and because you have ignored all my counsel
and would have none of my reproof,(GQ)
26 I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when panic strikes you,(GR)
27 when panic strikes you like a storm
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently but will not find me.(GS)
29 Because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
30 would have none of my counsel
and despised all my reproof,(GT)
31 therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way
and be sated with their own devices.(GU)
32 For waywardness kills the simple,
and the complacency of fools destroys them;(GV)
33 but those who listen to me will be secure
and will live at ease without dread of disaster.”(GW)
The Value of Wisdom
2 My child, if you accept my words
and treasure up my commandments within you,(GX)
2 making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding,
3 if you indeed cry out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures—(GY)
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.(GZ)
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;(HA)
7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk blamelessly,(HB)
8 guarding the paths of justice
and preserving the way of his faithful ones.(HC)
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path,(HD)
10 for wisdom will come into your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11 prudence will watch over you,
and understanding will guard you.
12 It will save you from the way of evil,
from those who speak perversely,
13 who forsake the paths of uprightness
to walk in the ways of darkness,(HE)
14 who rejoice in doing evil
and delight in the perverseness of evil,(HF)
15 those whose paths are crooked
and who are devious in their ways.(HG)
16 You will be saved from the loose woman,[ah]
from the adulteress[ai] with her smooth words,(HH)
17 who forsakes the partner of her youth
and forgets her sacred covenant,
18 for her way[aj] leads down to death
and her paths to the shades;(HI)
19 those who go to her never come back,
nor do they regain the paths of life.
20 Therefore walk in the way of the good,
and keep to the paths of the just.
21 For the upright will abide in the land,
and the innocent will remain in it,(HJ)
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the earth,
and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.(HK)
Admonition to Trust and Honor God
3 My child, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments,(HL)
2 for length of days and years of life
and abundant welfare they will give you.(HM)
3 Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.(HN)
4 Then you will find favor and high regard
in the sight of God and of people.(HO)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.(HP)
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.(HQ)
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and turn away from evil.(HR)
8 It will be a healing for your flesh
and a refreshment for your body.(HS)
9 Honor the Lord with your substance
and with the first fruits of all your produce;(HT)
10 then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.
11 My child, do not despise the Lord’s discipline
or be weary of his reproof,(HU)
12 for the Lord reproves the one he loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights.(HV)
The True Wealth
13 Happy are those who find wisdom
and those who get understanding,
14 for her income is better than silver
and her revenue better than gold.(HW)
15 She is more precious than jewels,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.(HX)
16 Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.(HY)
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace.(HZ)
18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called happy.(IA)
God’s Wisdom in Creation
19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding he established the heavens;(IB)
20 by his knowledge the deeps broke open,
and the clouds drop down the dew.(IC)
The True Security
21 My child, do not let these escape from your sight:
keep sound wisdom and prudence,
22 and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.(ID)
23 Then you will walk on your way securely,
and your foot will not stumble.(IE)
24 If you sit down,[ak] you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25 Then you will not be afraid of sudden panic
or of the storm that strikes the wicked,(IF)
26 for the Lord will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being caught.
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,[al]
when it is in your power to do it.(IG)
28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go and come again;
tomorrow I will give it,” when you have it with you.(IH)
29 Do not plan harm against your neighbor
who lives trustingly beside you.(II)
30 Do not quarrel with anyone without cause,
when no harm has been done to you.(IJ)
31 Do not envy the violent,
and do not choose any of their ways,(IK)
32 for the perverse are an abomination to the Lord,
but the upright are in his confidence.(IL)
33 The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the abode of the righteous.(IM)
34 Toward the scorners he is scornful,
but to the humble he shows favor.(IN)
35 The wise will inherit honor,
but stubborn fools, disgrace.
Parental Advice
4 Listen, children, to a father’s instruction,
and be attentive, that you may gain[am] insight,(IO)
2 for I give you good precepts:
do not forsake my teaching.
3 When I was a son with my father,
tender and my mother’s favorite,(IP)
4 he taught me and said to me,
“Let your heart hold fast my words;
keep my commandments and live.(IQ)
5 Get wisdom; get insight: do not forget nor turn away
from the words of my mouth.(IR)
6 Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
love her, and she will guard you.(IS)
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: get wisdom,
and whatever else you get, get insight.(IT)
8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;
she will honor you if you embrace her.(IU)
9 She will place on your head a fair garland;
she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”(IV)
Admonition to Keep to the Right Path
10 Hear, my child, and accept my words,
that the years of your life may be many.
11 I have taught you the way of wisdom;
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.(IW)
12 When you walk, your step will not be hampered,
and if you run, you will not stumble.(IX)
13 Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
guard her, for she is your life.
14 Do not enter the path of the wicked,
and do not walk in the way of evildoers.(IY)
15 Avoid it; do not go on it;
turn away from it and pass on.
16 For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.(IZ)
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.(JA)
19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what they stumble over.(JB)
20 My child, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.(JC)
22 For they are life to those who find them
and healing to all their flesh.(JD)
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.(JE)
24 Put away from you crooked speech,
and put devious talk far from you.(JF)
25 Let your eyes look directly forward
and your gaze be straight before you.
26 Keep straight the path of your feet,
and all your ways will be sure.(JG)
27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.(JH)
Warning against Impurity and Infidelity
5 My child, be attentive to my wisdom;
incline your ear to my understanding,(JI)
2 so that you may hold on to prudence,
and your lips may guard knowledge.
3 For the lips of a loose woman[an] drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil,(JJ)
4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a two-edged sword.(JK)
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps follow the path to Sheol.
6 She does not keep straight to the path of life;
her ways wander, and she does not know it.
7 And now, my child,[ao] listen to me,
and do not depart from the words of my mouth.(JL)
8 Keep your way far from her,
and do not go near the door of her house,(JM)
9 lest you give your honor to others
and your years to the merciless,
10 and strangers take their fill of your wealth,
and your labors go to the house of an alien,
11 and at the end of your life you groan,
when your flesh and body are consumed,
12 and you say, “Oh, how I hated discipline,
and my heart despised reproof!(JN)
13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
or incline my ear to my instructors.
14 Now I am at the point of utter ruin
in the public assembly.”
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
flowing water from your own well.
16 Should your springs be scattered abroad,
streams of water in the streets?(JO)
17 Let them be for yourself alone
and not for sharing with strangers.
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
and rejoice in the wife of your youth,(JP)
19 a lovely deer, a graceful doe.
May her breasts satisfy you at all times;
may you be intoxicated always by her love.(JQ)
20 Why should you be intoxicated, my son, by another woman
and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?[ap](JR)
21 For human ways are under the eyes of the Lord,
and he examines all their paths.(JS)
22 The iniquities of the wicked ensnare them,
and they are caught in the coils of their sin.(JT)
23 They die for lack of discipline,
and because of their great folly they are lost.(JU)
Practical Admonitions
6 My child, if you have given your pledge to your neighbor,
if you have bound yourself to another,[aq](JV)
2 you are snared by the utterance of your lips,[ar]
caught by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my child, and save yourself,
for you have come into your neighbor’s power:
go, hurry,[as] and plead with your neighbor.
4 Give your eyes no sleep
and your eyelids no slumber;(JW)
5 save yourself like a gazelle from the hunter,[at]
like a bird from the hand of the fowler.(JX)
6 Go to the ant, you lazybones;
consider its ways and be wise.(JY)
7 Without having any chief
or officer or ruler,
8 it prepares its food in summer
and gathers its sustenance in harvest.(JZ)
9 How long will you lie there, O lazybones?
When will you rise from your sleep?(KA)
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want, like an armed warrior.(KB)
12 A scoundrel and a villain
goes around with crooked speech,(KC)
13 winking the eyes, shuffling the feet,
pointing the fingers,(KD)
14 with perverted mind devising evil,
continually sowing discord;(KE)
15 on such a one calamity will descend suddenly,
in a moment, damage beyond repair.(KF)
16 There are six things that the Lord hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,(KG)
18 a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that hurry to run to evil,(KH)
19 a lying witness who testifies falsely,
and one who sows discord in a family.(KI)
20 My child, keep your father’s commandment,
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.(KJ)
21 Bind them upon your heart always;
tie them around your neck.(KK)
22 When you walk, they[au] will lead you;
when you lie down, they[av] will watch over you;
and when you awake, they[aw] will talk with you.(KL)
23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,(KM)
24 to preserve you from the wife of another,[ax]
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.[ay](KN)
25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes,(KO)
26 for a prostitute’s fee is only a loaf of bread,[az]
but the wife of another stalks a man’s precious life.(KP)
27 Can fire be carried in the bosom
without burning one’s clothes?
28 Or can one walk on hot coals
without scorching the feet?
29 So is he who sleeps with his neighbor’s wife;
no one who touches her will go unpunished.(KQ)
30 Thieves are not despised who steal only
to satisfy their appetite when they are hungry.
31 Yet if they are caught, they will pay sevenfold;
they will forfeit all the goods of their house.(KR)
32 But he who commits adultery has no sense;
he who does it destroys himself.(KS)
33 He will get wounds and dishonor,
and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy arouses a husband’s fury,
and he will show no restraint when he takes revenge.(KT)
35 He will accept no compensation
and will refuse a bribe no matter how great.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.