Old/New Testament
19 Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity[a]
than one who is perverse in his speech[b] and is a fool.[c]
2 It is dangerous[d] to have zeal[e] without knowledge,
and the one who acts hastily[f] makes poor choices.[g]
3 A person’s folly[h] subverts[i] his way,
and[j] his heart rages[k] against the Lord.
4 Wealth adds many friends,
but a poor person is separated[l] from his friend.[m]
5 A false witness[n] will not go unpunished,
and the one who spouts out[o] lies will not escape punishment.[p]
6 Many people entreat the favor[q] of a generous person,[r]
and everyone is the friend[s] of the person who gives gifts.[t]
7 All the relatives[u] of a poor person hate him;[v]
how much more do his friends avoid[w] him—
one who chases words, which are nothing.[x]
8 The one who acquires understanding[y] loves himself;[z]
the one who preserves understanding will prosper.[aa]
9 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and the one who spouts out[ab] lies will perish.[ac]
10 Luxury is not appropriate[ad] for a fool;[ae]
how much less for a servant to rule over princes![af]
11 A person’s wisdom[ag] has made him slow to anger,[ah]
and it is his glory[ai] to overlook[aj] an offense.
12 A king’s wrath is like[ak] the roar of a lion,[al]
but his favor is like dew on the grass.[am]
13 A foolish child[an] is the ruin of his father,
and a contentious wife[ao] is like[ap] a constant dripping.[aq]
14 A house and wealth are inherited from parents,[ar]
but a prudent wife[as] is from the Lord.
15 Laziness brings on[at] a deep sleep,[au]
and the idle person[av] will go hungry.[aw]
16 The one who obeys commandments guards[ax] his life;
the one who despises his ways[ay] will die.[az]
17 The one who is gracious to[ba] the poor lends to[bb] the Lord,
and the Lord[bc] will repay him[bd] for his good deed.[be]
18 Discipline your child, for[bf] there is hope,
but do not set your heart on causing his death.[bg]
19 A person with great anger bears the penalty,[bh]
but if you deliver him from it once, you will have to do it again.[bi]
20 Listen to advice[bj] and receive discipline,
that[bk] you may become wise[bl] by the end of your life.[bm]
21 There are many plans[bn] in a person’s mind,[bo]
but it[bp] is the counsel[bq] of the Lord that will stand.
22 What is desirable[br] for a person is to show loyal love,[bs]
and a poor person is better than a liar.[bt]
23 Fearing the Lord[bu] leads[bv] to life,[bw]
and one who does so will live[bx] satisfied; he will not be afflicted[by] by calamity.
24 The sluggard has plunged[bz] his hand into the dish,
and he will not even bring it back to his mouth![ca]
25 Flog[cb] a scorner, and as a result the simpleton[cc] will learn prudence;[cd]
correct a discerning person, and as a result he will understand knowledge.[ce]
26 The one who robs[cf] his father[cg] and chases away his mother
is a son[ch] who brings shame and disgrace.
27 If you stop listening to[ci] instruction, my child,
you will stray[cj] from the words of knowledge.
28 A crooked witness[ck] scorns justice,
and the mouth of the wicked devours[cl] iniquity.
29 Penalties[cm] have been prepared[cn] for scorners,
and floggings for the backs of fools.
20 Wine[co] is a mocker[cp] and strong drink is a brawler;
whoever goes astray by them is not wise.[cq]
2 The king’s terrifying anger[cr] is like the roar of a lion;
whoever provokes him[cs] sins against himself.[ct]
3 It is an honor for a person[cu] to cease[cv] from strife,
but every fool quarrels.[cw]
4 The sluggard will not plow[cx] during the planting season,[cy]
so at harvest time he asks[cz] for grain[da] but has nothing.
5 Counsel[db] in a person’s heart[dc] is like[dd] deep water,[de]
but an understanding person[df] draws it out.
6 Many people profess their loyalty,[dg]
but a faithful person[dh]—who can find?[di]
7 The righteous person[dj] behaves in integrity;[dk]
blessed are his children after him.[dl]
8 A king sitting on the throne to judge[dm]
separates out[dn] all evil with his eyes.[do]
9 Who can say,[dp] “I have kept my heart[dq] clean;[dr]
I am pure[ds] from my sin”?
10 Diverse weights and diverse measures[dt]—
the Lord abhors[du] both of them.
11 Even a young man[dv] is known[dw] by his actions,
whether his activity is pure and whether it is right.[dx]
12 The ear that hears and the eye that sees[dy]—
the Lord has made them both.[dz]
13 Do not love sleep,[ea] lest you become impoverished;
open your eyes so that[eb] you might be satisfied with food.[ec]
14 “It’s worthless! It’s worthless!”[ed] says the buyer,[ee]
but when he goes on his way, he boasts.[ef]
15 There is gold, and an abundance of rubies,
but[eg] words of knowledge[eh] are like[ei] a precious jewel.
16 Take a man’s[ej] garment[ek] when he has given security for a stranger,[el]
and hold him[em] in pledge on behalf of strangers.
17 Bread gained by deceit[en] tastes sweet to a person,[eo]
but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.[ep]
18 Plans[eq] are established by counsel,
so[er] make war[es] with guidance.
19 The one who goes about gossiping[et] reveals secrets;
therefore do not associate[eu] with someone who is always opening his mouth.[ev]
20 The one who curses[ew] his father and his mother,
his lamp[ex] will be extinguished in the blackest[ey] darkness.
21 An inheritance gained easily[ez] in the beginning
will not be blessed[fa] in the end.[fb]
22 Do not say,[fc] “I will pay back[fd] evil!”
Wait[fe] for the Lord, so that he may vindicate you.[ff]
23 The Lord abhors[fg] differing weights,
and dishonest scales are wicked.[fh]
24 The steps of a person[fi] are ordained by[fj] the Lord—
so how can anyone[fk] understand his own[fl] way?
25 It is a snare[fm] for a person[fn] to rashly cry,[fo] “Holy!”
and only afterward to consider[fp] what he has vowed.[fq]
26 A wise king separates out[fr] the wicked;
he turns the threshing wheel over them.[fs]
27 The human spirit[ft] is like[fu] the lamp[fv] of the Lord,
searching all his innermost parts.[fw]
28 Loyal love and truth[fx] preserve a king,
and his throne is upheld by loyal love.[fy]
29 The glory[fz] of young men is their strength,
and the splendor[ga] of old men is gray hair.[gb]
30 Beatings and wounds cleanse away[gc] evil,
and floggings cleanse[gd] the innermost being.[ge]
21 The king’s heart[gf] is in the hand[gg] of the Lord like channels of water;[gh]
he turns it wherever he wants.
2 All a person’s ways seem right in his own opinion,[gi]
but the Lord evaluates[gj] his thoughts.[gk]
3 To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable[gl] to the Lord than sacrifice.[gm]
4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart—
what the wicked cultivate[gn] is sin.
5 The plans of the diligent[go] lead[gp] only to plenty,[gq]
but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.[gr]
6 Making a fortune[gs] by a lying tongue is like[gt] a vapor driven back and forth;[gu]
they seek death.[gv]
7 The violence[gw] done by the wicked[gx] will drag them away
because[gy] they have refused to do what is right.[gz]
8 The way of the guilty person[ha] is devious,[hb]
but as for the pure,[hc] his way is upright.
9 It is better to live on a corner of the housetop[hd]
than to share a house[he] with a quarrelsome wife.[hf]
10 The appetite[hg] of the wicked has desired[hh] evil;
his neighbor is shown no favor[hi] in his eyes.
11 When a scorner is punished, the naive[hj] becomes wise;
when a wise person is instructed,[hk] he gains knowledge.
12 The Righteous One[hl] considers[hm] the house[hn] of the wicked;
he overthrows the wicked to their ruin.[ho]
13 The one who shuts his ears[hp] to the cry[hq] of the poor,
he too will cry out and will not be answered.[hr]
14 A gift given[hs] in secret subdues[ht] anger,
and a bribe given secretly[hu] subdues[hv] strong wrath.[hw]
15 Doing[hx] justice brings[hy] joy to the righteous
and terror[hz] to those who do evil.
16 The one who wanders[ia] from the way of wisdom[ib]
will end up[ic] in the company of the departed.[id]
17 The one who loves[ie] pleasure[if] will be[ig] a poor person;[ih]
whoever loves wine and anointing oil[ii] will not be rich.
18 The wicked become a ransom[ij] for the righteous,
and the treacherous[ik] are taken[il] in the place of the upright.
19 It is better to live[im] in the wilderness[in]
than with a quarrelsome and easily provoked[io] woman.
20 There is desirable treasure and olive oil[ip] in the dwelling of the wise,
but a foolish person[iq] devours all he has.[ir]
21 The one who pursues righteousness and love[is]
finds life, bounty,[it] and honor.
22 A wise man went up against the city of the mighty
and brought down[iu] the stronghold in which they trust.[iv]
23 The one who guards his mouth and his tongue[iw]
keeps his life[ix] from troubles.[iy]
24 A proud[iz] and arrogant[ja] person, whose name is “Scoffer,”[jb]
acts[jc] with overbearing pride.[jd]
25 What the sluggard desires[je] will kill him,[jf]
for his hands[jg] have refused to work.
26 All day long he has craved greedily,[jh]
but the righteous person gives and does not hold back.[ji]
27 The wicked person’s sacrifice[jj] is an abomination;
how much more[jk] when he brings it with evil intent![jl]
28 A lying witness[jm] will perish,[jn]
but the one who reports accurately speaks forever.[jo]
29 A wicked person[jp] has put on a bold face,[jq]
but as for the upright,[jr] he establishes[js] his ways.
30 There is no wisdom and there is no understanding,
and there is no counsel against[jt] the Lord.[ju]
31 A horse is prepared for the day of battle,
but the victory is from the Lord.[jv]
Self-Purification
7 Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves[a] from everything that could defile the body[b] and the spirit, and thus accomplish[c] holiness out of reverence for God.[d] 2 Make room for us in your hearts;[e] we have wronged no one, we have ruined no one,[f] we have exploited no one.[g] 3 I do not say this to condemn you, for I told you before[h] that you are in our hearts so that we die together and live together with you.[i]
A Letter That Caused Sadness
4 I have great confidence in you; I take great pride[j] on your behalf. I am filled with encouragement;[k] I am overflowing with joy in the midst of[l] all our suffering. 5 For even when we came into Macedonia, our body[m] had no rest at all, but we were troubled in every way—struggles from the outside, fears from within. 6 But God, who encourages[n] the downhearted, encouraged[o] us by the arrival of Titus. 7 We were encouraged[p] not only by his arrival, but also by the encouragement[q] you gave[r] him, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning,[s] your deep concern[t] for me, so that I rejoiced more than ever. 8 For even if I made you sad[u] by my letter,[v] I do not regret having written it[w] (even though I did regret it,[x] for[y] I see that my letter made you sad,[z] though only for a short time). 9 Now I rejoice, not because you were made sad,[aa] but because you were made sad to the point of repentance. For you were made sad as God intended,[ab] so that you were not harmed[ac] in any way by us. 10 For sadness as intended by God produces a repentance that leads to salvation, leaving no regret, but worldly sadness brings about death. 11 For see what this very thing, this sadness[ad] as God intended, has produced in you: what eagerness, what defense of yourselves,[ae] what indignation,[af] what alarm, what longing, what deep concern,[ag] what punishment![ah] In everything you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 So then, even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong, or on account of the one who was wronged, but to reveal to you your eagerness on our behalf[ai] before God. 13 Therefore we have been encouraged. And in addition to our own encouragement, we rejoiced even more at the joy of Titus, because all of you have refreshed his spirit.[aj] 14 For if I have boasted to him about anything concerning you, I have not been embarrassed by you,[ak] but just as everything we said to you was true,[al] so our boasting to Titus about you[am] has proved true as well. 15 And his affection for you is much greater[an] when he remembers the obedience of you all, how you welcomed him with fear and trembling. 16 I rejoice because in everything I am fully confident in you.
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