Old/New Testament
22 Being respected is more important than having great riches.
To be well thought of is better than owning silver or gold.
2 The rich and the poor are alike
in that the Lord made them all.
3 When a wise person sees danger ahead, he avoids it.
But a foolish person keeps going and gets into trouble.
4 Respecting the Lord and not being proud
will bring you wealth, honor and life.
5 The lives of evil people are like paths covered with thorns and traps.
People who protect themselves don’t have such problems.
6 Train a child how to live the right way.
Then even when he is old, he will still live that way.
7 The rich rule over the poor.
And borrowers become servants to those who lend.
8 A person who does evil things will receive trouble in return.
Then he won’t be cruel to others any longer.
9 A generous person will be blessed
because he shares his food with the poor.
10 Get rid of the person who makes fun of wisdom.
Then fighting, quarrels and insults will stop.
11 A person who loves innocent thoughts and kind words
will have even the king as a friend.
12 The Lord protects knowledge from being lost.
But he destroys false words.
13 The lazy person says, “There’s a lion outside!
I might get killed out in the street!”
14 The words of an unfaithful wife are like a deep trap.
Those who make the Lord angry will get caught by them.
15 Every child is full of foolishness.
But punishment can get rid of it.
16 The one who gets rich by being cruel to the poor will become poor.
And so will the one who gives presents to the wealthy.
Other Wise Sayings
17 Pay attention and listen to what wise people say.
Remember what I am teaching you.
18 It will be good to keep these things in mind.
Be prepared to repeat them.
19 I am teaching them to you now
so that you will put your trust in the Lord.
20 I have written down 30 sayings for you.
They give knowledge and good advice.
21 I am teaching you true and reliable words.
Then you can give true answers to anyone who asks.
22 Do not abuse poor people because they are poor.
And do not take away the rights of the needy in court.
23 The Lord will defend them in court.
And he will take the life of those who take away their rights.
24 Don’t make friends with someone who easily gets angry.
Don’t spend time with someone who has a bad temper.
25 If you do, you may learn to be like him.
Then you will be in real danger.
26 Don’t promise to pay what someone else owes.
And don’t give guarantees that you will pay what he owes.
27 If you cannot pay what he owes,
your own bed will be taken and sold.
28 Don’t move an old stone that shows where a person’s land is.
These stones were set up by your ancestors.
29 Do you see a man skilled in his work?
That man will work for kings.
He won’t have to work for ordinary people.
23 If you sit down to eat with a ruler,
notice the food that is in front of you.
2 Control yourself
if you have a big appetite.
3 Don’t be greedy for his fine foods.
He might use that rich food to trick you.
4 Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich.
Be wise enough to control yourself.
5 Wealth can vanish in the wink of an eye.
It seems to grow wings
and fly away like an eagle in the sky.
6 Don’t eat the food of a selfish person.
Don’t be greedy for his fine foods.
7 A selfish person is always worrying
about how much the food costs.
He tells you, “Eat and drink.”
But he doesn’t really mean it.
8 So you will feel like throwing up the little bit you have eaten.
And you will have wasted your kind words.
9 Don’t speak to a foolish person.
He will only ignore your wise words.
10 Don’t move an old stone that shows where somebody’s land is.
And don’t take fields that belong to orphans.
11 God, their defender, is strong.
He will take their side against you.
12 Remember what you are taught.
And listen carefully to words of knowledge.
13 Don’t fail to punish a child.
If you spank him, you will keep him from dying.
14 If you punish him with a spanking,
you will save him from a fool’s death.
15 My child, if you are wise,
then I will be happy.
16 I will be so pleased
if you speak what is right.
17 Don’t envy sinners.
But always respect the Lord.
18 If you do, you will have hope for the future.
Your wishes will come true.
19 Listen, my child, and be wise.
Keep your mind on what is right.
20 Don’t be one of those who drink too much wine
or who eat too much food.
21 Those who drink too much and eat too much become poor.
They sleep too much and end up wearing rags.
22 Listen to your father, who gave you life.
And do not forget your mother when she is old.
23 Learn the truth and never reject it.
Get wisdom, self-control and understanding.
24 The father of a good child is very happy.
The person who has a wise son is glad because of him.
25 Make your father and mother happy.
Give your mother a reason to be glad.
26 My son, pay attention to me.
And watch closely what I do.
27 A prostitute is as dangerous as a deep pit.
And an unfaithful wife is like a narrow well.
28 They ambush you like robbers.
And they cause many men to be unfaithful to their wives.
29-30 Some people drink too much wine.
They try out all the different kinds of drinks.
So they have trouble. They are sad.
They fight. They complain.
They have unnecessary bruises.
They have bloodshot eyes.
31 Don’t stare at the wine’s pretty, red color.
It may sparkle in the cup.
It may go down your throat smoothly.
32 But later it bites like a snake.
Like a snake, it poisons you.
33 Your eyes will see strange sights.
And your mind will be confused.
34 You will feel dizzy, as if you’re out on the stormy ocean.
You will feel as if you’re on top of a ship’s sails.
35 You will think, “They hit me, but I’m not hurt!
They have beaten me up, but I don’t remember it.
I wish I could wake up.
Then I would get another drink.”
24 Don’t envy evil people.
Don’t try to be friends with them.
2 In their minds they plan cruel things.
And they always talk about making trouble.
3 It takes wisdom to have a good family.
It takes understanding to make it strong.
4 It takes knowledge to fill a home
with rare and beautiful treasures.
5 A wise man has great power.
And a man who has knowledge is very strong.
6 So you need the advice of others when you go to war.
If you have many people to give advice, you will win.
7 A foolish person cannot understand wisdom.
He has nothing to say in court.
8 Whoever makes evil plans
will be known as a troublemaker.
9 Making foolish plans is sinful.
And making fun of others is hateful.
10 If you give up when trouble comes,
it shows that you have very little strength.
11 Save those who are being led to their death.
Rescue those who are about to be killed.
12 You may say, “We don’t know anything about this.”
But God knows what is in your mind, and he will notice.
He is watching you, and he will know.
He will pay each person back for what he has done.
13 My child, eat honey because it is good.
Honey from the honeycomb tastes sweet.
14 In the same way, wisdom is pleasing to you.
If you find it, you have hope for the future.
Your wishes will come true.
15 Don’t be like the wicked and attack a good man’s house.
Don’t rob the place where he lives.
16 A good man may be bothered by trouble seven times, but he does not give up.
But the wicked are overwhelmed by trouble.
17 Don’t be happy when your enemy is defeated.
Don’t be glad when he is overwhelmed.
18 The Lord will notice and be displeased.
Then the Lord may not be angry with him anymore.
19 Don’t envy evil people.
And don’t be jealous of the wicked.
20 An evil person has nothing to hope for.
The wicked will die like a flame that is put out.
21 My child, respect the Lord and the king.
Don’t join those people who refuse to obey them.
22 The Lord and the king will quickly destroy such people.
Those two can cause great trouble!
More Words of Wisdom
23 These are also wise sayings:
It is not good to take sides when you are the judge.
24 Don’t say that the wicked have done right.
People will curse you, and nations will hate you.
25 But things will go well for judges who punish the guilty.
And they will receive good things from God.
26 An honest answer is as pleasing
as a kiss on the lips.
27 First, you should work outside
and prepare your fields.
After that, you can start having your family.
28 Don’t testify against your neighbor for no good reason.
Don’t say things that are false.
29 Don’t say, “I’ll get even with that man.
I’ll do to him what he did to me.”
30 I passed by a lazy person’s field.
I went by the vineyard of a man who had no sense.
31 Thorns had grown up everywhere.
The ground was covered with weeds.
And the stone walls had fallen down.
32 I thought about what I had seen.
I learned this lesson from what I saw.
33 You sleep a little; you take a nap.
You fold your hands and rest.
34 Soon you will be poor, as if you had been robbed.
You will have as little as if you had been held up.
Christian Giving
8 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God gave the churches in Macedonia. 2 They have been tested by great troubles. And they are very poor. But they gave much because of their great joy. 3 I can tell you that they gave as much as they were able. They gave even more than they could afford. No one told them to do it. 4 But they asked us again and again—they begged us to let them share in this service for God’s people. 5 And they gave in a way that we did not expect: They first gave themselves to the Lord and to us. This is what God wants. 6 So we asked Titus to help you finish this special work of grace. He is the one who started this work. 7 You are rich in everything—in faith, in speaking, in knowledge, in truly wanting to help, and in the love you learned from us.[a] And so we want you to be rich also in this gift of giving.
8 I am not commanding you to give. But I want to see if your love is true love. I do this by showing you that others really want to help. 9 You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. You know that Christ was rich, but for you he became poor. Christ did this so that by his being poor you might become rich.
10 This is what I think you should do: Last year you were the first to want to give. And you were the first who gave. 11 So now finish the work that you started. Then your “doing” will be equal to your “wanting to do.” Give from what you have. 12 If you want to give, your gift will be accepted. Your gift will be judged by what you have, not by what you do not have. 13 We do not want you to have troubles while other people are at ease. We want everything to be equal. 14 At this time you have plenty. What you have can help others who are in need. Then later, when they have plenty, they can help you when you are in need. Then all will be equal. 15 As it is written in the Scriptures, “The person who gathered more did not have too much. The person who gathered less did not have too little.”[b]
Titus and His Companions
16 I thank God because he gave Titus the same love for you that I have. 17 Titus accepted what we asked him to do. He wanted very much to go to you. This was his own idea. 18 We are sending with him the brother who is praised by all the churches. This brother is praised because of his service in preaching the Good News. 19 Also, this brother was chosen by the churches to go with us when we deliver this gift of money. We are doing this service to bring glory to the Lord and to show that we really want to help.
20 We are being careful so that no one will criticize us about the way we are handling this large gift. 21 We are trying to do what is right. We want to do what the Lord accepts as right and also what people think is right.
22 Also, we are sending with them our brother who is always ready to help. He has proved this to us in many ways. And he wants to help even more now because he has much faith in you.
23 Now about Titus—he is my partner who is working with me to help you. And about the other brothers—they are sent from the churches, and they bring glory to Christ. 24 So show these men that you really have love. Show them why we are proud of you. Then all the churches can see it.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.