Old/New Testament
Better to be Poor with Integrity
19 Better to be poor, walking with integrity,
than be a fool whose lips are corrupt.
2 Zeal without knowledge is not good,[a]
or to act hastily and miss the way.
3 A man’s folly undermines his way,
and his heart rages against Adonai.
4 Wealth adds many friends,
yet a poor man is deserted by his friend.
5 A false witness will not go unpunished,
one who breathes lies will not escape.
6 Many seek the favor of the generous.
Everyone is a friend to a giver of gifts.
7 All a poor man’s relatives despise him—
how much more his friends avoid him.
He pursues them with words, but they are not there.
8 One who gets wisdom loves his own soul.
One who treasures understanding prospers.
9 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and one who breathes lies will perish.
10 Luxury is not fitting for a fool—
how much less for a servant to rule over princes!
Watch Your Temper
11 Prudence makes one slow to anger
and his glory is to overlook an offense.
12 A king’s wrath is like a roaring lion,
but his favor is like dew on the grass.
13 A foolish son is trouble for his father,
and a quarrelsome wife is constant dripping.
14 House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers,
but a prudent wife is from Adonai.
15 Laziness brings on deep sleep,
and an idle soul will starve.
16 One who keeps a mitzvah guards his soul,
but one who neglects His ways will die.
17 One who is kind to the poor lends to Adonai,
and Adonai will reward him for his good deed.
18 Discipline your son while there is hope.
Do not set your heart on his death.
19 One with great rage will pay a penalty.
For if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.
Listen to Wise Counsel
20 Listen to advice and accept instruction,
so that in the end you may be wise.
21 Many are the plans in a man’s heart,
but the counsel of Adonai will stand.
22 What is desired in a man is loyalty,
and a poor person is better than a liar.
23 The fear of Adonai leads to life,
and he who has it rests satisfied, untouched by harm.
Sluggards, Scoffers, and Disgraceful Sons
24 The slacker buries his hand in a bowl
and will not even bring it back to his mouth!
25 Strike a scoffer and the naïve will learn caution.
rebuke a discerning person and he will gain knowledge.
26 He who robs his father and drives away his mother
is a son who brings shame and disgrace!
27 My son, if you stop heeding instruction,
you will stray from words of knowledge.
28 A crooked witness scorns justice,
and a wicked mouth devours iniquity.
29 Judgments are prepared for scoffers,
and floggings for the back of fools.
20 Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler.
Whoever is led astray by them is unwise.
2 The terror of a king is like a lion’s growl.
Whoever provokes him endangers his life.
3 It is honor for one to resolve a dispute,
yet every fool quarrels.
4 A slacker will not plow in season,
so at harvest he looks but finds nothing.
5 The intent of a man’s heart is deep water,
but a man of insight draws it out.
Loyalty, Integrity, Justice
6 Many a man proclaims his loyalty,
but a faithful man who can find?[b]
7 A righteous person walks in integrity.
Blessed are his children after him.
8 A king sitting on the throne to judge
separates out all evil with his eyes.
9 Who can say: “I have kept my heart pure;
I am cleansed from my sin”?[c]
10 Unequal weights and measures—[d]
both are an abomination to Adonai.
11 Even a child is known by his actions,
whether his conduct is pure and upright.
12 Ears that hear and eyes that see—
Adonai has made them both.
13 Do not love sleep, lest you become poor.
Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food.
Adonai’s Lamp Searches
14 “It’s bad, bad!” says the buyer,
but then he goes away and boasts.
15 There is gold and abundance of rubies,
but lips that speak knowledge are precious.
16 Take a man’s garment, who puts up security for a stranger,
and hold it in pledge, as security for a foreign woman.
17 Bread gained by fraud is sweet to a man,
but later his mouth is filled with gravel.
18 Plans are made by counsel,
so wage war with guidance.
19 A talebearer goes about, revealing secrets,
so do not associate with a babbler.
20 Whoever curses his father or his mother,[e]
his lamp will be snuffed out in utter darkness.
21 An estate acquired quickly in the beginning
will not be blessed in the end.
22 Do not say, “I will pay back evil!”
Wait for Adonai, so He may deliver You.
23 Unbalanced weights are detestable to Adonai,
and dishonest scales are wicked.
24 A man’s steps are directed by Adonai.
How then can anyone understand his own way?
25 It is a trap for one to say rashly, “It is holy!”
and only afterward to consider his vows.
26 A wise king winnows out the wicked.
He turns a threshing wheel over them.
27 The spirit of man is the lamp of Adonai,
searching all his inmost being.
28 Lovingkindness and truth preserve the king,
but his throne is upheld by lovingkindness.
29 The glory of young men is their strength,
and the splendor of old men is gray hair.
30 Blows that wound scour away evil,
and beatings purge the innermost being.
Adonai Weighs the Heart
21 A king’s heart is like a stream of water in the hand of Adonai;
he directs it wherever He wants.[f]
2 All a man’s ways seem right in his own eyes,
but Adonai weighs the heart.
3 To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to Adonai than sacrifice.
4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart—
the lamp of the wicked is sin.
5 Plans of the diligent surely lead to gain,
but all who are hasty come only to loss.
6 Getting treasures by a lying tongue
is like a fleeting vapor for those who seek death.
Violence and Ruin of the Wicked
7 The violence of the wicked sweeps them away,
because they refuse to act justly.
8 The way of the guilty is crooked,
but the conduct of the pure is upright.
9 It is better to live on a corner of a roof
than in a house shared
with a quarrelsome wife.
10 A wicked soul craves evil—
his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.
11 When a mocker is punished, the naïve become wise.
When a wise person is instructed, he gains knowledge.
12 The righteous one considers the house of the wicked,
throwing the wicked down to their ruin.
13 Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor,
will also cry out but not be answered.
14 A gift in secret soothes anger,
and a bribe given secretly, fierce rage.
15 Doing justice brings joy to the righteous,
and terror to those who do evil.
16 Whoever strays from the path of wisdom
ends up in the congregation of the dead.
17 Whoever loves pleasure becomes poor.
Whoever loves wine and oil will not be rich.
18 The wicked is a ransom for the righteous
and the faithless for the upright.
19 It is better to live in a desert land
than with a quarrelsome, worrisome wife.
20 Precious treasure and oil are in a wise person’s dwelling,
but a foolish person devours all he has.
21 Whoever pursues righteousness and mercy
finds life, prosperity and honor.
22 A wise person scales the city of warriors
and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.
23 Whoever guards his mouth and tongue
keeps his soul out of troubles.
24 A proud and haughty man
—Mocker is his name—
acts with overbearing pride.
25 A slacker’s craving will kill him,
because his hands refuse to work.
26 All day long he craves greedily,
yet the righteous one gives and does not hold back.
27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination—
how much more when he brings it with evil intent?
28 A false witness will perish,
but a man who hears will speak forever.
29 A wicked man puts on a bold face,
but the upright man considers his ways.
30 There is no wisdom,
there is no understanding,
there is no counsel—
against Adonai.
31 A horse is prepared for the day of battle,
but victory comes from Adonai.
7 Therefore, since we have these promises, loved ones, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Godly Sorrow and Joy
2 Make room for us in your hearts. We wronged no one, ruined no one, took advantage of no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts—to die together and to live together with you. 4 Great is my boldness of speech toward you. Great is my boasting on your behalf. I have been filled with encouragement. I overflow with joy in all our troubles.
5 For even when we came into Macedonia, our body had no rest. But we were hard pressed on every side—conflicts outside, fears within. 6 But God, who encourages the downcast, encouraged us with the arrival of Titus; 7 and not only by his coming, but also by the encouragement with which he was encouraged by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, and your deep concern for me—so that I rejoiced still more.
8 For even if I grieved you with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that my letter grieved you, but just for a while. 9 Now I rejoice, not that you were grieved, but that you were grieved to the point of repentance. For you were grieved according to God’s will, so that you might in no way suffer loss from us. 10 For the grief that God wills brings a repentance that leads to salvation, leaving no regret. But the world’s grief brings death. 11 For see what this very thing—this grieving that God wills—has brought you! What diligence, what defense, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what rendering of justice! In everything you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 So although I wrote to you, I wrote not for the sake of the wrongdoer or for the sake of the one who was wronged, but to make known to you your diligence for us in the sight of God. 13 For this reason we have been encouraged.
Besides our own encouragement, we rejoiced even more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. 14 For if I have boasted some to him about you, I was not put to shame. But as we spoke all things truthfully to you, so also our boasting to Titus has proved to be the truth. 15 His feelings toward you overflow when he remembers everyone’s obedience—how you received him with fear and trembling. 16 I rejoice that in everything I have confidence in you.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.