Old/New Testament
The Counsel of Yahweh Will Stand
19 (A)Better is a poor man who (B)walks in his integrity
Than he who is crooked in lips and is a fool.
2 Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge,
And he who hurries [a](C)his footsteps sins.
3 The (D)folly of man subverts his way,
But his heart (E)rages against Yahweh.
4 (F)Wealth adds many friends,
But a poor man is separated from his friend.
5 A [b](G)false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who (H)breathes out lies will not escape.
6 (I)Many will seek the favor of a noble man,
And everyone is a friend to a man who (J)gives gifts.
7 All the brothers of a poor man hate him;
How much more do his (K)friends distance themselves from him!
He (L)pursues them with words, but they are no more.
8 He who acquires a heart of wisdom loves his own soul;
He who keeps discernment will (M)find good.
9 A [c](N)false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who breathes out lies will perish.
10 Luxury is (O)not fitting for a fool;
Much less for a (P)slave to rule over princes.
11 A man’s (Q)insight makes him slow to anger,
And it is his honor (R)to overlook a transgression.
12 The (S)king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion,
But his favor is like (T)dew on the grass.
13 A (U)foolish son is destruction to his father,
And the (V)contentions of a wife are a constant dripping.
14 House and wealth are an (W)inheritance from fathers,
But a wife who has insight is from Yahweh.
15 (X)Laziness casts into a deep sleep,
And a slack-handed soul will suffer hunger.
16 He who (Y)keeps the commandment keeps his soul,
But he who despises his way will die.
17 He who (Z)is gracious to a poor man lends to Yahweh,
And He will repay him for his (AA)bountiful deed.
18 (AB)Discipline your son while there is hope,
And do not [d]direct your soul to put him to death.
19 A man of great wrath will bear the penalty,
For if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.
20 (AC)Listen to counsel and receive discipline,
That you may be wise in [e]the end of your days.
21 Many [f](AD)thoughts are in a man’s heart,
But it is the (AE)counsel of Yahweh that will stand.
22 What is desirable in a man is his lovingkindness,
And better is a poor man than a man of falsehood.
23 The [g](AF)fear of Yahweh leads to life,
So that one may sleep (AG)satisfied, not (AH)visited by evil.
24 The (AI)sluggard buries his hand (AJ)in the dish,
But will not even bring it back to his mouth.
25 (AK)Strike a scoffer and the simple may become prudent,
But (AL)reprove one who has understanding and he will understand knowledge.
26 He (AM)who assaults his father and causes his mother to flee
Is a son who brings shame and humiliation.
27 Cease listening, my son, to discipline,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge.
28 A vile witness scoffs at justice,
And the mouth of the wicked (AN)swallows up iniquity.
29 [h]Judgments are established for (AO)scoffers,
And (AP)beatings for the back of fools.
Hope in Yahweh and He Will Save You
20 (AQ)Wine is a mocker, (AR)strong drink a brawler,
And whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
2 The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion;
He who provokes him to anger (AS)sins against his own soul.
3 It is a glory for a man to (AT)cease quarreling,
But any ignorant fool will break out in dispute.
4 The (AU)sluggard does not plow from winter on,
So he [i]begs during the harvest and has nothing.
5 Counsel in the heart of a man is like deep water,
But a man of discernment draws it out.
6 Many a man will (AV)call out his own lovingkindness,
But a (AW)faithful man, who can find?
7 A righteous man who (AX)walks in his integrity—
(AY)How blessed are his sons after him.
8 (AZ)A king who sits on the throne of justice
[j]Disperses all evil with his eyes.
9 (BA)Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure,
I am clean from my sin”?
10 [k](BB)Differing weights and differing measures,
Both of them are an abomination to Yahweh.
11 It is by his deeds that a young man (BC)makes himself known
If his conduct is pure and right.
12 The hearing (BD)ear and the seeing eye,
Yahweh has made both of them.
13 (BE)Do not love sleep, lest you become poor;
Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with [l]food.
14 “Bad, bad,” says the buyer,
But when he goes his way, then he boasts.
15 There is gold, and an abundance of pearls;
But the lips of knowledge are a more precious vessel.
16 Take his garment when he becomes a guarantor for a stranger;
And for foreigners, hold him in pledge.
17 (BF)Bread obtained by lying is sweet to a man,
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.
18 [m](BG)Thoughts are established by counsel,
So (BH)make war by guidance.
19 He who (BI)goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets,
Therefore do not associate with [n](BJ)one of loose lips.
20 He who (BK)curses his father or his mother,
His (BL)lamp will go out in the [o]midst of darkness.
21 An inheritance gained hurriedly at the beginning
In the end will not be blessed.
22 (BM)Do not say, “I will repay evil”;
(BN)Hope in Yahweh, and He will save you.
23 [p](BO)Differing weights are an abomination to Yahweh,
And a (BP)deceitful balance is not good.
24 (BQ)The steps of a man are from Yahweh,
How then can man understand his way?
25 It is a trap for a man to say rashly, “It is holy!”
And (BR)after the vows to make inquiry.
26 A (BS)wise king winnows the wicked,
And turns the (BT)threshing wheel over them.
27 The [q](BU)breath of man is the lamp of Yahweh,
Searching all the [r]innermost parts of his body.
28 Lovingkindness and (BV)truth will guard the king,
And he upholds his throne by lovingkindness.
29 The honor of young men is their strength,
And the [s](BW)majesty of old men is their gray hair.
30 (BX)Stripes that wound scour away evil,
And strokes reach the [t]innermost parts of the body.
Salvation Belongs to Yahweh
21 The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of Yahweh;
He (BY)turns it wherever He pleases.
2 (BZ)Every man’s way is right in his own eyes,
But Yahweh (CA)weighs the hearts.
3 To do (CB)righteousness and justice
Is chosen by Yahweh over sacrifice.
4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart—
The (CC)fallow ground of the wicked—are sin.
5 The [u]thoughts of the (CD)diligent lead surely to profit,
But everyone (CE)who is hasty comes surely to poverty.
6 (CF)Working for treasures by a lying tongue
Is a fleeting breath, by those who pursue (CG)death.
7 The destruction of the wicked will drag them away,
Because they (CH)refuse to do justice.
8 The way of a guilty man is (CI)perverse,
But as for the pure, his work is upright.
9 It is better to live in a corner of a roof
Than [v]in a house shared with a contentious woman.
10 The soul of the wicked craves evil;
His (CJ)neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.
11 When the (CK)scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise;
And when one considers wisdom, he receives knowledge.
12 The righteous one considers the house of the wicked,
Turning the (CL)wicked to ruin.
13 He who (CM)shuts his ear to the outcry of the poor
Will himself also call and not be (CN)answered.
14 A (CO)gift in secret subdues anger,
And a bribe in the bosom, strong wrath.
15 To do justice is [w]pleasure for the righteous,
But is (CP)ruin to the workers of iniquity.
16 A man who wanders from the way of insight
Will (CQ)rest in the assembly of the [x]dead.
17 He who (CR)loves [y]pleasure will become a poor man;
He who loves wine and oil will not become rich.
18 The wicked is a (CS)ransom for the righteous,
And the (CT)treacherous is in the place of the upright.
19 (CU)It is better to live in a desert land
Than with a contentious and vexing woman.
20 There is desirable (CV)treasure and oil in the abode of the wise,
But a foolish man (CW)swallows it up.
21 He who (CX)pursues righteousness and lovingkindness
Finds life, righteousness, and glory.
22 A (CY)wise man goes up to the city of the mighty
And brings down the [z]stronghold in which they trust.
23 He who (CZ)keeps his mouth and his tongue,
Keeps his soul from troubles.
24 “Arrogant,” “Haughty,” “(DA)Scoffer,” are his names,
Who acts with (DB)arrogant fury.
25 The (DC)desire of the sluggard puts him to death,
For his hands refuse to work;
26 All day long he [aa]is insatiably craving,
While the righteous (DD)gives and does not hold back.
27 The (DE)sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination,
How much more when he brings it with a wicked scheme!
28 A (DF)false witness will perish,
But the man who listens will speak forever.
29 A wicked man [ab](DG)displays a brazen face,
But as for the (DH)upright, he establishes his way.
30 There is (DI)no wisdom, there is no discernment
And there is no counsel against Yahweh.
31 The (DJ)horse is set for the day of battle,
But (DK)salvation belongs to Yahweh.
7 Therefore, having these promises, (A)beloved, (B)let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Godly Sorrow Produces Repentance
2 (C)Make room for us in your hearts. We wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one. 3 I do not speak to condemn you, for I have said (D)before that you are (E)in our hearts to die together and to live together. 4 Great is my (F)boldness toward you; great is my (G)boasting on your behalf. I have been filled with (H)comfort; I am overflowing with (I)joy in all our affliction.
5 For even when we came into (J)Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were (K)afflicted on every side—(L)conflicts without, fears within. 6 But (M)God, who comforts the humbled, (N)comforted us by the coming of (O)Titus; 7 and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more. 8 For though I (P)caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while— 9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to repentance. For you were made to have [a]godly sorrow, so that you might not suffer loss in anything [b]through us. 10 For [c]godly sorrow produces a (Q)repentance [d]without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world brings about death. 11 For behold what earnestness this very thing—this [e]godly sorrow—has brought about in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what (R)longing, what zeal, what (S)avenging of wrong! In everything you (T)demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. 12 So although (U)I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of (V)the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness on our behalf might be manifested to you in the sight of God. 13 For this reason we have been (W)comforted.
And besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of (X)Titus, because his (Y)spirit has been refreshed by you all. 14 For if in anything I have (Z)boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame, but as we spoke all things to you in truth, so also our boasting before (AA)Titus proved to be the truth. 15 And his [f]affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the (AB)obedience of you all, how you received him with (AC)fear and trembling. 16 I rejoice that in everything (AD)I am encouraged about you.
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