Old/New Testament
22 A good name is to be chosen rather than great wealth,
and grace rather than silver or gold.
2 Rich and poor have this in common—
Adonai is the Maker of them all.
3 A crafty person sees danger and hides,
but the naïve keep going and suffer for it.
4 The reward of humility and fear of Adonai
is riches, honor and life.
5 Thorns and snares are in the path of the perverse,
but one who guards his soul stays far from them.
6 Train up a child in the way he should go,
when he is old he will not turn from it.
7 The rich rule over the poor,
the borrower is a slave to the lender.
8 One who sows injustice will reap trouble,
and the rod of his fury will perish.
9 One with a bountiful eye will be blessed,
for he shares his bread with the poor.
10 Throw out a scoffer and strife will go out,
quarreling and disgrace will cease.
11 One who loves purity of heart and whose speech is gracious,
will have the king as his friend.
12 The eyes of Adonai guard knowledge, but He undermines
the words of the faithless.
13 The slacker says, “There’s a lion outside!
I’ll be killed in the streets.”
14 The mouth of a seducing woman is a deep pit—
into it will fall one with whom Adonai is angry.
15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child,
but a rod of discipline will drive it far from him.
16 The one who oppresses the poor to increase his own gain,
and the one who gives to the rich—both end in poverty.
17 Incline your ear and listen to the words of the wise,
and apply your heart to my knowledge.
18 For it is delightful if you keep them
within you, ready on your lips.
19 So that your trust may be in Adonai,
I made them known to you this day, even you.
20 Have I not written to you thirty sayings
of admonition and knowledge,
21 to show you true and reliable words,
that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?
22 Do not rob a poor person because he is poor,
nor crush the needy at the gate,
23 for Adonai will plead their case,
and rob life from those who plunder them.
24 Do not be friends with one given to anger
or associate with a hot-tempered person,
25 lest you learn his ways,
and entangle your soul in a snare.
26 Do not be one who shakes hands
or puts up security for debts.
27 If you do not have enough to pay,
why should your bed be taken from under you?
28 Do not move an ancient boundary stone
which your fathers set up.
29 Do you see a man skilled in his work?
He will stand before kings.
He will not stand before obscure people.
Advice About Appetites
23 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
consider carefully what is set before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat
if you possess a large appetite.
3 Do not crave his delicacies,
for that food is deceptive.
4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich.
Be wise enough to restrain yourself.
5 When you cast your eyes on riches, it is gone;
for it surely sprouts wings and flies off into the sky like an eagle.
6 Do not eat the food of a stingy person,
or desire his delicacies.
7 For as he thinks within himself, so is he.
“Eat and drink”, he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the morsel you ate,
and will waste your pleasant words.
9 Do not speak in the ears of a fool,
for he will disdain the wisdom of your words.
10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone,
or encroach on fields of the fatherless,
11 for their redeemer is strong.
He will plead their case against you.
12 Apply your heart to discipline
and your ears to words of knowledge.
13 Do not withhold correction from a child.
If you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
14 Punish him with a rod,
and deliver his soul from Sheol.
Wisdom’s Path to the Future
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
then my heart also will be glad.
16 Yes, my inmost being will rejoice
when your lips speak what is right.
17 Do not let your heart envy sinners,
but always be in the fear of Adonai.
18 For surely there is a future,
and your hope will never be cut off.
19 Listen, my son, and be wise,
and guide your heart in the right way.
20 Do not join those drinking too much wine
or gorging on meat,
21 for both drunkards and gluttons will be impoverished—
grogginess will clothe them with rags.
22 Listen to your father who begot you
and do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 Acquire truth and do not sell it,
acquire wisdom, instruction and understanding.
24 The father of a righteous one rejoices greatly.
Whoever fathers a wise child delights in him.
25 Let your father and your mother be glad,
let she who bore you rejoice!
26 My son, give your heart to me,
and let your eyes observe my ways.
27 For a prostitute is a deep pit,
an adulterous woman is a narrow pit.
28 Indeed, she lies in wait like a robber,
and increases the unfaithful among men.
Lingering Long Over Wine
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has fights? Who has complaining?
Who has bruises for no reason?
Who has red eyes?
30 Those who linger long over wine,
who go looking for mixed wine.
31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup,
when it glides down smoothly.
32 In the end it bites like a serpent
and stings like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things.
Your heart will utter perverse things.
34 Then you will be like one lying down in the heart of the sea,
or sprawled on the top of a mast.
35 “They hit me! But I was not hurt.
They beat me up! But I did not feel it.
When will I wake up?
I will look for another drink.”
24 Do not envy evil people,
or desire to be with them,
2 for their hearts contemplate violence,
and their lips speak mischief.
Strength Through Wise Counsel
3 By wisdom a house is built,
by understanding it is prepared,
4 and by knowledge its rooms are filled
with every rare and pleasing treasure.
5 A wise man is strong,
and a man of knowledge
becomes even stronger.
6 For with wise advice you wage war
and in many counselors there is victory.
7 Wisdom is unattainable for a fool—
he does not open his mouth at the gate.
8 One who plots evil will be called a schemer.
9 A foolish scheme is sin,
and people detest a mocker.
Counsel on Friendship
10 If you falter in a day of adversity,
your strength is small.
11 Rescue those being dragged off to death,
hold back those stumbling to slaughter.
12 If you say, “Look, we didn’t know this.”
Won’t He who weighs hearts perceive it?
Won’t He who guards your soul know it?
Won’t He repay each one according to his deeds?[a]
13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good,
and honeycomb is sweet to your taste.
14 Likewise know that wisdom is sweet to your soul.
If you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
15 Do not lurk like the wicked near the dwelling of the righteous.
Do not assault his home.
16 For though the righteous one may fall seven times,
he gets up again, but the wicked stumble in adversity.
17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
or let your heart be glad when he stumbles,
18 or Adonai may see it as evil in His eyes,
and turn His wrath away from him.
19 Do not be upset because of evil people,
or be envious of the wicked,
20 for the evil person has no future,
and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
21 My son, fear Adonai and the king,[b]
and do not associate with rebels.
22 For their destruction will arise suddenly,
and who knows the ruin both Adonai and the king can bring?
23 These sayings are also from the wise:
Partiality in judgment is not good.
24 Whoever tells the guilty,
“You are innocent,” people curse him and nations revile him.
25 But for those who convict the guilty there will be delight—
good blessing will come upon them.
26 An honest answer
is like a kiss on the lips.
27 Finish your outdoor work
and get your fields ready.
After that, build your house.
28 Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,
and do not deceive with your lips.
29 Do not say, “I will do to him what he has done to me;
I will pay him back for his deed!”[c]
Lesson of the Lazy
30 I passed by the field of the slacker,
by the vineyard of one lacking judgment.
31 Surprisingly, it was all overgrown with thorns,
the ground was covered with weeds,
and its stone wall was broken down.
32 Then I took to heart what I observed
and learned a lesson from what I saw:
33 “A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to sleep,”
34 then your poverty comes tramping in,
and your need like an armed soldier.
Eagerness to Give
8 Now we make known to you, brothers and sisters, the grace God has given to Messiah’s communities in Macedonia— 2 that in much testing by affliction, the abundance of their joy and their extreme poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For I testify that according to their ability, and even beyond their ability, they gave of their own free will— 4 begging us with much urging for the favor of sharing in the relief of the kedoshim. 5 Moreover, it was not just as we had hoped, but they gave of themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will. 6 So we urged Titus that, just as he had made a start before, so he should also complete this gracious service for you. 7 But as you excel in everything—in faith and speech and knowledge and all diligence, and in your love for us—also excel in this grace. 8 I am saying this not as a command, but I am trying to prove by the diligence of others the genuineness of your love as well. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah—that even though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that through His poverty you might become rich. 10 Now I give my opinion in this matter, that it is a credit to you that a year ago you were the first to start—not only to do but even to be willing. 11 But now finish doing it, so that just as there was eagerness to be willing, so also to finish it, out of what you have. 12 For if the eagerness is present, the gift is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he doesn’t have. 13 For it is not relief for others and hardship for you, but as a matter of equality. 14 Your abundance at this present time meets their need, so that their abundance may also meet your need—so that there may be equality. 15 As it is written, “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.”[a]
An Offering by Special Delivery
16 But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same devotion for you. 17 For indeed he not only accepted our appeal, but went to you with eagerness and on his own initiative. 18 We are sending along with him the brother whose fame in connection with the Good News has spread throughout all of Messiah’s communities. 19 Not only that, but he has also been appointed by the communities as our travel companion with this gracious gift, which is administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself and to show our eagerness to help. 20 We are taking this precaution, so that no one will blame us in regard to the way we administer this generous gift. 21 We have regard for what is honorable—not only before the Lord, but also before people. 22 Also with them we are sending our brother whom we have tested many times and found to be diligent in many things, but now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are the emissaries of the communities, a glory to Messiah. 24 Therefore, before Messiah’s communities show them the proof of your love and of our boasting about you.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.