Old/New Testament
16 People may make plans in their ·minds [hearts],
but ·only the Lord can make them come true [L from the Lord comes a responding tongue].
2 ·You may believe you are doing right [L All paths of people are pure in their eyes],
but the Lord will ·judge your reasons [measure your motives; L weigh the spirits].
3 ·Depend on the Lord in whatever you do [Commit your acts/deeds to the Lord],
and your plans will ·succeed [be established].
4 The Lord makes everything ·go as he pleases [for a purpose].
He has even prepared a day of ·disaster [evil; harm; trouble] for evil people.
5 The Lord ·hates [detests] those who are proud.
They will surely be punished.
6 ·Love [Loyalty] and ·truth [faithfulness] bring ·forgiveness of sin [atonement for guilt].
By ·respecting [fearing] the Lord you will avoid evil.
7 When ·people live so that they please the Lord [L people’s paths draw the Lord’s favor]
even their enemies will make peace with them.
8 It is better to ·be poor [have little] and ·right [righteousness]
than ·to be wealthy [much gain] and ·dishonest [injustice].
9 ·People may make plans in their minds [L Human hearts plan their path],
but the Lord ·decides what they will do [L establishes their step].
10 The words of a king are like a ·message from God [oracle],
so ·his decisions should be fair [L he should not betray justice with his mouth].
11 The Lord wants honest balances and scales;
·all the weights are his work [L he concerns himself with the weights in the pouch].
12 Kings ·hate [detest] those who do wrong,
because ·governments only continue if they are fair [L in righteousness the throne is established].
13 Kings ·like [favor] ·honest people [L righteous lips];
they ·value [love] ·someone who speaks the truth [L those who speak with integrity].
14 An angry king ·can put someone to [L is a messenger of] death,
so a wise person will ·try to make him happy [appease/calm him].
15 ·A smiling king can give people [L In the light of the face of the king there is] life;
his ·kindness [favor] is like a ·spring shower [L cloud that brings late rain].
16 It is better to get wisdom than gold,
and to choose understanding rather than silver!
17 ·Good people stay [L The highway of those with integrity turns] away from evil.
By ·watching what they do [protecting their path], they ·protect [guard] their lives.
18 Pride ·leads to destruction [comes before a disaster];
·a proud attitude brings ruin [T pride comes before a fall].
19 It is better to be humble and ·be with those who suffer [with the needy]
than ·to share stolen property [dividing plunder/spoil] with the proud.
20 Whoever ·listens to what is taught [has insight] will ·succeed [prosper],
and whoever trusts the Lord will be ·happy [blessed].
21 The wise of heart ·are known for their [L will be called] understanding.
Their ·pleasant [sweet] words ·make them better teachers [enhance their teaching].
22 ·Understanding is like a fountain which gives life to those who use it [L One who possesses insight is a fountain of life],
but ·foolishness brings punishment to fools [or the instruction of foolish people is folly].
23 Wise people’s ·minds [hearts] ·tell them what to say [L provide insight to their mouth],
and that ·helps them be better teachers [enhances their teaching].
24 Pleasant words are like ·a honeycomb [liquid honey],
·making people happy and healthy [L sweet to the taste and healing to the bones].
25 ·Some people think they are doing right [L There is a path that is straight before a person/T seems right to a man],
but in the end it ·leads [L is the path] to death.
26 The workers’ hunger ·helps [L works for] them,
·because their desire to eat makes them work [L and their mouths press/urge them on].
27 ·Useless [Worthless] people ·make evil plans [L dig up evil],
and their ·words [L lips] are like a burning fire.
28 A ·useless [perverse] person causes ·trouble [conflicts],
and a gossip ruins close friendships.
29 ·Cruel [Violent] people ·trick [entice] their neighbors
and ·lead them to do wrong [L make them walk on a path that is not good].
30 Someone who winks their eye is planning ·evil [perverse things],
and the one who ·grins [L purses/narrows their lips] is ·planning something wrong [concealing evil].
31 Gray hair is like a crown of honor;
it is ·earned by living a good life [L found on the path of righteousness].
32 Patience is better than strength [or A patient person is better than a warrior].
Controlling your temper is better than capturing a city.
33 People throw lots ·to make a decision [L into the lap],
but the ·answer [decision] comes from the Lord.
17 It is better to eat a dry crust of bread in ·peace [quiet]
than to have a feast where there is ·quarreling [strife; contention].
2 A ·wise [insightful] servant will rule over the master’s disgraceful child
and will even ·inherit a share of what the master leaves his children [L divide an inheritance with the brothers/relatives].
3 A crucible ·tests [or refines] silver and a furnace gold,
but the Lord ·tests [or refines] hearts.
4 Evil people listen to ·evil words [L guilty lips].
Liars pay attention to ·cruel words [L a destructive tongue].
5 Whoever ·mistreats [ridicules; mocks] the poor insults their Maker;
whoever enjoys someone’s trouble will ·be punished [L not go unpunished].
6 ·Old people are proud of their grandchildren [L Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly],
and ·children are proud of [L the glory/splendor of children are] their parents.
7 ·Fools should not be proud [or It is not right for fools to be good speakers],
and ·rulers [honorable people] should not ·be liars [L have lying lips].
8 ·Some people think they can pay others to do anything they ask [L A bribe is a magic stone in the eyes of those who give it].
·They think it will work every time [L It grants success to all who use it].
9 ·Whoever forgives someone’s sin makes a friend [L One who seeks love conceals an offense],
but ·gossiping about the sin [repeating a thing] breaks up friendships.
10 A wise person will learn more from a ·warning [rebuke]
than a fool will learn from a hundred lashings.
11 Disobedient ·people look only for trouble [L seek only rebellion],
so a cruel messenger will be sent against them.
12 It is ·better [safer] to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than to meet a fool doing foolish things.
13 Whoever gives evil in return for good
will always have trouble at home.
14 Starting a quarrel is like ·a leak in a dam [L letting out water],
so ·stop it [hold back an accusation] before a fight breaks out.
15 The Lord hates both of these things:
·freeing the guilty and punishing the innocent [L judging the righteous wicked and the wicked righteous].
16 It won’t do a fool any good to try to buy wisdom,
because he doesn’t have the ability to be wise.
17 A friend loves you all the time,
and a brother ·helps in [L is born for a] time of trouble.
18 ·It is not wise to promise
to pay what your neighbor owes [L A person lacks sense/heart who shakes hands in agreement, who secures a loan for a friend/neighbor].
19 Whoever loves to argue loves to sin.
Whoever ·brags a lot is asking for trouble [L builds a high doorway is seeking a collapse].
20 A person with an ·evil [crooked] heart will find no success,
and the person ·whose words are evil [L who twists matters with their tongue] will get into trouble.
21 It is sad to have a foolish child;
there is no joy in being the parent of a fool.
22 A happy heart ·is like good medicine [L brings healing],
but a broken spirit ·drains your strength [L dries up bone].
23 When the wicked ·accept money to do wrong [take a secret bribe/L bribe from the chest/bosom]
·there can be no [it stretches] justice.
24 The person with understanding is always ·looking for [focused on] wisdom,
but the mind of a fool wanders ·everywhere [L to the ends of the earth].
25 Foolish children make their father sad
and cause their mother great ·sorrow [bitterness].
26 It is not good to punish the ·innocent [righteous]
or to beat leaders for being honest.
27 The wise ·say very little [restrain/hold back their talk],
and those with understanding stay ·calm [coolheaded].
28 Even fools seem to be wise if they keep quiet;
if they ·don’t speak [L keep their lips shut], they appear to understand.
18 ·Unfriendly [Antisocial; Lonely] people ·are selfish [L seek their own longings/desires]
and ·hate [L break out against] all good sense.
2 Fools do not ·want to understand anything [L delight in understanding].
They only want to ·tell others what they think [L reveal/disclose their heart].
3 Do something evil, and people won’t like you.
Do something shameful, and they will ·make fun of [insult] you.
4 ·Spoken words [L The words of a person’s mouth] can be like deep water,
·but [or and] the fountain of wisdom is like a flowing stream.
5 It is not good to ·honor [or show favor to] the wicked
or to be unfair to the innocent.
6 The ·words [L lips] of fools ·start quarrels [or make accusations].
·They make people want to beat them [L Their mouth invites a beating].
7 The ·words [L mouth] of fools will ruin them;
their own ·words [L lips] will trap them.
8 The words of a gossip are like tasty bits of food.
·People like to gobble them up [L They go down to one’s inmost parts].
9 A person who doesn’t work hard
is ·just like someone who destroys things [L a brother to a destroyer].
10 The name of the Lord is like a strong tower;
·those who do right [the righteous] can run to him for ·safety [refuge].
11 Rich people trust their wealth like a strong city.
They think it is like the high walls.
12 Proud people will be ruined,
but ·the humble will be honored [humility comes before glory].
13 Anyone who answers without listening
is foolish and ·confused [or a disgrace].
14 The ·will to live [L human spirit] can get you through sickness,
but ·no one can live with [L who can bear…?] a broken spirit.
15 The ·mind [heart] of a person with understanding gets knowledge;
the ·wise person listens to learn more [L ear of the wise seeks knowledge].
16 Taking gifts to important people
will help get you in to see them.
17 The person who ·tells one side of [first tells] a story seems right,
until ·someone else [his friend/neighbor] comes and asks questions.
18 Throwing lots can settle arguments
and ·keep the two sides from fighting [is decisive against powerful people].
19 A brother who has been ·insulted [offended] is harder to win back than a walled city,
and arguments separate people like the barred gates of a palace.
20 ·People will be rewarded for what they say [L From the fruit of the mouth of a person is their stomach satisfied];
·they will be rewarded by how they speak [L the yield/gain of their lips satisfies].
21 ·What you say can mean [L In the power of the tongue are] life or death.
Those who ·speak with care [love it] will ·be rewarded [L eat its fruit].
22 When a man finds a wife, he finds something good.
It shows that the Lord ·is pleased with [favors] him.
23 The poor beg for mercy,
but the rich give ·rude [harsh] answers.
24 Some friends may ruin you,
but a real friend will ·be more loyal [cling closer] than a brother.
6 We are working together [C with fellow believers, or with God, or with Christ], so we ·beg [urge; appeal to; encourage] you: Do not ·let the grace that you received from God be for nothing [L receive God’s grace in vain]. 2 [L For] God says,
“At the ·right [favorable; acceptable] time I heard your prayers.
On the day of salvation I helped you [Is. 49:8].”
·I tell you that [T Behold; L Look] the “·right [favorable; acceptable] time” is now, ·and [T behold; L look] the “day of salvation” is now.
3 We try not to ·be a problem [cause offense; place an obstacle/stumbling block] for anyone in any way, so that no one will find fault with our ·work [ministry]. 4 But in every way ·we show we are servants of God [or as God’s servants/ministers, we commend ourselves]: ·in accepting many hard things [in/with great endurance], in ·troubles [trials; tribulation], in ·difficulties [hardships; times of need], ·and in great problems [in distress/calamities/L tight spots]. 5 ·We are beaten [L …in beatings/floggings] ·and thrown into prison [L in imprisonments]. ·We meet those who become upset with us and start riots [L …in riots/rebellions]. ·We work hard [L …in hard labors], ·and sometimes we get no sleep [L …in sleepless nights] ·or food [L …in hunger]. 6 ·We show we are servants of God by our pure lives [L …in/by purity; C Paul continues the same list, but moves to positive character traits], ·our understanding [L …in/by knowledge], patience, and kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by ·true [sincere; unhypocritical] love, 7 by ·speaking the truth [or the message/word of truth; C the Gospel], and by God’s power. ·We use our right living [L …with weapons of righteousness] ·to defend ourselves against everything [or both to attack (with a sword) and defend (with a shield); L in our right hands and in our left]. 8 ·Some people honor us, but others blame us [L …through honor/glory and dishonor/disgrace…]. ·Some people say evil things about us, but others say good things [L …through slander and praise…]. ·Some people say we are liars, but we speak the truth [L …(treated) as deceivers, yet true…]. 9 ·We are not known, but we are well known [L …as unknown, yet known…]. ·We seem to be dying, but we continue to live [L …as dying, yet look/behold we live!]. ·We are punished [L …as punished/scourged], but we are not killed. 10 ·We have much sadness [L …as sorrowful/grieving], but we are always rejoicing. ·We are poor [L …as poor], but we are making many people ·rich in faith [L rich]. ·We have [L …as having] nothing, but really we have everything.
11 We have spoken ·freely [openly; frankly] to you, ·Corinthian friends [L Corinthians], and have opened our hearts to you. 12 ·Our feelings of love for you have not stopped [We have not withheld our affection from you; L You are not constrained/held back by us], but you have ·stopped your feelings of love [L constrained/held back your affection] for us. 13 I speak to you ·as if you were [L as] my children. ·Do to us as we have done [As a fair exchange]—open your hearts to us [v. 11].
Warning About Non-Christians
14 Do not ·join yourselves to [become partners with; L be mismatched/unevenly yoked with] unbelievers. ·Good and bad do not belong together [L For what partnership has righteousness and wickedness/lawlessness?]. ·Light and darkness cannot share together [Or what fellowship/partnership can light have with darkness?]. 15 How can Christ and Belial [C the devil; Satan] have any ·agreement [harmony; accord]? What can a believer ·have together [share in common] with a nonbeliever? 16 What ·agreement [union] can the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God [1 Cor. 3:16]. As God said: “I will live with them and walk with them. And I will be their God, and they will be my people [Lev. 26:11–12; Jer. 32:38; Ezek. 37:27].”
17 “[L Therefore] ·Leave those people [L Come out from their midst],
and be separate, says the Lord.
Touch nothing that is ·unclean [polluted, defiled],
and I will ·accept [receive; welcome] you [Is. 52:11; Ezek. 20:41].”
18 “I will be your father,
and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty [2 Sam. 7:14].”
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.