Old/New Testament
Wisdom’s Blessings
2 Everything a person does seems pure in his own opinion,
but the Lord weighs intentions.
3 Entrust your work to the Lord,
and your planning will succeed.
4 The Lord made everything answerable to him,
including the wicked at the time of trouble.[c]
5 The Lord detests those who are proud;
truly they will not go unpunished.
6 Iniquity is atoned for by gracious love and truth,
and through fear of the Lord people[d] turn from evil.
7 When a person’s ways please the Lord,
even his enemies will be at peace with him.
8 A little gain[e] with righteousness is better
than great income without justice.
9 A person plans his way,
but the Lord directs his steps.
10 When a king is ready to speak officially,[f]
what he says should not err with respect to justice.
11 Honest scales and balances are from the Lord;
he made all the weights in the bag.
12 Kings detest wrongdoing,
for through righteousness the throne is established.
13 Kings take pleasure in righteous speech;
they treasure a person who speaks what is upright.
14 The king’s wrath results in a death sentence,
but whoever is wise will appease him.
15 When a king is pleased,[g] there is life,
and his favor is like a cloud that brings spring rain.
16 How much better than gaining gold is the acquisition of wisdom,
the attainment of wisdom better than silver!
17 The road of the upright circumvents evil,
and whoever watches how he lives[h] preserves his life.
18 Pride precedes destruction;
an arrogant spirit appears before a fall.
19 Better to be humble among the poor,
than to share what is stolen with the proud.
20 Whoever listens to a word of instruction prospers,
and anyone who trusts in the Lord is blessed.
21 The wise-hearted person is told to be discerning,
and that pleasant speech promotes instruction.
22 Anyone who has understanding is a fountain of life,
but foolishness brings punishment to fools.
23 A wise person’s thoughts[i] control his words,
and his speech promotes instruction.
24 Pleasant words are honey from a honeycomb—
sweet to the soul and healing for the body.[j]
Advice to the Wise
25 There is a road that seems right for a man to travel,[k]
but in the end it’s the road to death.
26 The appetite of the laborer motivates him;
indeed, his hunger drives him on.
27 A worthless person concocts evil gossip[l]—
his lips are like a burning fire.
28 A deceitful man stirs dissension,
and anyone who gossips separates friends.
29 A violent man entices his companion
and leads him on a path that is not good.
30 Whoever winks knowingly[m] is plotting[n] deceit;
anyone who purses his lips is bent towards evil.
31 Gray hair is a crown of glory;
it is obtained by following[o] a righteous path.
32 Whoever controls his temper is better than a warrior,
and anyone who has control of his spirit is better
than someone who captures a city.
33 The dice is cast into someone’s lap,
but the outcome is from the Lord.
More Words of Wisdom
2 A prudent servant will rule in place of a disgraceful son
and will share in the inheritance among brothers.
3 The crucible is for silver
and the furnace for gold—
but the Lord assays hearts.
4 Whoever practices evil pays attention to wicked speech,
and the liar listens to malicious talk.
5 Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their maker,
and whoever is happy about disaster
will not go unpunished.
6 Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
and the pride of children is their parents.
7 Appropriate speech is inconsistent with the fool;
how much more are deceitful statements[r] with a prince!
8 A bribe works wonders[s] in the eyes of its giver;
wherever he turns he prospers.
9 Anyone who overlooks[t] an offense promotes love,
but someone who gossips separates close friends.
10 A rebuke is more effective with a man of understanding
than a hundred lashes to a fool.
11 A rebellious person seeks evil;
a cruel emissary will be sent to oppose him.
12 It’s better to meet a mother bear who has lost her cubs
than a fool in his stupidity.
13 The person who repays good with evil
will never see[u] evil leave his home.
14 Starting a quarrel is like spilling water—
so drop the dispute before it escalates.
15 Exonerating the wicked and condemning the righteous
are both detestable to the Lord.
16 What is this? A fool has enough money to buy wisdom,
but is senseless?[v]
17 A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is there[w] for times of trouble.
19 The person who loves transgression loves strife;
the person who builds a high gate invites destruction.
20 The person whose mind[z] is perverse does not find good,
and anyone with perverted speech falls into trouble.
21 The man who fathers a fool does so to his sorrow—
the father of a fool has no joy.
22 A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a broken spirit drains one’s strength.[aa]
23 The wicked man takes a bribe in secret
in order to pervert the course of justice.
24 A person with understanding has wisdom as his objective,
but a fool looks only[ab] to earthly goals.
25 A foolish son brings grief to his father
and bitterness to his mother.[ac]
26 Furthermore, it isn’t good to fine the righteous,
or to beat an official because of his uprightness.
27 Whoever controls what he says is knowledgeable;
anyone who has a calm spirit is a man of understanding.
28 Even a fool is thought to be wise when he remains silent;
he is thought to be prudent when he keeps his mouth shut.
How Fools Talk
18 Whoever isolates himself pursues selfish ends;
he resists all sound advice.
2 A fool finds no satisfaction in trying to understand,
for he would rather express his own opinion.
3 When an evil person comes, contempt also comes,
along with dishonor and disgrace.
4 The words a man says are as deep waters—
a fountain of wisdom is an overflowing stream.
5 It’s not good to be partial towards an evil person,
thereby depriving the righteous of justice.
6 A fool’s words[ad] bring strife,
and his mouth invites fighting.
7 A fool’s mouth is his unraveling,
and his lips entrap himself.
8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels
as they descend to the innermost parts of the body.
Avoiding Fools and Their Foolishness
9 Whoever is lazy regarding his work
is also a brother to the master of destruction.
10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
a righteous person rushes to it and is lifted up above the danger.[ae]
11 The wealth of a rich person is his fortified city;
in his own imagination, it is like a high wall.
12 Before a man’s downfall, his mind[af] is arrogant,
but humility precedes honor.
13 Whoever answers before listening
is both foolish and shameful.
14 A man’s spirit can sustain him during his illness,
but who can bear a crushed spirit?
15 The mind[ag] of a discerning person gains knowledge,
while the ears of wise people seek out knowledge.
16 A person’s gift opens doors for him,
bringing him access to important people.
17 The first to put forth his case seems right,
until someone else steps forward and cross-examines him.
18 Casting dice settles a dispute,
deciding between strong contenders.
19 An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city,
and his disputes are like the bars of a fortress.
20 The positive words that a man speaks[ah] fill his stomach;
he will be satisfied with what his lips produce.
21 The power of the tongue is life and death—
those who love to talk[ai] will eat what it produces.
22 Whoever finds a wife finds what is good,
and receives favor from the Lord.
23 The poor person pleads for mercy,
but the wealthy man responds harshly.
24 A man with many[aj] friends can still be ruined,
but one who keeps on loving sticks closer than a brother.
Workers with God
6 Since, then, we are working with God,[a] we plead with you not to accept God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says,
“At the right time I heard you,
and on a day of salvation I helped you.”[b]
Listen, now is really the “right time”! Now is the “day of salvation”!
We are God’s Servants
3 We do not put an obstacle in anyone’s way. Otherwise, fault may be found with our ministry. 4 Instead, in every way we demonstrate that we are God’s servants by tremendous endurance in the midst of difficulties, hardships, and calamities; 5 in beatings, imprisonments, and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights, and hunger; 6 with purity, knowledge, patience, and kindness; with the Holy Spirit, genuine love, 7 truthful speech, and divine power; through the weapons of righteousness in the right and left hands; 8 through honor and dishonor; through ill repute and good repute; perceived[c] as deceivers and yet true, 9 as unknown and yet well-known, as dying and yet—as you see—very much alive, as punished and yet not killed, 10 as sorrowful and yet always rejoicing, as poor and yet enriching many, as having nothing and yet possessing everything.
11 We have spoken frankly[d] to you, Corinthians. Our hearts are wide open. 12 We have not cut you off, but you have cut off your own feelings toward us. 13 Do us a favor—I ask you as my children—and open wide your hearts.
Relating with Unbelievers
14 Stop becoming[e] unevenly yoked with unbelievers. What partnership can righteousness have with lawlessness? What fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony exists between the Messiah[f] and Beliar,[g] or what do a believer and an unbeliever have in common? 16 What agreement can a temple of God make with idols? For we[h] are the temple of the living God, just as God said:
“I will live and walk among them.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.”[i]
17 Therefore,
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