Old/New Testament
Advice for Everyday Life
22 A good reputation is more desirable than great wealth,
and favorable acceptance more than silver and gold.
2 The rich and the poor have this in common—
the Lord created both of them.
3 The prudent person sees trouble ahead and hides,
but the naïve continue on and suffer the consequences.
4 The reward of humility is the fear of the Lord,
along with wealth, honor, and life.
5 Thorns and snares lie in the path of the perverse person,
but whoever is cautious stays far away from them.
6 Train a child in the way appropriate for him,
and when he becomes older, he will not turn from it.
7 The wealthy rule over the poor,
and anyone who borrows is a slave to the lender.
8 Whoever sows wickedness reaps trouble,
and the anger he uses for a weapon[a] will be destroyed.
9 Whoever is generous[b] will be blessed,
for he shares his food with the poor.
11 Whoever loves purity[e] and gracious speech
will gain the king as his friend.
12 The Lord watches over anyone with knowledge,
but he ruins the plans[f] of the unfaithful.
13 The lazy person says, “There is a lion outside!
I will be killed in the street!”
14 The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit;
a man experiencing the Lord’s wrath will fall into it.
15 A child’s heart has a tendency to do wrong,
but the rod of discipline removes it far away from him.
16 Whoever oppresses the poor to enrich himself
and whoever gives gifts to the wealthy
will yield only loss.
Sayings of the Wise
17 Pay attention and listen to the words of the wise,
and apply your heart to my teaching,
18 for it is pleasant when you treasure them within you
and have them ready on your lips.
19 As a result, your trust will be in the Lord,
that’s why I’m teaching you today, even you.
20 Have I not written for you 30 sayings
containing counsel and knowledge,
21 to teach you true and reliable advice,
so you can give truthful answers to those who sent you?
22 Don’t rob the poor person because he is poor,
and don’t crush the helpless in court,[g]
23 for the Lord will plead their case
and ruin the lives of those who ruin them.
24 Don’t make friends with a hot-tempered man,
and do not associate with someone who is easily angered,
25 or you may learn his ways
and find yourself caught in a trap.
26 Don’t be one of those who make promises
to guarantee loans for debts.
27 If you don’t have the ability to pay,
why should your very bed be taken from under you?
28 Don’t remove an ancient boundary stone
that was set up by your ancestors.
29 Do you see a man skilled in his work?
He will work for kings, not unimportant people.
Things to Avoid in Life
23 Whenever you sit down to dine with a ruler,
carefully think about what is before you.
2 Put a knife to your own throat,
if you have a big appetite.[h]
3 Don’t crave his delicacies,
because the meal is deceptive.
4 Don’t exhaust yourself acquiring wealth;
be smart enough to stop.
5 When you fix your gaze on it, it’s gone,
for it sprouts wings for itself
and flies to the sky like an eagle.
6 Don’t consume food provided by a miserly[i] person,
and don’t desire his delicacies,
7 for as he thinks within himself, so he is.
“Eat and drink!” he’ll say to you,
but his heart won’t be with you.
8 You’ll vomit up what little you’ve eaten,
and your compliments will have been wasted.
9 Don’t speak when a fool is listening,
because he’ll despise your wise words.
10 Don’t move ancient boundaries
or invade fields belonging to orphans;
11 for strong is their Redeemer
who will take up their case against you.
12 Learn diligently,
and listen to words of knowledge.
13 Don’t withhold discipline from a child;
if you punish him with a rod,
he won’t die.
14 Punish him with a rod,
and you will rescue his soul from Sheol.[j]
On Listening to Your Parents
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
my own heart will greatly rejoice.
16 My innermost being will be glad
when your lips speak what is right.
17 Never let yourself envy sinners;
instead, remain[k] in fear of the Lord every day,
18 for there is surely a future life,
and what you hope for will not be cut off.
19 Listen, my son, and be wise,
commit yourself to live God’s[l] way.
20 Don’t associate with heavy drinkers
or dine with gluttons,
21 because drunks and gluttons tend to become poor,
and drowsiness will clothe them in rags.
22 Listen to the one who fathered you,
and don’t despise your mother in her old age.
23 Purchase truth, but don’t sell it;
store up[m] wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
24 The father of a righteous person will greatly rejoice;
whoever fathers a wise son will be glad because of him.
25 Let your father and mother rejoice;
make the one who gave birth to you happy.
26 Give me your heart, my son,
and keep your eyes fixed on my ways,
27 because a prostitute is a deep pit,
and the adulterous[n] woman a narrow well.
28 Surely she lies in wait like a bandit,
increasing those who are faithless among mankind.
On Sobriety
29 Who has woe? Who has grief?
Who has contention? Who has complaints?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has bloodshot eyes?
30 Those who linger over their wine,
who consume mixed drinks.
31 Don’t stare into red wine,
when it sparkles in the cup
and goes down smoothly.
32 Eventually it will bite like a snake
and sting like a serpent.
33 Your eyes will see strange things,
and with slurred words you’ll speak what you really believe.
34 You will be like someone who lies down in the sea,
or like someone who sleeps on top of a mast.
35 “They struck me,” you will say,[o]
“but I never felt it.
They beat me,
but I never knew it.
When will I wake up?
I want another drink.”
Benefits of Wisdom
24 Don’t be envious of wicked men
or wish you were with them,
2 because they[p] plan violence,
and they are always talking[q] about trouble.
3 By wisdom a house is built;
it is made secure through understanding.
4 By knowledge its rooms are furnished
with all sorts of expensive and beautiful goods.
5 A wise man is strong,[r]
and a knowledgeable man grows in strength.
6 For through wise counsel you will wage your war,
and victory lies in an abundance of advisors.
7 Wisdom lies beyond reach of the fool;
he has nothing to say in court.[s]
8 The person who plans on doing evil
will be called a schemer.
9 To devise folly is sin,
and people detest a scoffer.
10 If you grow weary when times are troubled,
your strength is limited.[t]
11 Rescue those who are being led away to death,
and save those who stumble toward slaughter.
12 If you say, “Look here, we didn’t know about this,”
doesn’t God,[u] who examines motives,[v] discern it?
Doesn’t the one who guards your soul
know about it?
Won’t he repay each person
according to what he has done?
13 My son, eat honey, because it’s good for you;[w]
indeed, drippings from the honeycomb are sweet to your taste;
14 Keep in mind that wisdom is like that for your soul;
if you find it, there will be a future for you,
and what you hope for won’t be cut short.
15 Don’t lie in wait like an outlaw
to attack where the righteous live;
16 for though a righteous man falls seven times,
he will rise again,
but the wicked stumble into calamity.
17 Don’t rejoice when your enemy falls;
don’t let yourself be glad when he stumbles.
18 Otherwise the Lord will observe and disapprove,
and he will turn his anger away from him.
19 Don’t be anxious about those who practice evil,
and don’t be envious of the wicked.
20 For the wicked man has no future;
the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.
21 My son, fear both the Lord and the king,
and don’t keep company with rebels.
22 They will be destroyed suddenly,
and who knows what kind of punishment will come from these two?
Sayings of the Wise
23 Here are some more proverbs from wise people:
It isn’t good to show partiality in judgment.
24 Whoever says to the wicked, “You’re in the right,”
will be cursed by people and hated by nations.
25 But as for people who rebuke the wicked;[x]
a good blessing will fall upon them.
26 A kiss on the lips—
that’s what someone who gives an honest answer deserves.[y]
27 First do your outside work,
preparing your land for yourself.
After that, build your house.
28 Don’t testify against your neighbor without a cause,
and don’t lie when you speak.[z]
29 Don’t say, “I’ll do to him like he did to me,
I’ll be sure to pay him back for what he did.”
30 I went by the field belonging to a lazy man,
by a vineyard belonging to a senseless person.
31 There it was, overgrown with thistles,
the ground covered with thorns,
its stone wall collapsed.
32 As I observed, I thought about it;
I watched, and learned a lesson:
33 “A little sleep! A little slumber!
A little folding of my hands to rest!”
34 Then your poverty will come upon you like a robber,
your need like an armed bandit.
The Collection for the Christians in Jerusalem
8 We want you to know, brothers, about God’s grace that was given to the churches of Macedonia. 2 In spite of their terrible ordeal of suffering, their abundant joy and deep poverty have led them to be abundantly generous. 3 I can testify that by their own free will they have given to the utmost of their ability, yes, even beyond their ability. 4 They begged us earnestly for the privilege[a] of participating in this ministry to the saints. 5 We did not expect that! They gave themselves to the Lord first and then to us, since this was God’s will. 6 So we urged Titus to finish this work of kindness[b] among you in the same way that he had started it. 7 Indeed, the more your faith, speech, knowledge, enthusiasm, and love for us increase, the more we want you to be rich in this work of kindness.[c]
8 I am not commanding you but testing the genuineness of your love by the enthusiasm of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah.[d] Although he was rich, for your sakes he became poor, so that you, through his poverty, might become rich.
10 I am giving you my opinion on this matter because it will be helpful to you. Last year you were not only willing to do something, but had already started to do it. 11 Now finish what you began, so that your eagerness to do so may be matched by your eagerness[e] to complete it. 12 For if the eagerness is there, the gift[f] is acceptable according to what you have, not according to what you do not have.
13 Not that others should have relief while you have hardship. Rather, it is a question of fairness. 14 At the present time, your surplus fills their need, so that their surplus may fill your need. In this way things are fair. 15 As it is written,
“The person who had much did not have too much,
and the person who had little did not have too little.”[g]
Titus and His Companions
16 But thanks be to God, who placed in the heart of Titus the same dedication to you that I have. 17 He welcomed my request and eagerly went to visit you by his own free will. 18 With him we have sent the brother who is praised in all the churches for spreading the gospel.[h] 19 More than that, he has also been selected by the churches to travel with us while we are administering this work of kindness[i] for the glory of the Lord and as evidence of our eagerness to help.[j] 20 We are trying to avoid any criticism of the way we are administering this great undertaking. 21 We intend to do what is right, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of people.
22 We have also sent with them our brother whom we have often tested in many ways and found to be dedicated. At present he is more dedicated than ever because he has so much confidence in you.
23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker on your behalf. Our brothers, emissaries[k] from the churches, are bringing glory to the Messiah.[l] 24 Therefore, demonstrate to the churches that you love them and show them publicly why we boast about you.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.