Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

16 People go about making their plans,
    but the Eternal has the final word.
² Even when you think you have good intentions,
    He knows your real motives.
³ Whatever you do, do it as service to Him,
    and He will guarantee your success.
⁴ The Eternal made everything for a reason.
    Even wrongdoers fit in His plans; troubled times await them.
⁵ He abhors arrogant people.
    Make no mistake about it! They will be punished!
⁶ The penalty of sin is removed by love and loyalty;
    and by devotion to the Eternal, evil is avoided.
⁷ When people make good choices, He is pleased;
    He even causes their enemies to live peacefully near them.
⁸ Better to have little and stand for what is right
    than to become rich by doing what is wrong.
⁹ People do their best making plans for their lives,
    but the Eternal guides each step.
¹⁰ The king makes a decision under divine inspiration,
    but he must never render an unfair judgment.
¹¹ The Eternal requires that business be conducted honestly;
    He wants fairness in all your dealings.
¹² When kings commit evil, it is despicable,
    because their thrones should be built on justice.
¹³ Kings admire those who tell the truth;
    they adore those who set the record straight.
¹⁴ A king’s rage signals that people will die,
    but whoever is wise will pacify him.
¹⁵ If a king is smiling brightly, life will be granted;
    his favor is like a cloud swelled with the first spring rain.
¹⁶ How much better it is to receive wisdom than the riches of gold
    and to gain understanding over some silver prize!
¹⁷ The highway of the just bypasses evil;
    those who watch where they’re going protect their lives from sin.
¹⁸ Pride precedes destruction;
    an arrogant spirit gives way to a nasty fall.
¹⁹ It is better to be humble and live among the poor,
    than to divide up stolen property with the proud.
²⁰ Those devoted to instruction will prosper in goodness;
    those who trust in the Eternal will experience His favor.