Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
11 For the sake of your name, Lord,
forgive my many sins.
12 Is there someone who worships the Lord?
The Lord will point him to the best way.
13 He will enjoy a good life.
His children will inherit the land.
14 The Lord tells his secrets to those who respect him.
He tells them about his agreement.
15 My eyes are always looking to the Lord for help.
He will keep me from any traps.
16 Turn to me and be kind to me.
I am lonely and hurting.
17 My troubles have grown larger.
Free me from my problems.
18 Look at my suffering and troubles.
Take away all my sins.
19 Look at how many enemies I have!
See how much they hate me!
20 Protect me and save me.
I trust you.
Do not let me be disgraced.
19 It is better to be poor and honest
than to be foolish and tell lies.
2 Enthusiasm without knowledge is not good.
If you act too quickly, you might make a mistake.
3 A person’s own foolishness ruins his life.
But in his mind he blames the Lord for it.
4 Wealthy people are always finding more friends.
But the poor lose their friends.
5 A witness who lies will be punished.
An untruthful person will not be left unpunished.
6 Many people want to please a leader.
And everyone is friends with those who give gifts.
7 A poor person’s relatives avoid him.
Even his friends stay far away!
He runs after them, begging.
But they are gone.
8 The person who gets wisdom is good to himself.
And the one who has understanding will succeed.
9 A witness who lies will be punished.
An untruthful person will die.
10 No foolish person should live in luxury.
No slave should rule over princes!
11 A wise person is patient.
He will be honored if he ignores a wrong done against him.
12 A king’s anger scares people like the roar of a lion.
But his kindness is as pleasant as the dew on the grass.
13 A foolish son will ruin his father.
And a quarreling wife is as bothersome as dripping water.
14 Houses and wealth are inherited from parents.
But a wise wife is a gift from the Lord.
15 Lazy people sleep a lot.
Idle people will go hungry.
16 Whoever obeys the commands protects his life.
Whoever is careless in what he does will die.
17 Being kind to the poor is like lending to the Lord.
The Lord will reward you for what you have done.
We Must Love Each Other
11 This is the teaching you have heard from the beginning: We must love each other. 12 Do not be like Cain who belonged to the Evil One. Cain killed his brother. He killed his brother because the things Cain did were evil, and the things his brother did were good.
13 Brothers, do not be surprised when the people of this world hate you. 14 We know that we have left death and have come into life. We know this because we love our brothers in Christ. Whoever does not love is still in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer.[a] And you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. 16 This is how we know what real love is: Jesus gave his life for us. So we should give our lives for our brothers. 17 Suppose a believer is rich enough to have all that he needs. He sees his brother in Christ who is poor and does not have what he needs. What if the believer does not help the poor brother? Then the believer does not have God’s love in his heart.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.