Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
11 For the sake of your name, O Lord,
you forgive my guilt, although it is great.
A Prayer for a Godly Life
12 Who, then, is the man who fears the Lord?
The Lord will instruct him in the way he chooses.
13 That man will enjoy a good life,
and his descendants will possess the land.
14 The guidance[a] of the Lord is with those who fear him.
His covenant will give them knowledge.
A Second Prayer for Protection
15 My eyes are always on the Lord,
because he frees my feet from the net.
16 Turn toward me and be gracious to me,
because I am lonely and afflicted.
17 The distress of my heart increases.[b]
Bring me out of my anguish.
18 See my affliction and my trouble,
and take away all my sins.
19 See my enemies—
how they have increased,
and how violently they hate me!
20 Guard my life and rescue me.
Do not let me be put to shame,
for I have taken refuge in you.
19 Better to be a poor person who walks in his integrity
than one with perverse lips who is a fool.
2 Zeal without knowledge is certainly not good,
and a person who acts hastily sins.[a]
3 A person’s own foolishness undermines his way,
but his heart rages against the Lord.
4 Wealth adds many friends,
but a poor person is deserted by his friend.
5 A false witness will not go unpunished.
He breathes lies and will not escape.
6 Many seek the goodwill of a ruler,
and everyone is a friend to a person who gives gifts.
7 A poor person’s brothers all hate him.
Even his friends keep their distance from him!
Though he pursues them with words, they are not there.
8 A person who acquires intelligence[b] loves his life.[c]
A person who guards understanding finds a good thing.
9 A false witness will not go unpunished.
He breathes lies, and he will perish.
10 A life of luxury is not appropriate for a fool.
How much less appropriate for a slave to rule over princes.
11 Good sense makes a person slow to anger,
and it is to his credit when he overlooks an offense.
12 The king’s anger is like a lion’s growl,
but his favor is refreshing like dew on the grass.
Dealing With Fools
13 A foolish son is a disaster to his father,
and a nagging wife is like constantly dripping water.
14 Home and wealth are an inheritance from fathers,
but a wife with good sense is from the Lord.
15 Laziness makes a person fall into a deep sleep,
and an idle person will go hungry.
16 A person who keeps a command preserves his life.
One who despises his ways will die.
17 A person who is gracious to the poor lends to the Lord.
He will repay him in full.
Love One Another
11 This is the message you have heard from the beginning: Love one another. 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the Evil One and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own works were evil, while those of his brother were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers,[a] if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have crossed over from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love[b] remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him. 16 This is how we have come to know love: Jesus[c] laid down his life for us. And we also should lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 Whoever has worldly wealth and sees his brother in need but closes his heart against him—how can God’s love remain in him?
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.