Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

²¹ When I became embittered
and my innermost being^[a] was wounded,^(A)
22 I was stupid and didn’t understand;
I was an unthinking animal toward You.^(B)
23 Yet I am always with You;
You hold my right hand.^(C)
24 You guide me with Your counsel,
and afterward You will take me up in glory.^[b](D)
25 Who do I have in heaven but You?
And I desire nothing on earth but You.^(E)
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength^[c] of my heart,
my portion forever.^(F)
27 Those far from You will certainly perish;
You destroy all who are unfaithful to You.^(G)
28 But as for me, God’s presence is my good.
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
so I can tell about all You do.^(H)

² It is the glory of God to conceal a matter^(C)
and the glory of kings to investigate a matter.
³ As the heaven is high and the earth is deep,
so the hearts of kings cannot be investigated.

⁴ Remove impurities from silver,^(D)
and a vessel will be produced^[a] for a silversmith.^(E)
5 Remove the wicked from the king’s presence,^(F)
and his throne will be established in righteousness.^(G)

⁶ Don’t brag about yourself before the king,
and don’t stand in the place of the great;
⁷ for it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here!”
than to demote you in plain view of a noble.^[b](H)

⁸ Don’t take a matter to court hastily.^(I)
Otherwise, what will you do afterward
if your opponent^[c] humiliates you?
⁹ Make your case with your opponent^[d]
without revealing another’s secret;^(J)
10 otherwise, the one who hears will disgrace you,
and you’ll never live it down.^[e]

¹¹ A word spoken at the right time
is like gold apples on a silver tray.^[f](K)
12 A wise correction to a receptive ear^(L)
is like a gold ring or an ornament of gold.

¹³ To those who send him, a trustworthy messenger
is like the coolness of snow on a harvest day;
he refreshes the life of his masters.^(M)

¹⁴ The man who boasts about a gift that does not exist
is like clouds and wind without rain.^(N)
15 A ruler can be persuaded through patience,
and a gentle tongue can break a bone.^(O)
16 If you find honey,^(P) eat only what you need;
otherwise, you’ll get sick from it and vomit.^(Q)
17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house;
otherwise, he’ll get sick of you and hate you.

¹⁸ A man giving false testimony against his neighbor^(R)
is like a club, a sword, or a sharp arrow.^(S)
19 Trusting an unreliable person in a difficult time
is like a rotten tooth or a faltering foot.^(T)

²⁰ Singing songs to a troubled heart
is like taking off clothing on a cold day
or like pouring vinegar on soda.^[g](U)

²¹ If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;^(V)
22 for you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.^(W)

²³ The north wind produces rain,
and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
²⁴ Better to live on the corner of a roof
than to share a house with a nagging wife.^(X)
25 Good news from a distant land
is like cold water to a parched throat.^[h](Y)
26 A righteous person who yields to the wicked^(Z)
is like a muddied spring or a polluted well.^(AA)
27 It is not good to eat too much honey^(AB)
or to seek glory after glory.^[i](AC)
28 A man who does not control his temper^(AD)
is like a city whose wall is broken down.^(AE)