Proverbs 19–21
1 Better is the poor who walks in his integrity
than he who is perverse in his lips and is a fool.
2 Also, it is not good for the soul to be without knowledge,
and he who hastens with his feet sins.
3 The foolishness of man perverts his way,
and his heart frets against the Lord.
4 Wealth makes many friends,
but the poor is separated from his neighbor.
5 A false witness will not be unpunished,
and he who speaks lies will not escape.
6 Many will entreat the favor of the prince,
and every man is a friend to him who gives gifts.
7 All the brothers of the poor hate him;
how much more do his friends go far from him!
He pursues them with words,
yet they abandon him.
8 He who gets wisdom loves his own soul;
he who keeps understanding will find good.
9 A false witness will not be unpunished,
and he who speaks lies will perish.
10 Delight is not seemly for a fool,
much less for a servant to have rule over princes.
11 The discretion of a man defers his anger,
and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.
12 The king’s wrath is as the roaring of a lion,
but his favor is as dew upon the grass.
13 A foolish son is the calamity of his father,
and the contentions of a wife are a continual dripping of water.
14 House and riches are the inheritance of fathers,
and a prudent wife is from the Lord.
15 Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep,
and an idle soul will suffer hunger.
16 He who keeps the commandment keeps his own soul,
but he who is careless in his ways will die.
17 He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord,
and He will repay what he has given.
18 Chasten your son while there is hope,
and let not your soul spare for his crying.
19 A man of great wrath will suffer punishment;
for if you deliver him, yet you must do it again.
20 Hear counsel and receive instruction,
that you may be wise in your latter days.
21 There are many plans in a man’s heart,
nevertheless the counsel of the Lord will stand.
22 The desire of a man is his kindness,
and a poor man is better than a liar.
23 The fear of the Lord tends to life,
and he who has it will abide satisfied; he will not be visited with evil.
24 A slothful man hides his hand in his bowl,
and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
25 Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware;
and reprove one who has understanding, and he will understand knowledge.
26 He who mistreats his father and chases away his mother
is a son who causes shame and brings reproach.
27 Cease, my son, to hear the instruction
that causes to err from the words of knowledge.
28 An ungodly witness scorns judgment,
and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.
29 Judgments are prepared for scorners,
and beatings for the back of fools.
Chapter 20
1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging,
and whoever is deceived by it is not wise.
2 The terror of a king is as the roaring of a lion;
whoever provokes him to anger sins against his own soul.
3 It is an honor for a man to cease from strife,
but every fool will be meddling.
4 The sluggard will not plow because of the cold;
therefore he will beg during harvest and have nothing.
5 Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water,
but a man of understanding will draw it out.
6 Most men will proclaim everyone his own goodness,
but who can find a faithful man?
7 The just man walks in his integrity;
his children are blessed after him.
8 A king who sits on the throne of judgment
scatters away all evil with his eyes.
9 Who can say, “I have made my heart clean,
I am pure from my sin”?
10 Diverse weights and diverse measures,
both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.
11 Even a child is known by his doings,
whether his work is pure and whether it is right.
12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye,
the Lord has made both of them.
13 Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty;
open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread.
14 “It is bad, it is bad,” says the buyer;
but when he has gone his way, then he boasts.
15 There is gold and a multitude of rubies,
but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.
16 Take the garment of him who is a pledge for a stranger,
and hold it as a security when it is for a wayward woman.
17 Bread of deceit is sweet to a man,
but afterwards his mouth will be filled with gravel.
18 Every purpose is established by counsel,
and with good advice wage war.
19 He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets;
therefore do not meddle with him who flatters with his lips.
20 Whoever curses his father or his mother,
his lamp will be put out in obscure darkness.
21 An inheritance may be gained hastily at the beginning,
but the end of it will not be blessed.
22 Do not say, “I will recompense evil”;
but wait on the Lord, and He will save you.
23 Diverse weights are an abomination to the Lord,
and a false balance is not good.
24 Man’s goings are of the Lord;
how can a man then understand his own way?
25 It is a snare to the man who dedicates rashly that which is holy,
and after the vows to make inquiry.
26 A wise king sifts out the wicked,
and drives the threshing wheel over them.
27 The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord,
searching all the inward parts of the heart.
28 Mercy and truth preserve the king,
and his throne is upheld by mercy.
29 The glory of young men is their strength,
and the beauty of old men is the gray head.
30 The blows of a wound cleanse away evil,
so do stripes the inward parts of the heart.
Chapter 21
1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord,
as the rivers of water; He turns it to any place He will.
2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the hearts.
3 To do justice and judgment
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
4 A high look, a proud heart,
and the plowing of the wicked are sin.
5 The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenty,
but of everyone who is hasty only to want.
6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue
is a vanity tossed back and forth by those who seek death.
7 The violence of the wicked will destroy them,
because they refuse to do justice.
8 The way of a guilty man is perverse;
but as for the pure, his work is right.
9 It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop
than with a brawling woman in a wide house.
10 The soul of the wicked desires evil;
his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.
11 When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise;
and when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.
12 The righteous man wisely considers the house of the wicked,
but God overthrows the wicked for their wickedness.
13 Whoever shuts his ears at the cry of the poor,
he also will cry himself, but will not be heard.
14 A gift in secret pacifies anger,
and a concealed bribe strong wrath.
15 It is joy to the just to do justice,
but destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.
16 The man who wanders out of the way of understanding
will remain in the congregation of the dead.
17 He who loves pleasure will be a poor man;
he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
18 The wicked will be a ransom for the righteous,
and the transgressor for the upright.
19 It is better to dwell in the wilderness
than with a contentious and angry woman.
20 There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise,
but a foolish man squanders it.
21 He who follows after righteousness and mercy
finds life, righteousness, and honor.
22 A wise man scales the city of the mighty,
and casts down the strength of its confidence.
23 Whoever guards his mouth and his tongue
keeps his soul from trouble.
24 Proud and haughty—scorner is his name,
who deals in proud wrath.
25 The desire of the slothful kills him,
for his hands refuse to labor.
26 He covets greedily all the day long,
but the righteous gives and does not spare.
27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
how much more when he brings it with a wicked intent!
28 A false witness will perish,
but a man who listens will speak forever.
29 A wicked man hardens his face,
but as for the upright, he directs his way.
30 There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel
against the Lord.
31 The horse is prepared against the day of battle,
but victory is of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 7
1 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2 Accept us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, and we have defrauded no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts, so that we would die or live with you. 4 Great is my boldness of speech toward you; great is my boasting of you. I am filled with comfort, and I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.
5 For when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, and we were troubled on every side. On the outside were conflicts; on the inside were fears. 6 Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us through the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, when he told us about your sincere desire, your mourning, and your zeal toward me, so that I rejoiced even more.
8 Though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it. For I perceive that this same letter has caused you sorrow, though only for a while. 9 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorrowful in a godly way, that you might not suffer loss in any way through us. 10 Godly sorrow produces repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11 For observe this very thing, which you sorrowed in a godly way: What carefulness it produced in you, what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what intense desire, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In all things you have proven yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 So though I wrote to you, I did it not because of him who had done the wrong, nor because of him who suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might be evident to you. 13 Therefore we were comforted in your comfort.
Yes, and we were exceedingly the more joyful for the sake of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all. 14 So I am not ashamed if I have boasted of anything to him regarding you. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, even our boasting in the presence of Titus is found to be true. 15 Now his affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him. 16 Therefore I rejoice that I have confidence in you in everything.