Proverbs 13 Cross References - ISV

¹ Who is a Wise Son? A wise son heeds a father’s correction, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke. ² From the fruit of his words a man receives benefit, but the treacherous crave violence. ³ Anyone who guards his words protects his life; anyone who talks too much is ruined. ⁴ The lazy person craves, yet receives nothing, but the desires of the diligent are satisfied. ⁵ A righteous person hates deceit, but the wicked person is shameful and disgraceful. ⁶ Righteousness protects the blameless, but wickedness brings down the sinner. ⁷ One person pretends to be wealthy, but has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet is rich. ⁸ The life of a wealthy man may be held for ransom, but whoever is poor receives no threats. ⁹ The light of the righteous shines, but the lamp of the wicked is extinguished. ¹⁰ Arrogance only brings quarreling, but those receiving advice are wise. ¹¹ Wealth gained dishonestly dwindles away, but whoever works diligently increases his prosperity. ¹² Delayed hope makes the heart ill, but fulfilled longing is a tree of life. ¹³ Anyone who despises a word of advice will pay for it, but whoever heeds a command will be rewarded. ¹⁴ What the wise have to teach is a fountain of life and causes someone to avoid the snares of death. ¹⁵ Good understanding produces grace, but the lifestyle of the treacherous never changes. ¹⁶ Every sensible person acts from knowledge, but a fool demonstrates folly. ¹⁷ An evil messenger stumbles into trouble, but a faithful envoy brings healing. ¹⁸ Poverty and shame are for those who ignore correction, but whoever listens to instruction gains honor. ¹⁹ Fulfilled longing is sweet to the soul, but avoiding evil is detestable to the fool. ²⁰ Whoever keeps company with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools suffers harm. ²¹ Disaster pursues the sinful, but good will reward the righteous. ²² A good person leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren, but the wealth of the wicked is reserved for the righteous. ²³ The field of the poor may produce much food, but it can be swept away through injustice. ²⁴ Whoever does not discipline his son hates him, but whoever loves him is diligent to correct him. ²⁵ A righteous person eats to his heart’s content, but the stomach of the wicked remains hungry.

²⁵ If a person sins against another, God will mediate for him, but if a person sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?”
But they would not follow the advice of their father; for the LORD wanted to put them to death.

¹ Diligently Pursue Wisdom Listen, children, to your father’s instruction, and pay attention in order to gain understanding. ² I give you sound teaching, so do not abandon my instruction. ³ When I was a son to my father, not yet strong and an only son to my mother, ⁴ he taught me and told me, “Let your heart fully embrace what I have to say; keep my commandments and live! ⁵ Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget or turn aside from the words of my mouth! ⁶ Do not abandon her, and she will protect you. Love her, and she will watch over you. ⁷ Wisdom is of utmost importance, therefore get wisdom, and with all your effort work to acquire understanding. ⁸ Prize her and she will exalt you. Indeed, if you embrace her, she will honor you. ⁹ She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will present to you a crown of beauty.” ¹⁰ Listen, my son: accept my words, and you’ll live a long, long time. ¹¹ I have directed you in the way of wisdom, and I have led you along straight paths. ¹² When you walk, your step will not be hindered, and when you run, you will not stumble. ¹³ Hold on to instruction, do not let it go! Guard wisdom, because she is your life!
¹⁴ Avoiding the Ways of the WickedDo not enter the path of the wicked, or go along the way of evil men.

²⁰ Remembering the Counsel of a Wise FatherMy son, pay attention to my words, and listen closely to what I say. ²¹ Do not let them out of your sight; keep them within your heart. ²² For they are life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.

⁷ Wisdom Extends LifeWhoever corrects a mocker invites only insult, and whoever rebukes the wicked will himself become stained. ⁸ Don’t rebuke a mocker or he will hate you. Rebuke a wise person, and he will love you.

¹ Solomon’s SayingsThe proverbs of Solomon. A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grieves his mother.

⁶ A mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but learning comes easily to someone who understands.

⁵ A fool rejects his father’s instructions, but anyone who respects reproof acts sensibly.

²⁰ A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish man despises his mother.

¹⁴ God’s Precious Cornerstone“Therefore hear the message from the LORD, you scoffers who rule this people that are in Jerusalem. ¹⁵ Because you said: ‘We have entered into a covenant with death, and we have an agreement with Sheol, so when the overwhelming scourge makes its choice, it cannot reach us, since we have made lies our refuge and have concealed ourselves inside falsehood’

⁸ For there is a cup in the hand of the LORD, foaming with well-mixed wine that he will pour out, leaving only the dregs, from which all the wicked of the earth will drink.

¹¹ Let not the slanderer become established in the land. May evil quickly hunt down the violent man.

¹¹ If they say, “Come with us! Let’s lie in wait for blood; let’s ambush some innocent person for no reason at all. ¹² Let’s swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole like those who go down into the Pit. ¹³ We’ll find all kinds of valuable wealth, and we’ll fill our houses with spoil.

¹⁸ but these people lie in wait for their own blood. They ambush only themselves.

³¹ They will eat the fruit of their way, and they will be filled with their own devices.

¹⁷ For they eat the bread of wickedness, and they drink the wine of violence.

¹¹ What the righteous say is a flowing fountain, but what the wicked say conceals violence.

¹⁴ By his fruitful speech a man can remain satisfied, and a man’s handiwork will reward him.

²⁰ The positive words that a man speaks fill his stomach; he will be satisfied with what his lips produce.

²⁷ “You are to say to them, ‘This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Drink, get drunk, and vomit! Fall down and don’t get up because of the sword I’m sending among you.”’ ²⁸ And if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink it, say to them, ‘This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: “You will surely drink it! ²⁹ Look, I’m beginning to bring disaster on the city that is called by my name, and do you actually think you will avoid punishment? You won’t avoid punishment because I’m summoning the sword against all those who live in the land,” declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.’”
³⁰ The LORD will Judge the Nations“You are to prophesy all these things against them, and you are to say to them, ‘The LORD roars from his high place, from his holy dwelling he lifts his voice. He roars loudly against his flock, and against all who live on the earth; he shouts like those treading grapes. ³¹ A tumult reaches to the ends of the earth because the LORD is bringing an indictment against the nations. He judges all flesh. He has given the wicked over to the sword,’ declares the LORD.

⁸ Because you plundered many nations, all of their remnants will plunder you. Human blood has been shed, and violence has been done to the land, to the city, and to all who live in it.”

¹⁷ Indeed, the violence done to Lebanon will overtake you, and the destruction of the beasts will terrorize you— because you shed human blood and did violence to the land, to the city, and to all who live in it.”

⁶ You have given them blood to drink because they spilled the blood of saints and prophets. This is what they deserve.”

¹ To the Director: To Jeduthun. A Davidic Psalm.
A Prayer about Life’s Priorities I told myself, “I will keep watch over my tongue to keep from sinning. I will muzzle my mouth when the wicked are around.”

¹⁹ Transgression is at work where people talk too much, but anyone who holds his tongue is prudent.

¹³ An evil man’s sinful speech ensnares him, but the righteous person escapes from trouble.

⁷ A fool’s mouth is his unraveling, and his lips entrap himself.

²¹ The power of the tongue is life and death— those who love to talk will eat what it produces.

¹⁹ Whoever spreads gossip betrays confidences; so don’t get involved with someone who talks too much.

²³ Whoever watches his mouth and tongue keeps himself from trouble.

³⁶ I tell you, on Judgment Day people will give an account for every thoughtless word they have uttered, ³⁷ because by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

²⁶ If anyone thinks that he is religious and does not bridle his tongue, but instead deceives himself, his religion is worthless.

² For all of us make many mistakes. If someone does not make any mistakes when he speaks, he is perfect and able to control his whole body. ³ Now if we put bits into horses’ mouths to make them obey us, we can guide their whole bodies as well. ⁴ And look at ships! They are so big that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are steered by a tiny rudder wherever the helmsman directs.
⁵ In the same way, the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it can boast of great achievements. A huge forest can be set on fire by a little flame. ⁶ The tongue is a fire, a world of evil. Placed among the parts of our bodies, the tongue contaminates the whole body and sets on fire the course of life, and is itself set on fire by hell. ⁷ For all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures can be or have been tamed by humans, ⁸ but no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil filled with deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in God’s likeness. ¹⁰ From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. It should not be like this, my brothers! ¹¹ A spring cannot pour both fresh and brackish water from the same opening, can it? ¹² My brothers, a fig tree cannot produce olives, nor a grapevine figs, can it? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

¹⁰ Who can count the dust of Jacob? Who can number the dust of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and may I end up like him.”

¹⁴ They will still bear fruit even in old age; they will be luxuriant and green.

² making your ear attentive to wisdom, and turning your heart to understanding— ³ if, indeed, you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, ⁴ if you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure, ⁵ then you will understand the fear of the LORD and learn to know God. ⁶ For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. ⁷ He stores up sound wisdom for the upright and is a shield to those who walk in integrity— ⁸ guarding the paths of the just and protecting the way of his faithful ones. ⁹ Then you will understand what is right, just, and upright—every good path.

³⁴ Blessed is the person who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorways—

⁴ Lazy hands bring poverty, but hard-working hands lead to wealth.

²⁵ A generous person will prosper, and anyone who gives water will receive a flood in return.

¹¹ Whoever tills his soil will have a lot to eat, but anyone who pursues fantasies lacks sense.

²⁴ The diligent will take control, but the lazy will be put to forced labor.

¹³ On LazinessThe lazy person claims, “There is a lion in the road! There’s a lion in the streets!”

²⁵ An arrogant man stirs up dissension, but anyone who trusts in the LORD prospers.

¹¹ And the LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in parched places, and they will strengthen your bones; and you’ll be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.

²⁷ Do not work for food that perishes but for food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal on him.”

¹¹ But we want each of you to continue to be diligent to the very end, in order to give full assurance to your hope.

⁵ For this very reason, you must make every effort to supplement your faith with moral character, your moral character with knowledge, ⁶ your knowledge with self-control, your self-control with endurance, your endurance with godliness, ⁷ your godliness with brotherly kindness, and your brotherly kindness with love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities, and if they continue to increase among you, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in attaining a full knowledge of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah. ⁹ For the person who lacks these qualities is blind and shortsighted, and has forgotten the cleansing that he has received from his past sins.
¹⁰ So then, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election certain, for if you keep on doing this you will never fail. ¹¹ For in this way you will be generously granted entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Messiah.

¹⁶³ I despise and hate falsehood, but I love your instruction.

³⁵ The wise will inherit honor, but he holds fools up for ridicule.

¹⁷ Arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, and hands shedding innocent blood;

⁸ Keep deception and lies far away from me, and give me neither poverty nor wealth. Feed me with food that I need for today,

⁹ Your survivors will remember me among the nations where they’ll be taken captives. I’ve been crushed by their unfaithful hearts that have turned against me.

⁴³ You’ll remember all your practices and evil actions by which you’ve become defiled. You’ll loathe yourselves because of all the evil things you’ve done.

³¹ Then you’ll remember your lifestyles and practices that were not good. You’ll hate yourselves as you look at your own iniquities and loathsome practices.

² Many of those who are sleeping in the dust of the earth will awaken—some to life everlasting, and some to disgrace and everlasting contempt.

⁸ In a single month I got rid of three shepherds because I grew tired of them, and they despised me.

²⁵ Therefore, stripping off falsehood, “let each of us speak the truth to his neighbor,” for we belong to one another.

⁹ Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old nature with its practices

⁸ But people who are cowardly, unfaithful, detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars will find themselves in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”

²³ He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him, reasoning, “The gods of the kings of Aram helped them, so I’ll sacrifice to them so they will help me!” But those gods brought about his downfall, and the downfall of all of Israel, too.

² The one who lives with integrity, who does righteous deeds, and who speaks truth to himself.

²¹ Integrity and justice will preserve me, because I wait on you.

¹ Davidic
A Man of Integrity Pleads for Justice Vindicate me, LORD, because I have walked in integrity; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.

²² The wicked person’s iniquities will capture him, and he will be held with the cords of his sin.

³ The integrity of the righteous guides them, but the hypocrisy of the treacherous destroys them.

⁵ The righteousness of the innocent creates a level path, but the wicked fall by their wickedness. ⁶ The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the treacherous are trapped by their evil desires.

¹² The righteous God considers the house of the wicked, bringing the wicked to ruin.

²⁴ Those who give freely gain even more; others hold back what they owe, becoming even poorer.

⁹ It’s better to be unimportant, yet have a servant, than to pretend to be important, but lack food.

¹¹ Wealth gained dishonestly dwindles away, but whoever works diligently increases his prosperity.

¹ Preparing for the Future Spread your bread on the water— after a while you will find it. ² Apportion what you have into seven, or even eight parts, because you don’t know what disaster might befall the land.

²¹ That’s how it is with the person who stores up treasures for himself rather than with God.”

³³ “Sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor. Make yourselves wallets that don’t wear out—a dependable treasure in heaven, where no thief can get close and no moth can destroy anything.

¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘O God, I thank you that I’m not like other people—thieves, dishonest people, adulterers, or even this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week, and I give a tenth of my entire income.’
¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance and would not even look up to heaven. Instead, he continued to beat his chest and said, ‘O God, be merciful to me, the sinner that I am!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man, rather than the other one, went down to his home justified, because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the person who humbles himself will be exalted.”

⁸ You already have all you want! You have already become rich! You have become kings without us! I wish you really were kings so that we could be kings with you!

¹⁰ We are fools for the Messiah’s sake, but you are wise in the Messiah. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honored, but we are dishonored. ¹¹ We are hungry, thirsty, dressed in rags, brutally treated, and homeless, right up to the present.

⁷ But we have this treasure in clay jars to show that its extraordinary power comes from God and not from us.

¹⁰ as sorrowful and yet always rejoicing, as poor and yet enriching many, as having nothing and yet possessing everything.

⁵ Listen, my dear brothers! God has chosen the poor in the world to become rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who keep on loving him, has he not?

¹⁹ Promising them freedom, they themselves are slaves to depravity, for a person is a slave to whatever conquers him.

⁹ ‘I know your suffering and your poverty—though you are rich—and the slander committed by those who claim to be Jews but are not. They are the synagogue of Satan.

¹⁷ You say, “I am rich. I have become wealthy. I don’t need anything.” Yet you don’t realize that you are miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.

³⁰ If a fine is imposed on him, he may pay all that was imposed on him as a ransom for his life.

¹⁴ Then Nebuchadnezzar sent away into exile all of Jerusalem—all the captains, all the valiant soldiers, 10,000 captives, and all of the craftsmen and ironworkers. Nobody remained except the poorest people of the land.

¹² However, the captain of the guard left some of the poor people of the land to work as vinedressers and farmers.

⁴ Satan answered the LORD, “Skin for skin! The man will give up everything that he owns in exchange for his health.

⁶ those who put confidence in their wealth and boast about their great riches? ⁷ No man can redeem the life of another, nor can he give to God a sufficient payment for him— ⁸ for it would cost too much to redeem his life, and the payments would go on forever— ⁹ that he should go on living and not see corruption. ¹⁰ Indeed, he will see wise people die; the stupid and the senseless will meet their doom and leave their wealth to others.

³⁵ He will not consider any payment, nor will he be willing to accept it, no matter how large the bribe.

¹⁰ Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left in the land of Judah some of the poor people who did not have anything, and he gave them vineyards and fields on that day.

⁸ Ten men who were among them told Ishmael, “Don’t kill us because we have stores of wheat, barley, oil, and honey hidden in the field. So Ishmael stopped and did not kill them or their companions.

¹² I will keep a humble and gentle people among you, and they will trust in the name of the LORD.

²⁶ because what profit will a person have if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what can a person give in exchange for his life?

¹⁸ For you know that it was not with perishable things like silver or gold that you have been ransomed from the worthless way of life handed down to you by your ancestors, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of the Messiah, like that of a lamb without blemish or defect.

³⁶ I’ll give one tribe to his son, so my servant David will always have a light shining in my presence in Jerusalem, the city that I chose for myself and where I have placed my name.

⁵ The Wicked are Trapped“Indeed, the light of the wicked is extinguished; the flame from his fire doesn’t shine. ⁶ Light in his tent is dark, and his lamp goes out above him.

¹⁷ God will Punish the Wicked“How often do the wicked have their lights put out? Does calamity ever fall on them? Will God in his anger ever apportion their destruction?

³ when his lamp used to shine over my head, so I could walk through the dark,

¹¹ Light shines on the righteous; gladness on the morally upright.

⁴ A light shines in the darkness for the upright, for the one who is gracious, compassionate, and just.

¹⁸ The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn that grows brighter until the full light of day.

²⁰ Whoever curses his father or mother, his lamp will be extinguished in the deepest darkness.

²⁰ For the wicked man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.

¹⁰ Who among you fears the LORD, obeying the voice of his servant, who among you walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD, and rely upon his God. ¹¹ Look! All those who light a fire, who surround yourselves with flaming torches— walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have set ablaze! This is what you will receive from my hand: you will lie down in torment.

¹³ Then the king told his servants, ‘Tie his hands and feet, and throw him into the darkness outside!’ In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth,

⁸ “But the foolish ones told the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out!’

¹ Gideon Assuages the Anger of EphraimLater on, the descendants of Ephraim spoke to Gideon. They argued vehemently, “What are you doing to us? You never called us! But you went out to fight Midian!”
² “What have I accomplished compared to you?” he responded. “Isn’t what’s left from Ephraim’s harvest better than the best vintage of Abiezer? ³ God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the leaders of Midian, into your control. What was I able to do compared to you?” When he said this, their anger calmed down.

¹ Jephthah’s Dispute with the Tribe of EphraimA little while later, the army of Ephraim was mustered, and they crossed to Zaphon. They confronted Jephthah and asked, “Why did you cross over to fight the Ammonites without calling us to accompany you? We’re going to burn your house down around you!”
² But Jephthah replied to them, “My army and I were engaged in a serious fight with the Ammonites. I called for you, but you didn’t deliver me from their control. ³ When I saw that you wouldn’t be delivering me, I took my own life in my hands, crossed over to fight the Ammonites, and the LORD gave them into my control. So why have you come here today to fight me?” ⁴ Then Jephthah mustered all the men of Gilead, fought the tribe of Ephraim, and defeated them, because they had been claiming, “You descendants of Gilead are fugitives in the midst of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.”
⁵ Shibboleth vs. SibbolethThe descendants of Gilead seized control of the Jordan River’s fords along the border of Ephraim’s territory. Later on, when any fugitive from Ephraim asked them, “Let me cross over,” the men from Gilead would ask him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said “No,” ⁶ they would order him, “Pronounce the word ‘Shibboleth’ right now.” If he said “Sibboleth,” not being able to pronounce it correctly, they would seize him and slaughter him there at the fords of the Jordan River. During those days 42,000 descendants of Ephraim died that way.

¹⁰ “This is what you should tell these people who asked you ‘Your father made our burden heavy, but you must make it lighter for us!’” the young men who grew up with Rehoboam replied. “Tell them, ‘My little finger will be thicker than my father’s whole body! ¹¹ Not only that, but since my father loaded you down heavily, I’m going to add to that burden. My father disciplined you with whips, but I’m going to discipline you with scorpions!’”

¹⁶ When all of Israel saw that the king wasn’t listening to them, the people responded to the king’s message, “What’s the point in following David? We have no inheritance in the descendants of Jesse. Let’s go home, Israel! David, take care of your own household!’ So Israel left for home.

¹⁰ You just defeated Edom and you’re arrogant. Bask in your victory and stay home. Why incite trouble so that you—yes, you!—fall, along with Judah with you?”

¹⁵ The lifestyle of the fool is right in his own opinion, but wise is the man who listens to advice. ¹⁶ The anger of a fool becomes readily apparent, but the prudent person overlooks an insult.

¹⁴ Starting a quarrel is like spilling water— so drop the dispute before it escalates.

²⁰ Listen to advice and accept discipline, and you’ll be wise for the rest of your life.

¹⁸ Make plans by seeking advice; make war by obtaining guidance.

²⁴ The names “Proud,” “Arrogant,” and “Mocker” fit whoever acts with presumptuous conceit.

⁸ don’t be in a hurry to argue in court. Otherwise, what will you do later on when your neighbor humiliates you?

²⁸ “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. He will first sit down and estimate the cost to see whether he has enough money to finish it, won’t he? ²⁹ Otherwise, if he lays a foundation and can’t finish the building, everyone who watches will begin to ridicule him ³⁰ and say, ‘This person started a building but couldn’t finish it.’
³¹ “Or suppose a king is going to war against another king. He will first sit down and consider whether with 10,000 men he can fight the one coming against him with 20,000 men, won’t he? ³² If he can’t, he will send a delegation to ask for terms of peace while the other king is still far away.

²⁴ An Argument about GreatnessNow an argument sprang up among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest.

¹ Seven Men are Chosen to Help the ApostlesIn those days, as the number of the disciples was growing larger and larger, a complaint was made by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. ² So the Twelve called the whole group of disciples together and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect messages from God in order to wait on tables. ³ Therefore, brothers, appoint seven men among you who have a good reputation, who are full of the Spirit and wisdom, and we’ll put them in charge of this work. ⁴ Then we’ll devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
⁵ This suggestion pleased the whole group. So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a gentile convert to Judaism from Antioch.

⁴ he is a conceited person and does not understand anything. He has an unhealthy craving for arguments and debates. This produces jealousy, rivalry, slander, evil suspicions,

¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and rivalry in your hearts, stop boasting and slandering the truth. ¹⁵ That kind of wisdom does not come from above. No, it is worldly, self-centered, and demonic. ¹⁶ For wherever jealousy and rivalry exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil.

¹ Stop Fighting with Each OtherWhere do those fights and quarrels among you come from? They come from your selfish desires that are at war in your bodies, don’t they?

⁵ Or do you think the Scripture means nothing when it says that the Spirit that God caused to live in us jealously yearns for us? ⁶ But he gives all the more grace. And so he says, “God opposes the arrogant but gives grace to the humble.”

⁹ Criticism of DiotrephesI wrote a letter to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be in charge, will not recognize our authority. ¹⁰ For this reason, when I come I will call attention to what he is doing in spreading false charges against us. And not content with that, he refuses to receive the brothers. He even tries to stop those who want to accept them and throws them out of the church.

²⁸ He will live in devastated towns, in abandoned houses that are about to become heaps of rubble. ²⁹ “He won’t become rich and his wealth won’t last; he won’t expand his holdings to cover the land.

¹⁵ “Though he swallows wealth, he will vomit it; God will dislodge it from his stomach.

¹⁹ because he has crushed and abandoned the poor; he has seized a house that he didn’t build. ²⁰ “Since his appetite won’t quit; he won’t let anything escape his lust. ²¹ Because nothing was left for him to devour, therefore his prosperity won’t last. ²² Even though he is satiated and self-sufficient, he suffers— everyone in any sort of trouble will attack him.

¹⁶ “Though he hoards silver like dust, and stores away garments like clay, ¹⁷ whatever he stores up, the righteous will wear, and the innocent will inherit that silver!

² You will eat from the work of your hands; you will be happy, and it will go well for you.

² Nothing good comes from ill-gotten wealth, but righteousness delivers from death.

²² A good person leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren, but the wealth of the wicked is reserved for the righteous. ²³ The field of the poor may produce much food, but it can be swept away through injustice.

²¹ An inheritance quickly obtained at the beginning will not be blessed at the end.

²³ Keep well informed of the condition of your flocks and pay attention to your herds, ²⁴ because riches don’t endure forever, and crowns don’t last from one generation to the next. ²⁵ When the grass disappears, and new growth appears, the mountain spices will be harvested, ²⁶ the lambs will supply your clothing, and your goats the price of a field. ²⁷ You will have enough goat’s milk to drink and to supply your household needs, as well as sustenance for your servant girls.

⁸ Whoever gains wealth by charging exorbitant interest collects it for someone who is kind to the poor.

²⁰ The faithful man will prosper with blessings, but whoever is in a hurry to get rich will not escape punishment.

²² The miser is in a hurry to get wealthy, but he isn’t aware that poverty will catch up with him.

¹⁴ and that wealth is lost in troubled circumstances. Then a son is born, but there is nothing left for him.

¹¹ As a partridge gathers together eggs that it didn’t lay, so is a person who amasses wealth unjustly. In the middle of his life it will leave him, and in the end he will prove to be a fool.

⁶ Judgment on the Plunderer of Nations“Will not all of these ridicule him with mocking scorn? They will say, ‘Woe to the one who hordes for himself what isn’t his. How long will you enrich yourself by extortion?’ ⁷ Won’t your creditors revolt unexpectedly? Won’t those who make you tremble wake up? As a result, you’ll become their prey!

¹ Advice for Rich PeopleNow listen, you rich people! Cry and moan over the miseries that are overtaking you. ² Your riches are rotten, your clothes have been eaten by moths, ³ your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be used as evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasures in these last days. ⁴ Look! The wages that you kept back from the workers who harvested your fields are shouting out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. ⁵ You have lived in luxury and pleasure on earth. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter.

⁶ Now Sarah had said, “God has caused me to laugh, and all who hear about it will laugh with me.” ⁷ She also said, “Who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse sons? Yet I have given birth to a son in my husband’s old age!”

³⁰ “Now let me die,” Israel told Joseph, “since I’ve seen your face and confirmed that you’re still alive!”

²⁶ Hannah said, “Sir, as surely as you are alive, I’m the woman who stood before you here praying to the LORD. ²⁷ I prayed for this boy, and the LORD granted me the request I asked of him. ²⁸ Now I’m dedicating him to the LORD, and as long as he lives, he will be dedicated to the LORD.” Then they worshipped the LORD there.

¹⁵ But as for me, justified, I will behold your face; when I awake, your presence will satisfy me.

² He plucked me out of a pit of confusion, even out of the quicksand; he placed my feet on a rock and established my steps. ³ He put a new song in my mouth, praise to our God! Many will watch and be in awe, and they will place their trust in the LORD.

¹ To the Director: An instruction of the Sons of Korah.
Hope in God When Times of Trouble Come As an antelope pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, God. ² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When may I come and appear in God’s presence? ³ My tears have been my food day and night, while people keep asking me all day long, “Where is your God?”

³ I am exhausted from calling for help. My throat is parched. My eyes are strained from looking for God.

⁸¹ Kaf
On Obeying God’s WordI long for your deliverance; I have looked to your word, placing my hope in it. ⁸² My eyes grow weary with respect to what you have promised— I keep asking, “When will you comfort me?” ⁸³ Though I have become like a water skin dried by smoke, I have not forgotten your statutes.

⁷ Answer me quickly, LORD; my spirit is failing. Do not hide your face from me; otherwise, I will become like those who descend to the Pit,

¹⁸ She is a tree of life for those who embrace her, and whoever clutches her tightly will be joyful.

³⁰ The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who wins people is wise.

¹⁹ Fulfilled longing is sweet to the soul, but avoiding evil is detestable to the fool.

⁸ I charge you, young women of Jerusalem, “If you find my beloved, what are you to tell him? Tell him that I’m weak with love.”

²⁹ “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace according to your promise, ³⁰ because my eyes have seen your salvation,

²² Now you are having pain. But I’ll see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.

² Between the city street and the river, the tree of life was visible from each side. It produced twelve kinds of fruit, each month having its own fruit. The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

³¹ Because he has despised the law of the LORD and has broken his commands, that person is certainly to be eliminated. His iniquity will remain on him.”

⁹ “‘Why did you despise what the LORD has promised by doing what is detestable in his sight?
“‘You struck down Uriah the Hittite with a battle sword.
“‘You took his wife to be your own.
“‘You killed him with the sword of the Ammonite army.
¹⁰ “‘Therefore the sword will never leave your household, because you have despised me by taking the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’

¹⁶ but they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until there was no remedy for the wrath of the LORD that arose to punish his people.

³ So let’s make a promise to our God by which we divorce all of these foreign wives—as well as those born to them—in accordance with the counsel of our Lord and of those who tremble at our God’s command. Furthermore, let it be done according to the Law.

¹¹ Moreover your servant is warned by them; and there is great reward in keeping them.

¹³ He will bless those who fear the LORD, both the important and the insignificant together.

¹⁶⁵ Great peace belongs to those who love your instruction, and nothing makes them stumble.

²⁵ because you neglected all my advice and did not want my correction,

³⁰ they did not want my advice, and they rejected all my correction. ³¹ They will eat the fruit of their way, and they will be filled with their own devices.

²¹ Disaster pursues the sinful, but good will reward the righteous.

² All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came into being,” declares the LORD. “But this is the one to whom I will look favorably: to the one who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at my message.

² Hoshaiah’s son Azariah, Kareah’s son Johanan, and all the arrogant men told Jeremiah, “You’re lying! The LORD our God didn’t send you to say, ‘Don’t go to Egypt to settle there.’

¹⁶ “As for the message that you reported to us in the name of the LORD, we won’t listen to you! ¹⁷ Rather, we will keep doing everything that we said we would by offering sacrifices to the Queen of Heaven and by pouring out liquid offerings to her just as we, our ancestors, our kings, and our leaders did in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. Then we had plenty of bread, things went well for us, and we didn’t experience disaster.

¹³ Israel Rebels in the Wilderness“But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They didn’t live by my statutes. They despised my ordinances, which if a person observes, he’ll live by them. They greatly profaned my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my anger on them and bring them to an end in the wilderness.

¹⁶ because they kept on rejecting my ordinances. They didn’t live life consistent with my statutes, they profaned my Sabbaths, and their hearts followed their idols.

²⁴ because they didn’t observe my ordinances. Instead, they rejected my statutes, profaned my Sabbaths, and worshipped their ancestors’ idols.

¹⁶ The Repentance of the RighteousThen those who feared the LORD talked with each other. The LORD listened and took note, and a scroll of remembrance was written in his presence about those who fear the LORD and honor His name.

¹² Rejoice and be extremely glad, because your reward in heaven is great! That’s how they persecuted the prophets who came before you.”

³¹ “Then Abraham told him, ‘If your brothers do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded, even if someone were to rise from the dead.’”

²⁸ Anyone who violates the Law of Moses dies without mercy “on the testimony of two or three witnesses.” ²⁹ How much more severe a punishment do you think that person deserves who tramples on God’s Son, treats as common the blood of the covenant by which it was sanctified, and insults the Spirit of grace?

⁸ See to it that you don’t destroy what we have worked for, but that you receive your full reward.

⁶ Binding ropes from Sheol entangled me while lethal snares hindered me. ⁷ I cried out to the LORD in the middle of my troubles; I cried out to my God. He listened to my voice from his sanctuary, and my call for help was heard.

⁵ The cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me.

³ The ropes of death were wound around me and the anguish of Sheol came upon me; I encountered distress and sorrow.

¹¹ For because of me you will live a long life, and years will be added to your life.

²⁷ The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, enabling anyone to escape the snares of death.

²⁴ The way of life leads upward for the wise so he may avoid Sheol below.

⁶ Iniquity is atoned for by gracious love and truth, and through fear of the LORD people turn from evil.

¹⁷ The road of the upright circumvents evil, and whoever watches how he lives preserves his life.

²² Anyone who has understanding is a fountain of life, but foolishness brings punishment to fools.

¹⁴ David was successful in all that he did, for the LORD was with him. ¹⁵ When Saul saw that David was highly successful, he feared him. ¹⁶ But all Israel and Judah loved David because he led them in battle.

⁹ where your ancestors tested me. They tested me, even though they had seen my awesome deeds. ¹⁰ For forty years I loathed that generation, so I said, “They are a people whose hearts continuously err, and they have not understood my ways.” ¹¹ So in my anger I declared an oath: “They are not to enter my place of rest.”

¹⁰ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; sound understanding belongs to those who practice it. Praise of God endures forever.

⁴ and find favor and a good reputation with God and men.

¹⁹ But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness, and they do not know what they are stumbling over.

³⁵ The king approves the wise servant, but he is angry at anyone who acts shamefully.

¹⁰ Severe punishment awaits anyone who wanders off the path— anyone who despises reproof will die.

¹⁹ Your wickedness will be punished, and you will be corrected due to your acts of apostasy. Know and see that it’s evil and bitter for you to forsake the LORD your God, but the fear of me is not in you,” declares the Lord GOD of the Heavenly Armies.

⁵² Meanwhile, Jesus kept on growing wiser and more mature, and in favor with God and his fellow man.

¹⁰ and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler of Egypt and of his whole household.

²¹ What benefit did you get from doing those things you are now ashamed of? For those things resulted in death.

¹⁰ Nabal answered David’s servants: “Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are breaking away from their masters. ¹¹ Should I take my food, my water, and my meat that I’ve slaughtered for my shearers and give it to men who came from who knows where?”

¹⁷ Now, be aware of this and consider what you should do. Calamity is being planned against our master and against his entire household. He’s such a worthless person that no one can talk to him.”

²⁵ Please, your majesty, don’t pay attention to this worthless man Nabal, for he’s just like his name. Nabal is his name and folly is his constant companion. But I, your servant, didn’t see your majesty’s young men whom you sent.

⁵ It is good for the person who lends generously, conducting his affairs with fairness.

²² Deceitful speech is reprehensible to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight. ²³ A prudent man keeps what he knows to himself, but the hearts of fools shout forth their foolishness.

² The wise speak, presenting knowledge appropriately, but fools spout foolishness.

³ Furthermore, the way a fool lives shows he has no sense; he proclaims to everyone that he’s a fool.

¹³ The Suffering Servant“Look! My servant will prosper, and he will be exalted and lifted up, and will be very high.

¹⁶ Future Persecutions
“Pay attention, now! I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as cunning as serpents and as innocent as doves.

¹⁹ For your obedience has become known to everyone, and I am full of joy for you. But I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.

²⁰ Brothers, stop being childish in your thinking. Be like infants with respect to evil, but think like adults.

¹⁷ Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

²⁶ As vinegar is to the mouth and smoke to the eyes, so is the lazy person to those who send him.

¹³ Like cold snow during harvest time is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes his masters.

²³ The north wind brings rain, and a backbiting tongue an angry look.

⁶ Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

¹³ “Among the prophets of Samaria I saw a disgusting thing, for they prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray. ¹⁴ Among the prophets of Jerusalem I saw a horrible thing, for they commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of those who do evil, so that no one repents of his evil. All of them are like Sodom to me, and her residents like Gomorrah.”
¹⁵ Therefore, this is what the LORD God of the Heavenly Armies says about the prophets, “I’m about to make them eat wormwood and drink poisoned water, because godlessness has spread from the prophets of Jerusalem throughout the land.” ¹⁶ This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: “Don’t listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you; they’re giving you false hopes. They declare visions from their own minds— they don’t come from the LORD!

²⁸ Let the prophet who has a dream relate the dream, but let whoever receives my message speak my message truthfully. What does straw have in common with wheat?” declares the LORD.

¹⁸ “So when I say to a wicked person, ‘You’re about to die,’ if you don’t warn or instruct that wicked person that his behavior is wicked so he can live, that wicked person will die in his sin, but I’ll hold you responsible for his death.

⁷ Warning for Ezekiel“Now as for you, Son of Man, I’ve established you as a sentinel for the house of Israel. So whenever you hear a message from me, you are to warn the people from me. ⁸ If I should say to a certain wicked person, ‘You wicked man, you’re certainly about to die,’ but you don’t warn him to turn from his wicked behavior, he’ll die in his guilt, but I’ll seek retribution for his bloodshed from you.

² Now it is required of servant managers that each one should prove to be trustworthy.

¹⁷ At least we are not commercializing God’s word like so many others. Instead, we speak with sincerity in the Messiah’s name, like people who are sent from God and are accountable to God.

²⁰ Therefore, we are the Messiah’s representatives, as though God were pleading through us. We plead on the Messiah’s behalf: “Be reconciled to God!”

¹² I thank the Messiah Jesus, our Lord, who gives me strength, that he has considered me faithful and has appointed me to his service.

² What you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well.

⁵ Let one who is righteous strike me; It is an act of gracious love. Let him rebuke me, because it is oil for my head; do not let my head refuse it. My prayers continuously will be against their wicked activities.

⁹ so that you don’t give your honor to others, and waste your best years; ¹⁰ so that strangers don’t enrich themselves at your expense, and your work won’t end up the possession of foreigners. ¹¹ You will cry out in anguish when your end comes, when your flesh and body are consumed, ¹² and you will say, “How I hated instruction, and my heart rejected correction! ¹³ I did not obey my teachers and did not listen to my instructors. ¹⁴ Now I am at the point of utter disaster in the assembly and in the congregation.”

⁹ Counsel a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will add to his learning.

¹ Wisdom and Wickedness Contrasted The person who loves correction loves knowledge, but anyone who hates a rebuke is stupid.

¹³ Anyone who despises a word of advice will pay for it, but whoever heeds a command will be rewarded.

³¹ Whoever listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise. ³² Whoever ignores instruction hates himself, but anyone who heeds reproof gains understanding.

⁶ Many curry favor of an official; everyone is a friend of the gift giver.

¹² Like a gold earring and a necklace of pure gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear.

³ The Prophet SpeaksLORD, don’t your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they didn’t flinch. You brought them to an end, but they refused to receive discipline. They made their faces harder than stone, and they refused to repent. ⁴ Then I said, “These are only the poor, they’re foolish, for they don’t know the LORD’s way, the requirement of their God. ⁵ Let me go to the leaders and speak to them. For they know the LORD’s way, the requirement of their God.”
The LORD Answers “But they, all together, have broken the yoke and torn off the restraints. ⁶ Therefore a lion from the forest will attack them, a wolf from the desert will devastate them. A leopard is watching their towns, and everyone who goes out of them will be torn to pieces. For their transgressions are many, and their apostasies numerous. ⁷ Why should I forgive you? Your sons have forsaken me, and you have sworn by those who aren’t gods. When I gave them enough food to satisfy them, they committed adultery and marched to the prostitute’s house. ⁸ They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each one neighing after his neighbor’s wife. ⁹ “Should I not punish them for these things?” asks the LORD, “And on a nation like this, should I not seek retribution?”

²⁵ See to it that you do not ignore the one who is speaking. For if the hearers did not escape when they ignored the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we turn away from the one who is from heaven!

⁴⁸ and said ‘Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who has provided someone to sit on my throne today. I’ve seen it with my own eyes!’”

²⁸ He has commanded mankind: ‘To fear the Lord—that is wisdom; to move away from evil—that is understanding.’”

¹ To the Director: A Davidic Psalm.
Praise for the LORD’s Deliverance The king rejoices in your strength, LORD. How greatly he rejoices in your deliverance. ² You have granted him the desire of his heart, and have not withheld what his lips requested. Interlude

¹⁴ Avoid evil and do good! Seek peace and pursue it!

²⁷ Depart from evil, and do good, and you will live in the land forever.

⁷ Do not be wise in your own opinion. Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

¹² Delayed hope makes the heart ill, but fulfilled longing is a tree of life.

²⁷ The unjust man is detestable to the righteous, and whoever lives blamelessly is detestable to the wicked.

⁴ I had just passed them when I found the one I love. I held him and wouldn’t let him go until I brought him to my mother’s house, to the room of the one who conceived me.

¹⁹ However, God’s solid foundation still stands. It has this inscription on it: “The Lord knows those who belong to him,” and “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from evil.”

⁷ I have fought the good fight. I have completed the race. I have kept the faith. ⁸ The victor’s crown of righteousness is now waiting for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on the day that he comes, and not only to me but also to all who eagerly wait for his appearing.

¹⁴ I told him, “Sir, you know.”
Then he told me, “These are the people who are coming out of the terrible suffering. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb. ¹⁵ That is why: “They are in front of the throne of God and worship him night and day in his Temple. The one who sits on the throne will shelter them. ¹⁶ They will never be hungry or thirsty again. Neither the sun nor its heat will ever beat down on them, ¹⁷ because the lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs filled with the water of life, and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

¹² So Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the plain, setting up his tent in the vicinity of Sodom. ¹³ Now the men of Sodom were particularly evil and sinful in their defiance of the LORD.

¹² They also took Abram’s nephew Lot captive, and confiscated his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.

⁸ But Rehoboam ignored the counsel that his elder advisors had given him. Instead, he consulted the younger men who had grown up with him and who worked for him.

¹⁰ “This is what you should tell these people who asked you ‘Your father made our burden heavy, but you must make it lighter for us!’” the young men who grew up with Rehoboam replied. “Tell them, ‘My little finger will be thicker than my father’s whole body!

⁴ Then he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you join me in battle against Ramoth-gilead?”
“I’m with you,” Jehoshaphat answered the king of Israel. “My army will join yours, and my cavalry will be your cavalry.”

³² So when the chariot commanders observed Jehoshaphat, they said by mistake, “It’s the king of Israel!” and they turned aside to attack him. But Jehoshaphat cried out.

² where Hanani’s son Jehu, the seer, went out to meet him. He asked king Jehoshaphat, “Should you be helping those who are wicked, yes or no? Should you love those who hate the LORD? Wrath is headed your way directly from the LORD because of this.

⁶³ I am united with all who fear you, and with everyone who keeps your precepts.

¹¹ If they say, “Come with us! Let’s lie in wait for blood; let’s ambush some innocent person for no reason at all. ¹² Let’s swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole like those who go down into the Pit. ¹³ We’ll find all kinds of valuable wealth, and we’ll fill our houses with spoil. ¹⁴ Throw your lot in with us, and all of us will have one purse.” ¹⁵ My son, do not go along with them, and keep your feet away from their paths! ¹⁶ For they run toward evil; these enticers shed blood without hesitation. ¹⁷ Look, it is useless to spread a net in full view of all the birds, ¹⁸ but these people lie in wait for their own blood. They ambush only themselves. ¹⁹ Such is the way of all those who seek illicit gain— it takes away the lives of those who possess it.

¹² delivering you from the way of evil, from men who speak perverse things, ¹³ and from those who abandon the right path to travel along the ways of darkness; ¹⁴ who delight in doing evil, and rejoice in the perverseness of evil; ¹⁵ whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways, ¹⁶ delivering you from the adulteress, from the immoral woman with her seductive words, ¹⁷ someone who abandoned the companion of her youth and forgot the covenant of her God. ¹⁸ For her house leads down to death, and her paths down to the realm of the dead. ¹⁹ None who go to her return, nor do they reach the paths of life. ²⁰ This is how you will walk in the way of good men and will keep to the paths of the righteous.

²² All of a sudden he follows her like an ox fit for slaughter or like a fool fit for a trap ²³ until an arrow pierces his liver. As a bird darts into a snare, he doesn’t realize his fatal decision.

²⁷ Her house leads to Sheol, descending to death’s catacombs.

⁶ Leave your naïve ways, and live. Walk in the path of understanding.”

³¹ Whoever listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise.

⁷ Tell me, you whom I love, where do you graze your flock? Where do you make your flock lie down at noon? Why should I be considered a veiled woman beside the flocks of your companions?
⁸ The LoverIf you don’t know, most beautiful of women, go out after the flock and graze your young goats beside the shepherd’s tents.

⁴² Life among the BelieversThe believers continued to devote themselves to what the apostles were teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to times of prayer.

³³ Stop being deceived: “Wicked friends lead to evil ends.”
³⁴ Come back to your senses as you should, and stop sinning! For some of you—I say this to your shame—don’t fully know God.

¹⁴ Relating with UnbelieversStop becoming unevenly yoked with unbelievers. What partnership can righteousness have with lawlessness? What fellowship can light have with darkness? ¹⁵ What harmony exists between the Messiah and Beliar, or what do a believer and an unbeliever have in common? ¹⁶ What agreement can a temple of God make with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said: “I will live and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” ¹⁷ Therefore, “Get away from them and separate yourselves from them,” declares the Lord, “and don’t touch anything unclean. Then I will welcome you. ¹⁸ I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters,” declares the Lord Almighty.

²⁴ And let us continue to consider how to motivate one another to love and good deeds,

⁴ The Warning to Leave BabylonThen I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you don’t participate in her sins and also suffer from her diseases.

⁷ If you do what is appropriate, you’ll be accepted, won’t you? But if you don’t do what is appropriate, sin is crouching near your doorway, turning toward you. Now as for you, will you take dominion over it?”

²³ “But if you won’t do so, look out! You will be sinning against the LORD. Be certain of this, that your sin will catch up to you!

¹⁰ The wicked have many sorrows, but gracious love surrounds those who trust in the LORD.

¹⁰ Encouragement to the Righteous“Tell the righteous that things will go well, because they will enjoy the fruit of their actions.”
¹¹ Warning to the Wicked“How terrible it will be for the wicked! Disaster is headed their way, because what they did with their hand will be repaid to them.

⁴ When the people who lived there saw the snake hanging from his hand, they told one another, “This man must be a murderer! He may have escaped from the sea, but Justice won’t let him live.”

⁷ eternal life to those who strive for glory, honor, and immortality by patiently doing good; ⁸ but wrath and fury for those who in their selfish pride refuse to believe the truth and practice wickedness instead. ⁹ There will be suffering and anguish for every human being who practices doing evil, for Jews first and for Greeks as well. ¹⁰ But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who practices doing good, initially for Jews but also for Greeks as well,

⁷ I’m establishing my covenant between me and you, and with your descendants who come after you, generation after generation, as an eternal covenant, to be your God and your descendants’ God after you. ⁸ I’ll give to you and to your descendants the land to which you have traveled—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession. I will be their God.”

¹² So, therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor marry their daughters to your sons, and under no circumstances are you to seek their well-being or their wealth, so that you may remain strong, enjoying the best things the land has to give, and so that you may establish an inheritance for your children forever.’

¹² Who is the man who fears the LORD? God will teach him the path he should choose. ¹³ He will experience good things; his descendants will inherit the earth.

²⁵ I once was young and now I am old, but I have not seen a righteous person forsaken or his descendants begging for bread.

²⁸ May the descendants of your servants live securely, and may their children be established in your presence.”

² His descendants will be powerful in the land, a generation of the upright who will be blessed.

⁶ And may you see your children’s children! Peace be on Israel!

²⁶ After all, to the person who is good in God’s sight, he gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner he gives the troublesome task of acquiring and accumulating in order to leave it to someone who is good in the sight of God. This also is pointless and chasing after the wind.

⁶ The Folly of LazinessGo to the ant, you lazy man! Observe its ways and become wise. ⁷ It has no commander, officer, or ruler, ⁸ but prepares its provisions in the summer and gathers its food in the harvest. ⁹ How long will you lie down, lazy man? When will you get up from your sleep? ¹⁰ A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, ¹¹ and your poverty will come on you like a bandit and your desperation like an armed man.

¹⁸ Whoever nurtures the fig tree will eat its fruit, and whoever obeys his master will be honored.

¹⁹ Whoever works his farmland will have abundant food, but whoever chases fantasies will become very poor.

⁹ Also, the increase of the land belongs to everyone; the king himself is served by his field.

⁵ Whoever obeys his commands will not experience harm, and the wise in heart will discern both the appropriate time and response. ⁶ Indeed, there is an appropriate time and a response for every circumstance, since human misery weighs heavily upon him. ⁷ Even the stork in the sky knows its seasons, and the dove, the swallow, and the crane observe the time for migration. But my people don’t know the requirements of the LORD. ⁸ How can you say, ‘We’re wise, and the Law of the LORD is with us,’ when, in fact, the deceitful pen of the scribe has made it into something that deceives. ⁹ The wise men will be put to shame. They’ll be dismayed and taken captive. Look, they have rejected the message from the LORD! So what kind of wisdom do they have? ¹⁰ Therefore, I’ll give their wives to others, and their fields to new owners. Indeed, from the least important to the most important, they’re all greedy for dishonest gain. From prophet to priest, they all act deceitfully.

¹² because the LORD corrects the person he loves, just as a father corrects the son he delights in.

³⁶ But whoever sins against me destroys himself; everyone who hates me loves death.”

¹⁸ Discipline your son while there is still hope— but don’t set your heart on his destruction.

¹⁵ A child’s heart has a tendency to do wrong, but the rod of discipline removes it far away from him.

¹³ Don’t withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with a rod, he won’t die. ¹⁴ Punish him with a rod, and you will rescue his soul from Sheol.

¹⁵ The rod and rebuke bestow wisdom, but an undisciplined child brings shame to his mother.

¹⁷ Correct your son and he will comfort you; he will also delight your soul.

²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, as well as his own life, he can’t be my disciple.

⁶ For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he punishes every son he accepts.” ⁷ What you endure disciplines you: God is treating you as sons. Is there a son whom his father does not discipline? ⁸ Now if you are without any discipline, in which all sons share, then you are illegitimate and not God’s sons.

⁴⁸ you’ll serve your enemies whom the LORD your God will send against you. You will serve in famine and in drought, in nakedness, and in lack of everything. They’ll set a yoke of iron upon your neck until they have exterminated you.

²⁴ Emaciated from famine, feverish from plague, and destroyed by bitterness, I’ll send fanged beasts against them, along with poisonous snakes that glide through the dust.

¹⁰ Young lions lack and go hungry, but those who seek the LORD will never lack any good thing.

³ Trust in the LORD and do good. Dwell in the land and feed on faithfulness.

¹⁶ Better is the little that the righteous have than the abundance of many wicked people.

¹⁸ The LORD knows the day of the blameless, and their inheritance will last forever. ¹⁹ They will not experience shame in times of trouble; in times of famine they will have plenty.

¹¹ and your poverty will come on you like a bandit and your desperation like an armed man.

³ The LORD won’t cause the righteous to hunger, but he will reject what the wicked crave.

³⁴ Then your poverty will come upon you like a robber, your need like an armed bandit.

¹³ The Righteous and Wicked ContrastedTherefore, this is what the LORD says: “See, my servants will eat, but you’ll go hungry; my servants will drink, but you’ll go thirsty; my servants will rejoice, but you’ll be put to shame. ¹⁴ My servants will sing in gladness of heart, but you’ll cry for help from anguish of heart, and you’ll howl from brokenness of spirit.

¹⁰ While we were with you, we gave this order: “If anyone doesn’t want to work, he shouldn’t eat.”

⁸ Physical exercise is of limited value, but Godliness is very dear, a pledge of life, both there and here.

⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for God has said, “I will never leave you or abandon you.”