Proverbs 23 Cross References - ISV

¹ Things to Avoid in Life Whenever you sit down to dine with a ruler, carefully think about what is before you. ² Put a knife to your own throat, if you have a big appetite. ³ Don’t crave his delicacies, because the meal is deceptive. ⁴ Don’t exhaust yourself acquiring wealth; be smart enough to stop. ⁵ When you fix your gaze on it, it’s gone, for it sprouts wings for itself and flies to the sky like an eagle. ⁶ Don’t consume food provided by a miserly person, and don’t desire his delicacies, ⁷ for as he thinks within himself, so he is. “Eat and drink!” he’ll say to you, but his heart won’t be with you. ⁸ You’ll vomit up what little you’ve eaten, and your compliments will have been wasted. ⁹ Don’t speak when a fool is listening, because he’ll despise your wise words. ¹⁰ Don’t move ancient boundaries or invade fields belonging to orphans; ¹¹ for strong is their Redeemer who will take up their case against you. ¹² Learn diligently, and listen to words of knowledge. 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 On Listening to Your ParentsMy son, if your heart is wise, my own heart will greatly rejoice. ¹⁶ My innermost being will be glad when your lips speak what is right. ¹⁷ Never let yourself envy sinners; instead, remain in fear of the LORD every day, ¹⁸ for there is surely a future life, and what you hope for will not be cut off. ¹⁹ Listen, my son, and be wise, commit yourself to live God’s way. ²⁰ Don’t associate with heavy drinkers or dine with gluttons, ²¹ because drunks and gluttons tend to become poor, and drowsiness will clothe them in rags. ²² Listen to the one who fathered you, and don’t despise your mother in her old age. ²³ Purchase truth, but don’t sell it; store up wisdom, instruction, and understanding. ²⁴ The father of a righteous person will greatly rejoice; whoever fathers a wise son will be glad because of him. ²⁵ Let your father and mother rejoice; make the one who gave birth to you happy. ²⁶ Give me your heart, my son, and keep your eyes fixed on my ways, ²⁷ because a prostitute is a deep pit, and the adulterous woman a narrow well. ²⁸ Surely she lies in wait like a bandit, increasing those who are faithless among mankind.
²⁹ On SobrietyWho has woe? Who has grief? Who has contention? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has bloodshot eyes? ³⁰ Those who linger over their wine, who consume mixed drinks. ³¹ Don’t stare into red wine, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. ³² Eventually it will bite like a snake and sting like a serpent. ³³ Your eyes will see strange things, and with slurred words you’ll speak what you really believe. ³⁴ You will be like someone who lies down in the sea, or like someone who sleeps on top of a mast. ³⁵ “They struck me,” you will say, “but I never felt it. They beat me, but I never knew it When will I wake up? I want another drink.”

³² Joseph’s staff served him by himself, his brothers separately, and the Egyptian staff members by themselves, because the Egyptians wouldn’t take their meal with the Hebrews, since doing so was detestable for the Egyptians. ³³ Meanwhile, the brothers were seated in front of Joseph in birth order, from firstborn to youngest. The men stared at one another in astonishment. ³⁴ Joseph himself brought portions to them from his own table, except that he provided to Benjamin five times as much as he did for each of the others. So they feasted together and drank freely with Joseph.

¹² These people are stains on your love feasts. They feast with you without any sense of awe. They are shepherds who care only for themselves. They are waterless clouds blown about by the winds. They are autumn trees that are fruitless, totally dead, and uprooted.

⁸ “So if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life injured or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell fire.

²⁷ No, I keep on disciplining my body, making it serve me so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not somehow be disqualified.

¹⁹ Their destiny is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on worldly things.

⁴ Don’t let my heart turn toward evil or involve itself in wicked activities with men who practice iniquity. Let me not feast on their delicacies.

⁶ Don’t consume food provided by a miserly person, and don’t desire his delicacies,

⁸ Daniel Chooses God’s StandardDaniel determined within himself not to become defiled by the king’s menu of rich foods or by the king’s wine, so he requested permission from the chief officer not to defile himself.

³⁴ Be Alert“Constantly be on your guard so that your hearts will not be loaded down with self-indulgence, drunkenness, and the worries of this life, or that day will take you by surprise

²² Regarding your former way of life, you were taught to strip off your old nature, which is being ruined by its deceptive desires,

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not depend on your own understanding.

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

²⁷ Those who are greedy for unjust gain bring trouble into their homes, but the person who hates bribes will live.

¹² Do you see a man who is wise in his own opinion? There’s more hope for a fool than for him.

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

²¹ Judgment on the Arrogant“How terrible it will be for those who are wise in their own opinion, and clever in their own reckoning!

¹⁹ Teaching about Treasures
“Stop storing up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.

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.”

²⁵ The Restoration of IsraelFor I want to let you know about this secret, brothers, so that you will not claim to be wiser than you are: Stubbornness has come to part of Israel until the full number of the gentiles comes to faith.

¹⁶ Live in harmony with each other. Do not be arrogant, but associate with humble people. Do not think that you are wiser than you really are.

⁸ With food to eat and clothes to wear; content we are in everything.
⁹ But people who want to get rich keep toppling into temptation and are trapped by many stupid and harmful desires that plunge them into destruction and ruin. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, in their eagerness to get rich, have wandered away from the faith and caused themselves a lot of pain.

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.”

³⁶ Their father Jacob told them, “You’re causing me to lose my children! Joseph is gone. Now Simeon is gone, and you’re planning to take Benjamin, too. Everything’s going against me!”

¹⁴ a messenger approached Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the female donkeys were grazing nearby ¹⁵ when the Sabeans attacked, captured the servants, and killed them with swords. I alone escaped to tell you!”
¹⁶ While this messenger was still speaking, another came and announced, “A lightning storm struck and incinerated the flock and the servants while they were eating. I alone escaped to tell you!”
¹⁷ While this messenger was still speaking, another came and announced, “The Chaldeans formed three companies, raided the camels, captured the servants, and killed them with swords. Only I alone escaped to tell you.”

⁶ In fact, people walk around as shadows. Surely, they busy themselves for nothing, heaping up possessions but not knowing who will get them.

³⁶ Turn my heart to your decrees and away from unjust gain. ³⁷ Turn my eyes away from gazing at worthless things, and revive me by your ways.

²⁴ because riches don’t endure forever, and crowns don’t last from one generation to the next.

² “Utterly pointless,” says the Teacher. “Absolutely pointless; everything is pointless.”

¹³ I have observed a painful tragedy on earth: Wealth hoarded by its owner harms him, ¹⁴ and that wealth is lost in troubled circumstances. Then a son is born, but there is nothing left for him.

⁸ “Utterly pointless,” says the Teacher. “Everything is pointless.”

² Why spend your money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in rich food.

¹⁷ But your eyes and heart are on nothing but your dishonest gain, shedding the blood of innocent people, and practicing oppression and extortion.”

²⁹ This is what I mean, brothers: The time is short. From now on, those who have wives should live as though they had none, ³⁰ and those who mourn as though they did not mourn, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they did not own a thing, ³¹ and those who use the things in the world as though they were not dependent on them. For the world in its present form is passing away.

¹⁷ Advice for the WealthyTell those who are rich in this age not to be arrogant and not to place their confidence in anything as uncertain as riches. Instead, let them place their confidence in God, who lavishly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

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,

¹⁶ For everything that is in the world—the desire for fleshly gratification, the desire for possessions, and worldly arrogance—is not from the Father but is from the world.

⁹ Be careful not to think this wicked thought to yourselves: ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is drawing near,’ and you show ill will toward your poor relative and not give to him. He may then call to the LORD on account of you, and you will be guilty of sin.

⁵⁶ The most tender and sensitive lady among you, who doesn’t venture to touch the soles of her feet to the ground on account of her daintiness, will look with hostility in her eyes against her beloved husband, her sons, and her daughters.

⁹ Whoever is generous will be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

³ Don’t crave his delicacies, because the meal is deceptive.

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

⁸ Daniel Chooses God’s StandardDaniel determined within himself not to become defiled by the king’s menu of rich foods or by the king’s wine, so he requested permission from the chief officer not to defile himself. ⁹ God granted to Daniel grace and compassion on the part of the chief officer. ¹⁰ The chief officer told Daniel, “I fear his majesty the king, who has determined what you eat and drink. If he notices that your faces are more pale than the other young men in your group, I will forfeit my head to the king.”

¹⁵ I am allowed to do what I want with my own money, am I not? Or are you envious because I’m generous?’

²² adultery, greed, wickedness, cheating, shameless lust, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness.

¹⁵ Samson Tells Delilah His SecretSome time later, she asked him, “How can you keep saying ‘I love you!’ when your heart isn’t with me? These three times you’ve lied to me and haven’t told me where your great strength lies.”

²⁶ So Absalom responded, “If you aren’t coming, please allow my brother Amnon to accompany us.”
The king asked, “Why should he go with you?”
²⁷ But Absalom kept begging David until he sent Amnon and all of David’s sons to accompany Absalom.
²⁸ Then Absalom instructed his young men, “Please keep watching Amnon until he’s drunk. Then I’ll tell you, ‘Attack Amnon!’ As soon as I do, kill him and don’t be afraid! You have your orders, so be strong and brave!”

² Everyone speaks lies to his neighbor; they speak with flattering lips and hidden motives.

²¹ His mouth is as smooth as butter, while war is in his heart. His words were as smooth as olive oil, while his sword is drawn.

²² Human beings long for grace, and it’s better to be poor than a man of deceit.

²⁷ Now as for the two kings, their intentions will be evil, and they’ll promote deception at their dinner table, but none of this will succeed, because the end won’t have come yet.

³ Then some of the scribes told themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”
⁴ But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking, replied, “Why do you have such evil thoughts in your hearts?

³⁹ Now the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this and told himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who is touching him and what kind of woman she is. She’s a sinner!”

³⁷ Jesus Denounces the Pharisees and the Experts in the Law
After Jesus had said this, a Pharisee invited him to have a meal with him. So Jesus went and took his place at the table. ³⁸ The Pharisee was surprised to see that he didn’t first wash before the meal. ³⁹ But the Lord told him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but on the inside you are full of greed and evil. ⁴⁰ You fools! The one who made the outside made the inside, too, didn’t he? ⁴¹ So give what is inside to the poor, and then everything will be clean for you.
⁴² “How terrible it will be for you Pharisees! You give a tenth of your mint, spices, and every kind of herb, but you neglect justice and the love of God. These are the things you should have practiced, without neglecting the others.
⁴³ How terrible it will be for you Pharisees! You love to have the places of honor in the synagogues and to be greeted in the marketplaces.
⁴⁴ How terrible it will be for you! You are like unmarked graves—people walk on them without realizing it.”
⁴⁵ Then one of the experts in the Law told him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us, too.”
⁴⁶ Jesus said, “How terrible it will be for you experts in the Law, too! You load people with burdens that are hard to carry, yet you don’t even lift a finger to ease those burdens.
⁴⁷ How terrible it will be for you! You build monuments for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them! ⁴⁸ So you are witnesses and approve of the deeds of your ancestors, because they killed those for whom you are building monuments. ⁴⁹ That is why the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles. They will kill some of them and persecute others,’ ⁵⁰ so those living today will be charged with the blood of all the prophets that was shed since the foundation of the world, ⁵¹ from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who died between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against this generation!
⁵² How terrible it will be for you experts in the Law! You have taken away the key to knowledge. You didn’t go in yourselves, and you kept out those who were trying to go in.”
⁵³ As Jesus was leaving, the scribes and the Pharisees began to oppose him fiercely, interrogating him about many things. ⁵⁴ They watched him closely in an effort to trap him in something he might say.

⁷ The Major ThemeThe fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

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.

⁴ Don’t answer a fool according to his foolishness, or you will be just like him. ⁵ Answer a fool according to his foolishness, or he will think himself to be wise.

²¹ But the people remained silent and didn’t respond to him with so much as a single word, because the king had commanded, “Don’t answer him.”

⁶ Despising the Holy“Never give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs. Otherwise, they will trample them with their feet and then turn around and attack you.”

¹⁴ The Law and the Kingdom of God
Now the Pharisees, who love money, had been listening to all this and began to ridicule Jesus.

⁵² Then the Jewish leaders told him, “Now we really know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets, but you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’

³⁰ The man answered them, “This is an amazing thing! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he healed my eyes. ³¹ We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he does listen to anyone who worships him and does his will. ³² Ever since creation it has never been heard that anyone healed the eyes of a man who was born blind. ³³ If this man were not from God, he couldn’t do anything like that.”
³⁴ They asked him, “You were born a sinner and you are trying to instruct us?” And they threw him out.

⁴⁰ Some of the Pharisees who were near him overheard this and asked him, “We aren’t blind, too, are we?”

²⁰ Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why bother listening to him?”

⁴⁵ But when the Jewish leaders saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to object to the statements made by Paul and even to abuse him.
⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas boldly declared, “We had to speak God’s word to you first, but since you reject it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we are now going to turn to the gentiles.

¹⁸ Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also debated with him. Some asked, “What is this blabbermouth trying to say?” while others said, “He seems to be preaching about foreign gods.” This was because Paul was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

³² When they heard about a resurrection of the dead, some began joking about it, while others said, “We will hear you again about this.”

²⁵ They disagreed with one another as they were leaving, so Paul added this statement: “The Holy Spirit was so right when he spoke to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah! ²⁶ He said, ‘Go to this people and say, “You will listen and listen but never understand, and you will look and look but never see! ²⁷ For this people’s minds have become stupid, and their ears can barely hear, and they have shut their eyes so that they may never see with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn and let me heal them.”’
²⁸ You must understand that this message about God’s salvation has been sent to the gentiles, and they will listen.”

²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe through the nonsense of our preaching. ²² Jews ask for signs, and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³ but we preach the Messiah crucified. He is a stumbling block to Jews and nonsense to gentiles, ²⁴ but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, the Messiah is God’s power and God’s wisdom.

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. ¹² We wear ourselves out from working with our own hands. When insulted, we bless. When persecuted, we endure. ¹³ When slandered, we answer with kind words. Even now we have become the filth of the world, the scum of the universe.

¹⁴ Boundary Markers“When you inherit the land that the LORD your God is about to give you, don’t move your neighbor’s boundary marker from where it was placed long ago.”

¹⁷ “‘Cursed is the one who moves his neighbor’s boundary stone.’“Then all the people are to respond by saying, ‘Amen!’

²⁷ Indeed, you would gamble to buy an orphan; and barter to buy your friend!

⁹ You sent away widows empty-handed, and broke the outstretched arms of orphans.

² They move boundary stones, steal flocks, and pasture them. ³ They drive away the orphan’s donkey; they take the ox of the widow as security for a loan;

⁹ “The fatherless are torn from the breast; the poor are taken away as security for a loan.

²¹ if I’ve raised my hand against an orphan when I thought I would against him in court, ²² then let my arm fall from its socket; and may my arm be torn off at the shoulder. ²³ For I’m terrified of what calamity God may have in store for me; and I cannot endure his grandeur.”

⁶ The wicked kill widows and foreigners; they murder orphans.

²⁸ Don’t remove an ancient boundary stone that was set up by your ancestors.

⁵ but rather, truly change your ways and your deeds. If you truly practice justice between each person and his neighbor,

³ This is what the LORD says: “Uphold justice and righteousness. Deliver from their oppressor those who have been robbed. Don’t mistreat or do violence to the alien, the orphan, or the widow, or shed the blood of innocent people in this place.

¹⁰ You are not to wrong the widow, orphans, the foreigner, or the poor, and you are not to plan evil against each other.

⁵ The Judgment of God“I’ll come near to you for judgment. I’ll be a witness, quick to speak against sorcerers, against adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who defraud the laborer of his wage, against those who defraud the widow and the orphan, against those who deprive the alien of justice, and against those who don’t fear me,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

²⁷ A religion that is pure and stainless according to God the Father is this: to take care of orphans and widows who are suffering, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

²² “You are not to mistreat any widow or orphan. ²³ If you do mistreat them, they’ll certainly cry out to me, and I’ll immediately hear their cry. ²⁴ And I’ll be angry and will kill you with swords, and your wives will become widows and your children orphans.

¹⁹ “‘Cursed is the one who perverts justice due the foreigner, the orphan, or the widow.’“Then all the people are to respond by saying, ‘Amen!’

²⁵ “As for me, I know that my Vindicator is alive; And he, the Last One, will take his stand on the soil.

⁵ “Because the poor are being oppressed, because the needy are sighing, I will now arise,” says the LORD, “I will establish in safety those who yearn for it.”

²³ for the LORD will plead their case and ruin the lives of those who ruin them.

³³ This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: “The people of Israel are oppressed, along with the people of Judah. All their captors have held on to them and refused to let them go. ³⁴ Their Redeemer is strong, the LORD of the Heavenly Armies is his name. He will vigorously plead their case in order to bring rest to the earth, but turmoil to the inhabitants of Babylon.

³⁶ Therefore this is what the LORD says: “Look, I’m going to argue your case and take vengeance for you. I’ll dry up her sea and make her fountain dry.

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.

¹ Warning against Sexual Immorality My son, pay attention to my wisdom, and listen closely to my insight, ² so you may carefully practice discretion and your lips preserve knowledge.

¹⁷ Sayings of the WisePay attention and listen to the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my teaching,

¹⁹ Listen, my son, and be wise, commit yourself to live God’s way.

³¹ Then they come to you as a group, sit down right in front of you as if they were my people, hear your words—and then they don’t do what you say— because they’re seeking only their own desires, they pursue ill-gotten profits, and they keep following their own self-interests.

⁵² Then he told them, “That is why every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom from heaven is like the master of a household who brings both new and old things out of his treasure chest.”

²¹ Therefore, rid yourselves of everything impure and every expression of wickedness, and with a gentle spirit welcome the word planted in you that can save your souls.
²² Keep on being obedient to the word, and not merely being hearers who deceive themselves. ²³ For if anyone hears the word but is not obedient to it, he is like a man who looks at himself in a mirror ²⁴ and studies himself carefully, and then goes off and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But the one who looks at the perfect law of freedom and remains committed to it—thereby demonstrating that he is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of what that law requires—will be blessed in what he does.

²⁴ Whoever does not discipline his son hates him, but whoever loves him is diligent to correct him.

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

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.

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

⁵ turn this man over to Satan for the destruction of his body, so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord.

³² Now, while we are being judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so we won’t be condemned along with the world.

¹⁰ Avoid Evil CounselMy son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.

¹ The Benefits of Embracing Wisdom My son, if you accept my words, and treasure my instructions—

¹ Diligently Pursue Wisdom Listen, children, to your father’s instruction, and pay attention in order to gain understanding.

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

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

²⁴ The father of a righteous person will greatly rejoice; whoever fathers a wise son will be glad because of him. ²⁵ Let your father and mother rejoice; make the one who gave birth to you happy.

³ The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but anyone who consorts with immoral women squanders his wealth.

⁴¹ I’ll rejoice over them to do good for them, and I’ll faithfully plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.’

¹⁷ The LORD your God among you is powerful— he will save and he will take joyful delight in you. In his love he will renew you with his love; he will celebrate with singing because of you.

² All at once some people brought him a paralyzed man lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he told the paralyzed man, “Be courageous, son! Your sins are forgiven.”

²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let’s eat and celebrate! ²⁴ Because my son was dead and has come back to life. He was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.

³² But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come back to life. He was lost and has been found.’”

¹¹ I’ve told you this, so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

⁵ Jesus asked them, “Children, you don’t have any fish, do you?”
They answered him, “No.”

¹⁹ After all, who is our hope, joy, or reason for rejoicing in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming? It is you, isn’t it? ²⁰ Yes, you are our glory and joy!

⁸ For now we can go on living, as long as you continue to stand firm in the Lord. ⁹ How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we have in God’s presence because of you?

¹ The Messiah is Our AdvocateMy little children, I’m writing these things to you so that you might not sin. Yet if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus, the Messiah, one who is righteous.

⁴ Living in the TruthI was overjoyed to find some of your children living truthfully, just as the Father has commanded us.

³ I was overjoyed when some brothers arrived and testified about your truthfulness and how you live according to the truth. ⁴ I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are living according to the truth.

⁶ Listen, because I have noble things to say, and what I have to say will reveal what is right.

²⁹ Let no filthy talk be heard from your mouths, but only what is good for building up people and meeting the need of the moment. This way you will administer grace to those who hear you.

⁴ Obscene, flippant, or vulgar talk is totally inappropriate. Instead, let there be thanksgiving.

⁴ May I reveal it as clearly as I should!

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.

¹ Davidic
Patiently Trust in God Don’t be angry because of those who do evil, do not be jealous because of those who commit iniquity. ² Indeed, they soon will wither like grass, and like green herbs they will fade away. ³ Trust in the LORD and do good. Dwell in the land and feed on faithfulness.

³ For I was envious of the proud when I observed the prosperity of the wicked. ⁴ For there is no struggle at their deaths, and their bodies are healthy. ⁵ They do not experience problems common to ordinary people; they aren’t afflicted as others are. ⁶ Therefore pride is their necklace and violence covers them like a garment. ⁷ Their eyes bulge from obesity and the imaginations of their mind cross the border into sin.

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

³¹ Do not envy a violent man, and do not emulate his lifestyle.

¹⁶ On Contentment and Other Good Things of LifeBetter is a little accompanied by fear of the LORD than abundant wealth with turmoil.

¹ Benefits of Wisdom Don’t be envious of wicked men or wish you were with them,

¹⁴ Blessed is the man who always fears the LORD, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into disaster.

⁷ In spite of many daydreams, pointless actions, and empty words, it is more important to fear God.

¹³ Let the conclusion of all of these thoughts be heard: Fear God and obey his commandments, for this is what it means to be human. ¹⁴ For God will judge every deed, along with every secret, whether good or evil.

³¹ So the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed peace. As it continued to be built up and to live in the fear of the Lord, it kept increasing in numbers through the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.

¹ Cleanse Yourselves in HolinessSince we have these promises, dear friends, let’s cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit by becoming mature in our holy fear of God.

¹⁷ If you call “Father” the one who judges everyone impartially according to what they have done, you must live in reverent fear as long as you are strangers in a strange land.

¹⁸ For he will not always overlook the plight of the poor, nor will the hope of the afflicted perish forever.

³⁷ Observe the blameless! Take note of the upright! Indeed, the future of that man is peace.

¹⁴ Keep in mind that wisdom is like that for your soul; if you find it, there will be a future for you, and what you hope for won’t be cut short.

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

¹¹ For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for well-being, and not for calamity, in order to give you a future and a hope.

²⁵ “But Abraham said, ‘My child, remember that during your lifetime you received blessings, while Lazarus received hardships. But now he is being comforted here, while you suffer.

²¹ What benefit did you get from doing those things you are now ashamed of? For those things resulted in death. ²² But now that you have been freed from sin and have become God’s slaves, the benefit you reap is sanctification, and the result is eternal life.

²⁰ I rejoice because I eagerly expect and hope that I will have nothing to be ashamed of, because through my boldness the Messiah will be exalted through me, now as always, whether I live or die.

³⁵ So don’t lose your confidence, since it holds a great reward for you.

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. ¹⁵ Avoid it! Don’t travel on it! Turn away from it, and pass on by. ¹⁶ For they cannot sleep unless they are doing evil, and they are robbed of their sleep unless they cause someone to stumble. ¹⁷ For they eat the bread of wickedness, and they drink the wine of violence. ¹⁸ The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn that grows brighter until the full light of day. ¹⁹ But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness, and they do not know what they are stumbling over.
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. ²³ Above everything else guard your heart, because from it flow the springs of life.

⁶ The Folly of LazinessGo to the ant, you lazy man! Observe its ways and become wise.

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

¹² Learn diligently, and listen to words of knowledge.

²⁶ Give me your heart, my son, and keep your eyes fixed on my ways,

¹ Advice on How to Live Wine causes mocking, and beer causes fights; everyone led astray by them lacks wisdom.

²⁹ On SobrietyWho has woe? Who has grief? Who has contention? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has bloodshot eyes? ³⁰ Those who linger over their wine, who consume mixed drinks. ³¹ Don’t stare into red wine, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. ³² Eventually it will bite like a snake and sting like a serpent. ³³ Your eyes will see strange things, and with slurred words you’ll speak what you really believe. ³⁴ You will be like someone who lies down in the sea, or like someone who sleeps on top of a mast. ³⁵ “They struck me,” you will say, “but I never felt it. They beat me, but I never knew it When will I wake up? I want another drink.”

⁷ Whoever keeps the Law is a discerning son, but whoever keeps company with gluttons brings shame to his father.

⁶ Give liquor to someone who is perishing, and wine to someone who is deeply depressed. ⁷ Let him drink, forget his poverty, and remember his troubles no more.

¹¹ Judgment on Alcoholics“How terrible it will be for those who rise at dawn in order to grab a stiff drink, for those who stay up late at night as wine inflames them!

²² “How terrible it will be for those who are heroes at drinking wine, and champions in mixing strong drink,

¹³ But look! There is joy and festivity, slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep, eating meat and drinking wine. “Let us eat and drink, you say, because we die tomorrow.”

⁴⁹ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eat and drink with the drunks,

¹³ A few days later, the younger son gathered everything he owned and traveled to a distant country. There he wasted it all on wild living.

¹⁹ The Rich Man and Lazarus“Once there was a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and live in great luxury every day.

¹³ Let’s behave decently, as people who live in the light of day. No wild parties, drunkenness, sexual immorality, promiscuity, quarreling, or jealousy!

¹⁸ Stop getting drunk with wine, which leads to wild living, but keep on being filled with the Spirit.

³ For you spent enough time in the past doing what the gentiles like to do, living in sensuality, sinful desires, drunkenness, wild celebrations, drinking parties, and detestable idolatry. ⁴ They insult you now because they are surprised that you are no longer joining them in the same excesses of wild living.

²⁰ Then they are to declare to the elders of their city: ‘Our son is stubborn and rebellious. He does not obey us. He lives wildly and is a drunkard.’

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.

¹⁵ Laziness puts one to sleep, and an idle person will go hungry.

¹⁷ Pleasure lovers become poor; loving wine and oil doesn’t bring riches.

³⁰ I went by the field belonging to a lazy man, by a vineyard belonging to a senseless person. ³¹ There it was, overgrown with thistles, the ground covered with thorns, its stone wall collapsed. ³² As I observed, I thought about it; I watched, and learned a lesson: ³³ “A little sleep! A little slumber! A little folding of my hands to rest!” ³⁴ Then your poverty will come upon you like a robber, your need like an armed bandit.

¹ The Captivity of Ephraim How terrible it will be for that arrogant garland— the drunks of Ephraim! How terrible it will be for that fading flower of his glorious beauty, which sits on the heads of people bloated with food, of people overcome with wine! ² Look! The LORD has one who is mighty and strong, like a hailstorm and destructive tempest, like a storm of mighty, overflowing water— and he will give rest to the land. ³ With hands and feet, that proud garland— those drunks of Ephraim—will be trampled.

⁵ A Call to Mourning“Wake up, you drunkards! Cry aloud and howl, you wine drinkers, because your supply of new wine has been snatched from you.

¹¹ But now I am writing to you to stop associating with any so-called brother if he is sexually immoral, greedy, an idolater, a slanderer, a drunk, or a robber. You must even stop eating with someone like that.

¹⁰ thieves, greedy people, drunks, slanderers, and robbers will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²¹ envy, murder, drunkenness, wild partying, and things like that. I am telling you now, as I have told you in the past, that people who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

³ “Each of you is to fear his mother and father.
“Observe my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.

¹⁸ Death to a Rebellious Son“If a man has a stubborn son who does not obey his parents, and although they try to discipline him, he still refuses to pay attention to them, ¹⁹ then his parents are to seize him and bring him before the elders at the gate of his city. ²⁰ Then they are to declare to the elders of their city: ‘Our son is stubborn and rebellious. He does not obey us. He lives wildly and is a drunkard.’ ²¹ Then all the men of his city are to stone him with stones so that he dies. This is how you will remove this evil from among you. Then all Israel will hear of it and will be afraid.”

¹⁶ “Cursed is the one who treats his father and mother with dishonor.’“Then all the people are to respond by saying, ‘Amen!’

⁸ The Minor ThemeMy son, listen to your father’s instruction, and do not let go of your mother’s teaching.

²⁰ Parental Counsel about ImmoralityKeep your father’s commands, my son, and never forsake your mother’s rules,

¹¹ Some people curse their fathers and won’t bless their mothers.

¹⁷ The eye that mocks a father and looks with a disobedient attitude at a mother— the valley ravens will pluck it out; and vultures will eat it.

⁴ Because God said, ‘You are to honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever curses father or mother must certainly be put to death.’ ⁵ But you say, ‘Whoever tells his father or his mother, “Whatever support you might have received from me has been given to God,” ⁶ does not have to honor his father.’ Because of your tradition, then, you have disregarded the authority of God’s word.

¹⁰ Because Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever curses his father or mother must certainly be put to death.’

²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he kept loving standing there, he told his mother, “Dear lady, here is your son.” ²⁷ Then he told the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

¹ Advice for Children and ParentsChildren, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. ² “Honor your father and mother…” (This is a very important commandment with a promise.)

¹² Wisdom is of Greater Value than Precious Stones“Where can wisdom be found? Where is understanding’s home? ¹³ Mankind doesn’t appreciate their value; and you won’t find it anywhere on earth. ¹⁴ The deepest ocean says, ‘It’s not within me.’ and the sea says, ‘You’ll never find it with me.’ ¹⁵ You can’t buy it with gold, and its value cannot be calculated in silver. ¹⁶ It cannot be compared to gold from Ophir, with precious onyx, or with sapphire. ¹⁷ It cannot be compared to gold and fine glass crystal, nor can it be exchanged for gold-plated weaponry. ¹⁸ Don’t even bother to mention coral and crystal— wisdom is more valuable than a bag of rubies. ¹⁹ It can neither be compared with the topaz of Ethiopia nor valued in comparison to pure gold.”

⁷² Instruction that comes from you is better for me than thousands of gold and silver coins.

¹²⁷ I truly love your commands more than gold, including fine gold.

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 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.

¹⁶ How much better than gaining gold is the acquisition of wisdom, the attainment of wisdom better than silver!

¹⁶ What is this? A fool has enough money to buy wisdom, but is senseless?

¹⁵ The mind of a discerning person gains knowledge, while the ears of wise people seek out knowledge.

¹ An Invitation to Life “Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the waters! Also, you that have no money, come, buy, and eat! Come! Buy wine and milk without money and without price.

⁴⁴ The Parable about a Hidden Treasure“The kingdom from heaven is like treasure hidden in a field that a man found and hid. In his excitement he went and sold everything he had and bought that field.”

⁴⁶ When he found a very valuable pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.”

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?

²³ except that in town after town the Holy Spirit assures me that imprisonment and suffering are waiting for me.

⁷ But whatever things were assets to me, these I now consider a loss for the sake of the Messiah. ⁸ What is more, I continue to consider all these things to be a loss for the sake of what is far more valuable, knowing the Messiah Jesus, my Lord. It is because of him that I have experienced the loss of all those things. Indeed, I consider them rubbish in order to gain the Messiah

²⁶ He thought that being insulted for the sake of the Messiah was of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

¹⁸ Therefore, I advise you to buy from me gold purified in fire so you may be rich, white clothes to wear so your shameful nakedness won’t show, and ointment to put on your eyes so you may see.

¹¹ Our brothers conquered him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not cling to their lives even in the face of death.

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!’”

¹ David Instructs SolomonAs David’s time to die approached, he addressed his son Solomon with these words: ² “I’m headed down the road that everyone who lives on earth travels, so be strong and demonstrate that you’re a grown man ³ by keeping the charge that the LORD your God entrusted to you. Live life his way, keep his statutes, his commands, his ordinances, and his testimonies, just as they’re written down in the Law of Moses, so that you may succeed in everything you do and wherever you go,

⁹ But don’t let him off unpunished, since you’re a wise man and you’ll know what you need to do to him. Find a way that he dies in his old age by shedding his blood.”

¹⁵ On Listening to Your ParentsMy son, if your heart is wise, my own heart will greatly rejoice. ¹⁶ My innermost being will be glad when your lips speak what is right.

¹⁹ And who knows whether he will be wise or foolish? Either way, he will take possession of everything that I have done on earth, especially where I have excelled. This also is pointless.

⁹ I prefer to make my appeal on the basis of love. I, Paul, as an old man and now a prisoner of the Messiah Jesus,

²⁰ Yes, brother, I desire this favor from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in the Messiah!

⁹ Jabez enjoyed more honor than his relatives—his mother named him Jabez, she said, “because I bore him in pain.”
¹⁰ Later on, Jabez called on the God of Israel, asking him, “…whether you would bless me again and again, enlarge my territory, keep your power with me, keep me from evil, and keep me from harm!” And God granted what he had requested.

²⁵ A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to his mother.

³¹ Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³ He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.”

⁴⁰ She went into Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby jumped in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit ⁴² and she loudly exclaimed, “How blessed are you among women, and how blessed is the infant in your womb! ⁴³ Why should this happen to me, to have the mother of my Lord visit me? ⁴⁴ As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. ⁴⁵ How blessed is this woman for believing that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled!”
⁴⁶ Mary’s Song of PraiseThen Mary said, “My soul praises the greatness of the Lord! ⁴⁷ My spirit exults in God, my Savior,

⁵⁸ Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.

²⁷ True BlessednessAs Jesus was saying this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and told him, “How blessed is the womb that gave birth to you and the breasts that nursed you!”
²⁸ But he said, “Instead, how blessed are those who hear God’s word and obey it!”

⁵ You are to love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.

⁴³ Let whoever is wise observe these things, that they may comprehend the gracious love of the LORD.

² How blessed are those who observe his decrees, who seek him with all of their heart,

⁹ Bet
The Benefits of the WordHow can a young man keep his behavior pure? By guarding it in accordance with your word. ¹⁰ I have sought you with all of my heart; do not let me drift away from your commands. ¹¹ I have stored what you have said in my heart, so I won’t sin against you.

¹ The Blessings of Trusting God My son, don’t forget my instruction, and keep my commandments carefully in mind.

⁴ he taught me and told me, “Let your heart fully embrace what I have to say; keep my commandments and live!

²³ Above everything else guard your heart, because from it flow the springs of life.

²⁵ Let your eyes look directly ahead; fix your gaze straight in front of you. ²⁶ Carefully measure the paths for your feet, and all your ways will be established. ²⁷ Do not turn to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

⁹ Concluding CounselWhoever is wise, let him understand these things. Whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right: the righteous follow his example, but the rebellious stumble in them.

³⁷ The Cost of Discipleship
“The one who loves his father or mother more than me isn’t worthy of me, and the one who loves a son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me. ³⁸ The one who doesn’t take up his cross and follow me isn’t worthy of me.

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.

¹⁴ The love of the Messiah controls us, for we are convinced of this: that one person died for all people; therefore, all people have died. ¹⁵ He died for all people, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the one who died and rose for them.

⁵ We did not expect that! They gave themselves to the Lord first and then to us, since this was God’s will.

¹⁷ and that the Messiah would make his home in your hearts through faith. Then, having been rooted and grounded in love,

¹⁹ Therefore we regard the message of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp that is shining in a gloomy place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

¹⁴ The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit; a man experiencing the LORD’s wrath will fall into it.

¹ Worship of Baal of PeorWhile Israel remained encamped in Shittim, the people began to commit sexual immorality with Moabite women,

⁴ Samson Meets DelilahAfter this incident, he loved a woman in Sorek Valley whose name was Delilah. ⁵ The Philistine officials approached her and told her, “Entice him to discover where his great strength is, and how we can overpower him. We intend to tie him up and torture him. We’ll each pay you 1,100 silver coins.”
⁶ So Delilah asked Samson, “Please tell me the secret to your great strength and how you may be tied up and tortured.”
⁷ Samson replied, “If I’m tied up with seven green cords that have never been dried out, then I’ll become weak and just like any other human being.”
⁸ Then the Philistine leaders brought her seven green cords that had never been dried, and she tied him up with them. ⁹ Meanwhile, some kidnappers were hiding inside an inner room, waiting for her signal. So she told him, “The Philistines are attacking you!” But he snapped the cords as one might break a burned candle wick. So his secret remained undiscovered.
¹⁰ Some time later, Delilah told Samson, “Look here! You’ve been mocking me and lying to me. Now please tell me how you can be tied up.”
¹¹ He told her, “If I’m tied up securely with new ropes that have never been used, then I’ll become weak and just like any other human being.”
¹² So Delilah grabbed some new ropes and tied him up. Then she told him, “The Philistines are attacking you, Samson!” because some kidnappers were hiding inside an inner room. But he snapped the ropes from his arms like thread.
¹³ Later on, Delilah told Samson, “You’re still mocking me and telling me lies! Tell me how to tie you up!”
He answered her, “If you weave the seven locks on my head into a loom and fasten it with a peg, then I will become weak and just like any other human being.”
¹⁴ So Delilah took the seven locks on his head and wove them into the loom while he slept. She fastened his hair with a peg and then told him, “The Philistines are attacking you, Samson!” But he woke up from his nap and pulled the pin from the loom and the weaving.
¹⁵ Samson Tells Delilah His SecretSome time later, she asked him, “How can you keep saying ‘I love you!’ when your heart isn’t with me? These three times you’ve lied to me and haven’t told me where your great strength lies.” ¹⁶ She nagged him every day with this speech, pestering him until he was annoyed nearly to death.
¹⁷ So he finally disclosed everything. He told her, “A razor has never touched my head, because I’ve been a Nazirite for God before I was born. If I am shaved, then my strength will abandon me and I will become weak like every human being.”
¹⁸ When Delilah realized that he had disclosed everything to her, she sent for the Philistine officials and told them, “Hurry up and come here at once, because he has told me everything.” So the Philistine officials went to her and brought their money with them. ¹⁹ So she enticed him to fall asleep on her lap, called for a man to shave off his seven locks of hair from his head, and so began to humiliate him. Then his strength abandoned him.
²⁰ When she cried out, “The Philistines are attacking you, Samson!” he woke from his sleep and told himself, “I’ll go out like I did at other times like this and shake myself free.” But he didn’t know that the LORD had abandoned him.
²¹ Samson is Imprisoned by the PhilistinesThen the Philistines grabbed him, gouged out his eyes, brought him down to Gaza, tied him up in bronze chains, and made him grind grain in their prison. ²² But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved off.

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.

¹² Now she is in the street, now in the plazas, she lurks near every corner.

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. ²⁴ So listen to me, my sons, and pay attention to what I have to say. ²⁵ Don’t be led astray by her lifestyle, and don’t imitate her behavior. ²⁶ For many are the victims whom she has conquered, and many are her slain. ²⁷ Her house leads to Sheol, descending to death’s catacombs.

¹⁸ But he does not realize that the dead lurk there, and her invited guests wind up in the depths of Sheol.

²⁶ I discovered for myself a bitterness that surpasses that of death: the woman whose heart is full of snares and nets, whose hands are chains of bondage. Whoever pleases God will escape from her, but the transgressor will be trapped by her.

² “Look up to the barren heights and see. Is there any place where you have not been ravished? You have sat beside the road, waiting for them like a nomad in the desert. And you have polluted the land with your fornication and your wickedness.

¹¹ “Sexual immorality, wine, and fresh wine seduce the heart of my people.

⁸ Let’s stop sinning sexually, as some of them were doing, and on a single day 23,000 fell dead.

¹ The Vision of Babylon the GreatThen one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls came and told me, “Come, I will show you how the notorious prostitute who sits on many waters will be judged. ² The kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and those living on earth became drunk with the wine of her immorality.”

¹² His eyes are darker than wine and his teeth whiter than milk.”

³⁶ Nabal’s DeathAbigail returned to Nabal, and he was there in his house holding a festival like the festival of a king. Nabal’s heart was glad, and he was very drunk, so she didn’t tell him anything at all until morning. ³⁷ After Nabal became sober the next morning, his wife told him all that had happened. Nabal’s heart failed and he became paralyzed.

²⁸ Then Absalom instructed his young men, “Please keep watching Amnon until he’s drunk. Then I’ll tell you, ‘Attack Amnon!’ As soon as I do, kill him and don’t be afraid! You have your orders, so be strong and brave!”

¹⁶ They attacked at noon, just as Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the battle pavilions, along with the 32 kings who had joined him. ¹⁷ The young men who served as officials within the provinces led the charge, and somebody informed Ben-hadad, “Some men have come out from Samaria.”
¹⁸ “Take them alive, whether they’ve come in peace or not,” he ordered.
¹⁹ Meanwhile, as the young men who served as officials within the provinces left the city, their army followed after them. ²⁰ Each man struck down his opponent, and the Arameans ran away with Israel in pursuit. King Ben-hadad of Aram escaped on horseback with the help of his cavalry. ²¹ The king of Israel went out and attacked the cavalry and chariots and killed the Arameans in a massive victory.
²² The prophet approached the king of Israel and told him, “Go replenish your forces and prepare for the future, because early this next year the king of Aram will attack you again.”

²¹ because drunks and gluttons tend to become poor, and drowsiness will clothe them in rags.

⁷ These people also stagger from wine and reel from strong drink. Priests and prophets stagger from strong drink; they’re drunk from wine; they reel from strong drink, waver when seeing visions, and stumble when rendering decisions. ⁸ For all the tables are covered in vomit and filth, with no clean space left.

¹⁰ Indeed, while tangled as by a thorn bush, while drunken as by a strong drink, the Ninevites will be burned like dry straw.

⁴⁹ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eat and drink with the drunks, ⁵⁰ that servant’s master will come on a day when he doesn’t expect him and at an hour that he doesn’t know.

⁴⁵ But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time to come back,’ and begins to beat the other servants and to eat, drink, and get drunk, ⁴⁶ the master of that servant will come on a day when he doesn’t expect him and at an hour that he doesn’t know. Then his master will punish him severely and assign him a place with unfaithful people.

²¹ He drank some of the wine, got drunk, and lay down naked right in the middle of his tent.

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.

² She has prepared her food, she has spiced her wine, and she also has set her dining table.

⁶ drinking wine from bowls, anointing themselves with the choicest of oils, but not grieving on the occasion of Joseph’s ruin—

² Late one afternoon about dusk, David got up from his couch and was walking around on the roof of the royal palace. From there he watched a woman taking a bath, and she was very beautiful to look at.

¹ Elihu Begins His Discourse “Now please listen to what I have to say, Job. Listen to every word!

³⁷ Turn my eyes away from gazing at worthless things, and revive me by your ways.

²⁵ Do not focus on her beauty in your mind, nor allow her to take you prisoner with her flirting eyes,

²⁸ But I say to you, anyone who stares at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ So if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your body parts than to have your whole body thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you. It is better for you to lose one of your body parts than to have your whole body go into hell.”

⁴⁷ And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It’s better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.

⁵ The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I stretch out my hand over Egypt to bring the Israelis out from among them.” ⁶ Moses and Aaron did what the LORD commanded them.

¹² So each one threw down his staff and it became a serpent, but Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.

¹⁶ He will suck the poison of cobras; the fangs of a viper will slay him.

¹¹ You will cry out in anguish when your end comes, when your flesh and body are consumed,

⁸ Whoever digs a pit may fall into it, and whoever breaks through a wall may suffer a snake bite.

³ With hands and feet, that proud garland— those drunks of Ephraim—will be trampled.

⁵ They hatch adders’ eggs and weave a spider’s web; whoever eats their eggs dies, and any crushed egg hatches out futility.

³¹ The prophets prophesy falsely, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?”

¹⁷ Look, I’ll send snakes among you, vipers that cannot be charmed, and they’ll bite you.”

¹⁹ It will be like a man who runs from a lion, only to encounter a bear; or who comes home, leans his hand against a wall, and a serpent bites him!

³ Even if they hide at the top of Mount Carmel, from there I will search and seize them. Even if they hide from my sight in the depths of the sea, from there I will order the serpent to strike them.

²⁵ “But Abraham said, ‘My child, remember that during your lifetime you received blessings, while Lazarus received hardships. But now he is being comforted here, while you suffer. ²⁶ Besides all this, a wide chasm has been fixed between us, so that those who want to cross from this side to you cannot do so, nor can they cross from your side to us.’

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

³² Come on! Let’s make our father drink wine, and then we’ll have sex with him so we can preserve our father’s lineage.”
³³ So they had their father drink wine that night, and the older one had sexual relations with her father, but he was not aware when she lay down or when she got up. ³⁴ The next day the firstborn told the younger one, “Look! I had sex with my father last night. Let’s make him drink wine tonight again as well. Then you have sex with him, too. That way we’ll preserve our father’s lineage.” ³⁵ So they made their father drink wine that night as well, so he was not aware when she lay down or when she got up.
³⁶ That’s how both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. ³⁷ The firstborn gave birth to a son and named him Moab, and he is the ancestor of the Moabites to this day. ³⁸ The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-ammi, and he is the ancestor of the Ammonites to this day.

¹² The prominent people mock me, composing drinking songs.

¹² delivering you from the way of evil, from men who speak perverse things,

⁵ Otherwise, they may drink and forget what has been ordained, perverting justice for all the oppressed.

⁴ As they drank the wine, they praised gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

⁵ “On the king’s festival day the princes got drunk from wine, so the king joined the mockers.

¹² These people are stains on your love feasts. They feast with you without any sense of awe. They are shepherds who care only for themselves. They are waterless clouds blown about by the winds. They are autumn trees that are fruitless, totally dead, and uprooted. ¹³ They are wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their own shame. They are wandering stars for whom the deepest darkness has been reserved forever.

⁸ By the breath of your nostrils the waters were piled up, the flowing waters stood up like a hill, the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.

³³ Blessed be your good judgment, and blessed be you, who today stopped me from shedding blood and delivering myself by my own actions. ³⁴ For as surely as the LORD God of Israel lives, the one who restrained me from harming you—indeed, had you not quickly come to meet me, by dawn there wouldn’t be a single male left to Nabal.”
³⁵ David took from her what she had brought him and told her, “Go up to your house in peace. Look, I’ve heard your request and will grant it.”
³⁶ Nabal’s DeathAbigail returned to Nabal, and he was there in his house holding a festival like the festival of a king. Nabal’s heart was glad, and he was very drunk, so she didn’t tell him anything at all until morning. ³⁷ After Nabal became sober the next morning, his wife told him all that had happened. Nabal’s heart failed and he became paralyzed. ³⁸ About ten days later the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.

¹⁶ David Defeats the AmalekitesThe Egyptian led him to the camp, and there the Amalekites were spread out over the whole area, eating, drinking, and celebrating with the great amount of spoil they had taken from the territory belonging to the Philistines and to Judah. ¹⁷ David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not one of them escaped except for 400 young men who mounted camels and fled.

⁹ But his servant Zimri, who commanded half of his chariot forces, conspired against Elah while he was drinking himself drunk in the home of Arza, who managed the household at Tirzah.

³⁸ In those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage right up to the day when Noah went into the ark.

²⁷ People were eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage right up to the day when Noah went into the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed all of them. ²⁸ So it was in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. ²⁹ But on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed all of them.

² for you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³ When people say, “There is peace and security,” destruction will strike them as suddenly as labor pains come to a pregnant woman, and they will not be able to escape.
⁴ However, brothers, you are not in the darkness, in order that the Day of the Lord might surprise you like a thief. ⁵ For all of you are children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to darkness. ⁶ Therefore, let’s not fall asleep like others do, but let’s stay awake and be sober. ⁷ For people who go to sleep, go to sleep at night; and people who get drunk, get drunk at night.

¹⁹ because when such a person hears the words of this oath, he will bless himself and say: ‘I will have a peaceful life, even though I’m determined to be stubborn.’ By doing this he will be sweeping away both watered and parched ground alike.’

¹¹ A dog that returns to its vomit is like a fool who reverts to his folly.

²² Though you crush a fool in a mortar and pestle as someone might crush grain, his stupidity still won’t leave him.

¹² “‘Come!’ they say, ‘let’s have some wine, and let’s fill ourselves with strong drink! Then, tomorrow will be like today, or even much better!’”

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.

¹⁸ Ephraim’s Prayer and Confession“I’ve certainly heard Ephraim shuddering with grief as they said, ‘You have disciplined me, and I’m disciplined like an untrained calf. Restore me, and let me return, for you are the LORD my God.

³² If I have fought with wild animals in Ephesus from merely human motives, what do I get out of it? If the dead are not raised, “Let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
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.

¹⁹ Since they have lost all sense of shame, they have abandoned themselves to sensuality and practice every kind of sexual perversion without restraint.

²² The proverb is true that describes what has happened to them: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and “A pig that is washed goes back to wallow in the mud.”