Old/New Testament
13 A wise son accepts his father’s discipline,[a]
but a scoffer[b] has never listened to[c] rebuke.
2 From the fruit of his speech[d] a person eats good things,[e]
but the treacherous[f] desire[g] the fruit of violence.[h]
3 The one who guards his words[i] guards his life;
whoever is talkative[j] will come to ruin.[k]
4 The appetite[l] of the sluggard[m] craves[n] but gets nothing,
but the desire of the diligent will be abundantly satisfied.[o]
5 The righteous person will reject[p] anything false,[q]
but the wicked person will act in shameful disgrace.[r]
6 Righteousness[s] guards the one who lives with integrity,[t]
but wickedness[u] overthrows the sinner.
7 There is one who pretends to be rich[v] and yet has nothing;
another pretends to be poor[w] and yet possesses great wealth.[x]
8 The ransom[y] of a person’s[z] life is his wealth,
thus the poor person has never heard[aa] a threat.[ab]
9 The light[ac] of the righteous shines brightly,[ad]
but the lamp[ae] of the wicked goes out.[af]
10 With pride[ag] comes only[ah] contention,
but wisdom is with the well-advised.[ai]
11 Wealth gained quickly[aj] will dwindle away,[ak]
but the one who gathers it little by little[al] will become rich.[am]
12 Hope[an] deferred[ao] makes the heart sick,[ap]
but a longing fulfilled[aq] is like[ar] a tree of life.
13 The one who despises instruction[as] will pay the penalty,[at]
but whoever esteems direction[au] will[av] be rewarded.[aw]
14 Instruction[ax] from the wise is like[ay] a life-giving fountain,[az]
to turn[ba] a person[bb] from deadly snares.[bc]
15 Keen insight[bd] wins[be] favor,
but the conduct[bf] of the treacherous ends[bg] in destruction.[bh]
16 Every shrewd person[bi] acts with knowledge,
but a fool displays[bj] his folly.
17 An unreliable[bk] messenger falls[bl] into trouble,[bm]
but a faithful envoy[bn] brings[bo] healing.
18 The one who neglects[bp] discipline ends up in[bq] poverty and shame,
but the one who accepts reproof is honored.[br]
19 A desire fulfilled will be sweet[bs] to the soul,
but fools abhor[bt] turning away from evil.[bu]
20 The one who associates[bv] with the wise grows wise,[bw]
but a companion of fools suffers harm.[bx]
21 Calamity[by] pursues sinners,
but prosperity rewards the righteous.[bz]
22 A good person leaves an inheritance for[ca] his grandchildren,
but the wealth of a sinner is stored up for the righteous.[cb]
23 Abundant food may come from the field of the poor,[cc]
but it is swept away by injustice.[cd]
24 The one who spares his rod[ce] hates[cf] his child,[cg]
but the one who loves his child[ch] is diligent[ci] in disciplining[cj] him.
25 The righteous has enough food to satisfy[ck] his appetite,[cl]
but the belly of the wicked will be empty.[cm]
14 Every wise woman[cn] has built[co] her household,[cp]
but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.
2 The one who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,[cq]
but the one who is perverted in his ways[cr] despises him.
3 In[cs] the speech[ct] of a fool is a rod for his back,[cu]
but the words[cv] of the wise protect them.
4 Where there are no oxen, the feeding trough is clean,
but an abundant harvest is produced by strong oxen.[cw]
5 A truthful witness[cx] does not lie,
but a false witness[cy] breathes out lies.[cz]
6 The scorner[da] sought wisdom—there was none,[db]
but understanding was easy[dc] for a discerning person.
7 Walk[dd] abreast with a foolish person,[de]
and you do not understand[df] wise counsel.[dg]
8 The wisdom of the shrewd person[dh] is to discern[di] his way,
but the folly of fools is deception.[dj]
9 Fools mock[dk] at reparation,[dl]
but among the upright there is favor.[dm]
10 The heart knows its own bitterness,[dn]
and with its joy no one else[do] can share.[dp]
11 The household[dq] of the wicked will be destroyed,
but the tent[dr] of the upright will flourish.
12 There is a way that seems right to a person,[ds]
but its end is the way that leads to death.[dt]
13 Even in laughter the heart may ache,[du]
and the end[dv] of joy may be[dw] grief.
14 The backslider[dx] will be paid back[dy] from his own ways,
but a good person will be rewarded[dz] for his.
15 A naive person[ea] will believe anything,
but the shrewd person discerns his steps.[eb]
16 A wise person is cautious[ec] and turns from evil,
but a fool throws off restraint[ed] and is overconfident.[ee]
17 A person who has a quick temper[ef] will do foolish things,
and a person with crafty schemes[eg] will be hated.[eh]
18 The naive have inherited[ei] folly,
but the shrewd[ej] will be crowned[ek] with knowledge.
19 Bad people have bowed[el] before good people,
and wicked people have bowed[em] at the gates[en] of someone righteous.[eo]
20 A poor person will be disliked[ep] even by his neighbors,
but those who love the rich are many.[eq]
21 The one who despises his neighbor sins,
but whoever is kind to the needy is blessed.
22 Do not those who devise[er] evil go astray?
But those who plan good exhibit[es] faithful covenant love.[et]
23 In all hard work[eu] there is profit,
but merely talking about it[ev] only brings[ew] poverty.[ex]
24 The crown of the wise is their riches,[ey]
but the folly[ez] of fools is folly.
25 A truthful witness[fa] rescues lives,[fb]
but one who testifies falsely betrays them.[fc]
26 In the fear of the Lord one has[fd] strong confidence,[fe]
and it will be a refuge[ff] for his children.
27 The fear of the Lord[fg] is like[fh] a life-giving fountain,[fi]
to turn[fj] people[fk] from deadly snares.[fl]
28 A king’s glory is[fm] the abundance of people,
but the lack of subjects[fn] is the ruin[fo] of a ruler.
29 Someone with great understanding is slow to anger,[fp]
but the one who has a quick temper[fq] exalts[fr] folly.
30 A tranquil spirit[fs] revives the body,[ft]
but envy[fu] is rottenness to the bones.[fv]
31 The one who oppresses[fw] the poor has insulted[fx] his Creator,
but whoever honors him shows favor[fy] to the needy.
32 An evil person will be thrown down through his wickedness,[fz]
but a righteous person takes refuge in his integrity.[ga]
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of the discerning;
it is not known[gb] in the inner parts[gc] of fools.
34 Righteousness exalts[gd] a nation,
but sin is a disgrace[ge] to any people.
35 The king shows favor[gf] to a wise[gg] servant,
but his wrath falls on[gh] one who acts shamefully.
15 A gentle response[gi] turns away anger,
but a harsh word[gj] stirs up wrath.[gk]
2 The tongue of the wise[gl] treats knowledge correctly,[gm]
but the mouth of the fool spouts out[gn] folly.
3 The eyes of the Lord[go] are in every place,
keeping watch on[gp] those who are evil and those who are good.
4 Speech[gq] that heals[gr] is like[gs] a life-giving tree,[gt]
but a perverse speech[gu] breaks the spirit.[gv]
5 A fool rejects his father’s discipline,
but whoever heeds reproof shows good sense.[gw]
6 In the house of the righteous is abundant wealth,[gx]
but the income of the wicked will be ruined.[gy]
7 The lips of the wise spread[gz] knowledge,
but not so the heart of fools.[ha]
8 The Lord abhors[hb] the sacrifice of the wicked,[hc]
but the prayer[hd] of the upright pleases him.[he]
9 The Lord abhors[hf] the way of the wicked,
but he will love[hg] those[hh] who pursue[hi] righteousness.
10 Severe discipline[hj] is for the one who abandons the way;
the one who hates reproof[hk] will die.
11 Death and Destruction[hl] are before the Lord—
how much more[hm] the hearts of humans![hn]
12 The scorner will not love[ho] one who corrects him;[hp]
he will not go to[hq] the wise.
13 A joyful heart[hr] makes the face cheerful,[hs]
but by a painful heart the spirit is broken.
14 The discerning mind[ht] seeks knowledge,
but the mouth of fools feeds on folly.[hu]
15 All the days[hv] of the afflicted[hw] are bad,[hx]
but one with[hy] a cheerful heart has a continual feast.[hz]
16 Better[ia] is little with the fear of the Lord
than great wealth and turmoil[ib] with it.[ic]
17 Better a meal of vegetables where there is love[id]
than a fattened ox where there is hatred.[ie]
18 A quick-tempered person[if] stirs up dissension,
but one who is slow to anger[ig] calms[ih] a quarrel.[ii]
19 The way of the sluggard is like a hedge of thorns,[ij]
but the path of the upright is like[ik] a highway.[il]
20 A wise child[im] brings joy to his father,
but a foolish person[in] despises[io] his mother.
21 Folly is a joy to one who lacks sense,[ip]
but one who has understanding[iq] follows an upright course.[ir]
22 Plans fail[is] when there is no counsel,
but with abundant advisers they are established.[it]
23 A person has joy[iu] in giving an appropriate answer,[iv]
and a word at the right time[iw]—how good it is!
24 The path of life is upward[ix] for the wise person,[iy]
to[iz] keep him from going downward to Sheol.[ja]
25 The Lord tears down the house of the proud,[jb]
but he maintains the boundaries of the widow.[jc]
26 The Lord abhors[jd] the plans[je] of the wicked,[jf]
but pleasant words[jg] are pure.[jh]
27 The one who is greedy for gain[ji] troubles[jj] his household,[jk]
but whoever hates bribes[jl] will live.
28 The heart[jm] of the righteous considers[jn] how[jo] to answer,[jp]
but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.[jq]
29 The Lord is far[jr] from the wicked,
but he hears[js] the prayer of the righteous.[jt]
30 A bright look[ju] brings joy to the heart,
and good news gives health to the body.[jv]
31 The person[jw] who hears the reproof that leads to life[jx]
is at home[jy] among the wise.[jz]
32 The one who refuses correction despises himself,[ka]
but whoever listens to[kb] reproof acquires understanding.[kc]
33 The fear of the Lord provides wise instruction,[kd]
and before honor comes humility.[ke]
Living by Faith, Not by Sight
5 For we know that if our earthly house, the tent we live in,[a] is dismantled,[b] we have a building from God, a house not built by human hands, that is eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this earthly house[c] we groan, because we desire to put on[d] our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed, after we have put on[e] our heavenly house,[f] we will not be found naked. 4 For we groan while we are in this tent,[g] since we are weighed down,[h] because we do not want to be unclothed, but clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose[i] is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.[j] 6 Therefore we are always full of courage, and we know that as long as we are alive here on earth[k] we are absent from the Lord— 7 for we live[l] by faith, not by sight. 8 Thus we are full of courage and would prefer to be away[m] from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So then whether we are alive[n] or away, we make it our ambition to please him.[o] 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,[p] so that each one may be paid back according to what he has done while in the body, whether good or evil.[q]
The Message of Reconciliation
11 Therefore, because we know the fear of the Lord,[r] we try to persuade[s] people,[t] but we are well known[u] to God, and I hope we are well known to your consciences too. 12 We are not trying to commend[v] ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to be proud of us,[w] so that you may be able to answer those who take pride[x] in outward appearance[y] and not in what is in the heart. 13 For if we are out of our minds, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ[z] controls us, since we have concluded this, that Christ[aa] died for all; therefore all have died. 15 And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised.[ab] 16 So then from now on we acknowledge[ac] no one from an outward human point of view.[ad] Even though we have known Christ from such a human point of view,[ae] now we do not know him in that way any longer. 17 So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away[af]—look, what is new[ag] has come![ah] 18 And all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 19 In other words, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting people’s trespasses against them, and he has given us[ai] the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making his plea[aj] through us. We plead with you[ak] on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God!” 21 God[al] made the one who did not know sin[am] to be sin for us, so that in him[an] we would become the righteousness of God.
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