Old/New Testament
16 The intentions of the heart[a] belong to a man,
but the answer of the tongue[b] comes from[c] the Lord.[d]
2 All a person’s ways[e] seem right[f] in his own opinion,[g]
but the Lord evaluates[h] the motives.[i]
3 Commit[j] your works[k] to the Lord,
and your plans will be established.[l]
4 The Lord has worked[m] everything for his own ends[n]—
even the wicked for the day of disaster.[o]
5 The Lord abhors[p] every arrogant person;[q]
rest assured[r] that they will not go unpunished.[s]
6 Through loyal love and truth[t] iniquity is appeased;[u]
through fearing the Lord[v] one avoids[w] evil.[x]
7 When a person’s[y] ways are pleasing to the Lord,[z]
he[aa] even reconciles his enemies to himself.[ab]
8 Better to have a little with righteousness[ac]
than to have abundant income without justice.[ad]
9 A person[ae] plans his course,[af]
but the Lord directs[ag] his steps.[ah]
10 The divine verdict[ai] is in the words[aj] of the king,
his pronouncements[ak] must not act treacherously[al] against justice.
11 Honest scales and balances[am] are from the Lord;
all the weights[an] in the bag are his handiwork.
12 Doing wickedness[ao] is an abomination to kings,
because a throne[ap] is established in righteousness.
13 The delight of a king[aq] is righteous counsel,[ar]
and he will love the one who speaks[as] uprightly.[at]
14 A king’s wrath[au] is like[av] a messenger of death,[aw]
but a wise person appeases it.[ax]
15 In the light of the king’s face[ay] there is life,
and his favor is like the clouds[az] of the spring rain.[ba]
16 How much better it is to acquire[bb] wisdom than gold;
to acquire understanding is more desirable[bc] than silver.
17 The highway[bd] of the upright is to turn away[be] from evil;
the one who guards[bf] his way safeguards his life.[bg]
18 Pride[bh] goes[bi] before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.[bj]
19 It is better to be lowly in spirit[bk] with the afflicted
than to share the spoils[bl] with the proud.
20 The one who deals wisely[bm] in a matter[bn] will find success,[bo]
and blessed[bp] is the one who trusts in the Lord.[bq]
21 The one who is wise in heart[br] is called[bs] discerning,
and kind speech[bt] increases persuasiveness.[bu]
22 Insight[bv] is like[bw] a life-giving fountain[bx] to the one who possesses it,
but folly leads to the discipline of fools.[by]
23 A wise person’s heart[bz] makes his speech wise[ca]
and it adds persuasiveness[cb] to his words.[cc]
24 Pleasant words are like[cd] a honeycomb,[ce]
sweet to the soul and healing[cf] to the bones.
25 There is a way that seems right to a person,[cg]
but its end is the way that leads to death.[ch]
26 A laborer’s[ci] appetite[cj] has labored for him,
for his hunger[ck] has pressed[cl] him to work.[cm]
27 A wicked scoundrel[cn] digs up[co] evil,
and his slander[cp] is like a scorching fire.[cq]
28 A perverse person[cr] spreads dissension,
and a gossip separates the closest friends.[cs]
29 A violent person[ct] entices[cu] his neighbor,
and then leads him down a path that is terrible.[cv]
30 The one who winks[cw] his eyes[cx] devises[cy] perverse things,
and[cz] one who compresses his lips[da] has accomplished[db] evil.
31 Gray hair is like[dc] a crown of glory;[dd]
it is attained[de] in the path of righteousness.[df]
32 Better to be slow to anger[dg] than to be a mighty warrior,
and one who controls his temper[dh] is better than[di] one who captures a city.[dj]
33 The dice are thrown into the lap,[dk]
but their every decision[dl] is from the Lord.[dm]
17 Better is a dry crust of bread[dn] where there is quietness[do]
than a house full of feasting with strife.[dp]
2 A servant who acts wisely[dq] will rule
over[dr] an heir[ds] who behaves shamefully,[dt]
and will share the inheritance along with the relatives.[du]
3 The crucible[dv] is for refining[dw] silver and the furnace[dx] is for gold,
likewise[dy] the Lord tests[dz] hearts.
4 One who acts wickedly[ea] pays attention to evil counsel;[eb]
a liar listens[ec] to a malicious tongue.[ed]
5 The one who mocks the poor[ee] has insulted[ef] his Creator;
whoever rejoices over disaster will not go unpunished.
6 Grandchildren[eg] are like[eh] a crown[ei] to the elderly,
and the glory[ej] of children is their parents.[ek]
7 Excessive[el] speech[em] is not becoming for a fool;[en]
how much less are lies[eo] for a ruler![ep]
8 A bribe works like[eq] a charm[er] for the one who offers it;[es]
in whatever he does[et] he succeeds.[eu]
9 The one who forgives[ev] an offense seeks[ew] love,
but whoever repeats a matter separates close friends.[ex]
10 A rebuke makes a greater impression on[ey] a discerning person
than a hundred blows on a fool.[ez]
11 An evil person seeks only rebellion,[fa]
and so[fb] a cruel messenger[fc] will be sent against him.
12 It is better for a person to meet[fd] a mother bear being robbed of her cubs,
than[fe] to encounter[ff] a fool in his folly.[fg]
13 As for the one who repays[fh] evil for good,
evil will not leave[fi] his house.[fj]
14 Starting a quarrel[fk] is like letting out water;[fl]
abandon strife before it breaks out![fm]
15 The one who acquits the guilty and the one who condemns the innocent[fn]—
both of them are an abomination to the Lord.[fo]
16 What’s the point[fp] of a fool having money[fq] in hand
to buy wisdom, when his head is empty?[fr]
17 A friend[fs] loves at all times,
and a relative[ft] is born to help in adversity.[fu]
18 The one who lacks sense[fv] strikes hands in pledge,[fw]
and puts up financial security[fx] for his neighbor.[fy]
19 The one who loves a quarrel loves transgression;[fz]
whoever builds his gate high seeks destruction.[ga]
20 The one who has a perverse heart[gb] does not find good,[gc]
and the one who is deceitful in speech[gd] falls into trouble.
21 Whoever brings a fool[ge] into the world[gf] does so[gg] to his grief,
and the father of a fool has no joy.[gh]
22 A cheerful heart[gi] brings good healing,[gj]
but a crushed spirit[gk] dries up the bones.[gl]
23 A wicked person receives a bribe secretly[gm]
to pervert[gn] the ways of justice.
24 Wisdom is directly in front of[go] the discerning person,
but the eyes of a fool run[gp] to the ends of the earth.[gq]
25 A foolish child is a grief[gr] to his father,
and bitterness to the mother who bore him.[gs]
26 It is terrible[gt] to punish[gu] a righteous person,
and to flog[gv] honorable men is wrong.[gw]
27 The truly wise person[gx] restrains[gy] his words,
and the one who stays calm[gz] is discerning.
28 Even a fool who remains silent is considered[ha] wise,
and the one who holds his tongue is deemed discerning.[hb]
18 One who has isolated himself[hc] seeks his own desires;[hd]
he rejects[he] all sound judgment.
2 A fool takes no pleasure[hf] in understanding
but only in disclosing[hg] what is on his mind.[hh]
3 When a wicked person[hi] arrives, contempt[hj] shows up with him,[hk]
and with shame comes[hl] a reproach.
4 The words of a person’s mouth[hm] are like[hn] deep waters,[ho]
and[hp] the fountain of wisdom[hq] is like[hr] a flowing brook.[hs]
5 It is terrible[ht] to show partiality[hu] to the wicked,[hv]
by depriving[hw] a righteous man of justice.
6 The lips of a fool[hx] enter into strife,[hy]
and his mouth invites[hz] a flogging.[ia]
7 The mouth of a fool is his ruin,
and his lips are a snare for his life.[ib]
8 The words of a gossip[ic] are like choice morsels;[id]
and they have gone down into the person’s innermost being.[ie]
9 The one who[if] is slack[ig] in his work
is a brother[ih] to one who destroys.[ii]
10 The name of the Lord[ij] is like[ik] a strong tower;[il]
the righteous person runs[im] to it and is set safely on high.[in]
11 The wealth[io] of a rich person is like[ip] a strong city,[iq]
and it is like a high wall in his imagination.[ir]
12 Before destruction the heart[is] of a person is proud,
but humility comes[it] before honor.[iu]
13 The one who gives an answer[iv] before he listens[iw]—
that is his folly and his shame.[ix]
14 A person’s spirit[iy] sustains him through sickness—
but who can bear[iz] a crushed spirit?[ja]
15 The discerning person[jb] acquires knowledge,
and the wise person[jc] seeks[jd] knowledge.
16 A person’s gift[je] makes room for him,
and leads him[jf] before important people.
17 The first to state his case[jg] seems[jh] right,
until his opponent[ji] begins to[jj] cross-examine him.[jk]
18 A toss of a coin[jl] ends[jm] disputes,
and settles the issue[jn] between strong opponents.[jo]
19 A relative[jp] offended[jq] is harder to reach than[jr] a strong city,
and disputes are like the barred gates[js] of a fortified citadel.[jt]
20 From the fruit of a person’s mouth[ju] his stomach[jv] will be satisfied,[jw]
with the product of his lips he will be satisfied.
21 Death and life are in the power[jx] of the tongue,[jy]
and those who love its use[jz] will eat its fruit.
22 The one who has found[ka] a good[kb] wife has found what goodness is,[kc]
and obtained a delightful gift[kd] from the Lord.[ke]
23 A poor person makes supplications,[kf]
but a rich man answers harshly.[kg]
24 There are[kh] companions[ki] who harm one another,[kj]
but there is a friend[kk] who sticks closer than a brother.
God’s Suffering Servants
6 Now because we are fellow workers, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain.[a] 2 For he says, “I heard you at the acceptable time, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”[b] Look, now is the acceptable time; look, now is the day of salvation! 3 We do not give anyone[c] an occasion for taking an offense in anything,[d] so that no fault may be found with our ministry. 4 But as God’s servants,[e] we have commended ourselves in every way,[f] with great endurance, in persecutions,[g] in difficulties, in distresses, 5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots,[h] in troubles,[i] in sleepless nights, in hunger, 6 by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by benevolence, by the Holy Spirit,[j] by genuine[k] love, 7 by truthful[l] teaching,[m] by the power of God, with weapons of righteousness both for the right hand and for the left,[n] 8 through glory and dishonor, through slander and praise; regarded as impostors,[o] and yet true; 9 as unknown, and yet well-known; as dying and yet—see!—we continue to live; as those who are scourged[p] and yet not executed; 10 as sorrowful, but always rejoicing, as poor, but making many rich, as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
11 We have spoken freely to you,[q] Corinthians; our heart has been opened wide to you. 12 Our affection for you is not restricted,[r] but you are restricted in your affections for us. 13 Now as a fair exchange—I speak as to my[s] children—open wide your hearts to us[t] also.
Unequal Partners
14 Do not become partners[u] with those who do not believe, for what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship does light have with darkness? 15 And what agreement does Christ have with Beliar?[v] Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever? 16 And what mutual agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are[w] the temple of the living God, just as God said, “I will live in them[x] and will walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”[y] 17 Therefore “come out from their midst, and be separate,” says the Lord, “and touch no unclean thing,[z] and I will welcome[aa] you,[ab] 18 and I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,”[ac] says the All-Powerful Lord.[ad]
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