Old/New Testament
22 If you must choose, take a good name rather than great riches; for to be held in loving esteem is better than silver and gold.
2 The rich and the poor are alike before the Lord who made them all.
3 A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.
4 True humility and respect for the Lord lead a man to riches, honor, and long life.
5 The rebel walks a thorny, treacherous road; the man who values his soul will stay away.
6 Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he is older, he will remain upon it.
7 Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender.
8 The unjust tyrant will reap disaster, and his reign of terror shall end.
9 Happy is the generous man, the one who feeds the poor.
10 Throw out the mocker, and you will be rid of tension, fighting, and quarrels.
11 He who values grace and truth is the king’s friend.
12 The Lord preserves the upright but ruins the plans[a] of the wicked.
13 The lazy man is full of excuses. “I can’t go to work!” he says. “If I go outside, I might meet a lion in the street and be killed!”
14 A prostitute is a dangerous trap; those cursed of God are caught in it.
15 A youngster’s heart is filled with rebellion, but punishment will drive it out of him.
16 He who gains by oppressing the poor or by bribing the rich shall end in poverty.
17-19 Listen to this wise advice; follow it closely, for it will do you good, and you can pass it on to others: Trust in the Lord.
20-21 In the past, haven’t I been right? Then believe what I am telling you now and share it with others.
22-23 Don’t rob the poor and sick! For the Lord is their defender. If you injure them, he will punish you.
24-25 Keep away from angry, short-tempered men, lest you learn to be like them and endanger your soul.
26-27 Unless you have the extra cash on hand, don’t countersign a note. Why risk everything you own? They’ll even take your bed!
28 Do not move the ancient boundary marks. That is stealing.[b]
29 Do you know a hard-working man? He shall be successful and stand before kings!
23 1-3 When dining with a rich man,[c] be on your guard and don’t stuff yourself, though it all tastes so good; for he is trying to bribe you, and no good is going to come of his invitation.
4-5 Don’t weary yourself trying to get rich. Why waste your time? For riches can disappear as though they had the wings of a bird!
6-8 Don’t associate with evil men; don’t long for their favors and gifts. Their kindness is a trick; they want to use you as their pawn. The delicious food they serve will turn sour in your stomach, and you will vomit it and have to take back your words of appreciation for their “kindness.”
9 Don’t waste your breath on a rebel. He will despise the wisest advice.
10-11 Don’t steal the land of defenseless orphans by moving their ancient boundary marks, for their Redeemer is strong; he himself will accuse you.
12 Don’t refuse to accept criticism; get all the help[d] you can.
13-14 Don’t fail to correct your children; discipline won’t hurt them! They won’t die if you use a stick on them! Punishment will keep them out of hell.
15-16 My son, how I will rejoice if you become a man of common sense. Yes, my heart will thrill to your thoughtful, wise words.
17-18 Don’t envy evil men but continue to reverence the Lord all the time, for surely you have a wonderful future ahead of you. There is hope for you yet!
19-21 O my son, be wise and stay in God’s paths; don’t carouse with drunkards and gluttons, for they are on their way to poverty. And remember that too much sleep clothes a man with rags. 22 Listen to your father’s advice and don’t despise an old mother’s experience. 23 Get the facts at any price, and hold on tightly to all the good sense you can get. 24-25 The father of a godly man has cause for joy—what pleasure a wise son is! So give your parents joy!
26-28 O my son, trust my advice—stay away from prostitutes. For a prostitute is a deep and narrow grave. Like a robber, she waits for her victims as one after another become unfaithful to their wives.
29-30 Whose heart is filled with anguish and sorrow? Who is always fighting and quarreling? Who is the man with bloodshot eyes and many wounds? It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns, trying out new mixtures. 31 Don’t let the sparkle and the smooth taste of strong wine deceive you. 32 For in the end it bites like a poisonous serpent; it stings like an adder. 33 You will see hallucinations and have delirium tremens, and you will say foolish, silly things that would embarrass you no end when sober. 34 You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a swaying mast. 35 And afterwards you will say, “I didn’t even know it when they beat me up. . . . Let’s go and have another drink!”
24 Don’t envy godless men; don’t even enjoy their company. 2 For they spend their days plotting violence and cheating.
3-4 Any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts.
5 A wise man is mightier than a strong man. Wisdom is mightier than strength.
6 Don’t go to war without wise guidance; there is safety in many counselors.
7 Wisdom is too much for a rebel. He’ll not be chosen as a counselor!
8 To plan evil is as wrong as doing it.
9 The rebel’s schemes are sinful, and the mocker is the scourge of all mankind.
10 You are a poor specimen if you can’t stand the pressure of adversity.
11-12 Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don’t stand back and let them die. Don’t try to disclaim responsibility by saying you didn’t know about it. For God, who knows all hearts, knows yours, and he knows you knew! And he will reward everyone according to his deeds.
13-14 My son, honey whets the appetite and so does wisdom! When you enjoy becoming wise, there is hope for you! A bright future lies ahead!
15-16 O evil man, leave the upright man alone and quit trying to cheat him out of his rights. Don’t you know that this good man, though you trip him up seven times, will each time rise again? But one calamity is enough to lay you low.
17 Do not rejoice when your enemy meets trouble. Let there be no gladness when he falls— 18 for the Lord may be displeased with you and stop punishing him!
19-20 Don’t envy the wicked. Don’t covet his riches. For the evil man has no future; his light will be snuffed out.
21-22 My son, watch your step before the Lord and the king, and don’t associate with radicals. For you will go down with them to sudden disaster, and who knows where it all will end?
23 It is wrong to sentence the poor and let the rich go free. 24 He who says to the wicked, “You are innocent,” shall be cursed by many people of many nations; 25 but blessings shall be showered on those who rebuke sin fearlessly.
26 It is an honor to receive a frank reply.
27 Develop your business first before building your house.
28-29 Don’t testify spitefully against an innocent neighbor. Why lie about him? Don’t say, “Now I can pay him back for all his meanness to me!”
30-31 I walked by the field of a certain lazy fellow and saw that it was overgrown with thorns; it was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down. 32-33 Then, as I looked, I learned this lesson:
“A little extra sleep,
A little more slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest”
34 means that poverty will break in upon you suddenly like a robber and violently like a bandit.
8 Now I want to tell you what God in his grace has done for the churches in Macedonia.
2 Though they have been going through much trouble and hard times, they have mixed their wonderful joy with their deep poverty, and the result has been an overflow of giving to others. 3 They gave not only what they could afford but far more; and I can testify that they did it because they wanted to and not because of nagging on my part. 4 They begged us to take the money so they could share in the joy of helping the Christians in Jerusalem. 5 Best of all, they went beyond our highest hopes, for their first action was to dedicate themselves to the Lord and to us, for whatever directions God might give to them through us. 6 They were so enthusiastic about it that we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to visit you and encourage you to complete your share in this ministry of giving. 7 You people there are leaders in so many ways—you have so much faith, so many good preachers, so much learning, so much enthusiasm, so much love for us. Now I want you to be leaders also in the spirit of cheerful giving.
8 I am not giving you an order; I am not saying you must do it, but others are eager for it. This is one way to prove that your love is real, that it goes beyond mere words.
9 You know how full of love and kindness our Lord Jesus was: though he was so very rich, yet to help you he became so very poor, so that by being poor he could make you rich.
10 I want to suggest that you finish what you started to do a year ago, for you were not only the first to propose this idea, but the first to begin doing something about it. 11 Having started the ball rolling so enthusiastically, you should carry this project through to completion just as gladly, giving whatever you can out of whatever you have. Let your enthusiastic idea at the start be equalled by your realistic action now. 12 If you are really eager to give, then it isn’t important how much you have to give. God wants you to give what you have, not what you haven’t.
13 Of course, I don’t mean that those who receive your gifts should have an easy time of it at your expense, 14 but you should divide with them. Right now you have plenty and can help them; then at some other time they can share with you when you need it. In this way, each will have as much as he needs. 15 Do you remember what the Scriptures say about this? “He that gathered much had nothing left over, and he that gathered little had enough.” So you also should share with those in need.
16 I am thankful to God that he has given Titus the same real concern for you that I have. 17 He is glad to follow my suggestion that he visit you again—but I think he would have come anyway, for he is very eager to see you! 18 I am sending another well-known brother with him, who is highly praised as a preacher of the Good News in all the churches. 19 In fact, this man was elected by the churches to travel with me to take the gift to Jerusalem. This will glorify the Lord and show our eagerness to help each other. 20 By traveling together we will guard against any suspicion, for we are anxious that no one should find fault with the way we are handling this large gift. 21 God knows we are honest, but I want everyone else to know it too. That is why we have made this arrangement.
22 And I am sending you still another brother, whom we know from experience to be an earnest Christian. He is especially interested as he looks forward to this trip because I have told him all about your eagerness to help.
23 If anyone asks who Titus is, say that he is my partner, my helper in helping you, and you can also say that the other two brothers represent the assemblies here and are splendid examples of those who belong to the Lord.
24 Please show your love for me to these men and do for them all that I have publicly boasted you would.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.