July 22
Proverbs 21:1 — 24:34
21 A
king’s heart is as streams of water in the hand of Jehovah. Everywhere that he
delights to, he turns it.
2 Every
way of a man is upright in his own eyes, but Jehovah is making an estimate of
hearts.
3 To
carry on righteousness and judgment is more preferable to Jehovah than
sacrifice.
4 Haughty
eyes and an arrogant heart, the lamp of the wicked ones, are sin.
5 The
plans of the diligent one surely make for advantage, but everyone that is hasty
surely heads for want.
6 The
getting of treasures by a false tongue is an exhalation driven away, in the case
of those seeking death.
7 The
very despoiling by the wicked ones will drag them away, for they have refused to
do justice.
8 A man,
even a stranger, is crooked in [his] way; but the pure one is upright in his
activity.
9 Better
is it to dwell upon a corner of a roof than with a contentious wife, although in
a house in common.
10 The
very soul of the wicked one has craved what is bad; his fellow will be shown no
favor in his eyes.
11 By
the laying of a fine on the ridiculer the inexperienced becomes wise; and by
one’s giving insight to a wise person he gets knowledge.
12 The
Righteous One is giving consideration to the house of the wicked one, subverting
the wicked ones to [their] calamity.
13 As
for anyone stopping up his ear from the complaining cry of the lowly one, he
himself also will call and not be answered.
14 A
gift made in secrecy subdues anger; and a bribe in the bosom, strong rage.
15 It is
a rejoicing for the righteous one to do justice, but there is something terrible
for those practicing what is hurtful.
16 As
for a man wandering from the way of insight, he will rest in the very
congregation of those impotent in death.
17 He
that is loving merriment will be an individual in want; he that is loving wine
and oil will not gain riches.
18 The
wicked is a ransom for the righteous one; and the one dealing treacherously
takes the place of the upright ones.
19 Better
is it to dwell in a wilderness land than with a contentious wife along with
vexation.
20 Desirable
treasure and oil are in the abode of the wise one, but the man that is stupid
will swallow it up.
21 He
that is pursuing righteousness and loving-kindness will find life, righteousness
and glory.
22 A
wise one has scaled even the city of mighty men, that he might bring down the
strength of its confidence.
23 He
that is keeping his mouth and his tongue is keeping his soul from distresses.
24 Presumptuous,
self-assuming braggart is the name of the one who is acting in a fury of
presumptuousness.
25 The
very craving of the lazy will put him to death, for his hands have refused to
work.
26 All
the day he has shown himself eagerly craving, but the righteous one gives and
holds nothing back.
27 The
sacrifice of the wicked ones is something detestable. How much more so when one
brings it along with loose conduct.
28 A
lying witness will perish, but the man that is listening will speak even
forever.
29 A
wicked man has put on a bold face, but the upright is the one that will firmly
establish his ways.
30 There
is no wisdom, nor any discernment, nor any counsel in opposition to Jehovah.
31 The
horse is something prepared for the day of battle, but salvation belongs to
Jehovah.
22 A
name is to be chosen rather than abundant riches; favor is better than even
silver and gold.
2 The
rich one and the one of little means have met each other. The Maker of them all
is Jehovah.
3 Shrewd
is the one that has seen the calamity and proceeds to conceal himself, but the
inexperienced have passed along and must suffer the penalty.
4 The
result of humility [and] the fear of Jehovah is riches and glory and life.
5 Thorns
[and] traps are in the way of the crooked one; he that is guarding his soul
keeps far away from them.
6 Train
up a boy according to the way for him; even when he grows old he will not turn
aside from it.
7 The
rich is the one that rules over those of little means, and the borrower is
servant to the man doing the lending.
8 He
that is sowing unrighteousness will reap what is hurtful, but the very rod of
his fury will come to its end.
9 He
that is kindly in eye will be blessed, for he has given of his food to the lowly
one.
10 Drive
away the ridiculer, that contention may go out and that legal contest and
dishonor may cease.
11 The
one loving purity of heart—for the charm of his lips the king will be his
companion.
12 The
eyes of Jehovah himself have safeguarded knowledge, but he subverts the words of
the treacherous one.
13 The
lazy one has said: “There is a lion outside! In the midst of the public squares
I shall be murdered!”
14 The
mouth of strange women is a deep pit. The one denounced by Jehovah will fall
into it.
15 Foolishness
is tied up with the heart of a boy; the rod of discipline is what will remove it
far from him.
16 He
that is defrauding the lowly one to supply many things to himself, he also that
is giving to the rich one, is surely destined for want.
17 Incline
your ear and hear the words of the wise ones, that you may apply your very heart
to my knowledge.
18 For
it is pleasant that you should keep them in your belly, that they may be firmly
established together upon your lips.
19 For
your confidence to come to be in Jehovah himself I have given you knowledge
today, even you.
20 Have
I not written you heretofore with counselings and knowledge,
21 to
show you the truthfulness of true sayings, so as to return sayings that are the
truth—to the one sending you forth?
22 Do
not rob the lowly one because he is lowly, and do not crush the afflicted one in
the gate.
23 For
Jehovah himself will plead their cause, and he will certainly rob of soul those
robbing them.
24 Do
not have companionship with anyone given to anger; and with a man having fits of
rage you must not enter in,
25 that
you may not get familiar with his paths and certainly take a snare for your
soul.
26 Do
not get to be among those striking hands, among those who go security for loans.
27 If
you have nothing to pay, why should he take your bed from under you?
28 Do
not move back a boundary of long ago, which your forefathers have made.
29 Have
you beheld a man skillful in his work? Before kings is where he will station
himself; he will not station himself before commonplace men.
23 In
case you should sit down to feed yourself with a king, you should diligently
consider what is before you,
2 and
you must put a knife to your throat if you are the owner of soul[ful desire].
3 Do not
show yourself craving his tasty dishes, as it is the food of lies.
4 Do not
toil to gain riches. Cease from your own understanding.
5 Have
you caused your eyes to glance at it, when it is nothing? For without fail it
makes wings for itself like those of an eagle and flies away toward the heavens.
6 Do not
feed yourself with the food of anyone of ungenerous eye, nor show yourself
craving his tasty dishes.
7 For as
one that has calculated within his soul, so he is. “Eat and drink,” he says to
you, but his heart itself is not with you.
8 Your
morsel that you have eaten, you will vomit it out, and you will have wasted your
pleasant words.
9 Into
the ears of a stupid one do not speak, for he will despise your discreet words.
10 Do
not move back the boundary of long ago, and into the field of fatherless boys do
not enter.
11 For
their Redeemer is strong; he himself will plead their cause with you.
12 Do
bring your heart to discipline and your ear to the sayings of knowledge.
13 Do
not hold back discipline from the mere boy. In case you beat him with the rod,
he will not die.
14 With
the rod you yourself should beat him, that you may deliver his very soul from
Sheol itself.
15 My
son, if your heart has become wise, my heart will rejoice, even mine.
16 And
my kidneys will exult when your lips speak uprightness.
17 Let
your heart not be envious of sinners, but be in the fear of Jehovah all day
long.
18 For
in that case there will exist a future, and your own hope will not be cut off.
19 You,
O my son, hear and become wise, and lead your heart on in the way.
20 Do
not come to be among heavy drinkers of wine, among those who are gluttonous
eaters of flesh.
21 For a
drunkard and a glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe one with
mere rags.
22 Listen
to your father who caused your birth, and do not despise your mother just
because she has grown old.
23 Buy
truth itself and do not sell it—wisdom and discipline and understanding.
24 The
father of a righteous one will without fail be joyful; the one becoming father
to a wise one will also rejoice in him.
25 Your
father and your mother will rejoice, and she that gave birth to you will be
joyful.
26 My
son, do give your heart to me, and may those eyes of yours take pleasure in my
own ways.
27 For a
prostitute is a deep pit and a foreign woman is a narrow well.
28 Surely
she, just like a robber, lies in wait; and among men she increases the
treacherous ones.
29 Who
has woe? Who has uneasiness? Who has contentions? Who has concern? Who has
wounds for no reason? Who has dullness of eyes?
30 Those
staying a long time with the wine, those coming in to search out mixed wine.
31 Do
not look at wine when it exhibits a red color, when it gives off its sparkle in
the cup, [when] it goes with a slickness.
32 At
its end it bites just like a serpent, and it secretes poison just like a viper.
33 Your
own eyes will see strange things, and your own heart will speak perverse things.
34 And
you will certainly become like one lying down in the heart of the sea, even like
one lying down at the top of a mast.
35 “They
have struck me, but I did not become sick; they have smitten me, but I did not
know it. When shall I wake up? I shall seek it yet some more.”
24 Do
not be envious of bad men, and do not show yourself craving to get in with them.
2 For
despoiling is what their heart keeps meditating, and trouble is what their own
lips keep speaking.
3 By
wisdom a household will be built up, and by discernment it will prove firmly
established.
4 And by
knowledge will the interior rooms be filled with all precious and pleasant
things of value.
5 One
wise in strength is an able-bodied man, and a man of knowledge is reinforcing
power.
6 For by
skillful direction you will carry on your war, and in the multitude of
counselors there is salvation.
7 For a
foolish one true wisdom is too high; in the gate he will not open his mouth.
8 As for
anyone scheming to do bad, he will be called a mere master at evil ideas.
9 The
loose conduct of foolishness is sin, and a ridiculer is something detestable to
mankind.
10 Have
you shown yourself discouraged in the day of distress? Your power will be
scanty.
11 Deliver
those who are being taken away to death; and those staggering to the slaughter,
O may you hold [them] back.
12 In
case you should say: “Look! We did not know of this,” will not he himself that
is making an estimate of hearts discern it, and he himself that is observing
your soul know and certainly pay back to earthling man according to his
activity?
13 My
son, eat honey, for it is good; and let sweet comb honey be upon your palate.
14 In
the same way, do know wisdom for your soul. If you have found [it], then there
exists a future, and your own hope will not be cut off.
15 Do
not, as a wicked one, lie in wait for the abiding place of the righteous one; do
not despoil his resting-place.
16 For
the righteous one may fall even seven times, and he will certainly get up; but
the wicked ones will be made to stumble by calamity.
17 When
your enemy falls, do not rejoice; and when he is caused to stumble, may your
heart not be joyful,
18 that
Jehovah may not see and it be bad in his eyes and he certainly turn back his
anger from against him.
19 Do
not show yourself heated up at evildoers. Do not become envious of wicked
people.
20 For
there will prove to be no future for anyone bad; the very lamp of wicked people
will be extinguished.
21 My
son, fear Jehovah and the king. With those who are for a change, do not
intermeddle.
22 For
their disaster will arise so suddenly, that who is aware of the extinction of
those who are for a change?
23 These
[sayings] also are for the wise ones: The showing of partiality in judgment is
not good.
24 He
that is saying to the wicked one: “You are righteous,” the peoples will execrate
him, national groups will denounce him.
25 But
for those reproving [him] it will be pleasant, and upon them there will come the
blessing of good.
26 Lips
will he kiss who is replying in a straightforward way.
27 Prepare
your work out of doors, and make it ready for yourself in the field. Afterward
you must also build up your household.
28 Do
not become a witness against your fellowman without grounds. Then you would have
to be foolish with your lips.
29 Do
not say: “Just as he did to me, so I am going to do to him. I shall repay to
each one according to his acting.”
30 I
passed along by the field of the lazy individual and by the vineyard of the man
in need of heart.
31 And,
look! all of it produced weeds. Nettles covered its very surface, and its stone
wall itself had been torn down.
32 So I
proceeded to behold, I myself; I began taking [it] to heart; I saw, I took the
discipline:
33 A
little sleeping, a little slumbering, a little folding of the hands to lie down,
34 and
as a highwayman your poverty will certainly come and your neediness as an armed
man.