Proverbs 20 Cross References - LEB

¹ Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and any who go astray by it are not wise. ² Roaring like the lion is the dreaded anger of a king; he who provokes him forfeits his life.* ³ It is honorable for the man to refrain from strife, but every fool will be quick to quarrel. ⁴ The lazy person will not plow in season; he will expect at the harvest, but there will be nothing. ⁵ Deep waters are like purpose in the heart* of a man, and a man of understanding will draw it* out. ⁶ Many a person will proclaim his loyalty for himself, but a man who is trustworthy, who can find? ⁷ He who walks in his integrity is righteous; happy are his children who follow him. ⁸ A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes. ⁹ Who will say "I have made my heart* clean; I am pure from my sin"? ¹⁰ Stone and stone, measure and measure, _⌊both of them_⌋* are an abomination of Yahweh. ¹¹ Even by his acts, a _⌊young man_⌋* will make himself known, whether his acts are pure and upright. ¹² The ear that hears and the eye that sees, Yahweh has made _⌊them both_⌋.* ¹³ Do not love sleep, lest you become poor; open your eyes and have plenty bread. ¹⁴ "Bad, bad," the buyer will say, but when one goes to him, then he will boast. ¹⁵ There is gold and many costly stones, but precious jewels are lips of knowledge. ¹⁶ Take his garment, for he has given security to a stranger, and on behalf of a foreigner—take it as pledge. ¹⁷ Bread gained by deceit is sweet for the man, but afterward, his mouth will be filled with gravel. ¹⁸ A plan* will be established by advice, and with guidance make war. ¹⁹ He reveals a secret, he who walks about with gossip, and do not associate with a babbler's lips. ²⁰ He who curses his father and his mother, his lamp will be extinguished _⌊in the midst of darkness_⌋.* ²¹ An inheritance acquired hastily _⌊at the beginning_⌋* will not be blessed at its end. ²² Do not say "I will repay evil"; wait for Yahweh and he will deliver you. ²³ An abomination of Yahweh is _⌊a stone and a weight_⌋,* and scales of falsehood are not good. ²⁴ Away from Yahweh are the steps of a strong man, and how will humankind understand his ways? ²⁵ It is a snare to humankind to say rashly "It is holy," and after vows, to scrutinize. ²⁶ A wise king winnows the wicked, and he will drive a wheel over them. ²⁷ The lamp of Yahweh is the spirit* of humankind, he who searches every _⌊innermost part_⌋.* ²⁸ Loyalty and faithfulness will preserve a king, and he is upheld with the righteousness of his throne. ²⁹ The glory of young men is their strength,* but the beauty of the aged is gray hair. ³⁰ The blows of a wound will cleanse evil, as will* beatings of the _⌊innermost part_⌋.*

²¹ And he drank some of the wine and became drunk, and he exposed himself in the midst of his tent. ²² And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and he told his two brothers outside. ²³ Then* Shem and Japheth took a garment, and the two of them put it on their shoulders and, walking backward, they covered the nakedness of their father. And their faces were turned backward, so that* they did not see the nakedness of their father.

³¹ And the firstborn daughter said to the younger one, "Our father is old, and there is no man in the land to come in to us according to the manner of all the land. ³² Come, let us give our father wine to drink and let us lie with him* that _⌊we may secure descendants through our father_⌋."* ³³ And they gave their father wine to drink that night, and the firstborn went and lay with her father, but he did not know when she lay down or when she got up. ³⁴ And it happened that, the next day the firstborn said to the younger one, "Look, I laid with my father last night. Let us give him wine to drink also tonight, then go and lie with him that _⌊we may secure descendants through our father_⌋."* ³⁵ And they gave their father wine to drink again that night, and the younger got up and lay with him, but he did not know when she lay down or when she got up. ³⁶ And the two daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father.

³⁶ Then Abigail went to Nabal, and look, _⌊he was holding a feast_⌋* in his house like the feast of the king. _⌊Nabal was enjoying himself_⌋,* and he was very drunk, so she did not tell him a thing, _⌊nothing at all_⌋,* until the light of morning. ³⁷ _⌊And then_⌋* in the morning when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these words. Then his heart died _⌊within him_⌋,* and he became like a stone. ³⁸ _⌊And then_⌋,* about ten days later, Yahweh struck Nabal and he died.

¹³ David invited him, and he ate and drank in his presence _⌊so that he became drunk_⌋,* and he went out in the evening to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.

²⁸ Absalom commanded his servants, saying, "Please watch. At the moment the heart of Amnon is _⌊tipsy_⌋* with wine, then I shall say to you, 'Strike Amnon down,' and you shall kill him! Don't be afraid. Is it not I myself who has commanded you? Be courageous and be _⌊valiant!_⌋*

¹⁶ They went out at noon while Ben-Hadad was drinking himself drunk in the tents, he and the thirty-two kings helping him. ¹⁷ Then the servants of the commanders of the provinces went out first, and Ben-Hadad sent, and they reported to him, saying, "Men have come out from Samaria." ¹⁸ Then he said, "If they have come out for peace, seize them alive; and if they have come out for war, seize them alive." ¹⁹ But these had come out from the city, the servants of the commanders of the provinces, and the army that was after them. ²⁰ Each man killed his man, and the Arameans fled, so Israel pursued them, but Ben-Hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with cavalry. ²¹ The king of Israel went out and attacked the horses and the chariots and defeated Aram with a great blow.

²⁹ To whom is woe? To whom is sorrow? To whom are quarrels? To whom is complaint? To whom are wounds without cause? To whom is redness of the eyes? ³⁰ To those who linger over wine, to those who come to try mixed wine. ³¹ Do not look at wine when it is red, when it _⌊sparkles_⌋* on the cup, going down smoothly. ³² _⌊In the end_⌋,* it will bite like a serpent, and it will sting like an adder. ³³ Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart* will speak perverse things. ³⁴ And you will be like him who lies down in the heart of the sea, and like him who lies down on top of a mast. ³⁵ "They struck me; I was not hurt. They beat me; I did not know it. When I will awake, I will continue; I will seek it again."

⁴ It is not for the kings, O Lemuel; drinking wine is not for the kings, nor is strong drink for rulers.

²² Ah! Heroes at drinking wine, and men of capability at mixing strong drink!

⁷ And these also stagger because of wine and stagger because of strong drink; priest and prophet stagger because of strong drink; they are confused* because of wine. They stagger because of strong drink; they err in vision. They stagger in the rendering of a decision,

¹² "Come, let me take wine, and let us carouse with intoxicating drink, and tomorrow will be like today, _⌊very great indeed_⌋."*

¹¹ whoredom_⌋.* Wine and new wine _⌊take away the understanding_⌋.*

⁵ On the day of our king, the princes became sick with the heat of wine;* he stretched out his hand with mockers.

¹⁵ Woe to him who gives a drink to his neighbors, pouring out your wrath and also making them drunk in order to see their nakedness! ¹⁶ You will be sated with shame rather than glory. Drink also yourself, and expose yourself! The cup of the right hand of Yahweh will come around upon you and disgrace upon your glory.

¹⁰ nor thieves, nor greedy persons, not drunkards, not abusive persons, not swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

²¹ envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, things which I am telling you in advance, just as I said before, that the ones who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

¹⁸ And do not be drunk with wine (in which is dissipation), but be filled by the Spirit,

³⁸ The censers of these _⌊who have sinned_⌋* at the cost of their lives, let them be made into gilded leafing plating for the altar; because they presented them _⌊before Yahweh_⌋,* they are holy; and they will be a sign for the _⌊Israelites_⌋.'"*

²³ Then King Solomon swore by Yahweh, saying, "Thus may God do to me and thus may he add, if Adonijah hasn't spoken this thing at the expense of his life.

³⁶ But he who misses me injures himself.* All those who hate me love death."

¹⁴ The wrath of a king is a messenger of death, but one who is wise will appease* it. ¹⁵ In the light of the face of the king there is life, and his favor is like a cloud of spring rain.

¹² The rage of a king growls like a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.

⁴ If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your post, for calmness can undo great offenses.

¹⁰ They will go after Yahweh; he roars like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the sea.*

⁸ A lion has roared! Who is not afraid? My Lord Yahweh has spoken, who will not prophesy?

¹⁰ You have plotted shame for your house, cutting off many peoples and sinning against your life.

⁹ So Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah, saying, "The thornbush which is in Lebanon sent to the cedar which is in Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son as wife,' but an animal of the field which is in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thornbush.

¹⁷ He who is short of _⌊temper_⌋* will act foolishly, and the man who schemes will be hated.

²⁹ He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but the hasty of spirit* exalts folly.

³² He who is slow to anger* is better than him who is mighty, and he who controls his spirit than him who captures a city.

¹⁴ Like the release of water is the beginning of strife; before it breaks out, stop the quarrel.

⁶ The lips of a fool will bring strife, and his mouth calls out for a flogging.

¹¹ The understanding of a person makes him slow to his _⌊anger_⌋,* and his glory overlooks offense.

²⁴ The proud, haughty one: "scoffer" is his name; he acts with arrogance of pride.

⁸ do not hastily bring out to court, for* what will you do at its end, when your neighbor puts you to shame? ⁹ Argue your argument with your neighbor himself, the secret of another do not disclose, ¹⁰ lest he who hears shame you and your ill repute will not end.

⁶ to the praise of the glory of his grace that he bestowed on us in the beloved, ⁷ in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace, ⁸ that he caused to abound to us in all wisdom and insight,

³² Become* kind toward one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as also God in Christ has forgiven you.

¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and tell lies against the truth.

¹ From where are conflicts and from where are quarrels among you? Is it not from this, from your pleasures that wage war among your members?

¹⁰ A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands for rest— ¹¹ like a _⌊robber_⌋* shall your poverty come, and what you lack like an armed man.

⁴ A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent enriches.

⁴ The soul* of the lazy craves, but there is nothing, but the person of diligence is richly supplied.

¹⁵ Laziness will bring on a deep sleep, and a person* of idleness will suffer hunger.

²⁴ A lazy person buries his hand in the dish, and even to his mouth he will not bring it back.

³⁴ and your poverty will come running, and your lack like an armed warrior.

¹³ A lazy person says "A lion is in the road! A lion among the streets!" ¹⁴ The door turns on its hinge, and a lazy person on his bed. ¹⁵ A lazy person buries his hands in the dish; he is too tired to return it to his mouth. ¹⁶ A lazy person is wiser in his eyes than seven who answer discreetly.

³ For when* the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take olive oil with them. ⁴ But the wise ones took olive oil in flasks with their lamps. ⁵ And when* the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.* ⁶ But in the middle of the night there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' ⁷ Then all those virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish ones said to the wise ones, 'Give us some of your olive oil, because our lamps are going out!' ⁹ But the wise ones answered saying, "Certainly there will never be enough for us and for you! Go instead to those who sell olive oil* and buy some* for yourselves.' ¹⁰ But while* they had gone away to buy it* the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went inside with him to the wedding celebration, and the door was shut.

²⁴ And the one who had received the one talent came up also and* said, 'Master, because I* knew you, that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering from where you did not scatter seed.* ²⁵ And because I* was afraid, I went away and* hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours!' ²⁶ But his master answered and* said to him, 'Evil and lazy slave! You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather from where I did not scatter seed.* ²⁷ Then you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and when I* returned I would have gotten back what was mine with interest! ²⁸ Therefore take the talent from him and give it* to the one who has the ten talents.

⁵ and for this same reason, and by* applying all diligence, supply with your faith excellence of character, and with excellence of character, knowledge, ⁶ and with knowledge, self-control, and with self-control, patient endurance, and with patient endurance, godliness, ⁷ and with godliness, brotherly love, and with brotherly love, love. ⁸ For if* these things are yours and are increasing, this does not make you useless or unproductive in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For the one for whom these things are not present is blind, being nearsighted, _⌊having forgotten the cleansing_⌋* of his former sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, brothers, be zealous even more to make your calling and election secure, because if you* do these things, you will never ever stumble. ¹¹ For in this way entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied for you.

⁶ _⌊They carefully plot_⌋* injustices saying, "We have perfected _⌊the perfect plot_⌋!"* Both the _⌊inner thought_⌋* and heart of a man are deep.

⁴ Deep waters are words of the mouth of a man; a gushing stream is a fountain of wisdom.

¹¹ For who among men knows the things of a man, except the spirit of the man that is in him? Thus also no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

¹ For the music director; on the Sheminith.* A psalm of David.*
Save, O Yahweh, for the pious have ceased to be; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of humankind.

¹⁴ Like clouds and wind when there is no rain, so too is a man who boasts in a gift of deception.

² May another praise you and not your own mouth, a stranger and not your own lips.

²⁸ What my heart sought, I did not find. Although I found one righteous man among one thousand, I did not find one upright woman among all these.

¹ "Roam about through the streets of Jerusalem, and look please, and take note, and search at its public squares, if you can find a person who does justice, who seeks honesty, so that I may forgive it.

² The faithful person has perished from the land, and there is none who is upright among humankind. All of them lie in wait; each hunts his brother with a net.

² Therefore whenever you practice charitable giving, do not sound a trumpet in front of you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, in order that they may be praised by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full!

⁸ I tell you that _⌊he will see to it that justice is done_⌋* for them soon! Nevertheless, when* the Son of Man comes, then will he find faith on earth?"

¹¹ The Pharisee stood and* prayed these things with reference to himself: 'God, I give thanks to you that I am not like other people—swindlers, unrighteous people, adulterers, or even like this tax collector!

²⁸ And Peter said, "Behold, we have left _⌊all that is ours_⌋* and* followed you."

³³ But he said to him, "Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death!"

⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, "Look! _⌊A true Israelite_⌋* in whom is no deceit!"

¹¹ I have become a fool! You compelled me, for I ought to have been commended by you, for I am in no way inferior to the preeminent apostles,* even if I am nothing.

⁷ And I will establish my covenant between me and you, and between your offspring after you, throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant to be as God for you and to your offspring after you.

² He who walks blamelessly and does what is right. He who speaks honestly in his heart.

¹ Of David.*
Judge me, O Yahweh, because I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted Yahweh and not wavered.

¹¹ But as for me, I will walk in my integrity. Redeem me and be gracious to me.

²⁶ All the day he is gracious and lends, and his children are a blessing.

² His _⌊descendants_⌋* will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

²² He who is good will leave an inheritance to _⌊his grandchildren_⌋,* and stored up for the righteous is the wealth of a sinner.

² He who walks in uprightness fears Yahweh, but he who is devious in his ways displeases him.

¹ Better a poor person walking in integrity than one who is perverse _⌊in his speech_⌋* and is a fool.

¹⁵ He who walks in righteousness and speaks uprightness, who rejects the gain of extortion, who _⌊refuses_⌋* a bribe, who stops up his ears* from hearing _⌊bloodshed_⌋* and shuts his eyes from seeing evil.

³⁹ And I will give to them one heart and one way, to revere me _⌊forever_⌋,* for good to them, and to their children after them.

⁶ And they were both righteous in the sight of God, living blamelessly in all the commandments and regulations of the Lord.

³⁹ For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all those who are far away, as many as the Lord our God calls to himself."

¹² For our reason for boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, in holiness* and purity of motive from God, not* in merely human wisdom, but by the grace of God.

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, ¹² training us in order that, denying impiety and worldly desires, we may live self-controlled and righteously and godly in the present age,

³ For I rejoiced exceedingly when the* brothers came and testified to your truth, just as you are walking in the truth. ⁴ I have no greater joy than this: that I hear my children are walking in the truth.

³ But David's men said to him, "Look, we are afraid here in Judah. _⌊How much more_⌋* if we go to Keilah to the battle lines of the Philistines?" ⁴ So David again inquired of Yahweh, and Yahweh answered him and said, "Get up, go down to Keilah, for I am giving the Philistines into your hand."

⁴ Like the light of the morning when the sun rises, shining with no clouds, bringing vegetation from the earth apart from rain.'*

⁴ May he provide justice for the poor of the people, save the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor.

⁹ For behold, your enemies, O Yahweh, for behold, your enemies will perish. All the workers of evil will be scattered.

⁴ And the strength of the king loves justice.* You have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.

⁶ My eyes will be on the faithful of the land, that they may live with me. He who walks in the way of integrity, he shall minister to me. ⁷ There will not live in the midst of my house a worker of deceit. One who speaks lies will not remain* before my eyes. ⁸ _⌊Each morning_⌋,* I will destroy all the wicked of the land, cutting off from the city of Yahweh all evildoers.

¹² An abomination to kings is doing evil, for by righteousness the throne will be established.

²⁶ A wise king winnows the wicked, and he will drive a wheel over them.

⁵ Remove the wicked before a king, and his throne will be established in righteousness.*

¹⁴ A king who judges with truthfulness to the poor, his throne will be established forever.

¹ See, a king will rule according to righteousness, and princes will rule according to justice.

⁴⁶ "If they sin against you (for there is not a person who does not sin) and you are angry with them and you give them to an enemy and they take them captive to the land of the enemy far or near,

³⁶ When they sin against you—for there is no person who does not sin—and you become angry with them and place them before their enemy that they carry them away as captives to a land far or near,

⁴ "Who can bring a clean thing from an unclean thing? No one!*

¹⁴ "What is a human being, that he can be clean, or* that one born of a woman can be righteous?

⁴ "Indeed,* how can a human being be righteous before God? And how will he who is born of a woman be pure?

⁵ Behold, in iniquity I was born, and in sin my mother conceived me.

²⁰ Surely there is no one righteous on the earth who continually does good and never sins.

⁴ For I am conscious of nothing against myself, but not by this am I vindicated. But the one who judges me is the Lord.

² For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect individual,* able to hold in check his whole body also.

⁸ If we say that we do not have sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, so that he will forgive us our* sins and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

³⁵ " 'You* shall not commit injustice in regulation, in measurement, in weight, or* volume.

²⁵ You shall burn the images of their gods with fire; you shall not covet the silver or gold that is on them, and so you take it for yourself, so that you are not ensnared by it, for it is a detestable thing to Yahweh your God. ²⁶ And you must not bring a detestable thing into your house, or you will become a thing devoted to destruction like it; you must utterly detest it, and you must utterly abhor it, for it is an object devoted to destruction.

¹³ "There shall not be _⌊for your use_⌋* in your bag _⌊two kinds of stone weights, a large one and a small one_⌋.* ¹⁴ There shall not be in your house _⌊for your use_⌋* _⌊two kinds of measures_⌋.* ¹⁵ Rather a full and honest weight shall be _⌊for your use_⌋;* there shall be for you a full and honest _⌊measure_⌋,* so that your days on the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you may be long.

¹ Balances of deceit are an abomination of Yahweh, but _⌊an accurate weight_⌋* delights him.

¹¹ A balance and scales of justice belong to Yahweh; all the weights of the bag are his work.

²³ An abomination of Yahweh is _⌊a stone and a weight_⌋,* and scales of falsehood are not good.

⁴ Hear this, those who trample on the poor and who annihilate the afflicted of the land, ⁵ saying, "When will the new moon be over, so that we can sell grain? And the Sabbath, so that we can open the grain bins, that we can make the ephah small and make the shekel large, and can practice deceit with a set of scales of deceit? ⁶ _⌊That we can_⌋* buy the powerless with silver and the poor for the sake of a pair of sandals, and we can sell the waste of the grain?" ⁷ Yahweh has sworn by the pride of Jacob, "Surely I will never forget any of their deeds!

¹⁰ Is there any longer a man in the house of the wicked treasures of wickedness, and the ephah of scarcity which is accursed?* ¹¹ Shall I regard as pure the one with scales of wickedness, and with a bag of deceitful weights?

⁸ But as for the cowards and unbelievers and detestable persons and murderers and sexually immoral people and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their share is in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.

³ The wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray from the belly, speaking lies.

⁸ Crooked is the way of a man and a foreigner, but the pure is upright in his conduct.

¹⁵ Folly is bound up in the heart* of a boy;* the rod of discipline will drive it* from him.

¹⁶ You will recognize them by their fruits: they do not gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles, do they?*

¹⁵ For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he must never drink wine or beer, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while he is* still in his mother's womb.

⁶⁶ And all those who heard kept these things* in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child be? For indeed the hand of the Lord was with him!"

⁴⁶ And it happened that after three days they found him in the temple courts,* sitting in the midst of the teachers and listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ And all who heard him were amazed at his insight and his* answers.

⁴³ "For there is no good tree that produces bad fruit, nor on the other hand a bad tree that produces good fruit, ⁴⁴ for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorn plants, nor are grapes harvested from thorn bushes.

¹¹ And Yahweh said to him, "Who gave a mouth to humankind, or who makes mute or deaf or sighted or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh?

⁹ Will the one who planted the ear not hear? Will the one who formed the eye not see?

¹⁸ Uncover my eyes, that I may look at* wonderful things from your law.

¹³ For this reason I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand, ¹⁴ and with reference to them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says,
"_⌊You will listen carefully_⌋* and will never understand, and _⌊you will look closely_⌋* and will never perceive. ¹⁵ For the heart of this people has become dull, and with their ears they hear with difficulty, and they have shut their eyes, so that they would not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them."* ¹⁶ But your eyes are blessed because they see, and your ears because they hear.

¹⁸ to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'

¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, _⌊the glorious Father_⌋*,* may give you a spirit of wisdom* and revelation in the knowledge of him ¹⁸ (the eyes of your hearts having been enlightened), so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance among the saints,

⁹ How long will you lie down, lazy? When will you rise up from your sleep?

¹¹ He who works his land will have plenty of food, but he who follows worthless things lacks _⌊sense_⌋.*

³⁰ I passed by the field of a lazy person, and over the vineyard of a person lacking _⌊sense_⌋;* ³¹ and behold, it was overgrown—all of it was covered with thorns, its surface with nettles, and _⌊its stone wall_⌋* was broken down. ³² Then I myself saw and my heart* considered; I looked, and I took hold of instruction: ³³ A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands for rest, ³⁴ and your poverty will come running, and your lack like an armed warrior.

⁶ And the captain* of the ship approached him and said to him, "Why are you _⌊sound asleep_⌋?* Get up! Call on your god! Perhaps your god* will take notice of us and we won't perish!"

¹¹ not lagging in diligence, being enthusiastic in spirit, serving the Lord,

¹¹ And do this because you* know the time, that it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we believed.

³⁴ Sober up correctly and _⌊stop sinning_⌋*, for some have no knowledge of God—I say this to your shame.

¹⁴ for everything made visible is light. Therefore it says,
Wake up, sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.*

¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we used to command this to you: that if anyone does not want to work, neither should he eat.

¹⁰ There is a thing of which it is said, "Look at this! This is new!" But it already existed in ages past before us.

⁷ The trader, in his hand are scales of deceit;* he loves to oppress. ⁸ And Ephraim said, "Surely, I am rich, I gained* wealth for myself; in all my toil they have not found guilt in me that is sin.

⁶ not to transgress and to exploit his brother in the matter, because the Lord is the one who avenges concerning all these things, just as also we told you beforehand and testified solemnly.

¹² "But* from where will wisdom be found? And _⌊where in the world_⌋* is the place of understanding? ¹³ A human being does not know its proper value, and it is not found in the land of the living. ¹⁴ The deep says, 'It is not in me,' and the sea says, 'It is not with me.' ¹⁵ "Refined gold cannot be gotten in its place, and silver cannot be weighed out as its price. ¹⁶ It cannot be bought for the gold of Ophir, for precious onyx or* sapphire. ¹⁷ Gold and glass cannot be compared with it, and its substitution cannot be an ornament of refined gold. ¹⁸ Black corals and crystal will not be mentioned, and wisdom's price is more than red corals. ¹⁹ The topaz of Cush cannot be compared with it; it cannot be bought for pure gold.

¹⁵ She is more precious than rubies, and all your desires shall not compare with her.

¹¹ For wisdom is better than jewels, and all desires shall not compare with her.

²⁰ Choice silver is a tongue of righteousness, a heart* of wickedness is _⌊of little worth_⌋.* ²¹ Lips of righteousness feed many, but fools _⌊die for lack of sense_⌋.*

⁷ The lips of the wise will spread knowledge, but the heart* of fools, not so.

²³ Joy belongs to a man with answers in his mouth, and a word in its time, how good it is!

¹⁶ Getting wisdom: _⌊how much_⌋* better than gold! And getting understanding: it is chosen _⌊over_⌋* silver.

²¹ The wise of heart* is called perceptive, but he who is pleasant of lips will increase persuasiveness.

²⁴ Pleasant sayings are a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and healing to the bones.

¹² A ring of gold and an ornament of fine gold is a rebuke of the wise to the ear of a listener.

⁹ The Teacher* was full of wisdom, and he taught the people with knowledge. He carefully considered many proverbs and carefully arranged them. ¹⁰ The Teacher* sought to find delightful words,* and he wrote* what is upright—truthful words. ¹¹ The words of the wise are like cattle goads; the collections of the sages are like pricks inflicted by one shepherd.*

¹⁴ How then will they call upon him in whom they have not believed? And how will they believe in him about whom they have not heard? And how will they hear about him without one who preaches to them? ¹⁵ And how will they preach, unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "How timely are the feet of those who bring good news of good things."*

²⁹ _⌊No rotten word must proceed_⌋* from your mouth, but only something good for the building up of the need, in order that it may give grace to those who hear,

²⁶ If indeed you require the cloak of your neighbor as a pledge, you will return it to him at sundown, ²⁷ because it is his only garment; it is his cloak for his skin. In what will he sleep? _⌊And_⌋* when he cries out to me, I will hear, because I am gracious.

¹⁶ in order to deliver you from a strange woman, from a foreign woman who flatters* with her sayings,

³ For the lips of the strange woman will drip honey, and smoother than oil is her mouth.*

⁵ In order to guard yourself from _⌊an adulteress_⌋,* from the foreigner who _⌊makes her words smooth_⌋.*

¹⁰ Then behold! A woman comes to meet him with the garment of a prostitute* and _⌊a secret heart_⌋.*

¹⁵ He will suffer trouble when he loans to a stranger, but he who refuses a pledge is safe.

²⁶ Do not be with those who _⌊give a pledge_⌋* _⌊by becoming_⌋* surety. ²⁷ If there is nothing for you to pay,* why will he take your bed from under you?

²⁷ For a deep pit is a prostitute,* and a narrow well is _⌊an adulteress_⌋.*

¹³ Take his garment, for he gives surety to a stranger, and to _⌊an adulteress_⌋*—so take his pledge.

⁶ When* the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was desirable to make one wise, then* she took from its fruit and she ate. And she gave it also to her husband with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then* the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed together fig leaves and they made for themselves coverings.

¹² "Though wickedness tastes sweet in his mouth, and he hides it under his tongue, ¹³ though he spares it and does not let it go and holds it back in the midst of his palate, ¹⁴ in his bowels his food is turned, the venom of horned vipers is _⌊within him_⌋.* ¹⁵ He swallows riches, but* he vomits them* up; God drives them* out from his stomach. ¹⁶ He will suck the poison of horned vipers; the viper's tongue will kill him. ¹⁷ _⌊He will not enjoy the streams_⌋,* the torrents of honey and curds. ¹⁸ Returning the products of his toil, he will not swallow;* according to the profit of his trade, _⌊he will not enjoy_⌋,* ¹⁹ for he has oppressed; he has abandoned the poor; he has seized a house but* did not build it. ²⁰ Because he has not known satisfaction in his stomach, _⌊he lets nothing escape that he desires_⌋.*

¹⁷ For they ate the bread of wickedness, and they drank the wine of violence.

¹⁷ "Stolen waters are sweet, and bread of secrecy is pleasant." ¹⁸ But he does not know that the dead* are there, in the depths of Sheol* are her guests.

⁹ Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth! Follow the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes— but know that God will bring you into judgment for all these things.

¹⁵ He has filled me with bitterness, he has drenched me with wormwood. ¹⁶ He has broken my teeth on grit, he has trampled me down in ash.

²⁵ choosing instead to be mistreated with the people of God rather than to experience the transitory enjoyment of sin,

¹ After the death of Joshua, the _⌊Israelites_⌋* inquired of Yahweh, saying, "Who will go up first for us against the Canaanites* to fight against them?" ² And Yahweh said, "Judah will go up. I hereby give the land into his hand."

²⁹ If only this people _⌊were in my command_⌋!* Then I would remove Abimelech, and I would have said,* 'Increase your army and come out!'"

⁷ Look, all you _⌊Israelites_⌋!* _⌊Make your decision_⌋* and advice here."

¹⁸ Then the _⌊Israelites_⌋* got up and went up to Bethel, and they inquired of God, saying, "Who will go up first for the battle against the descendants* of Benjamin?" And Yahweh said, "Judah will go first."

²³ The _⌊Israelites_⌋* went up and wept before Yahweh until evening and inquired of Yahweh, saying, "Should we again draw near from the battle against the descendants* of Benjamin, our relatives?"* And Yahweh said, "Go up against them."*

²⁶ And all the _⌊Israelites_⌋* and all the troops went up and came to Bethel and wept; and they sat there before Yahweh and fasted on that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before Yahweh. ²⁷ And the _⌊Israelites_⌋* inquired of Yahweh (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there, ²⁸ and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was standing _⌊before it_⌋* to minister in those days), saying, "Should we go out once more to battle against the descendants* of Benjamin our relatives,* or should we stop?" And Yahweh said, "Go up tomorrow; I will give them* into your hand."

²⁶ Then Abner called to Joab and said, "Will the sword devour forever? Do you not know that there will be bitterness in the end? _⌊How long_⌋* will you not tell the people to turn _⌊away from pursuing_⌋* their brothers?" ²⁷ Joab said, "_⌊As God lives_⌋,* for if you had not spoken, the people would surely have gone up in the morning, each one of them _⌊from following after_⌋* his brother."

¹⁷ Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel, and he sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come,* _⌊let us face one another_⌋.* ¹⁸ And Joash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, "The thorn bush that is in Lebanon has sent to the cedar which is in Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son as wife.' But a wild animal of the field that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thorn bush. ¹⁹ Look, you say that you have struck Edom, and your heart has lifted you up to boast. Now remain at your home. Why stir up disaster that you fall, you and Judah with you?" ²⁰ But Amaziah did not listen, for it was from God that he might give them into the hand of enemies, because they sought the gods of Edom. ²¹ So Joash the king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah the king of Judah _⌊faced one another_⌋* at Beth-Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. ²² And Judah was defeated before Israel, and each man fled to his tent. ²³ And Joash the king of Israel captured Amaziah the king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-Shemesh. And they brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, four hundred cubits.

¹⁴ Where there is no guidance, a nation* shall fall, but there is safety in an abundance of counsel.

²² Plans go wrong when there is no counsel, but with many advisors it will succeed.

⁶ For with wise guidance you shall make war for yourself, and victory is in an abundance of counsel.

⁸ do not hastily bring out to court, for* what will you do at its end, when your neighbor puts you to shame?

³¹ Or what king, going out to engage another king in battle, does not sit down first and* deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand.

¹⁶ You* shall not go about with slander among your* people; _⌊you* shall not endanger your* neighbor's life_⌋;* I am Yahweh.

¹³ A gossip walks about telling a secret, but the trustworthy in spirit keeps the matter.

³ He who keeps his mouth guards his life;* he who opens his lips, ruin belongs to him.

²⁹ A person of violence will entice his neighbor and cause him to walk on a way that is not good.

⁸ The words of a whisper are like delicious morsels, and they themselves go down to inner parts of the body.

²¹ Fear Yahweh, my son, and the king; with those who change, do not associate.

²⁰ For lack of wood, a fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling will cease. ²¹ As charcoal is to hot embers and wood is to fire, so a man of quarrels is to kindling strife. ²² The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels, and they go down to the inner parts of the body.

¹⁸ For such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own stomach, and by smooth speech and flattery they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.

¹² "Honor your father and your mother, so that your days can be long on the land that Yahweh your God is giving you.

¹⁷ " 'And one who curses his father or his mother will surely be put to death.

⁹ " 'If there is _⌊anyone_⌋* who curses his father or his mother, he shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father and his mother—his blood is upon him.

¹⁶ 'Cursed be the one who dishonors his father or his mother.' And all of the people shall say, 'Amen.'

⁵ Furthermore,* the light of the wicked is put out, and the flame of his fire will not shine. ⁶ The light becomes dark in his tent, and his lamp above him is put out.

¹⁸ "They thrust him from light into darkness, and they drive him out from the world.

⁹ The light of the righteous will rejoice, but the lamp of the wicked will die out.

²⁰ For there will not be a future for the evil; the lamp of the wicked will die out.

¹¹ There is a generation that will curse its father, and its mother it will not bless.

¹⁷ The eye that mocks a father and scorns the obedience of a mother— the ravens of the valley will peck it out, and the offspring of vultures will eat it.

⁴ For God said, 'Honor your* father and your* mother,'* and 'The one who speaks evil of father or mother _⌊must certainly die_⌋*.'*

¹³ Then the king said to the servants, 'Tie him up _⌊hand and foot_⌋* and* throw him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!'

⁸ And the foolish ones said to the wise ones, 'Give us some of your olive oil, because our lamps are going out!'

¹⁰ For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,'* and, 'The one who speaks evil of father or mother _⌊must certainly die_⌋*.'* ¹¹ But you say, 'If a man says to his* father or to his* mother, "Whatever _⌊benefit you would have received_⌋* from me is corban"* (that is, a gift to God), ¹² you no longer permit him to do anything for his* father or his* mother, ¹³ thus* making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down, and you do many similar things such as this."

¹³ wild waves of the sea foaming up their own shameful deeds, wandering stars, for whom the deep gloom of darkness has been reserved for eternity.

¹⁶ If he heaps up silver like the dust and fashions clothing like the clay, ¹⁷ he makes it ready, and the righteous will wear it, and the innocent will divide the silver.

⁴ Do not tire in order to become rich; out of your understanding, may you desist.

⁸ He who augments his wealth with interest and with usury gathers it for him who is kind to the poor.

²⁰ A man of faithfulness has abundant blessings, but he who hurries to become rich will not go unpunished.

²² He who hurries for wealth is _⌊a man with an evil eye_⌋,* but he does not know that poverty will come upon him.

⁶ Shall not all of these take up a taunt against him, with ridicule and riddles against him, saying, 'Woe to him who heaps up what is not his'? For how long? And, 'Woe to him who makes himself heavy with pledges'?

⁴ 'I have sent it out,' _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh of hosts, 'and it will go into the house of the thief and into the house of the one swearing _⌊falsely by my name_⌋,* and it will spend the night in that* house and will destroy it, with its timber and its stone.'"

² If you will not listen, and if you will not _⌊take it to heart_⌋* to give glory to my name," says Yahweh of hosts, "then I will send the curse on you, and I will curse your blessings; moreover I have already cursed them because _⌊you are not taking it to heart_⌋.*

⁹ But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and a trap and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge those people into ruin and destruction.

³⁵ _⌊Vengeance belongs to me_⌋* and also recompense, _⌊for at the time their foot slips_⌋,* because the day of their disaster is near, _⌊and fate comes quickly for them_⌋.'*

¹² Perhaps Yahweh will look _⌊in my eye_⌋* and repay good for me in place of his curse this day.

¹⁴ Wait for Yahweh. Be strong and let your heart show strength, and wait for Yahweh.

³⁴ Wait for Yahweh and keep his way, and he will exalt you to possess the land. When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

¹³ For he who returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house.

²⁹ Do not say, "Just as he has done to me, so shall I do to him; I will pay back the man according to his deed."

³¹ But* those who wait for Yahweh shall renew their strength. They shall go up with wings* like eagles; they shall run and not grow weary; they shall walk and not be faint.

²⁵ Yahweh is good to those who wait on him, to the person that seeks him. ²⁶ It is good to wait in silence for the salvation of Yahweh.

³⁹ But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer, but whoever strikes you on the right cheek,* turn the other to him also.

¹⁷ Pay back no one evil for evil. Take thought for what is good in the sight of all people. ¹⁸ If it is possible on your part, be at peace with all people. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God's wrath, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay,"* says the Lord.

¹⁵ See to it that no one pays back evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue good toward* one another and toward all people.

²³ who when he* was reviled, did not revile in return; when* suffering, he did not threaten, but entrusted himself to the one who judges justly,

⁹ not repaying evil for evil or insult for insult, but on the other hand blessing others, because for this reason you were called, so that you could inherit a blessing.

¹⁹ So then also those who suffer according to the will of God must entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing good.

¹⁰ Stone and stone, measure and measure, _⌊both of them_⌋* are an abomination of Yahweh.

¹⁰ There shall be for you _⌊an honest set of scales_⌋* and _⌊an honest ephah_⌋* and _⌊an honest bath_⌋.*

⁷ The trader, in his hand are scales of deceit;* he loves to oppress.

⁵ saying, "When will the new moon be over, so that we can sell grain? And the Sabbath, so that we can open the grain bins, that we can make the ephah small and make the shekel large, and can practice deceit with a set of scales of deceit?

⁴ Make me know your ways, O Yahweh. Teach me your paths.

¹² Who is the man fearing Yahweh? He will instruct him in the way he should choose.

²³ The steps of a man are established by Yahweh, and he takes pleasure in his way.

⁸ The wisdom of the clever is understanding his ways, but the folly of fools is deceit.

⁹ The _⌊mind_⌋* of a person will plan his ways, and Yahweh will direct his steps.

⁶ I send him against a godless nation, and I command him against the people of my wrath, to capture spoil and to carry off plunder, and to make them* a trampling place, like the clay of the streets. ⁷ But he does not think this,* and his heart does not plan this. For it is in his heart to destroy and to cut off not a few nations.

²³ I know, O Yahweh, that to the human is not his own way, nor to a person is the walking and the directing of his own step.

²³ And now you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven, and the vessels of his temple you have brought in before you, and you and your lords,* your wives and your concubines, have been drinking wine from* them, and you have praised the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone* that do not see and do not hear and do not know, but the God _⌊who holds your life in his hand_⌋* and all of your ways _⌊come from him_⌋,* you have not honored.

²⁸ for in him we live and move and exist,* as even some of _⌊your own_⌋* poets have said: 'For we also are _⌊his_⌋* offspring.'*

¹⁵ "When a person* _⌊displays infidelity_⌋* and he sins in an unintentional wrong _⌊in any of_⌋* Yahweh's holy things, then* he shall bring his guilt offering to* Yahweh: a ram without defect from the flock* as a guilt offering by your valuation in silver shekels* according to the sanctuary shekel.

¹⁰ " '_⌊No stranger shall eat_⌋* the votive offering; nor shall a temporary resident with* a priest or* a hired worker eat the votive offering. ¹¹ But* a priest, if with his money he buys a person as _⌊his possession_⌋,* that one may eat it, and the descendants of his house themselves may eat his food. ¹² And a priest's daughter, when _⌊she marries a layman_⌋,* she herself may not eat _⌊the votive offering_⌋.* ¹³ But* a priest's daughter, when she becomes a widow or* divorced or there is no offspring for her, and she returns to her father's house as in her childhood, she may eat from her father's food, but* _⌊no layman may eat it_⌋.* ¹⁴ And if a man eats the votive offering unintentionally, then* he shall add to it a fifth of it, and he shall give the votive offering to the priest. ¹⁵ And they shall not profane the _⌊Israelites_⌋'* votive offerings that they present to Yahweh,

⁹ " 'And if it is a domestic animal from which they present an offering for Yahweh, all that he gives from it for Yahweh shall be a holy object. ¹⁰ He shall not replace it, nor shall he exchange it, either good with bad or bad with good; and if he indeed exchanges a domestic animal with a domestic animal, then* _⌊it and its substitution shall be a holy object_⌋.*

³⁰ " 'And any tithe of the land from the land's seed or from the fruit of the trees is for Yahweh; it is a holy object for Yahweh. ³¹ And if a man indeed redeems from his tithe, he shall add a fifth of its value onto it.

² if a man makes a vow for Yahweh or swears an oath with a binding pledge on himself, he must not render his word invalid; he must do all that went out from his mouth. ³ "If a woman makes a vow to Yahweh, and she binds a pledge on herself in her father's house in your childhood, ⁴ but if her father hears her vow or her pledge that she bound on herself and says nothing to her, then all her vows will stand, and every pledge that she binds on her life will stand. ⁵ If her father forbids her on the day he hears of it, all her vows or her pledges that she bound on herself will not stand, and Yahweh will forgive her because her father has forgiven her. ⁶ "If _⌊she has a husband_⌋* while bound by her vows or a rash promise of her lips, ⁷ and her husband hears of it and is silent on the day he hears it, her vows will stand, and her pledge that she bound upon herself will stand. ⁸ But if on the day her husband hears of it, he forbids her, then he will nullify her vow that she is under, and the rash promise of her lips that she bound on herself; and Yahweh will forgive her. ⁹ "But the vow of a widow or a woman who is divorced, all that she binds on herself will stand on her. ¹⁰ But if she made a vow in her husband's house, or bound herself on a pledge with a sworn oath, ¹¹ and her husband heard it but was silent to her, and he did not forbid her, all her vows will stand and every pledge that she bound on herself will stand. ¹² But if her husband nullified them on the day he hears them, all her vows going out of her lips concerning her vows or the pledge on herself will not stand; her husband has nullified them, and Yahweh will forgive her. ¹³ "Any vow and any sworn oath of a pledge to inflict on herself, her husband can confirm it or her husband can nullify it. ¹⁴ But if her husband is completely silent from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or all her pledges that are on her; he confirms them because he was silent to her on the day he heard them. ¹⁵ But if he indeed nullifies them after he hears them, then he will bear her guilt." ¹⁶ These are the decrees that Yahweh commanded Moses, as between a husband and his wife, and between a father and his daughter, while her childhood is in her father's house.

⁷ The mouth of a fool is ruin to him, and his lips are a snare to his soul.*

⁴ When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, for _⌊he takes no pleasure_⌋* in fools. Fulfill what you vow! ⁵ It is better that you not vow than that you vow and not fulfill it. ⁶ Do not let your mouth lead your flesh into sin, and do not tell the messenger that it was a mistake. Why anger God at your words, so that he destroys the work of your hands?

⁸ Will a human dare to rob God? Yet you are robbing me! And you say, 'How have we robbed you?' In the tithes and the contributions! ⁹ You are being cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you! ¹⁰ Bring the whole tithe to _⌊the storehouse_⌋,* so that there will be food in my house, and test me please in this," says Yahweh of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour forth for you _⌊an overflowing blessing_⌋.*

³³ "Again you have heard that it was said to the _⌊people of old_⌋,* 'Do not swear falsely,* but fulfill your oaths to the Lord.'*

⁹ Then David answered Recab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and he said to them, "_⌊As Yahweh lives_⌋,* who redeemed my soul from all trouble, ¹⁰ when the one who told me, "Look, Saul is dead," _⌊thought that he was bringing good news_⌋,* I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was as my giving the news back to him. ¹¹ _⌊How much more_⌋* when wicked men kill a righteous man in his house, on his bed! So then, shall I not seek his lifeblood from your hand, so that I may destroy you from the earth?" ¹² Then David commanded the young men, and they killed them, and they cut off their hands and their feet, and they hung them at the pool at Hebron, but the head of Ish-Bosheth they took and buried in the grave of Abner at Hebron.

³¹ He also brought out the people who were in it and put them to the saws and to the iron picks and to the iron axes, and he sent them to the place of the brickmakers. Thus he used to do to all the cities of the _⌊Ammonites_⌋,* and he and all of the army returned to Jerusalem.

⁵ One who slanders his neighbor in secret, him I will destroy. One haughty of eyes and _⌊arrogant_⌋* of heart, him I will not endure.

⁸ A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes.

²⁷ For dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a wheel of a utility cart _⌊rolled_⌋* over cumin, but dill is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod. ²⁸ Grain is crushed fine, but certainly one does not thresh it forever; and one drives the wheel of his cart, but his horses do not crush it.

⁷ when* Yahweh God formed the man* of dust from the ground, and he blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

⁸ "Truly, it is a spirit in a human being, and the breath of Shaddai teaches them.

³⁰ The blows of a wound will cleanse evil, as will* beatings of the _⌊innermost part_⌋.*

¹⁵ who show the work of the law written on their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts one after another accusing or even defending them

² but we have renounced shameful hidden things, not behaving with craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but with the open proclamation of the truth commending ourselves to every person's conscience before God. ³ But if indeed our gospel is veiled, it is veiled among those who are perishing, ⁴ among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that they would not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵ For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Christ Jesus* as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus. ⁶ For God who said, "Light will shine out of darkness,"* is the one who has shined in our hearts for the enlightenment of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.*

¹² For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, both joints and marrow, and able to judge the reflections and thoughts of the heart. ¹³ And no creature is hidden in the sight of him, but all things are naked and laid bare to the eyes of him to whom _⌊we must give our account_⌋*.

¹⁹ By this* we know that we are of the truth and will convince our heart before him, ²⁰ that* if our heart condemns us, that God is greater than our heart and knows all things. ²¹ Dear friends, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God,

⁷ Because the king trusts Yahweh, and through the steadfast love* of the Most High he shall not be moved.

⁷ May he live* forever in the presence of God. Appoint loyal love and faithfulness to preserve him.

¹ Of David. A psalm.*
I will sing of loyal love and justice; I will sing praises to you, O Yahweh.

⁶ By loyalty and faithfulness, iniquity will be covered over,* and by fear of Yahweh _⌊one turns_⌋* from evil.

⁵ then a throne shall be established in steadfast love, and one shall sit on it in faithfulness, in the tent of David, judging and seeking justice and zealous for righteousness.

³² " '_⌊Before_⌋* old age you* shall get up, and you* shall show respect for an old person; and you* shall revere your God; I am Yahweh.

³¹ A crown of glory is gray hair; by a righteous life it is gained.

²³ Thus says Yahweh,
"The wise man must not boast in his wisdom, and the warrior must not boast in his might, the wealthy man must not boast in his wealth. ²⁴ _⌊But only_⌋* in this must the one who boasts boast, that he has insight, and that he knows me, that I am Yahweh, showing loyal love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for in these things I delight," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh.

¹⁴ I have written to you, children, because* you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because* you have known the One who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because* you are strong, and the word of God resides in you, and you have conquered the evil one.

²⁵ The scoffer you shall strike, and the simple, may they learn prudence, and reprove the intelligent and he will gain knowledge.

⁹ Therefore by this he will make atonement for the guilt of Jacob, and this will be all of the fruit of the removal of his sin: _⌊when he makes_⌋* all the stones of the altar like crushed stones of chalk, no poles of Asherah worship or incense altars will stand.

⁵ But* he was pierced* because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; the chastisement for* our peace* was upon him, and by his wounds* _⌊we were healed_⌋.*

¹⁰ For they disciplined us for a few days according to what seemed appropriate to them, but he does so for our benefit, in order that we can have a share in his holiness.