Proverbs 22 Cross References - LEB

¹ A _⌊reputation_⌋* is to be chosen _⌊rather than_⌋* great riches; _⌊favor is better than silver and gold_⌋.* ² Rich and poor have much in common; Yahweh is the maker of all of them. ³ The clever sees danger and hides, but the simple go on and suffer. ⁴ The reward of humility is the fear of Yahweh— wealth and honor and life. ⁵ Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; he who guards himself* will keep away from them. ⁶ Train the child _⌊concerning his way_⌋;* even when he is old, he will not stray from it. ⁷ The rich will rule over the poor, and the borrower is a slave of _⌊the lender_⌋.* ⁸ He who sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his anger will fail. ⁹ He who _⌊is generous_⌋* will be blessed, for he gives to the poor from his own bread. ¹⁰ Drive out a scoffer and strife will go out; quarrel and abuse will cease. ¹¹ He who loves purity of heart and has_⌊gracious speech_⌋,* his friend is the king. ¹² The eyes of Yahweh keep watch over knowledge, but he will overthrow the words of the faithless. ¹³ A lazy person says "A lion in the street! In the middle of the highway, I shall be killed!" ¹⁴ A deep pit is the mouth of an _⌊adulteress_⌋,* he with whom Yahweh is angry will fall there. ¹⁵ Folly is bound up in the heart* of a boy;* the rod of discipline will drive it* from him. ¹⁶ He who oppresses the poor in order to enrich himself, or gives to the rich, _⌊will come to poverty_⌋.* ¹⁷ Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise; you shall apply your heart* to my teaching. ¹⁸ For it is pleasant if you guard them _⌊within you_⌋;* together they will be ready upon your lips. ¹⁹ In order for your trust to be in Yahweh, I have made them known to you _⌊today_⌋*—even* you. ²⁰ Have I not written for you thirty sayings with admonitions and knowledge? ²¹ In order to show you what is right—sayings of truth— in order to return a true saying to him who sent you. ²² Do not rob the poor because he is poor, and do not crush the afflicted at the gate; ²³ For Yahweh will plead their case and despoil those who despoil them of life.* ²⁴ Do not befriend an owner* of _⌊anger_⌋,* and with a man of wrath you shall not associate; ²⁵ lest you learn his way and become entangled in a snare to yourself.* 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? ²⁸ Do not remove an ancient boundary marker which your ancestors* made. ²⁹ A man who is skillful in his work, you shall see: before kings, he will serve; he will not serve before the commoners.

⁴⁷ The servants of the king also came to congratulate our lord King David, saying, 'Your God has made the name of Solomon better than your name and his throne greater than your throne!' So the king worshiped on the bed.

¹ A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death is better than the day of one's birth.

²⁰ Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are inscribed in heaven."

¹⁰ and rescued him from all his afflictions and granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And he appointed him ruler over Egypt and all* his household.

³ Yes, I ask also you, true yokefellow, help them, who struggled along with me in the gospel with both Clement and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life.

³⁹ And although they* all were approved* through their faith, they did not receive what was promised,

⁷ Yahweh makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and also exalts.

¹⁵ Did not he who made me in the womb make them? And did not one fashion us in the womb?

¹⁹ who _⌊shows no partiality to officials_⌋* and who _⌊does not take note of the noble more than of the insignificant_⌋,* for all of them are the work of his hands?

¹ For the music director. Of the sons of Korah. A psalm.*
Hear this, all you peoples; give ear, all you inhabitants of the world, ² both low and high, rich and poor together.

³¹ He who oppresses the poor insults him who made him, but he who has mercy on the poor honors him.

¹³ The poor and a man of oppression have this in common: Yahweh gives _⌊light to the eyes of them both_⌋.*

¹⁹ "Now a certain man was rich, and dressed in purple cloth and fine linen, feasting sumptuously every day. ²⁰ And a certain poor man _⌊named_⌋* Lazarus, covered with sores, lay at his gate,

²¹ Now the eye is not able to say to the hand, "I do not have need of you," or again, the head to the feet, "I do not have need of you."

² For if someone* enters into your assembly* in fine clothing with a gold ring on his finger, and a poor person in filthy clothing also enters, ³ and you look favorably on the one wearing the fine clothing and you say, "Be seated here in a good place," and to the poor person you say, "You stand or be seated there* by my footstool," ⁴ have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? ⁵ Listen, my dear brothers! Did not God choose the poor of the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?

²⁰ Anyone from the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of Yahweh caused his servants and livestock to flee to the houses. ²¹ But whoever did not _⌊give regard to_⌋* the word of Yahweh abandoned his servants and his livestock in the field.

⁷ And I saw among the simple, I observed among the youth, a young man lacking _⌊sense_⌋,*

²² He goes after her suddenly; like an ox to the slaughter he goes, and like a stag to the instruction of a fool, ²³ until an arrow pierces his _⌊entrails_⌋,* like a bird rushing into a snare, but he does not know that _⌊it will cost him his life_⌋.*

¹⁶ "Whoever is simple, may he turn here!" As for he who lacks _⌊sense_⌋,* she says to him, 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.

¹⁶ The wise is cautious and turns from evil, but the fool throws off restraint and is confident.

¹² When the clever sees danger, he hides; the simple go on and suffer.

¹ A man who is reproved, being stubborn of neck— suddenly he will be broken, and there will not be healing.

²⁰ Go, my people, enter into your chambers and shut your doors* behind you; hide for _⌊a very little_⌋* while, until the wrath has passed over. ²¹ For look! Yahweh is about to come out from his place to punish the iniquity of the inhabitants* of the earth against him, and the earth will disclose her blood and will no longer cover her slain.

¹⁵ "So when you see the abomination of desolation* spoken about by the prophet Daniel standing in the holy place" (let the one who reads understand), ¹⁶ "then those in Judea must flee to the mountains! ¹⁷ The one who is on his* housetop must not come down to take things out of his house, ¹⁸ and the one who is in the field must not turn back to pick up his cloak.

² for you yourselves well know that the day of the Lord is coming in the same way as a thief in the night. ³ Whenever they say "Peace and security," then sudden destruction will overtake them like the birth pains of _⌊a pregnant woman_⌋*, and they will not possibly escape. ⁴ But you, brothers, are not in the darkness, so that the day should catch you like a thief, ⁵ for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. ⁶ So then, we must not sleep like the rest, but must be on the alert and be self-controlled.

¹⁸ in order that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge may have powerful encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us,

⁷ By faith Noah, having been warned about things not yet seen, out of reverence constructed an ark for the deliverance of his family, by which he pronounced sentence on the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

⁹ Fear Yahweh, you his saints,* for there is no lack for those who fear him. ¹⁰ The young lions are in want and suffer hunger, but those who seek Yahweh will not lack for any good thing.

¹ Praise Yah!* Blessed is the man who fears Yahweh; he takes great delight in his commands. ² His _⌊descendants_⌋* will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. ³ Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.

¹⁶ Length of days is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.

²¹ He who pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor.

⁶ and he will be the security of your times, an abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
The fear of Yahweh is his treasure.

¹⁵ For thus says the high and lofty one who resides forever, and whose name is holy:
"I reside in a high and holy place, and with the _⌊contrite_⌋* and humble of spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the _⌊contrite_⌋.*

³³ But seek first his kingdom and righteousness,* and all these things will be added to you.

⁸ For the training of the body is _⌊somewhat_⌋* profitable, but godliness is profitable for everything, because it* holds promise for the present life and for the life to come.

⁶ But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says,
"God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."*

¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

¹³ know for certain that Yahweh your God _⌊will not continue to drive out_⌋* these nations from before you; they will be for you a snare and a trap, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that Yahweh your God has given to you.

⁸ for he is thrust into a net by his feet, and he walks into a pitfall.

⁶ He will rain coals* on the wicked. Burning sulfur and scorching wind will be the portion of their cup.

²⁶ To the pure you show yourself pure. but to the wicked you show yourself shrewd. ²⁷ For you deliver humble people, but haughty eyes you humiliate.

¹ One who lives in the secret place* of the Most High will lodge in the shadow of Shaddai.*

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

¹⁵ Good sense grants favor, but the way of the faithless is coarse.

¹⁹ The way of the lazy is like a hedge of thorns,* but the path of the upright is a highway.

¹⁷ The highway of the upright, it turns from evil, he who guards himself* keeps his way.

¹⁶ He who guards commandments guards his life;* he who is careless of his ways will be killed.

¹⁸ We know that everyone who is fathered by God does not sin, but the one fathered by God, he protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.

²⁰ But you, dear friends, by* building yourselves up in your most holy faith, by* praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.

¹⁹ For I have chosen* him, that he will command his children and his household after him that they will keep the way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice, so that Yahweh may bring upon Abraham that which he said to him."

⁹ "However, _⌊take care_⌋* for yourself and watch your inner self* closely, so that you do not forget the things that your eyes have seen, so that they do not slip from your mind all the days of your life; and you shall make them known to your children and to _⌊your grandchildren_⌋.*

⁷ And you shall recite them to your children, and you shall talk about them at the time of your living in your house and at the time of your going on the road and at the time of your lying down and at the time of your rising up.

²⁸ I in turn have lent him to Yahweh. _⌊As long as he lives_⌋* he is lent to Yahweh." Then they worshiped Yahweh there.

²⁶ But the boy Samuel _⌊continued to grow in stature and in favor_⌋* with Yahweh and with the people.

² And so then here is the king walking about before you. Now I am old and gray, but my sons (look at them!) are with you; and I have walked about before you from my youth until this day. ³ Here I am! Testify against me before Yahweh and before his anointed one! Whose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I exploited? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I taken a bribe, that I may shut my eyes _⌊regarding_⌋* him?-then I will restore it to you."

³ that we have heard and known, and our ancestors* have told us. ⁴ We will not hide them from their children,* telling the next generation the praises of Yahweh, and his power and his wonders that he has done. ⁵ For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law* in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors* to teach to their children, ⁶ so that the next generation might know— children yet to be born— that they might rise up and tell their children,

⁴ And fathers, do not make your children angry, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

¹⁵ and that from childhood you have known the holy writings that are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

¹ A certain woman from the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, "Your servant my husband is dead. Now you know that your servant was a fearer of Yahweh, but the creditor came to take two of my children for himself as slaves.

⁴ And there were those who were saying, "We have borrowed money on our fields and our vineyards for the tax of the king. ⁵ Now our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, our sons are like their sons. Look, we are subduing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and there are some from our daughters being molested. _⌊We are powerless_⌋,* and our fields and vineyards belong to others."

²³ The poor may speak entreaties, but the rich will answer roughly.

¹⁶ He who oppresses the poor in order to enrich himself, or gives to the rich, _⌊will come to poverty_⌋.*

²² Do not rob the poor because he is poor, and do not crush the afflicted at the gate;

² And it shall be as with the people, so with the priest; as with the slave, so with his master; as with the female slave, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the one to whom he lends.

⁶ Thus says Yahweh: "For three transgressions of Israel and for four I will not revoke the punishment,* because they sell the righteous for money and the poor for a pair of sandals!

¹ Hear this word, you cows of Bashan who live on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the powerless, who crush the poor, who say to their husbands, "Bring something so that we may drink!"

¹¹ Therefore, because you trample on the poor and you take a grain tax from them, you built houses of dressed stone, but you will not live in them. You built vineyards of delightfulness, but you will not drink their wine. ¹² For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are numerous, you foes of the righteous, those who take a bribe, and _⌊those who_⌋* push aside the poor ones in the gate!

⁴ Hear this, those who trample on the poor and who annihilate the afflicted of the land,

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?"

²⁵ And because* he did not have enough* to repay it,* the master ordered him to be sold, and his* wife and his* children and everything that he had, and to be repaid.

⁶ But you have dishonored the poor! Are not the rich exploiting you and they themselves dragging you into the courts?

¹ Come now, you rich people, weep and cry aloud over the miseries that are coming upon you!

⁴ Behold, the wages that were held back by you from the workers who reap your fields cry out, and the cries of the reapers have come to the ears of the Lord of hosts.

⁸ Just as I have seen, plowers of mischief and sowers of trouble will reap it.

³ For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the _⌊land_⌋* of the righteous, lest the righteous stretch out their hands to do wickedness.*

³ In the mouth of a fool is the rod of pride, but the lips of the wise preserve them.

⁴ For you have shattered the yoke of its burden and the stick of its shoulder, the rod of its oppressor, on* the day of Midian.

⁵ Ah! Assyria, the rod of my anger, and a staff is in their hand: my wrath!

²⁹ You must not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken, for a viper will come forth from the root of the snake, and its fruit will be a flying serpent.

³¹ Indeed, Assyria will be shattered by the voice of Yahweh; he strikes with the rod.

⁷ Because they sow the wind, they will reap the whirlwind. The standing grain does not have heads;* it will not yield flour. And if it would yield, strangers would devour it.

¹³ You have plowed wickedness, you have reaped injustice, you have eaten the fruit of lies,* because you have trusted in your strength, in the multitude of your warriors.

⁷ Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked, for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap, ⁸ because the one who sows to his own flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.

⁷ If there is a poor person among you from among one of your brothers in one of your _⌊towns_⌋* that Yahweh your God is giving to you, you shall not harden your heart, and you shall not shut your hand toward _⌊your brother who is poor_⌋.* ⁸ But you shall certainly open your hand for him, and _⌊you shall willingly lend_⌋* to him enough to meet his need, _⌊whatever it is_⌋.* ⁹ _⌊Take care_⌋* so that there* will not be _⌊a thought of wickedness_⌋* in your heart, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'The seventh year, the year of the remission of debt is near,' _⌊and you view your needy neighbor with hostility_⌋,* and so you do not give to him, and he might cry out against you to Yahweh, and _⌊you would incur guilt against yourself_⌋.* ¹⁰ By all means you must give to him, and _⌊you must not be discontented_⌋* at your giving to him, because on account of this very thing, Yahweh your God will bless you in all your work and _⌊in all that you undertake_⌋.* ¹¹ For the poor* will not cease to be _⌊among you_⌋* in the land; therefore I am commanding you, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'You shall willingly open your hand to your brother, to your needy and to your poor that are in your land.'

⁵⁶ The most refined and the most delicate woman among you, who shall* not venture to put the sole of her foot on the ground from being so delicate and from such gentleness, _⌊shall be mean to her beloved husband_⌋* and against her son and against her daughter,

¹⁶ "If I have withheld the desire of the poor from them, or* I have caused the widow's eyes to fail, ¹⁷ or I have eaten my morsel _⌊alone_⌋,* and the orphan has not eaten from it ¹⁸ (for from my childhood he* _⌊grew up with_⌋* me like a father, and from my mother's womb I guided her*), ¹⁹ if I have seen the one who perishes because of no clothing or* that there is no covering for the poor, ²⁰ if his loins have not blessed me, or* by means of my sheep's fleece he has warmed himself,

¹ For the music director. A psalm of David.*
Blessed is the one who has regard for the poor; in the day of disaster, Yahweh delivers him. ² Yahweh protects him and keeps him alive; he is blessed in the land, and you do not give him into the will* of his enemies. ³ Yahweh sustains him on his sick bed. In his illness, you _⌊restore to health_⌋.*

⁹ _⌊He gives lavishly_⌋* to the needy; his righteousness endures forever. His horn rises high in honor.

²⁵ A person of blessing will be enriched, and he who gives water also will be refreshed.

¹⁷ He who lends to Yahweh is he who is kind to the poor, and his benefits he will repay to him.

¹³ He who closes his ear from the cry of the poor, he also will cry out and not be heard.

¹ Send out your bread on the water, for in many days you will find it. ² Divide your share in seven or in eight, for you do not know what disaster will happen on the earth.

⁸ But* the nobleman plans noble things, and he stands upon noble things.

⁷ Is it not to break your bread for the hungry? You must bring _⌊home_⌋* the poor, the homeless. When you see the naked, you must cover him, and you must not hide yourself from your _⌊relatives_⌋.* ⁸ Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall grow quickly. And your salvation shall go before you; the glory of Yahweh will be your rear guard. ⁹ Then you shall call, and Yahweh himself will answer. You shall cry for help, and he will say, 'Here I am!' If you remove from among you the yoke, the _⌊finger-pointing_⌋* and _⌊evil speech_⌋,* ¹⁰ if* you offer your soul to the hungry, and you satisfy the appetite of the afflicted, then* your light shall rise in the darkness, and your darkness will be like noon. ¹¹ And Yahweh will lead you continually, and satisfy your soul in a barren land, and he will strengthen your bones, and you shall be like a well-watered garden, and like a spring of water whose water does not fail. ¹² And they shall rebuild ancient ruins from you; you shall erect the foundations of _⌊many generations,_⌋* and _⌊you shall be called_⌋* the bricklayer of the breach, the restorer of paths to live in.

¹⁵ Is it not* permitted for me to do whatever I want with what is mine? Or is your eye evil because I am generous?'

³⁴ Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world! ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something* to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something* to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me as a guest, ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you cared for me, I was in prison and you came to me.' ³⁷ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,* or thirsty and give you something* to drink? ³⁸ And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you* as a guest, or naked and clothe you?* ³⁹ And when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?' ⁴⁰ And the king will answer and* say to them, 'Truly I say to you, in as much as you did it* to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it* to me.'

²² adulteries, acts of greed, malicious deeds, deceit, licentiousness, _⌊envy_⌋,* abusive speech, pride, foolishness.

³⁵ But love your enemies, and do good, and lend expecting back nothing, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful!* ³⁷ "And do not judge, and you will never be judged. And do not condemn, and you will never be condemned. Pardon, and you will be pardoned. ³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you, a good measure—pressed down, shaken, overflowing—they will pour out into your lap. For with the measure by which you measure out, it will be measured out to you in return."

¹³ But whenever you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,

³⁵ I have shown you with respect to all things that by* working hard in this way it is necessary to help those who are in need, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."*

¹ Now we make known to you, brothers, the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, ² that with a great ordeal of affliction, the abundance of their joy and the extreme depth of their poverty have overflowed to the wealth of their generosity.

⁶ Now the point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷ Each one should give as he has decided in his heart, not _⌊reluctantly_⌋* or from compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to cause all grace to abound to you, so that in everything at all times, because you* have enough of everything, you may overflow in every good work. ⁹ Just as it is written,
"He scattered widely, he gave to the poor; his righteousness remains _⌊forever_⌋*."* ¹⁰ Now the one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed, and will cause the harvest of your righteousness to grow, ¹¹ being made rich in every way for all generosity, which is producing through us thanksgiving to God,

¹⁸ to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, sharing freely, ¹⁹ storing up for themselves a good foundation for the future, in order that they may take hold of what is truly life.

¹⁰ For God is not unjust, so as to forget your work and the love which you demonstrated for his name by* having served the saints, and continuing to serve them.

¹⁶ And do not neglect doing good and generosity, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.

⁹ Be hospitable to one another without complaining.

⁹ And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne Abraham, mocking. ¹⁰ Then she said to Abraham, "Drive out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman will not be heir with my son, with Isaac."

¹ * Now it happened when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he became angry and greatly provoked, and he mocked the Jews. ² Then he said before his brothers and the army of Samaria, "What are the feeble Jews doing? Will they restore these things for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the piles of rubble—even those burned up?" ³ Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him and said, "Their wall of stone that they are building would break down if a fox went on it!"

²⁸ One from the sons of Jehoiada, son of the high priest Eliashib, who was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonote was there. I chased him away from me.

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.

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

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

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.

¹⁷ And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it* to the church. But if he refuses to listen to the church also, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

⁵ I have decided* to hand over such a person to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, in order that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. ⁶ Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough?

¹³ But those outside God will judge. Remove the evil person _⌊from among yourselves_⌋*.

³⁹ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all of this known to you there is no one as discerning and wise as you. ⁴⁰ You shall be over my house, and to your word* all my people shall submit. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you." ⁴¹ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt." ⁴² Then Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his finger and put it on the finger of Joseph. And he clothed him with garments of fine linen, and he put a chain of gold around his neck. ⁴³ And he had him ride in his second chariot. And they cried out before him, "Kneel!" And Pharaoh set him over all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁴ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your consent no one will lift his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt." ⁴⁵ And Pharaoh called the name of Joseph Zaphenath-paneah and gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as a wife. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. ⁴⁶ Now Joseph _⌊was thirty years old_⌋* when he stood before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and traveled through the whole land of Egypt. ⁴⁷ And the land produced a plenty in the seven years of abundance. ⁴⁸ And he gathered all the food of the seven years which occurred in the land of Egypt. And he stored the food in the cities. The food of the field that surrounded each city he stored in its midst. ⁴⁹ And Joseph piled up grain like the sand of the sea in great abundance until he stopped counting it, for _⌊it could not be counted_⌋.* ⁵⁰ Before the years of famine came, Asenath, daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore two sons to him. ⁵¹ And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, for he said, "God has caused me to forget all my hardship and all my father's house." ⁵² And the name of the second he called Ephraim, for he said, "God has made me fruitful in the land of my misfortune." ⁵³ And the seven years of abundance which were in the land of Egypt came to an end. ⁵⁴ And the seven years of famine began to come as Joseph had said. And there was famine in all of the countries, but in the land of Egypt there was food. ⁵⁵ And when all the land of Egypt was hungry the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. And Pharaoh said to all the land of Egypt, "Go to Joseph; what he says to you, you must do." ⁵⁶ And the famine was over the whole land, and Joseph opened all the storehouses* and sold food to the Egyptians. And the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. ⁵⁷ And every land came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, for the famine was severe in every land.

⁶ this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which Yahweh the God of Israel gave. The king granted him all his requests, for the hand of Yahweh was upon him. ⁷ Some of the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* some priests and Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. ⁸ He came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. ⁹ For on the first day of the first month he began the journey from Babylonia; and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, for the good hand of his God was on him. ¹⁰ For Ezra had set his heart to seek the law of Yahweh, to do it, and to teach the regulations and judgments in Israel. ¹¹ This is the copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the scroll of the words of the commands of Yahweh and his statutes for Israel:

⁴ Then the king said to me, "What is your request?" So I prayed to the God of the heavens. ⁵ Then I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your presence, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors'* burial sites, so that I may rebuild it." ⁶ With the queen sitting beside him, the king said to me, "How long will your journey be and when will you return?" So it pleased the king and he sent me, and I set for him an appointed time.

³ For Mordecai the Jew was second-in-command to King Ahasuerus. He was great for the Jews and popular with many of his brothers, for he sought good for his people, _⌊interceding for the welfare of all his descendants_⌋.*

² You are the most handsome of the sons of humankind; grace is poured out on your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.

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.

³⁵ The favor of a king is for the servant who deals wisely, but his wrath will be on him who acts shamefully.

¹³ The delight of kings are the lips of righteousness, and he who speaks what is upright he will love.

⁴⁶ Then the king, Nebuchadnezzar, fell on his face and he paid homage to Daniel; and he commanded them to offer a grain offering and incense offering to him. ⁴⁷ The king answered Daniel and said, "_⌊Truly_⌋* your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings, and he reveals mysteries, for you are able to reveal this mystery." ⁴⁸ Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and the chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. ⁴⁹ And Daniel made a request from the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon, while Daniel remained in the court of the king.

³⁰ Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

²⁰ And _⌊when he came near_⌋* to the pit, he cried out to Daniel with a distressed voice, and the king _⌊spoke_⌋* and said to Daniel, "O Daniel, servant of the living God, your God whom you serve faithfully, was he able to rescue you from the lions?" ²¹ Then Daniel spoke to* the king, "O king, live _⌊forever_⌋!* ²² My God sent his angel and he shut the mouth of the lions and they did not* hurt me, _⌊because_⌋* before him _⌊I was found_⌋* blameless, and also before you, O king, I have not done any wrong." ²³ Then the king was exceedingly glad over it* and commanded that Daniel be lifted up from the pit; and there was not any wound found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God.

²² And they were all speaking well of him, and were astonished at the gracious words that were coming out of his mouth. And they were saying, "Is this man not the son of Joseph?"

⁹ For the eyes of Yahweh roam throughout all the earth to strengthen those whose heart is fully devoted to him. You have been foolish in this, for from now on you will have wars."

¹² He is frustrating the devices of the crafty, and their hands do not achieve success. ¹³ He is capturing the wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are rushed.

¹⁹ So* they shall fear the name of Yahweh from the west, and his glory from the sunrise, for he will come like a narrow stream; the wind of Yahweh drives it on. ²⁰ "And a redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn away from transgression,"
_⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh. ²¹ "And as for me, this is my covenant with them, says Yahweh:
my spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have placed in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, or* from the mouths* of your _⌊children_⌋,* or* from the mouths* of _⌊your children's children_⌋,"* says Yahweh, "from now on and forever."

¹⁶ And Simon Peter answered and* said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" ¹⁷ And Jesus answered and* said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this* to you, but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it!

³⁹ But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them, lest you even be found fighting against God." So they were persuaded by him.

⁹ Now a certain man _⌊named_⌋* Simon had been in the city practicing magic and astonishing the people of Samaria, saying he was someone great. ¹⁰ They were all paying attention to _⌊him_⌋,* from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the power of God that is called 'Great.'" ¹¹ And they were paying attention to him because for a long time he had astonished them with his* magic. ¹² But when they believed Philip as he* was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were being baptized.

²³ And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down _⌊because_⌋* he did not give the glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and* died. ²⁴ But the word of God kept on increasing* and multiplying.

⁸ But Elymas the magician (for his name is translated in this way) opposed them, attempting to turn the proconsul away from the faith. ⁹ But Saul (also called Paul), filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him ¹⁰ and* said, "O you who are full of all deceit and of all unscrupulousness, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness! Will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord! ¹¹ And now behold, the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind, not seeing the sun _⌊for a while_⌋.* And immediately mist and darkness fell over him, and he was going around looking for people* to lead him* by the hand. ¹² Then when* the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, because he* was astounded at the teaching about* the Lord.

⁸ and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of his mouth, and wipe out by the appearance of his coming,

⁸ And _⌊just as_⌋* Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these oppose the truth, people corrupted in mind, disqualified concerning the faith. ⁹ But they will not progress to a greater extent, for their folly will be quite evident to everyone, as also the folly of those two was.

³ And I will grant authority* to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for one thousand two hundred sixty days, dressed in sackcloth." ⁴ These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. ⁵ And if anyone wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouth and consumes their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, in this way he must be killed. ⁶ These have the authority to shut the sky, so that _⌊it does not rain_⌋* during the days of their prophecy. And they have authority over the waters, to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with every plague as often as they wish. ⁷ And when they have completed their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will make war with them and will conquer them and will kill them. ⁸ And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which is called symbolically Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. ⁹ And those from peoples and tribes and languages and nations will see their dead bodies three and a half days, and they will not allow their dead bodies to be placed in a tomb. ¹⁰ And those who live on the earth will rejoice over them, and will celebrate and will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who live on the earth. ¹¹ And after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered into them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.

¹⁴ And the two wings of a great eagle were given to the woman, in order that she could fly into the wilderness, to her place where she is fed there for a time, and times, and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. ¹⁵ And from his mouth the serpent spouted water like a river after the woman, in order that he could make her swept away by a river. ¹⁶ And the earth came to the aid of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river that the dragon had spouted out of his mouth. ¹⁷ And the dragon was angry at the woman, and went away to _⌊fight against_⌋* the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and who hold to the testimony about Jesus.

³² And they presented the report of the land that they explored to the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* saying, "The land that we went through to explore is a land that eats its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in its midst are _⌊men of great size_⌋.* ³³ There we saw the Nephilim (the descendants* of Anak came from the Nephilim), and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their eyes."

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.

¹⁹ Then Yahweh saw, and he spurned them, because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters.

²⁰ And she said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" And he woke up from his sleep and said, "I will go out just like every other time and shake myself free," but he did not know that Yahweh had left him. ²¹ And the Philistines seized him, gouged his eyes, and brought him to Gaza. They tied him up with bronze shackles, and he became a grinder _⌊in the prison_⌋.*

²⁶ Did not King Solomon of Israel sin in this way? And among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Yet the foreign women made even him sin.

¹² So I let them* go in the stubbornness of their heart; they walked in their counsels.

¹⁶ in order to deliver you from a strange woman, from a foreign woman who flatters* with her sayings, ¹⁷ she who forsakes the partner of her youth and has forgotten the covenant of her God, ¹⁸ for her house sinks to death, and to the dead* are her paths. ¹⁹ Of all who go to her, none shall return, nor do they reach paths of life.

³ For the lips of the strange woman will drip honey, and smoother than oil is her mouth.* ⁴ But her end is bitter as the wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. ⁵ Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold of Sheol.* ⁶ She does not observe* the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it. ⁷ Now, O children, listen to me; do not depart from the sayings of my mouth. ⁸ Keep your paths far from her, and do not go near to the door of her house, ⁹ lest you give your honor to the others, and your years to the merciless, ¹⁰ lest strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of a foreigner, ¹¹ and you groan at your end, when your flesh and body are consumed, ¹² and say "How I hated discipline, and I despised reproof!" ¹³ and "I did not listen to the voice of my teachers, and I did not incline my ear to my instructors! ¹⁴ I was almost at utter* ruin* in the midst of the assembly and congregation." ¹⁵ Drink water from your own cistern and flowing waters from inside your own well. ¹⁶ Shall your springs be scattered outward? In the streets, shall there be streams of water? ¹⁷ May they be yours alone, and not for strangers who are with you. ¹⁸ May your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife* of your youth. ¹⁹ She is a deer of love and a doe of grace; may her breasts satisfy you _⌊always_⌋;* by her love may you be intoxicated continually. ²⁰ Why should you be intoxicated, my child, by a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a foreigner? ²¹ For before the eyes of Yahweh are _⌊human ways_⌋,* and all his paths he examines. ²² His iniquities shall ensnare him, the evildoer, and in the vanity of his sin he shall be caught. ²³ He shall die _⌊for lack of_⌋* discipline, and in the greatness of his folly he shall be lost.

²⁴ in order to preserve you from an evil woman,* from the smoothness of the tongue of _⌊an adulteress_⌋.* ²⁵ Do not desire her beauty in your heart; may she not capture you with her eyelashes. ²⁶ For the price of a woman, a prostitute,* is the price of a loaf of bread, but the _⌊woman belonging to a man_⌋* hunts precious life. ²⁷ Can a man carry fire in his lap, and his clothes not burn? ²⁸ If a man walks upon the hot coals, will his feet not be burned? ²⁹ Thus, he who goes to the wife of his neighbor, any who touches her shall not go unpunished.

⁵ In order to guard yourself from _⌊an adulteress_⌋,* from the foreigner who _⌊makes her words smooth_⌋.* ⁶ For at the window of my house, through my lattice, I looked down. ⁷ And I saw among the simple, I observed among the youth, a young man lacking _⌊sense_⌋,* ⁸ passing on the street _⌊at_⌋* her corner, and he takes the road to her house, ⁹ at twilight, at the day's evening, in the midst of night and the darkness. ¹⁰ Then behold! A woman comes to meet him with the garment of a prostitute* and _⌊a secret heart_⌋.* ¹¹ She is loud and stubborn; her feet do not stay at her house. ¹² Now in the street, now in the square, _⌊at_⌋* every corner she lies in wait. ¹³ She took hold of * him and kissed him. Her face was impudent, and she said to him, ¹⁴ "Sacrifices of peace offerings are upon me; _⌊today_⌋* I completed my vows. ¹⁵ So* I have come out to meet you, to seek your face, and I have found you. ¹⁶ With coverings I have adorned my couch, spreads of the linen of Egypt; ¹⁷ I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. ¹⁸ Come, let us take our fill of love making, until the morning let us delight in love. ¹⁹ For there is no man* in his home; he has gone on a _⌊long journey_⌋.* ²⁰ The bag of money he took in his hand, for on the day of the full moon he will come home." ²¹ She persuades him with the greatness of her teachings; with her smooth lips she compels him. ²² He goes after her suddenly; like an ox to the slaughter he goes, and like a stag to the instruction of a fool, ²³ until an arrow pierces his _⌊entrails_⌋,* like a bird rushing into a snare, but he does not know that _⌊it will cost him his life_⌋.* ²⁴ And now, my children, listen to me, and be attentive to the sayings of my mouth. ²⁵ May your heart not turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her path. ²⁶ For many slain she has laid low, and countless* are all of her killings. ²⁷ The ways of Sheol* are her house, descending to chambers of death.

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

²⁶ I myself found that more bitter than death is the woman who is a trap, whose heart is a snare, and whose hands are bonds. The one who pleases God escapes from her, but the sinner is caught by her.

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

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

²⁴ He who withholds his rod hates his child, but he who loves him _⌊gives him_⌋* discipline.

¹⁸ Discipline your child, for there is hope, but on his destruction do not set your desire.*

¹³ Do not withhold discipline from a child, if you will beat him with the rod, he will not die. ¹⁴ As for you, with the rod you shall beat him, and his life* you will save from Sheol.*

¹⁵ As for a rod and reproof, they* will give wisdom, but a neglected child is disgraced by his mother.

¹⁷ Discipline your children, and they will give you rest, and they will give delight to your soul.*

⁶ What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.

³ among whom also we all formerly lived in the desires of our flesh, doing the will* of the flesh and of the mind, and we were children of wrath* by nature, as also the rest of them were.

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. ¹¹ Now all discipline seems for the moment not to be joyful but painful, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness for those who are trained by it.

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_⌋.* ²¹ _⌊There is nothing left after he has eaten_⌋;* therefore his prosperity will not endure. ²² In the fullness of his excess _⌊he will be in distress_⌋;* all of misery's power will come upon him. ²³ _⌊When his stomach fills up_⌋,* God will send _⌊his burning anger_⌋* upon him, and he will let it rain down upon him* as his food. ²⁴ "He will flee from an iron weapon, but an arrow of bronze will pierce him. ²⁵ He draws it forth, and it comes out from his body, and the glittering point comes from his gall-bladder; terrors come upon him. ²⁶ _⌊Total darkness_⌋* is hidden for his treasures;* _⌊an unfanned fire_⌋* will devour him; the remnant* _⌊will be consumed_⌋* in his tent. ²⁷ The heavens will reveal his guilt, and the earth will rise up against him. ²⁸ The products of his house will be carried away* like gushing waters* on the day of his wrath. ²⁹ This is a wicked human being's portion from God and the inheritance of his decree from God."*

⁵ "Because of the oppression of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the poor, now I will rise up," Yahweh says. "I shall put them in the safety for which they* long."

²² Do not rob the poor because he is poor, and do not crush the afflicted at the gate; ²³ For Yahweh will plead their case and despoil those who despoil them of life.*

³ A man who is poor and oppresses the impoverished is a beating rain _⌊that leaves_⌋* no food.

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

² They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and they take them away. They oppress a man and his house; a man and his inheritance. ³ Therefore, thus says Yahweh: Look! I am planning disaster against this family from which you will not be able to remove your necks. You will not walk proudly, for it is a time of disaster.

⁹ "Thus says Yahweh of hosts: 'Judge with trustworthy justice, and show* steadfast love and compassion _⌊to one another_⌋.* ¹⁰ You must not oppress the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, and the needy. You must not devise evil in your heart _⌊against one another_⌋.'* ¹¹ But they refused to listen, and turned* a stubborn shoulder and _⌊stopped their ears from listening_⌋.* ¹² _⌊They made their hearts adamant_⌋* in order not to hear the law* and the words that Yahweh of hosts had sent by his spirit through* the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from Yahweh of hosts. ¹³ 'Thus, just as I* called and they would not hear, so they will call and I will not hear,' says Yahweh of hosts. ¹⁴ 'And I scattered them with a wind among all the nations that they had not known; the land was made desolate behind them— no one crossing through it or returning—and they made the desirable land* a desolation.'"

³³ And if* you do good to those who do good to you, what kind of credit is that to you? Even the sinners do the same! ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive back, what kind of credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, so that they may get back an equal amount! ³⁵ But love your enemies, and do good, and lend expecting back nothing, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

¹² And he also said to the one who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or wealthy neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and repayment come to you. ¹³ But whenever you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, ¹⁴ and you will be blessed, because they are not able to repay you. For it will be paid back to you at the resurrection of the righteous."

²⁴ And he called out and* said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he could dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am suffering pain in this flame!'

¹³ For judgment is merciless to the one who has not practiced mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

¹ Come now, you rich people, weep and cry aloud over the miseries that are coming upon you! ² Your wealth has rotted, and your clothing has become moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and silver have become corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you, and it will consume your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasure in the last days. ⁴ Behold, the wages that were held back by you from the workers who reap your fields cry out, and the cries of the reapers have come to the ears of the Lord of hosts. ⁵ You have lived self-indulgently on the earth* and have lived luxuriously. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter.

¹² So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

³ to gain _⌊insightful instruction_⌋,* righteousness and justice and equity,

² in order to incline your ear toward wisdom, then you shall apply your heart to understanding. ³ For if you cry out for understanding,* if you lift* your voice for insight, ⁴ if you seek her like silver and search her out _⌊like treasure_⌋,* ⁵ then you will understand the fear of Yahweh, and the knowledge of God you will find.

¹ My child, do not forget my instruction, and may your heart guard my commands.

⁴ he taught me and said to me, "May your heart hold fast to my words; guard my commandments and live. ⁵ Get wisdom and insight; do not forget and do not turn from the sayings of my mouth. ⁶ Do not forsake her—then she will guard you; love her and she will keep you. ⁷ The beginning of wisdom: Get wisdom! With all that is in your possession, gain insight. ⁸ Cherish her and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her.

¹ My child, be attentive to my wisdom, and to my understanding incline your ear; ² in order to keep prudence, and knowledge will guard your lips.

³³ Hear teaching and be wise; do not neglect it. ³⁴ Happy is the person who listens to me, in order to keep watch at my doors day by day, in order to guard the frames of my entrances.

¹² Apply your heart* to instruction, and your ear to sayings of knowledge.

²⁵ I set my mind to try to seek wisdom and the plan, and to know that wickedness is foolishness and that folly is delusion.

⁹ I saw all this as I applied my heart to all the deeds done under the sun: _⌊sometimes those in authority harm others_⌋.*

¹⁶ I applied my mind to know wisdom and to understand the business that is done on earth—how neither day nor night one's eyes see sleep.

³ Extend your ear, and come to me! Listen so that* your soul may live, and I will _⌊make_⌋* an everlasting covenant with* you, the enduring proofs of _⌊the mercies shown to_⌋* David.

⁵ While* he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him!"

¹⁸ for I am full of words;* _⌊the spirit within me_⌋* urges me. ¹⁹ "Look, my internal organs are like unopened wine, like new wineskins it* is ready to burst open.

¹⁰ more desirable than gold, even much fine gold; and sweeter than honey, even honey in the comb.

¹³ With my lips I have told of all the ordinances of your mouth.

¹⁰³ How smooth* are your words* to my palate, more than honey in my mouth.

¹¹¹ I have taken as my own your testimonies forever, for they are the joy of my heart.

¹⁶² I am rejoicing over your word, like one who finds great spoil.

¹⁷¹ Let my lips pour out praise, because you teach me your statutes.

¹⁰ for wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasing to your soul.*

¹⁷ Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.

⁶ Listen! For noble things I will speak, and upright things from the opening of my lips.

¹³ On the lips of one who has understanding, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of one who lacks _⌊sense_⌋.*

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.

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

¹³ My child, eat honey, for it is good, and the dripping of the honeycomb is sweet to your taste. ¹⁴ Thus know wisdom for the sake of your soul,* if you find it, then there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

¹¹ Apples of gold in a setting of silver is a matter spoken at* its proper time.

¹⁶ Your words were found and I ate them, and your words became to me as jubilation, even as the joy of my heart, for your name is called on me, O Yahweh God of hosts.

⁷ For the lips of the priest should guard knowledge, and they should seek instruction* from his mouth, for he is the messenger of Yahweh of hosts.

³⁸ the one who believes in me.* Just as the scripture said, 'Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.'"*

¹⁵ Therefore through him let us offer up a sacrifice of praise _⌊continually_⌋* to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.

⁸ Trust him at all times, O people; pour out before him your heart. God is a refuge for us. Selah

⁵ _⌊Trust Yahweh_⌋* with all your heart; do not lean toward your own understanding.

² Look! God is my salvation; I will trust, and I will not be afraid, for my strength and might is Yah, Yahweh; and he has become salvation for me."

⁴ Trust in Yahweh forever, for in Yah, Yahweh you have an everlasting rock.

⁷ Blessed be the person who trusts in Yahweh, and Yahweh is his trust.

²¹ who through him are believing in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

⁶ The words of Yahweh are pure words like silver refined in the crucible on the ground, refined seven times.

¹² I write for him myriads of my instruction;* they are regarded as a strange thing.

¹⁵ and that from childhood you have known the holy writings that are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ in order that the person of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

¹⁹ and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you* pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, ²⁰ recognizing this above all, that every prophecy of scripture does not come about from one's own interpretation, ²¹ for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

³ it seemed best to me also—because I* have followed all things carefully from the beginning—to write them* down in orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴ so that you may know the certainty concerning the things about which you were taught.

³¹ but these things are recorded in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by* believing you may have life in his name.

¹⁵ but set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts, always ready to make a defense to anyone who asks you for an accounting concerning the hope that is in you.

¹³ These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life.

⁶ " 'You will not pervert the justice of your poor in his legal dispute.

¹² because I saved the needy who cried for help, and I saved* the orphan for whom there was no helper. ¹³ The blessing of the wretched came upon me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. ¹⁴ I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a headband. ¹⁵ "I was eyes to the blind, and I was feet to the lame. ¹⁶ I was a father to the poor, and I investigated _⌊the stranger's_⌋* legal dispute.

¹⁶ "If I have withheld the desire of the poor from them, or* I have caused the widow's eyes to fail,

²¹ if I have raised my hand against an orphan because I saw my supporters at the gate,

¹⁰ Do not remove an ancient boundary marker, and on the fields of orphans do not encroach; ¹¹ For their redeemer is strong, he himself will plead their cause against you.

²⁹ They severely oppress the people of the land, and _⌊they committed robbery_⌋,* and they mistreated the needy and the poor, and they oppressed the alien _⌊without_⌋* justice.

¹⁰ You must not oppress the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, and the needy. You must not devise evil in your heart _⌊against one another_⌋.'*

⁵ "Then I will approach you for judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers, and against those who swear _⌊falsely_⌋,* and against the oppressors of the hired worker with his wages, the widow and the orphan, and _⌊the abusers of_⌋* the alien,* and yet do not fear me," says Yahweh of hosts.

¹² May Yahweh judge between me and you, and may Yahweh avenge me on you, but my hand will not be against you!

¹⁵ May Yahweh be the judge, and let him judge between me and you, and may he see and plead my case. _⌊May he vindicate me against you_⌋!"*

³⁹ When David heard that Nabal had died, he said, "Blessed be Yahweh who has vindicated the case of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and he has kept back his servant from evil; but Yahweh has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head." Then David sent and spoke with Abigail to take her for his wife.

¹ Of David.*
Contend, O Yahweh, with my contenders; fight those who fight me.

¹⁰ All of my bones shall say, "O Yahweh, who is like you, who delivers the poor from one stronger than he and the poor and needy from the one who robs him?"

¹ Judge me, O God, and plead my case against* an unfaithful* nation. From a man of deceit and wickedness rescue me,

⁵ A father to orphans and a judge for widows is God in his holy habitation.

¹² I know* that Yahweh will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and justice for the needy.

¹¹ For their redeemer is strong, he himself will plead their cause against you.

¹ Ah, destroyer, and yourself not destroyed! And treacherous one, and no one has dealt treacherously with him!* When you _⌊cease_⌋* destroying, you will be destroyed. When you stop dealing treacherously, one will deal treacherously with you.

³⁴ Their redeemer is strong, his name is Yahweh of hosts. Surely he will plead their case, in order to make peace for the earth, but to cause unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon.

³⁶ _⌊Therefore_⌋* thus says Yahweh,
"Look, I am going to contend your case, and I will avenge your vengeance, and I will cause her sea to dry up, and I will cause her fountain to dry up.

⁹ I will bear the rage of Yahweh, for I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes my justice. He will bring me out to the light; I will see his righteousness.

⁸ Because you plundered many nations, all the remaining nations will plunder you on account of the blood of humanity and violence against the land, and against cities and all who live in them.

²² A man of anger will stir strife, and the owner of anger, much transgression.

¹⁴ Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers, for what participation is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? ¹⁵ And what agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or what share does a believer have with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ And what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said,
"I will live in* them and will walk about among them, and I will be their God and they will be my people."* ¹⁷ Therefore "come out from their midst and be separate," says the Lord, "and do not touch what is unclean,* and I will welcome you,*

³⁵ but they mingled with the nations and learned their works,

²⁰ Walk with the wise and be wise, but as for the companion of fools, he will suffer harm.

³³ Do not be deceived! "Bad company corrupts good morals."*

¹ My child, if you have pledged to your neighbor, if you have bound _⌊yourself_⌋* to the stranger, ² if you are snared by the sayings of your mouth, if you are caught by the sayings of your mouth, ³ do this, then, my child, and save yourself, for you have come into _⌊the palm of your neighbor's hand_⌋:* Go, humble yourself, plead with your neighbor. ⁴ Do not give sleep to your eyes, or slumber to your eyelids. ⁵ Save yourself like a gazelle from a hand, or like a bird from the hand of a fowler.

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

¹⁸ A person who lacks _⌊sense_⌋* _⌊pledges_⌋;* he becomes security before his neighbor.

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

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 Take his garment, for he has given security to a stranger, and on behalf of a foreigner—take it as pledge.

¹⁴ "You shall not move the boundary marker of your neighbor that _⌊former generations_⌋* set up on your property in the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you to take possession of it.

¹⁷ 'Cursed be the one who moves the boundary marker of his neighbor.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

² They* remove border stones; they seize flocks, and they pasture them.

¹⁰ Do not remove an ancient boundary marker, and on the fields of orphans do not encroach;

⁴⁶ Now Joseph _⌊was thirty years old_⌋* when he stood before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and traveled through the whole land of Egypt.

⁸ Happy are your men and happy are these your servants who stand before you continually hearing your wisdom.

²⁸ Now the man Jeroboam was a man of ability, and Solomon saw that the young man _⌊was a diligent worker_⌋,* so he appointed him over all of the forced labor for the house of Joseph.

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

²⁴ The hand of the diligent ones will rule, but the lazy will belong to forced labor.

¹⁰ Whatever your hand finds to do—do it with all your might; for in Sheol—where you are going—no one works, plans, knows, or thinks about anything.

²¹ His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge over many things. Enter into the joy of your master!'

²³ His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge over many things. Enter into the joy of your master!'

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

² preach the word, be ready in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all patience and instruction.