Proverbs 16 Cross References - MSB

¹ The plans of the heart belong to man, but the reply of the tongue is from the LORD. ² All a man’s ways are pure in his own eyes, but his motives are weighed out by the LORD. ³ Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be achieved. ⁴ The LORD has made everything for His purpose—even the wicked for the day of disaster. ⁵ Everyone who is proud in heart is detestable to the LORD; be assured that he will not go unpunished. ⁶ By loving devotion and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns aside from evil. ⁷ When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even the man’s enemies live at peace with him. ⁸ Better a little with righteousness than great gain with injustice. ⁹ A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. ¹⁰ A divine verdict is on the lips of a king; his mouth must not betray justice. ¹¹ Honest scales and balances are from the LORD; all the weights in the bag are His concern. ¹² Wicked behavior is detestable to kings, for a throne is established through righteousness. ¹³ Righteous lips are a king’s delight, and he who speaks honestly is beloved. ¹⁴ The wrath of a king is a messenger of death, but a wise man will pacify it. ¹⁵ When a king’s face brightens, there is life; his favor is like a rain cloud in spring. ¹⁶ How much better to acquire wisdom than gold! To gain understanding is more desirable than silver. ¹⁷ The highway of the upright leads away from evil; he who guards his way protects his life. ¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. ¹⁹ It is better to be lowly in spirit among the humble than to divide the spoil with the proud. ²⁰ Whoever heeds instruction will find success, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD. ²¹ The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant speech promotes instruction. ²² Understanding is a fountain of life to its possessor, but the discipline of fools is folly. ²³ The heart of the wise man instructs his mouth and adds persuasiveness to his lips. ²⁴ Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. ²⁵ There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. ²⁶ A worker’s appetite works for him because his hunger drives him onward. ²⁷ A worthless man digs up evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire. ²⁸ A perverse man spreads dissension, and a gossip divides close friends. ²⁹ A violent man entices his neighbor and leads him down a path that is not good. ³⁰ He who winks his eye devises perversity; he who purses his lips is bent on evil. ³¹ Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is attained along the path of righteousness. ³² He who is slow to anger is better than a warrior, and he who controls his temper is greater than one who captures a city. ³³ The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

¹¹ And the LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, the sighted or the blind? Is it not I, the LORD? ¹² Now go! I will help you as you speak, and I will teach you what to say.”

¹⁵ You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth. I will help both of you to speak, and I will teach you what to do.

³¹ When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “This is the king of Israel!” So they turned to fight against him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him. God drew them away from him.

²⁷ Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put into the heart of the king to so honor the house of the LORD in Jerusalem,

¹¹ O Lord, may Your ear be attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (At that time I was the cupbearer to the king.)

¹⁷ You have heard, O LORD, the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their hearts. You will incline Your ear,

³⁶ Turn my heart to Your testimonies and not to covetous gain.

⁹ A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

²¹ Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail.

²⁴ A man’s steps are from the LORD, so how can anyone understand his own way?

¹ The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.

⁷ But the LORD told me: “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ For to everyone I send you, you must go, and all that I command you, you must speak. ⁸ Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD. ⁹ Then the LORD reached out His hand, touched my mouth, and said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.

²³ I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not his own; no one who walks directs his own steps.

³⁹ I will give them one heart and one way, so that they will always fear Me for their own good and for the good of their children after them. ⁴⁰ I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never turn away from doing good to them, and I will put My fear in their hearts, so that they will never turn away from Me.

²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.

¹⁹ But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to respond or what to say. In that hour you will be given what to say. ²⁰ For it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

¹¹ When you are brought before synagogues, rulers, and authorities, do not worry about how to defend yourselves or what to say. ¹² For at that time the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say.”

¹⁴ So make up your mind not to worry beforehand how to defend yourselves. ¹⁵ For I will give you speech and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to contradict or resist.

¹⁶ But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same devotion I have for you.

¹³ For God it is who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.

¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. ¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow. ¹⁸ He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of His creation.

¹³ When Samuel reached him, Saul said to him, “May the LORD bless you. I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.” ¹⁴ But Samuel replied, “Then what is this bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle that I hear?”

⁷ But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”

² For his eyes are too full of conceit to detect or hate his own sin.

²¹ For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD examines all his paths.

²⁵ There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

² All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.

¹² If you say, “Behold, we did not know about this,” does not He who weighs hearts consider it? Does not the One who guards your life know? Will He not repay a man according to his deeds?

¹² There is a generation of those who are pure in their own eyes and yet unwashed of their filth.

⁷ The path of the righteous is level; You clear a straight path for the upright.

²² Although you wash with lye and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before Me,” declares the Lord GOD. ²³ “How can you say, ‘I am not defiled; I have not run after the Baals’? Look at your behavior in the valley; acknowledge what you have done. You are a swift young she-camel galloping here and there,

¹⁰ I, the LORD, search the heart; I examine the mind to reward a man according to his way, by what his deeds deserve.

²⁷ TEKEL means that you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.

¹⁵ So He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is prized among men is detestable before God.

⁹ To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like the other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.

⁷ What then shall we say? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed, I would not have been mindful of sin if not for the law. For I would not have been aware of coveting if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” ⁸ But sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from the law, sin is dead. ⁹ Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.

¹⁸ To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like a blazing fire and whose feet are like polished bronze.

²³ Then I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

⁸ However, if I were you, I would appeal to God and lay my cause before Him—

²⁸ Your decisions will be carried out, and light will shine on your ways.

⁴ Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. ⁵ Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it.

²² Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.

⁶ in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

⁵ For Aram, along with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has plotted your ruin, saying: ⁶ ‘Let us invade Judah, terrorize it, and divide it among ourselves. Then we can install the son of Tabeal over it as king.’ ⁷ But this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘It will not arise; it will not happen.

²⁵ Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? ²⁸ And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about the things of itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.

²² Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear.

⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

⁷ Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

³⁰ Indeed, the evil man is spared from the day of calamity, delivered from the day of wrath.

⁷ everyone called by My name and created for My glory, whom I have indeed formed and made.”

²¹ The people I formed for Myself will declare My praise.

²² What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction?

³⁶ For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.

⁸ and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word—and to this they were appointed.

³ In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction will not sleep.

⁹ if all this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.

¹¹ “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, the Holy One, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and came to be.”

⁷ You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.

¹² Look on every proud man and humble him; trample the wicked where they stand.

¹⁶ There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him: ¹⁷ haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,

¹³ To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech.

²¹ Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will escape.

¹¹ Woe to the wicked; disaster is upon them! For they will be repaid with what their hands have done.

⁸ But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow wickedness, there will be anger and wrath. ⁹ There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, first for the Jew, then for the Greek;

⁶ But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

¹¹ Abraham replied, “I thought to myself, ‘Surely there is no fear of God in this place. They will kill me on account of my wife.’

⁹ So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our foreign enemies?

¹⁵ The governors before me had heavily burdened the people, taking from them bread and wine plus forty shekels of silver. Their servants also oppressed the people, but I did not do this because of my fear of God.

¹ There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. And this man was blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil. ² He had seven sons and three daughters, ³ and he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very large number of servants. Job was the greatest man of all the people of the East. ⁴ Job’s sons would take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵ And when the days of feasting were over, Job would send for his children to purify them, rising early in the morning to offer burnt offerings for all of them. For Job thought, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice. ⁶ One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. ⁷ “Where have you come from?” said the LORD to Satan. “From roaming through the earth,” he replied, “and walking back and forth in it.” ⁸ Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil.”

²⁸ And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

¹⁰ Loving devotion and faithfulness have joined together; righteousness and peace have kissed.

¹⁶ A wise man fears and turns from evil, but a fool is careless and reckless.

²⁷ The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.

²⁸ Loving devotion and faithfulness preserve a king; by these he maintains his throne.

²⁷ Therefore, may my advice be pleasing to you, O king. Break away from your sins by doing what is right, and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed. Perhaps there will be an extension of your prosperity.”

¹⁸ Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance—who does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion? ¹⁹ He will again have compassion on us; He will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast out all our sins into the depths of the sea. ²⁰ You will show faithfulness to Jacob and loving devotion to Abraham, as You swore to our fathers from the days of old.

⁴¹ But give as alms the things that are within you, and you will see that everything is clean for you.

² He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful.

⁹ He made no distinction between us and them, for He cleansed their hearts by faith.

¹ Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

²¹ Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

²² Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth through the Spirit so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.

⁴¹ Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

⁶ When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you—he and four hundred men with him.” ⁷ In great fear and distress, Jacob divided his people into two camps, as well as the flocks and herds and camels.

²⁸ Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed.”

⁴ Esau, however, ran to him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.

¹⁰ And the dread of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that surrounded Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.

³¹ And this will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with horns and hooves.

¹¹ The LORD said: “Surely I will deliver you for a good purpose; surely I will intercede with your enemy in your time of trouble, in your time of distress.

¹ Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord. He approached the high priest ² and requested letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

¹⁹ and after taking some food, he regained his strength. And Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. ²⁰ Saul promptly began to proclaim Christ in the synagogues, declaring, “He is the Son of God.”

³¹ What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

¹⁸ I have all I need and more, now that I have received your gifts from Epaphroditus. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.

¹⁰ so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

²⁰ Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord.

²¹ equip you with every good work to do His will. And may He accomplish in you what is pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

²² and we will receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight.

¹⁶ Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of many who are wicked.

¹⁶ Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure with turmoil.

⁶ Making a fortune by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist, a deadly pursuit. ⁷ The violence of the wicked will sweep them away because they refuse to do what is just.

¹¹ Like a partridge hatching eggs it did not lay is the man who makes a fortune unjustly. In the middle of his days his riches will desert him, and in the end he will be the fool.”

¹⁰ Can I forget any longer, O house of the wicked, the treasures of wickedness and the short ephah, which is accursed?

⁶ Of course, godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷ For we brought nothing into the world, so certainly we cannot carry anything out of it. ⁸ But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. ⁹ Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.

²³ The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD who takes delight in his journey.

¹ The plans of the heart belong to man, but the reply of the tongue is from the LORD.

³⁰ There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the LORD.

¹⁰ I declare the end from the beginning, and ancient times from what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’

⁵ Is this not the cup my master drinks from and uses for divination? What you have done is wicked!’”

¹⁵ “What is this deed you have done?” Joseph declared. “Do you not know that a man like me can surely divine the truth?”

¹⁸ When he is seated on his royal throne, he must write for himself a copy of this instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. ¹⁹ It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by carefully observing all the words of this instruction and these statutes. ²⁰ Then his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen, and he will not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or to the left, in order that he and his sons may reign many years over his kingdom in Israel.

³ The God of Israel spoke; the Rock of Israel said to me, ‘He who rules the people with justice, who rules in the fear of God, ⁴ is like the light of the morning at sunrise of a cloudless dawn, the glistening after the rain on the sprouting grass of the earth.’

²⁸ When all Israel heard of the judgment the king had given, they stood in awe of him, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.

⁶ Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever, and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom. ⁷ You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you above your companions with the oil of joy.

¹ Of Solomon. Endow the king with Your justice, O God, and the son of the king with Your righteousness. ² May he judge Your people with righteousness and Your afflicted with justice. ³ May the mountains bring peace to the people, and the hills bring righteousness. ⁴ May he vindicate the afflicted among the people; may he save the children of the needy and crush the oppressor.

⁴ The mighty King loves justice. You have established equity; You have exercised justice and righteousness in Jacob.

¹² Wicked behavior is detestable to kings, for a throne is established through righteousness. ¹³ Righteous lips are a king’s delight, and he who speaks honestly is beloved.

¹ Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule with justice. ² Each will be like a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in a dry land, like the shadow of a great rock in an arid land.

⁵ Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶ In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.

⁴ They speak mere words; with false oaths they make covenants. So judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.

⁷ There are those who turn justice into wormwood and cast righteousness to the ground.

¹² “Do horses gallop on the cliffs? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood—

³⁵ You must not use dishonest measures of length, weight, or volume. ³⁶ You shall maintain honest scales and weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

¹³ You shall not have two differing weights in your bag, one heavy and one light. ¹⁴ You shall not have two differing measures in your house, one large and one small. ¹⁵ You must maintain accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

¹ Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but an accurate weight is His delight.

¹⁰ Differing weights and unequal measures—both are detestable to the LORD.

²³ Unequal weights are detestable to the LORD, and dishonest scales are no good.

¹⁰ You must use honest scales, a just ephah, and a just bath.

⁷ A merchant loves to defraud with dishonest scales in his hands.

⁵ asking, “When will the New Moon be over, that we may sell grain? When will the Sabbath end, that we may market wheat? Let us reduce the ephah and increase the shekel; let us cheat with dishonest scales.

¹¹ Can I excuse dishonest scales or bags of false weights?

¹⁶ For everyone who behaves dishonestly in regard to these things is detestable to the LORD your God.

¹⁸ Set plans by consultation, and wage war under sound guidance.

⁵ Remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.

⁹ Whoever turns his ear away from hearing the law, even his prayer is detestable.

¹⁴ A king who judges the poor with fairness—his throne will be established forever.

⁴⁸ But the one who unknowingly does things worthy of punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from him who has been entrusted with much, even more will be demanded.

¹¹ Then I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages war.

⁵ Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; the one with haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not endure. ⁶ My eyes favor the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way of integrity shall minister to me. ⁷ No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who tells lies shall stand in my presence.

³⁵ A king delights in a wise servant, but his anger falls on the shameful.

¹¹ He who loves a pure heart and gracious lips will have the king for a friend.

³¹ He announced, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders through this day!” ³² Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a messenger ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer has sent someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door to keep him out. Is not the sound of his master’s footsteps behind him?” ³³ While Elisha was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him. And the king said, “This calamity is from the LORD. Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?”

¹¹ An evil man seeks only rebellion; a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

¹² A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.

² The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion; whoever provokes him forfeits his own life.

⁴ If the ruler’s temper flares against you, do not abandon your post, for calmness lays great offenses to rest.

¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar, furious with rage, summoned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, ¹⁴ and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden statue I have set up? ¹⁵ Now, if you are ready, as soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the statue I have made. But if you refuse to worship, you will be thrown at once into the blazing fiery furnace. Then what god will be able to deliver you from my hands?” ¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷ If the God whom we serve exists, then He is able to deliver us from the blazing fiery furnace and from your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden statue you have set up.” ¹⁹ At this, Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times hotter than usual, ²⁰ and he commanded some mighty men of valor in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing fiery furnace. ²¹ So they were tied up, wearing robes, trousers, turbans, and other clothes, and they were thrown into the blazing fiery furnace. ²² The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the fiery flames killed the men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. ²³ And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, firmly bound, fell into the blazing fiery furnace. ²⁴ Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and asked his advisers, “Did we not throw three men, firmly bound, into the fire?” “Certainly, O king,” they replied. ²⁵ “Look!” he exclaimed. “I see four men, unbound and unharmed, walking around in the fire—and the fourth looks like a son of the gods!”

²⁷ So without delay, the king commanded that John’s head be brought in. He sent an executioner, who went and beheaded him in the prison.

⁴ I tell you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. ⁵ But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear the One who, after you have been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!

²⁰ Now Herod was in a furious dispute with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they convened before him. Having secured the support of Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their region depended on the king’s country for food.

²⁰ Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.

²³ They waited for me as for rain and drank in my words like spring showers. ²⁴ If I smiled at them, they did not believe it; the light of my countenance was precious.

⁶ Many ask, “Who can show us the good?” Shine the light of Your face upon us, O LORD.

⁶ For You grant him blessings forever; You cheer him with joy in Your presence.

⁵ For His anger is fleeting, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning.

⁶ May he be like rain that falls on freshly cut grass, like spring showers that water the earth.

³ So let us know—let us press on to know the LORD. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the earth.

¹ Ask the LORD for rain in springtime; the LORD makes the storm clouds, and He will give everyone showers of rain and crops in the field.

²⁸ You have made known to me the paths of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence.’

¹³ No man can know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living. ¹⁴ The ocean depths say, ‘It is not in me,’ while the sea declares, ‘It is not with me.’ ¹⁵ It cannot be bought with gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver. ¹⁶ It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire. ¹⁷ Neither gold nor crystal can compare to it, nor jewels of fine gold be exchanged for it. ¹⁸ Coral and quartz are unworthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies. ¹⁹ Topaz from Cush cannot compare to it, nor can it be valued in pure gold. ²⁰ From where then does wisdom come, and where does understanding dwell? ²¹ It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing and concealed from the birds of the air. ²² Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor about it.’ ²³ But God understands its way, and He knows its place. ²⁴ For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. ²⁵ When God fixed the weight of the wind and measured out the waters, ²⁶ when He set a limit for the rain and a path for the thunderbolt, ²⁷ then He looked at wisdom and appraised it; He established it and searched it out. ²⁸ And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

¹²⁷ Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold, even the purest gold.

¹⁵ She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire compares with her. ¹⁶ Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. ¹⁷ All her ways are pleasant, and all her paths are peaceful. ¹⁸ She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who lay hold of her are blessed.

⁷ Wisdom is supreme; so acquire wisdom. And whatever you may acquire, gain understanding.

¹⁰ Receive my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold. ¹¹ For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire compares with her.

¹⁹ My fruit is better than gold, pure gold, and my harvest surpasses choice silver.

¹² For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.

²⁶ What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

²¹ This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”

²⁴ Put away deception from your mouth; keep your lips from perverse speech. ²⁵ Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead. ²⁶ Make a level path for your feet, and all your ways will be sure. ²⁷ Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your feet away from evil.

⁹ He who walks in integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out.

¹⁶ He who keeps a commandment preserves his soul, but he who is careless in his ways will die.

⁸ And there will be a highway called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel it—only those who walk in the Way—and fools will not stray onto it.

¹³ But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

³⁵ but welcomes those from every nation who fear Him and do what is right.

¹⁶ In this hope, I strive always to maintain a clear conscience before God and man.

¹⁰ not stealing from them, but showing all good faith, so that in every respect they will adorn the teaching about God our Savior. ¹¹ For the saving grace of God has appeared to everyone. ¹² It instructs us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live sensible, upright, and godly lives in the present age, ¹³ as we await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

³⁹ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God as you await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life.

²⁴ Now to Him who is able to keep them from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy—

¹⁰ Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

⁵ When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or pay him homage, he was filled with rage.

⁶ Haman entered, and the king asked him, “What should be done for the man whom the king is delighted to honor?” Now Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king be delighted to honor more than me?”

¹⁰ So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the fury of the king subsided.

² When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom.

¹⁹ He who loves transgression loves strife; he who builds his gate high invites destruction.

¹² Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.

²³ A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.

¹¹ The proud look of man will be humbled, and the loftiness of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. ¹² For the Day of the LORD of Hosts will come against all the proud and lofty, against all that is exalted—it will be humbled—

¹⁰ “Give this message to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you by saying that Jerusalem will not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria. ¹¹ Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the other countries, devoting them to destruction. Will you then be spared? ¹² Did the gods of the nations destroyed by my fathers rescue those nations—the gods of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, and of the people of Eden in Telassar? ¹³ Where are the kings of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’”

³⁸ One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer put him to the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat. And his son Esar-haddon reigned in his place.

³⁰ the king exclaimed, “Is this not Babylon the Great, which I myself have built by the might of my power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” ³¹ While the words were still in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven: “It is decreed to you, King Nebuchadnezzar, that the kingdom has departed from you. ³² You will be driven away from mankind to live with the beasts of the field, and you will feed on grass like an ox. And seven times will pass you by, until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom He wishes.” ³³ At that moment the sentence against Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from mankind. He ate grass like an ox, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird. ³⁴ But at the end of those days I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity was restored to me. Then I praised the Most High, and I honored and glorified Him who lives forever: “For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation. ³⁵ All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’” ³⁶ At the same time my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne, and surpassing greatness was added to me. ³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true and all His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.

²² But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this.

²⁴ Therefore He sent the hand that wrote the inscription.

³ The pride of your heart has deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks whose habitation is the heights, who say in your heart, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’ ⁴ Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, even from there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD.

³³ Peter said to Him, “Even if all fall away on account of You, I never will.” ³⁴ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus declared, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” ³⁵ Peter replied, “Even if I have to die with You, I will never deny You.” And all the other disciples said the same thing.

⁷⁴ At that he began to curse and swear to them, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed.

²⁰ That is correct: They were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid.

⁶ He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same condemnation as the devil.

⁹ The enemy declared, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.’

¹⁸ The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit.

⁶ Though the LORD is on high, He attends to the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar.

³ You have enlarged the nation and increased its joy. The people rejoice before You as they rejoice at harvest time, as men rejoice in dividing the plunder.

⁶ I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets.

¹³ For he says: ‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, for I am clever. I have removed the boundaries of nations and plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their rulers. ¹⁴ My hand reached as into a nest to seize the wealth of the nations. Like one gathering abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth. No wing fluttered, no beak opened or chirped.’” ¹⁵ Does an axe raise itself above the one who swings it? Does a saw boast over him who saws with it? It would be like a rod waving the one who lifts it, or a staff lifting him who is not wood!

¹² Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He has poured out His life unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors. Yet He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.

¹⁵ For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and humble in spirit, to restore the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite.

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in the thoughts of their hearts. ⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble. ⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.

¹³ But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

³⁸ So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, in whom the Spirit of God abides?” ³⁹ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. ⁴⁰ You shall be in charge of my house, and all my people are to obey your commands. Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”

²⁰ And because they cried out to God in battle, they were helped against their enemies, and the Hagrites and all their allies were delivered into their hands. Because they put their trust in God, He answered their prayers.

¹² Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in your rebellion, when His wrath ignites in an instant. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

⁸ Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

¹ A song of ascents. Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion. It cannot be moved; it abides forever.

⁵ Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,

³⁵ For whoever finds me finds life and obtains the favor of the LORD.

¹⁵ Good understanding wins favor, but the way of the faithless is difficult.

² A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son and share his inheritance as one of the brothers.

⁸ He who acquires wisdom loves himself; one who safeguards understanding will find success.

¹⁹ So that your trust may be in the LORD, I instruct you today—yes, you. ²⁰ Have I not written for you thirty sayings about counsel and knowledge,

³ By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established; ⁴ through knowledge its rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure. ⁵ A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge enhances his strength.

³ You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast of mind, because he trusts in You. ⁴ Trust in the LORD forever, because GOD the LORD is the Rock eternal.

¹⁸ Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore He rises to show you compassion, for the LORD is a just God. Blessed are all who wait for Him.

⁷ But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. ⁸ He is like a tree planted by the waters that sends out its roots toward the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes, and its leaves are always green. It does not worry in a year of drought, nor does it cease to produce fruit.

¹⁹ And the king spoke with them, and among all the young men he found no one equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the king’s service. ²⁰ In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom. ²¹ And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.

²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar declared, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him. They violated the king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

²³ The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den, and when Daniel was lifted out of the den, no wounds whatsoever were found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

¹⁶ Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

¹² in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, would be for the praise of His glory. ¹³ And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

¹² behold, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has never been nor will ever be another like you.

² You are the most handsome of men; grace has anointed your lips, since God has blessed you forever.

⁸ A wise heart will receive commandments, but foolish lips will come to ruin.

⁷ The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but not so the hearts of fools.

²³ The heart of the wise man instructs his mouth and adds persuasiveness to his lips. ²⁴ Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

¹⁵ My son, if your heart is wise, my own heart will indeed rejoice.

⁹ Oil and incense bring joy to the heart, and the sweetness of a friend is counsel to the soul.

¹⁰ The Teacher searched to find delightful sayings and to record accurate words of truth.

⁴ The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of discipleship, to sustain the weary with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning; He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.

²² All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they asked.

⁴⁶ “Never has anyone spoken like this man!” the officers answered.

¹⁹ Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise indeed about what is good and innocent about what is evil.

¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.

¹¹ The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

¹⁴ The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning one from the snares of death.

² The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool spouts folly.

²⁸ The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked blurts out evil.

⁴ The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

¹⁴ Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

¹⁶ Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁷ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes it sacred? ¹⁸ And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁹ You are foolish and blind! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes it sacred? ²⁰ So then, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹ And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the One who dwells in it. ²² And he who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the One who sits on it. ²³ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. ²⁴ You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. ²⁵ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and unrighteousness. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside may become clean as well.

³⁹ Jesus also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? ⁴⁰ A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.

²⁴ Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life.

⁶³ The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I speak to you are spirit and they are life.

⁶⁸ Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.

³⁰ The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. ³¹ The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not falter.

¹ For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lilies.” A Maskil of the sons of Korah. A love song. My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses to the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.

¹⁷ Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise—apply your mind to my knowledge— ¹⁸ for it is pleasing when you keep them within you and they are constantly on your lips.

³⁴ You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. ³⁵ The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure.

¹⁶ Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to the Lord.

² Let my teaching fall like rain and my speech settle like dew, like gentle rain on new grass, like showers on tender plants.

¹⁰ They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.

¹⁰³ How sweet are Your words to my taste—sweeter than honey in my mouth!

⁸ This will bring healing to your body and refreshment to your bones.

²² For they are life to those who find them, and health to the whole body.

¹⁸ Speaking rashly is like a piercing sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

²³ A man takes joy in a fitting reply—and how good is a timely word!

²⁶ The LORD detests the thoughts of the wicked, but the words of the pure are pleasant to Him.

¹⁶ My inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.

¹³ Eat honey, my son, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste. ¹⁴ Know therefore that wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, there is a future for you, and your hope will never be cut off.

¹¹ A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. ¹² Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear.

¹¹ Your lips, my bride, drip sweetness like the honeycomb; honey and milk are under your tongue, and the fragrance of your garments is like the aroma of Lebanon.

¹⁶ Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became my joy and my heart’s delight. For I bear Your name, O LORD God of Hosts.

¹⁹ It was the first day of the week, and that very evening, while the disciples were gathered together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you!” He said to them. ²⁰ After He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so also I am sending you.”

¹⁵ The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to counsel.

²⁶ A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the ways of the wicked lead them astray.

¹² There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

¹⁵ For you said, “We have made a covenant with death; we have fashioned an agreement with Sheol. When the overwhelming scourge passes through it will not touch us, because we have made lies our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.” ¹⁶ So this is what the Lord GOD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken. ¹⁷ I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the level. Hail will sweep away your refuge of lies, and water will flood your hiding place. ¹⁸ Your covenant with death will be dissolved, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be trampled by it. ¹⁹ As often as it passes through, it will carry you away; it will sweep through morning after morning, by day and by night.” The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror.

⁴⁷ “Have you also been deceived?” replied the Pharisees. ⁴⁸ “Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him? ⁴⁹ But this crowd that does not know the law, they are under a curse.”

⁴⁰ Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard this, and they asked Him, “Are we blind too?”

⁹ So then, I too was convinced that I ought to do all I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

⁵ Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Can’t you see for yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you—unless you actually fail the test?

¹² If you are wise, you are wise to your own advantage; but if you scoff, you alone will bear the consequences.

²³ There is profit in all labor, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

⁷ All a man’s labor is for his mouth, yet his appetite is never satisfied.

¹¹ and to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you. ¹² Then you will behave properly toward outsiders, without being dependent on anyone.

⁸ nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. Instead, in labor and toil, we worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you. ⁹ Not that we lack this right, but we wanted to offer ourselves as an example for you to imitate. ¹⁰ For even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “If anyone is unwilling to work, he shall not eat.” ¹¹ Yet we hear that some of you are leading undisciplined lives and accomplishing nothing but being busybodies. ¹² We command and urge such people by our Lord Jesus Christ to begin working quietly to earn their own living.

¹⁷ Now consider carefully what you must do, because disaster looms over our master and all his household. For he is such a scoundrel that nobody can speak to him!”

¹ Now a worthless man named Sheba son of Bichri, a Benjamite, happened to be there, and he blew the ram’s horn and shouted: “We have no share in David, no inheritance in Jesse’s son. Every man to his tent, O Israel!”

¹⁴ from such men, O LORD, by Your hand—from men of the world whose portion is in this life. May You fill the bellies of Your treasured ones and satisfy their sons, so they leave their abundance to their children. ¹⁵ As for me, I will behold Your face in righteousness; when I awake, I will be satisfied in Your presence.

² Your tongue devises destruction like a sharpened razor, O worker of deceit. ³ You love evil more than good, falsehood more than speaking truth. Selah ⁴ You love every word that devours, O deceitful tongue.

⁴ My soul is among the lions; I lie down with ravenous beasts—with men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.

⁴ if you seek it like silver and search it out like hidden treasure,

¹² A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth,

¹⁴ With deceit in his heart he devises evil; he continually sows discord.

¹⁸ Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of deceit and pull sin along with cart ropes,

¹³ Is it not indeed from the LORD of Hosts that the labor of the people only feeds the fire, and the nations weary themselves in vain?

⁶ The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

¹ Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” ² The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, ³ but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You must not eat of it or touch it, or you will die.’” ⁴ “You will not surely die,” the serpent told her. ⁵ “For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ⁶ When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. ⁷ And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; so they sewed together fig leaves and made coverings for themselves. ⁸ Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?” ¹⁰ “I heard Your voice in the garden,” he replied, “and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” ¹¹ “Who told you that you were naked?” asked the LORD God. “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” ¹² And the man answered, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” ¹³ Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied, “and I ate.”

⁹ and said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Look, David intends to harm you’?

¹⁹ a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.

¹⁸ A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger calms dispute.

⁹ Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends.

⁸ The words of a gossip are like choice morsels that go down into the inmost being.

²⁰ Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, a conflict ceases. ²¹ Like charcoal for embers and wood for fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. ²² The words of a gossip are like choice morsels that go down into the inmost being.

²² An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.

³³ For as the churning of milk yields butter, and the twisting of the nose draws blood, so the stirring of anger brings forth strife.”

²⁹ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, sexual immorality, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips,

²⁰ For I am afraid that when I come, I may not find you as I wish, and you may not find me as you wish. I fear that there may be quarrels, jealousy, rage, rivalry, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.

³ If anyone teaches another doctrine and disagrees with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and with godly teaching, ⁴ he is conceited and understands nothing. Instead, he has an unhealthy interest in controversies and semantics, out of which come envy, strife, abusive talk, evil suspicions, ⁵ and constant friction between men of depraved mind who are devoid of the truth. These men regard godliness as a means of gain. Withdraw yourself from such.

¹⁴ But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth. ¹⁵ Such wisdom does not come from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. ¹⁶ For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every evil practice.

¹¹ Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and kill him in the morning. But David’s wife Michal warned him, “If you do not run for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!”

¹⁷ And Saul said to Michal, “Why did you deceive me like this? You sent my enemy away and he has escaped!” Michal replied, “He said to me, ‘Help me get away, or I will kill you!’”

⁷ Then Saul said to his servants, “Listen, men of Benjamin! Is the son of Jesse giving all of you fields and vineyards and making you commanders of thousands or hundreds? ⁸ Is that why all of you have conspired against me? Not one of you told me that my own son had made a covenant with the son of Jesse. Not one of you has shown concern for me or revealed to me that my son has stirred up my own servant to lie in wait against me, as is the case today.” ⁹ But Doeg the Edomite, who had stationed himself with Saul’s servants, answered: “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob.

¹⁹ Then the Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah south of Jeshimon? ²⁰ Now, O king, come down whenever your soul desires, and we will be responsible for delivering him into your hand.” ²¹ “May you be blessed by the LORD,” replied Saul, “for you have had compassion on me.

¹³ He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would sin by doing as he suggested, so they could give me a bad name in order to discredit me.

¹⁰ My son, if sinners entice you, do not yield to them. ¹¹ If they say, “Come along, let us lie in wait for blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause, ¹² let us swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole like those descending into the Pit. ¹³ We will find all manner of precious goods; we will fill our houses with plunder. ¹⁴ Throw in your lot with us; let us all share one purse”—

¹² to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perversity, ¹³ from those who leave the straight paths to walk in the ways of darkness, ¹⁴ from those who enjoy doing evil and rejoice in the twistedness of evil, ¹⁵ whose paths are crooked and whose ways are devious.

³¹ Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways;

¹⁷ Therefore, beloved, since you already know these things, be on your guard so that you will not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure standing.

¹² A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth, ¹³ winking his eyes, speaking with his feet, and pointing with his fingers. ¹⁴ With deceit in his heart he devises evil; he continually sows discord.

¹⁰ He who winks the eye causes grief, and foolish lips will come to ruin.

²⁷ A worthless man digs up evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.

¹⁰ Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

³ Both hands are skilled at evil; the prince and the judge demand a bribe. When the powerful utters his evil desire, they all conspire together.

¹⁵ For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’

⁷ so much that he promised with an oath to give to her whatever she asked. ⁸ Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”

²³ “Why?” asked the governor. “What evil has He done?” But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!” ²⁴ When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd. “I am innocent of this righteous man’s blood,” he said. “You bear the responsibility.” ²⁵ All the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” ²⁶ So Pilate released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified.

²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

⁷ Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. ⁸ “How many years have you lived?” Pharaoh asked. ⁹ “My travels have lasted 130 years,” Jacob replied. “My years have been few and hard, and they have not matched the years of the travels of my fathers.” ¹⁰ Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and departed from his presence.

³² You are to rise in the presence of the elderly, honor the aged, and fear your God. I am the LORD.

² Now here is the king walking before you, and I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day. ³ Here I am. Bear witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated or oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe and closed my eyes? Tell me, and I will restore it to you.” ⁴ “You have not wronged us or oppressed us,” they replied, “nor have you taken anything from the hand of man.” ⁵ Samuel said to them, “The LORD is a witness against you, and His anointed is a witness today, that you have not found anything in my hand.” “He is a witness,” they replied.

¹⁰ Then David blessed the LORD in the sight of all the assembly and said: “May You be blessed, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. ¹¹ Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in heaven and on earth belongs to You. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all. ¹² Both riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler over all. In Your hands are power and might to exalt and give strength to all. ¹³ Now therefore, our God, we give You thanks, and we praise Your glorious name. ¹⁴ But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from You, and from Your own hand we have given to You. ¹⁵ For we are foreigners and strangers in Your presence, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. ¹⁶ O LORD our God, from Your hand comes all this abundance that we have provided to build You a house for Your holy Name, and all of it belongs to You. ¹⁷ I know, my God, that You test the heart and delight in uprightness. All these things I have given willingly and with an upright heart, and now I have seen Your people who are present here giving joyfully and willingly to You. ¹⁸ O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, keep this desire forever in the intentions of the hearts of Your people, and direct their hearts toward You. ¹⁹ And give my son Solomon a whole heart to keep and carry out all Your commandments, decrees, and statutes, and to build Your palace for which I have made provision.” ²⁰ Then David said to the whole assembly, “Blessed be the LORD your God.” So the whole assembly blessed the LORD, the God of their fathers. They bowed down and paid homage to the LORD and to the king. ²¹ The next day they offered sacrifices and presented burnt offerings to the LORD: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, along with their drink offerings, and other sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. ²² That day they ate and drank with great joy in the presence of the LORD. Then, for a second time, they designated David’s son Solomon as king, anointing him before the LORD as ruler, and Zadok as the priest. ²³ So Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king in place of his father David. He prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. ²⁴ All the officials and mighty men, as well as all of King David’s sons, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon. ²⁵ The LORD highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him royal majesty such as had not been bestowed on any king in Israel before him.

⁶ So Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite declared: “I am young in years, while you are old; that is why I was timid and afraid to tell you what I know. ⁷ I thought that age should speak, and many years should teach wisdom.

¹ My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; ² for they will add length to your days, years and peace to your life.

⁶ Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of a son is his father.

²⁹ The glory of young men is their strength, and gray hair is the splendor of the old.

¹³ Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take a warning.

⁶ Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and decrees of the Lord.

²⁹ “Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace. ³⁰ For my eyes have seen Your salvation, ³¹ which You have prepared in the sight of all people, ³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.” ³³ And Joseph and the Child’s mother were amazed at what was spoken about Him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them and said to His mother Mary: “Behold, this Child is appointed to cause the rise and fall of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, ³⁵ so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your soul as well.” ³⁶ There was also a prophetess named Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, who was well along in years. She had been married for seven years, ³⁷ and then was a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. ³⁸ Coming forward at that moment, she gave thanks to the Lord and spoke about the Child to all who were waiting for redemption in Jerusalem.

⁹ I prefer to appeal on the basis of love. For I, Paul, am now aged, and a prisoner of Jesus Christ as well.

⁸ The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.

²⁹ A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man promotes folly.

¹⁹ It is better to be lowly in spirit among the humble than to divide the spoil with the proud.

¹¹ A man’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense.

²⁸ Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who does not control his temper.

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

¹ Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children,

¹⁹ So then, my beloved brothers, everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,

²¹ To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

⁵⁵ Indeed, the land must be divided by lot; they shall receive their inheritance according to the names of the tribes of their fathers. ⁵⁶ Each inheritance is to be divided by lot among the larger and smaller tribes.” ⁵⁷ Now these were the Levites numbered by their clans: The Gershonite clan from Gershon, the Kohathite clan from Kohath, and the Merarite clan from Merari. ⁵⁸ These were the families of the Levites: The Libnite clan, the Hebronite clan, the Mahlite clan, the Mushite clan, and the Korahite clan. Now Kohath was the father of Amram, ⁵⁹ and Amram’s wife was named Jochebed. She was also a daughter of Levi, born to Levi in Egypt. To Amram she bore Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam. ⁶⁰ Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar were born to Aaron, ⁶¹ but Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD. ⁶² The registration of the Levites totaled 23,000, every male a month old or more; they were not numbered among the other Israelites, because no inheritance was given to them among the Israelites. ⁶³ These were the ones numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho. ⁶⁴ Among all these, however, there was not one who had been numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Wilderness of Sinai. ⁶⁵ For the LORD had told them that they would surely die in the wilderness. Not one was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

¹⁴ In the morning you must present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe that the LORD selects shall come forward clan by clan, and the clan that the LORD selects shall come forward family by family, and the family that the LORD selects shall come forward man by man.

⁵ and divide the land into seven portions. Judah shall remain in their territory in the south, and the house of Joseph shall remain in their territory in the north.

¹⁰ And Joshua cast lots for them in the presence of the LORD at Shiloh, where he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their divisions.

⁴¹ So Saul said to the LORD, the God of Israel, “Why have You not answered Your servant this day? If the fault is with me or my son Jonathan, respond with Urim; but if the fault is with the men of Israel, respond with Thummim.” And Jonathan and Saul were selected, but the people were cleared of the charge. ⁴² Then Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan.” And Jonathan was selected.

¹ Now the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in the holy city of Jerusalem, while the remaining nine were to dwell in their own towns.

¹⁸ Casting the lot ends quarrels and separates strong opponents.

²⁶ Many seek the ruler’s favor, but a man receives justice from the LORD.

⁷ “Come!” said the sailors to one another. “Let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity that is upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.

²⁶ Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.